CH. XVIII.] TEE EVOLUTION OF SOCIETY. 223 



higher order, has also resulted in the more and more complete 

 subordination of the requirements of the aggregate to the 

 requirements of the individual. And be it further noticed, 

 that the relative strength of the altruistic feelings ■which 

 maintain the stability of the highest social aggregation, main- 

 tains also to the fullest extent the independence of its indi- 

 vidual members ; while the relative strength of the egoistic 

 feelings which in early times prevented the existence of any 

 higher organization than the family or tribe, w^as also in- 

 compatible with individual freedom of action. Now this is 

 precisely the reverse of the state of things which we find in 

 organic evolution. In organic development, the individual 

 life of the parts is more and more submerged in the cor- 

 porate life of the whole. In social development, corporate 

 life is more and more subordinated to individual life. The 

 highest organic life is that in which the units have the least 

 possible freedom. The highest social life is that in which 

 the units have the greatest possible freedom. This feature of 

 social evolution is most conveniently described by SchelKng's 

 term individuation, which is employed in a kindred sense 

 both in Mr. Spencer's and in other modern works on biology. 



Thus we have at last reached the conclusion in quest of 

 which we set out. Supplementing our previous results, 

 according to which organic and social evolution were seen to 

 agree, by our present result, according to which they are seen 

 to differ, we obtain a formula for social evolution which may 

 be regarded as fundamentally accurate. We obtain the Law 

 of Progress, which may be provisionally stated as follows : — 



" The Evolution of Society is a continuous establishment oj 

 ■psychical relations u'iihin the Community, in conformity to 

 physical and psychical relations arising in the Environment ; 

 during which, both the Commimity and the Environment pass 

 from a state of relatively indefinite, incoherent homogeneity to 

 a state of relatively defniie, coherent heterogeneity ; and dtoring 



