COMPETITION EXCLUDES ALTRUISM 391 



whicli have furthered human evolution in the past— and those 

 forces are forces of conflict — ^by admitting all classes of society 

 to competition on equal terms. We agree with Mr. Kidd as 

 to the beneficent nature of such a tendency in our social evolu- 

 tion, did it exist ; but we are unable to regard it as a fact that 

 such a tendency is predominant to-day. But even accepting 

 Mr. Kidd's view as to the reality of this tendency of social evolu- 

 tion, does it not seem extraordinary to attribute the develop- 

 ment of a tendency to increase the force and to widen the sphere 

 of action of conflict to the growth of altruistic sentiments ? 

 Does not this tendency to develop conflict, and to sharpen the 

 competition of conflicting interests, spring from an increased 

 self-assertiveness of the individual, from a growth of the egoistic 

 feelings ? 



This would, indeed, seem a priori to be the case. Parties or 

 individuals, each of which is bent on obtaining the full recognition 

 of its particular claim, are not inspired by love of the opposite 

 party, with whose antagonistic claim they must come into con- 

 flict ; nay, more, it is only on condition that the egoistic claim 

 be fully satisfied that the interests of a conflicting party can 

 hope to obtain recognition. And we see this a priori inference 

 to be entirely justified a posteriori by the facts of social evolution. 

 The employer who, by means of a lock-out, hopes to reduce his 

 workmen to submission ; the working man who, by a strike, 

 hopes to bring his employer to his knees ; the speculator who, 

 by a clever stroke, expects to enrich himself at the expense of 

 other speculators ; the financier, the statesman who has the 

 interests of the fatherland in his keeping, the soldier who lays 

 down his hfe for his own fatherland — are any of these actuated 

 by altruistic sentiments as far as their rivals or competitors are 

 concerned ? The very idea of conflict necessarily impUes the 

 idea of a victor and of a vanquished ; and the victor can be 

 victor, whether he intend it or not, only at the expense of the 

 vanquished. The candidates at some competitive examination 



