1 86 The Morality of Nature 



the extermination of those creatures of bacterial nature, 

 whose parasitic Hfe depends upon injury to the higher 

 organism. The right and reason of the persistence of the 

 aggressive self is in this example very clear; and it can be 

 understood as sustaining right of the same nature in less 

 clear cases. An all embracing altruism is impracticable 

 until the time of infinite perfection. 



We find therefore that the civilized co-operative union is 

 properly based on the old restraining respect for one's 

 neighbors' desires, developed into voluntary considerateness, 

 and become a habit, and thus impressed upon self-interest 

 in varying degrees ; and the greater and the purer the nature 

 of this considerateness, the greater the capacity of the 

 creatures exercising it for the organization of their 

 associated units of conduct. The extent of this influence is 

 in fact the measure of civilization and progress, and of 

 human elevation toward perfection. The principles of 

 growth in cumulative knowledge inspire units of the race 

 life cohering in associated conduct; and growth enables the 

 life to include larger and larger units, and to govern them 

 more purely. 



Any conduct of an individual in this dual life therefore 

 is a complex activity, of the one person, and of an extended 

 co-operating organization of persons, linked in sympathetic 

 union of that greater life. And evidently the conduct may 

 afifect either a single or a multiple life or the activity may 

 be produced in a joint operation of all of these interests at 

 once, in varying degree of participation : human action is of 

 that complex nature; the act of a person, done for himself, 

 will usually have also some effect upon his lineal life; and 



