132 FROM COMTE TO BENJAMIN KIDD PART in 



has set him thinking, but Darwinism has not mastered 

 or overmastered the course of his thought. This is 

 not said by way of blame or disparagement, but in 

 order that we may reach a precise view of the nature 

 of Bagehot's contribution, and may understand how 

 it differs from other contributions with which we have 

 still to deal. 



NOTE B : On Professor Ritchie's " Darwinism and 

 Politics " 



[Professor Ritchie's bright little book does not 

 propose to apply Darwinism to the details of social 

 life or history. It deals with the question whether 

 the application holds good in principle whether or 

 not Darwinism really applies to politics. Unfortu- 

 nately it is not easy to harmonise the teaching of the 

 different essays. The bearing of the first essay is as 

 follows : Whatever presumptions are established by 

 a Darwinian view of the origin of man, there is no 

 ground for believing that social progress necessarily 

 implies struggle; reason has come in to change all 

 things. But the drift of essays II. and III. is in 

 quite a different direction : The analysis of evolu- 

 tion by Darwinism is absolutely trustworthy, and may 

 assuredly be extended to human society, " mutatis 

 mutandis ! " This implies that reason has made only 

 minute changes. Yet the first essay teaches that 

 reason has equalised the efficiency of the two sexes, 

 and again, that it has suspended the necessity for 

 struggle. How much Darwinism is left if you elimi- 

 nate struggle for existence ? 



There is one hint of some interest in essay I. 



