214 ADAPTATION AND PROGRESS 



After thousands of years of inter-group conflict and cultural 

 development, the common-sense philosophy of the winning 

 groups is essentially libertarian. Historically, fatalism has led 

 to stagnation and decay. If belief in freedom is necessary, and 

 this belief is nevertheless a delusion, then this is not a rational 

 universe, but rests ultimately on falsity not truth. 



Social philosophy must rest its case on this pragmatic test: 

 The ultimate truth as to the relation between mind and matter, 

 and the ground of distinction between passive and active adap- 

 tation will be based on that philosophy which is most inspiring 

 to man. Science can give us at best but relations of co-existence 

 and sequence between phenomena. Our ultimate explanation is 

 hyper-scientific, — a matter of belief . 



One author, John Fiske, deserves special consideration in the 

 treatment of this subject because he has brought to light a 

 bio-sociological factor of first importance in the transition from 

 passive to active adaptation in the individual, and as in other 

 cases we will glance at his general social philosophy before 

 taking up his specific contribution. 



John Fiske (1842-1901) 



Prolongation of Infancy 



This great American disciple and interpreter of Herbert 

 Spencer varied from the teaching of his master in some points 

 and at others supplemented and developed it. Accepting 

 the evolutionary formula as a test of social progress he places 

 more stress than did Spencer on a secondary test, — " the con- 

 tinuous weakening of selfishness and the continuous strengthen- 

 ing of sympathy," — thus reminding us of Comte. He goes 

 beyond his master in his analysis of the spiritual environment 

 which conditions the lif e of every individual and social group, but 

 makes advance especially in the importance he places on the 

 psychical factors in social evolution, coming to highest expression 

 in the purposeful activity of men and in the organization of 

 groups. 1 A spiritualistic monist and deeply religious, he stresses 



1 Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy, ii, chs. XXI, XXII. 



