288 Darwin's Theory of Social Progress 



society is held together only by the external force 

 exerted by some other society, this other society 

 having been constituted and held together in some 

 miraculous way. 



Darwin traces the evolution of the moral law 

 with a master's hand. Analysing it down to its 

 cosmic roots, he finds at the basis the element of 

 love, and sympathy, which is distinct from love: 



The development of the moral qualities is a more 

 interesting problem. The foundation lies in the social 

 instincts, including under this term the family ties. 

 These instincts are highly complex, and in the case of 

 the lower animals give special tendencies toward cer- 

 tain definite actions; but the more important elements 

 are love, and the distinct emotion of sympathy. ^ 



Darwin follows this element of love far down into 

 the animal kingdom. From this element of love, 

 through the channel of the parental and filial 

 affections, have been evolved the social instincts, 

 leading to mutual aid — the greatest factor of 

 social evolution. The social instincts must have 

 preceded association, just as the sense of hunger 

 and the pleasure of eating were no doubt first 

 acquired in order to induce animals to eat. He 

 traces the first stages in the evolution of the social 

 instinct as follows : 



The feeling of pleasure from society is probably 

 an extension of the parental or filial affections, since 

 the sociajjnsb'nct seems, tobe^ developed by the y oung 



* The Descent of Man, p. 634. 



