LAW OF LIFE IS EXPANSION 315 



wMch sets as an aim to its polity the greatest possible multipli- 

 cation of life, irrespective of the quality of that life — even if such 

 a race be protected against annihilation by outside foes which 

 are biologically superior, it will nevertheless decay ; it will not 

 play any role in the history of the world, and the judgment of 

 history will pronounce it to have been a failure. For a race can 

 thrive only on condition that the qualitative superiority of its 

 component individuals is maintained. The feeble, the weak, 

 the maimed members of society are unable to fulfil their duty 

 either towards themselves or towards their race. The aim of 

 life, in so far as we are justified in attributing to life an aim, 

 must be its fullest possible expansion ; for such an expansion is 

 implied by the very idea of life. The late M. Guyau expressed 

 this so well that we cannot do better than reproduce his words : 

 " Nous croyons qu'une morale exclusivement scientifique, pour 

 etre complete doit admettre que la recherche du plaisir n'est 

 que la consequence meme de I'efEort instinctif pour maintenir 

 et accroitre la vie ; le but qui, de fait, determine toute action 

 consciente est aussi la cau^e qui produit toute action incon- 

 sciente : c'est done la vie meme, la vie a la fois la plus intense 

 et la plus variee dans ses formes. Depuis le premier tressaille- 

 ment de I'embryon dans le sein matemel jusqu'a la derniere 

 convulsion du vieillard, tout mouvement de I'etre a eu pour 

 cause la vie en son evolution ; cette cause universelle de nos 

 actes, a un autre point de vue, en est I'efEet constant et la fin."^ 

 What is true for the individual is equally true for the race. 

 The aim of the race must be its expansion — ^nay, we may say 

 that its very existence as a race depends upon its expansion. 

 The conditions of civilisation may be such as to prevent the 

 direct annihilation of a biologically inferior race by its foes ; but 

 no conditions can possibly prevent its indirect annihilation. 

 That is to say, the race may continue to exist, but only as a 

 shadow of its former self ; it will no longer be capable of adding 



1 M. Guyau, Esquiase d'une Morale sans Obligation ni Sanction, p. 87. 

 Paris, 6th edition, 1903, 



