CHAPTER III 
SOCIOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY 
Bot Comte and Spencer defined life in terms of progressive 
adaptation between an organism and its environment and both 
conceived society as a quasi-biological organism, though not 
agreeing in their conception of society nor of the process of adjust- 
ment. Comte’s concept was a logical fiction, so also, to a con- 
siderable degree, the process of social evolution as formulated by 
him. Spencer attempted to describe in mechanical terms the 
historical process by which society, considered for the most part 
as a sovereign group, is progressively adapted to its environment 
so also that of the various social institutions; but most of his 
time was devoted to a study of origins and his method, the logical 
classification of concepts, failed to give him genetic order, and led 
him to neglect the study of social forces. Comte was in advance 
of Spencer in emphasizing the power of mind over matter thus 
making place for active adaptation. 
From Comte and Spencer the development of theories of social 
progress, of methods of sociological investigation, and as a result 
of these, the development of the doctrine of adaptation as the key 
to social philosophy, was along several different lines. Some 
pushed further than these two the method of classification as a 
means of attaining knowledge of the social structure and process 
such as Littré, De Roberty, De Greef, Lacombe and A. Wagner. 
Some used the same analogical method as they and elaborated the 
concept of society as a quasi-biological organism, chief among 
whom were Lilienfeld and Schiffle. Others making use of the 
neo-Darwinian formula, as Nietzsche, Kidd, and Lapouge, 
endeavored to explain social progress in terms of struggle and 
survival. Others interpreted society as a quasi-psychological 
organism as Le Bon, MacKenzie, Fairbanks, Ely, Giddings and 
Baldwin. Others, still, sought to analyze and evaluate social 
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