148 ADAPTATION AND PROGRESS 



Bewusstsein, muss ein Wesen sein und da es Bewusstsein ist, muss 

 es sich denken." 1 Yet this does not prove ontological reality. 

 Men can work together for a common end without having a 

 consciousness of corporate or socio-psychic continuity as is true 

 of normal human beings. The " constellation " or " fusion " 

 which is the essence of the social reality, 2 and the background of 

 social self-consciousness, if there be such, is temporary. No one, 

 so far as I am aware, has shown that there is anywhere in the 

 social order a consciousness of sodo-personal continuity, — of 

 identity persisting in change, — such as characterizes the personal 

 ego. 

 We conclude as follows: — 



1 . There is one cosmic process, differentiated in the social order 

 into individuals and into social groupings. 



2. The individuals and groups become organized on the basis 

 of consciousness of kind and consciousness of supplementary dif- 

 ference, having as their basis individual and group interests. 



3. There is mental interaction, inter-stimulation and response, 

 resulting in a phenomenon well expressed by the term fusion. 



4. The process of fusion or creative synthesis is, on the one 

 hand, a process of progressive co-adaptation among the members 

 and, on the other, a process of progressive adaptation of the 

 particular social unit to its physical and spiritual environment. 



5. There is more or less agreement in ideals, purposes, etc. 



6. At times there is unanimity in feeling due to similar re- 

 sponse to a common stimulus. 



7. There is a permanent yet ever-changing core in every social 

 organization or organism to which the spiritual part of every 

 individual member is to a greater or less degree assimilated. 



8. This core of social personality, if one cares to use the term, 

 exercises constraint on each individual, and forms the background 

 of the group, but is constantly modified by the total changing 

 situation. 



9. Each individual is at times conscious of his organic relation 

 to the various groups to which he belongs; i. e., his self-conscious- 



1 Barth, op. cit., p. 162. 



2 Cf. Boodin, op. cit., pp. 20, 38. 



