250 ADAPTATION AND PROGRESS 
This law of man’s value to society is expressed by means of the 
following formulae: — 
“The value of a man is equal to his production minus his con- 
sumption. His economic success is equal to his acquisition [i. e., 
his income] minus his consumption. When his acquisition is 
equal to his production [i. e., when a man receives as income the 
equivalent of what he has added to the total productivity of the 
group of which he forms a working part], then his economic suc- 
cess is equal to his value.” ! This puts a premium on merit and 
strengthens the group in competition with other groups. The 
function of the state, then, is to see to it that a man receives as 
income what he produces, or in other words, to prevent the mis- 
carriage of the law of productivity applied to wages. ‘“‘ That is 
justice.” ! 
Civilization is interpreted by Professor Carver largely in terms 
of productivity as it is also by Dr. Ward. “ Civilization,” he 
says, “‘ is essentially a storing of surplus energy, and is due to the 
fact that men have had more energy to expend than was necessary 
to procure subsistence.” 2 The beginning of this process, so far 
as the group is concerned, is considered to be due to the rise of a 
despot, but “ slavery, religious fear, aristocracy, — these have all 
doubtless been agencies for the accomplishment of the same 
purpose.” # 
Private property as reward for efficiency, and pride in family 
building closely linked with it, are considered to be of primary 
importance. Indeed the two are inseparably connected, in the 
thought of our author, both historically and logically. Our 
present industrial system places the responsibility for the rearing 
of children upon the one who is responsible for their coming into 
the world, and this is the best check yet evolved or devised for 
limiting population to means of subsistence according to the 
prevailing standard of living. : Remove this check and popula- 
tion would increase so rapidly as to entail wide-spread misery, 
leaving only the natural checks of war, pestilence and famine, and 
1 Essays in Social Justice, p. 173. 
2 Sociology and Social Progress, p. 13. 
8 [bid., p. 13; Essays in Social Justice, p. 134. 
