CHAPTER X 
SOCIOLOGISTS EMPHASIZING ONE ALL-IMPORTANT 
FORMULA OR PRINCIPLE 
Ever since the early Greek philosophers endeavored to find some 
one primal element from which the earth was evolved, there have 
been thinkers from time to time who have endeavored to find 
some formula to express, or some principle to explain social 
changes. Comte, as we have seen, at one time hoped to find such 
a principle in social phenomena comparable to gravitation in 
physical, and in his Polity he finds a near approach in Love. 
Spencer found an all-comprehensive formula in his general law of 
evolution, and a secondary formula in that of adaptation. With 
Darwin and especially with the sociological followers of Weis- 
mann, struggle and selection is all-important. Ratzel,as we have 
noted, finds the explanation in geographical conditions while the 
economic determinists, including Marx, find the key in some 
phase of production or distribution of wealth. 
With our distinct aim to trace the development of the concept 
of adaptation as the key to social philosophy, we will consider in 
this chapter the contributions of a few representative writers, 
each of whom has developed some one principle as all-important 
for the correct interpretation of social progress. This will help 
us to understand the factors that make for adaptation. 
In previous chapters besides some of the principles mentioned 
above we have considered division of labor together with con- 
sciousness of supplementary difference and constraint as worked out 
by Durkheim, conflict as developed by Gumplowicz and organic 
needs or interests as analyzed by Ratzenhofer. In this chapter we 
will consider briefly Adam Smith as the forerunner of Spencer, 
Fiske and others in his emphasis on sympathy and of Tarde, 
Bagehot and Baldwin in the importance placed on imitation. We 
will consider Tarde and Baldwin for their development of this 
concept of imitation as the one all-important method of social 
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