406 DARWINISM AND THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE 



by another. Even in inorganic matter every particle 

 is an " individual." It has innumerable properties 

 and diversities, and does not entirely resemble any 

 other particle. All bodies have been formed from 

 other bodies, or — more correctly — all bodies are 

 constantly changing, yet never lose their nature as 

 bodies. Hence in nature we have only processes of 

 transformation. If a protozoon seems to be simpler 

 than a human being, and an element still simpler than 

 a protozoon, we must never forget that even the 

 "simplest" bodies are much too complex to be 

 grasped by us just as they are, without any mental 

 modification. No theory of evolution, therefore, 

 enables us to understand the nature of matter ; that 

 can only be done by a mental process of transformation. 



There is a further province of evolution that we 

 must touch on before we conclude — the evolution of 

 the human race, the history of civilisation. 



The scientific method has been applied here also, 

 and we give the name of " sociology " to this treat- 

 ment of the history of civilisation. The aim of this 

 science is to gather the common features of the 

 various forms of human society, and formulate laws 

 in virtue of these. 



Thus we can study the common elements in the 

 evolution of different races, and draw up laws which 

 apply wherever there are nations. In fact, as these 

 laws must be independent of time, they must be valid 

 in the past and the future, and they enable us, to some 



