SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS xvii 



CHAPTER II 

 The Bankruptcy of Liberalism 



PAGES 



1. The Liberal regime prevails to-day in all civilised States — The 



Rechtsstaat of Kant and Pichte — Predictions of Adam Smith, 

 J. S. Mill, Ricardo, Bastiat — Apparent contradiction in the 

 theory of Spencer — According to the doctrine of the Rechtsstaat, 

 individual liberty is limited by the liberty of others — This limita- 

 tion of individual liberty is incompatible with the unlimited 

 competition advocated also by Liberalism. 



2. In practice. Liberalism has not kept the promises made in 



its name by its leading representatives — Parasitism, misery, 

 waste of social force, engendered by the Liberal regime — 

 Liberalism faced by two alternatives — Either alternative is 

 fatal to Liberal dogmatism ... 449-466 



CHAPTER III 



SOCIAUSM AND SCIENCE 



1. Summary of the conclusions reached by us in the previous 



chapters — Natmre of the force required to-day in order to direct 

 social evolution in the manner most conformable to the interests 

 of the individual and of society — Liberalism does not constitute 

 such a force — Does Socialism satisfy our requirements ? — 

 Sociahsm a pessimistic doctrine — ^It aims at the suppression of 

 conflict — ^The development of industrialism has increased the 

 intensity of life without increasing its value — Socialism responds 

 to the popular perception of this deplorable tendency of in- 

 dustrialism — The remedy which socialism proposes would 

 destroy the fundamental conditions of hfe. 



2. Does science constitute the force adequate to our needs ? — 



Glorification of science by Renan, Bougie, and Berthelot^ 

 Hartmann on the impotency of non-metaphysical ethics — 

 Impossibility of appealing to society as a principle of social 

 cohesion — The division of social labour and the necessity of 

 a suprasocial principle — Theory of the semi-contract. 



3. Science is a fertile source of human expansion — It is also a 



fertile source of inteEectual instability, consequently of con- 

 flict — But science is incapable of satisfying fuUy our desire for 

 expansion — Insatiable nature of our desires — The desire of 

 expansion can find adequate satisfaction only in religious 

 beUef - - 467-503 



b 



