i6 4 PHYSICAL BASIS OF CIVILIZATION 



Slowly humanity is passing through the preliminary 

 steps in preparation for its dynamic activity. It 

 possesses the power, and has already begun to exert 

 it, ultimately to change the character of the strug- 

 gle for existence, the tendency of natural selection, 

 the nature of the traits which determine the survival 

 of the fittest, and the goal toward which the progress 

 of the universe is tending. 



The phrases: struggle for existence, natural selec- 

 tion, the survival of the fittest, describe three varying 

 aspects of the same group of phenomena which, taken 

 as a unit, constitute a change-producing agency in 

 nature. The first phrase refers to the mode of pro- 

 ceeding, the second to the two sides of its general ef- 

 fect, and the third to the net result. As explained in 

 Chapter IV, the struggle for existence naturally di- 

 vides into two sections, viz., first, the struggle against 

 inanimate environment; and secondly, that between 

 living antagonists. In the first part the struggle is 

 between the powers and resources inherent in life 

 and the tendencies antagonistic to life inherent in its 

 environment, The first is the earlier and during its 

 predominance the more severe part. But by virtue 

 of the powers and resources inherent in life, and 

 more particularly by a capacity for wonderfully 

 copious and rapid multiplication of individuals, 

 which prevails mainly in its lowest forms, and a 

 tendency to infinite multiplication of varying 

 forms, which is found increasing as specialization 

 advances — by virtue of these two principally, a 



