FUNDAMENTAL CONDITIONS OP LIFE 377 



the economic basis of society were once recast and remoulded, the 

 recasting and remoulding would themselves become the starting- 

 points of new desires and new ideals ; new horizons would be 

 disclosed by the very disappearance of the old one. 



Thus, though it be true in a sense that the interests of the 

 individual are antagonistic to the interests of society as a whole ; 

 the statement, though due to so eminent a sociologist as Mr. 

 Kidd has shown himself to be, must, nevertheless, be qualified. 

 The working classes of to-day, unjustly treated as they often 

 are by the mechanism of our capitalist system of production, are 

 unable to see that their interests coincide with the supposed 

 interests of the race in general, and of future generations ; but, 

 on the other hand, the conditions of life in general, as they pre- 

 vail to-day — conditions which entail conflict, and much misery, 

 and much sufiering, and much cruelty — are the only possible 

 conditions of life — at all events, if life is to continue under its 

 present form. 



To suppose that by the suppression of the economic contra- 

 dictions of to-day the conditions of life will be altered, that the 

 conflict and sufiering attendant on it will be attenuated, or even 

 abolished, is to make a grave error. Granted that life means 

 expansion, that aU life needs expansion for its very continuance, 

 and it is obvious that the conflicts and insatiability attendant 

 on expansion can never be abolished unless all life ceases. 

 Science is not only convinced of the beneficence of conflict for 

 the evolution of the race ; but she is convinced of its indispensable 

 necessity. 



The conditions under which the majority live, affirms Mr. Kidd, 

 are devoid of rational sanction ; for the reason of the majority 

 cannot possibly sanction the suffering of that majority, however 

 beneficent such suffering may be to future generations ; therefore, 

 if it were guided only by reason, the majority would alter these 

 conditions by suppressing them. What are the conditions under 

 which the majority live to-day ? Professor Huxley, who was 



