94 The Biological Errors 



reform is only less injurious than the eugenic 

 setback of the race caused by the reverse selection 

 of war, which kills off the best of each nation. 

 And most disastrous of all is the effect of war, 

 both on the victors and the vanquished, in the 

 increase of militarism, leading often to a form 

 of despotism, which means a curtailment of the 

 liberty and a contraction of the life of the 

 individual. 



It is often said that the struggle of political 

 parties maintains social activities. Activity is life, 

 therefore this struggle leads to progress. This is 

 true but it is necessary to analyse the phenomena 

 more accurately. The struggle of political par- 

 ties means in the last analysis the existence of lib- 

 erty, that is, the absolute respect by each citizen 

 of the rights of his neighbour. In other terms it 

 means the suppression of homicide and of violence. 

 If the struggle of parties is of value, it is be- 

 cause this struggle substitutes an intellectual com- 

 bat (propaganda, agitation, electoral activities, 

 etc.) for the biological combats which consist in 

 slaughter. If the parties recur to homicide, we 

 no longer have a struggle of parties but a civil 

 war. And no one affirms that civil war in general 

 causes the progress of the human race. 



Political struggles take place also between the 

 government and the governed. As long as these 

 remain in the intellectual field, they are fruitful. 

 The party in power proposes one program and the 

 opposition another. But as soon as the struggle 



