9 2 ARISTO CRA CY AND E VOL UTION 



Book i or breed children who die early ; whilst the former 

 live long, and breed children who live likewise ; and 

 of these children there is always a certain percentage 

 in whom are reproduced the superior qualities of 

 their parents. Thus the weaker members of the 

 community are always dying out, whilst stronger 

 members not only become more numerous, but 

 more efficient as individuals also. In other words, 

 the Darwinian struggle for existence produces pro- 

 gress by raising the general average of efficiency. 

 It has nothing to do with a few men towering over 

 the rest. It works by producing a simultaneous 

 rise of all. The superior " assert their authority " 

 not by commanding their inferiors, but merely by 

 " continuing to live " and having children as superior 

 as themselves. In this way, to quote an illustration 

 from Mr. Spencer, the progressive races of Europe 

 have reached a stage of development which makes 

 possible amongst them the appearance of men like 

 Laplace or Newton, an event which could not occur 

 amongst the Hottentots or the Andaman islanders. 

 It will thus at once be clear that the theory of the 

 survival of the fittest explains progress by reference 

 The great man to an order of facts totally distinct from those 

 gress ^ybeing involved in the influence claimed for the great man. 

 superior to his Whilst t h e theory of survival is illustrated by the 



contempor- * / 



aries. superiority of Europeans to Hottentots, the great- 



man theory is illustrated by, and depends on, the 

 superiority of men like Newton to the great mass 

 of Europeans. 



What relation, then, do these two explanations 



