THE ATTITUDE OF PHILOSOPHY 



unflinchingly carried into details, — though, in 

 deference to the watchwords of the present age, 

 it is couched in expressions which imply a sym- 

 pathy with human progress. 



For such abnormal phenomena as those of 

 the Terror and the Commune, there is no doubt 

 a deeper cause than the prevalence of anarchical 

 social and religious theories. Such phenomena 

 are strictly analogous to those of disease, in- 

 dicating that sundry social functions are out 

 of balance, and that the social organism is vio- 

 lently striving to regain equilibrium even at the 

 risk of premature dissolution. Scientifically con- 

 sidered, the Commune was a case of retrograde 

 metamorphosis, quite analogous to cancer in 

 the individual organism ; and it was due to a 

 minor failure of adjustment incident upon a 

 rapid change in the social environment. In- 

 creased wealth and a heightened standard of 

 comfortable living, entailing prolonged labour 

 and more intense brain work, leave*the least in- 

 dustrious and intelligent members of the com- 

 munity in misery little removed from starvation. 

 And while under the unchecked operation of 

 natural selection these unadapted members of 

 the community would soon perish, as the lunatic 

 and the drunkard would perish, we nevertheless 

 save them artificially, as we artificially protect the 

 drunkard and the lunatic ; and we do so rightly, 

 because the repression of our humanitarian feel- 

 voL. IV 337 



