20 ADAPTATION AND PROGRESS 



that specific groups form " societies " characterized by a certain 

 community of thought and life. This conception, developed by 

 Spencer, Le Bon, Durkheim and others, approaches much more 

 nearly to concrete reality. 1 



Comte's law of the three periods, together with his fiction of 

 all humanity as a developing organism, is the basis of his doctrine 

 of relativism which is, perhaps, his most important contribution 

 to social philosophy. 2 By relativism he has in mind not only the 

 relativity of knowledge emphasized by Spencer, but even more 

 the relativity of social phenomena to the stage of development of 

 the organism. 3 That is, there is no absolutely right form of 

 government, or religion, or set of moral principles, — or at least 

 not until developed by positivism. 4 A certain form is appropriate 

 to society in the theological stage, another when it has reached the 

 metaphysical and still another when all life is interpreted and 

 organized in accordance with science. 



The dynamic study of society gives rise to the problem of prog- 

 ress. 6 The one phrase used most by our author, especially in 

 the Polity is the development of order? though he also uses that of 

 increasing differentiation and integration, 7 a growing preponder- 

 ance of cultural over organic phases of life, 8 and an enlargement 

 of man's powers over the forces of nature. 9 In particular, we 

 have as proof of material progress the fact that though there has 

 been great increase in population there has been, also, an increase 

 in the satisfaction of wants. 10 Intellectual development is shown 

 by an increase in the aptitude for mental combinations and 

 abstract thinking. 11 Moral progress is marked by the develop- 

 ment of the social faculties and by the expression of these in in- 

 dustrial co-operation and efforts toward social amelioration. 12 



1 Positive Philosophy, ii, pp. 132, 491 S. 



2 Ibid., ii, pp. 77, 92 ff. Cf. Small, General Sociology, pp. 68 ff. 



3 Positive Philosophy, ii, pp. 5 1 7 f . 



4 Ibid., ii, pp. 14-16. Cf. Mill, op. cit., pp. 177 ff. 



6 Positive Philosophy, ii, pp. 84-89; Mill, p. 100; A General View, p. 117. 

 6 Ibid., p. 116. ' Positive Philosophy, i, p. 120; ii, p. 140. 



8 Ibid., ii, pp. 89, 129, 150 ff. 



9 Ibid., i, p. 361; ii, pp. 88, 118 f., 129, 150, 259. 



10 Ibid., ii, pp. 88 f. " See above, note 8. 



12 Positive Philosophy, ii, pp. 131 f., 288, 554 ff. 



