The life and letters of Herbert Spencer / by David Duncan.

  • David Duncan
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The life and letters of Herbert Spencer / by David Duncan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    discipline : the servile or non-hghting portion of the population being the commissariat. One final truth—an all-important truth—has to be named and emphasized. This is that the fighting structures and the industrial structures, though in a sense co-operative, are in another sense antagonistic ; and that the type of the society is determined by the predominance of the one or the other. The militant type, in proportion as it is pronounced, entails com- pulsory co-operation, the regime of status, and the entire subjec- tion of the individual ; while the industrial type is characterized by voluntary co-operation, the regime of contract, and the inde- pendence of the individual : all the habits, sentiments, and ideas which prevail being in either case accompaniments of the type. In Part VII. it is shown that just as political institutions are initiated by the emergence of a leading warrior who, first chief in war, presently becomes chief in peace ; so ecclesiastical institutions have their beginning in the emergence of a special ancestor-worship from the pervading ancestor-worship carried on by all families. The propitiation of the deceased chief rises into predominance ; the son who rules in his place, and succeed- ing rulers, being the primitive priests. Thus arising, the cults of heroes, conquerors, kings, generate a polytheism with its various priesthoods ; and, by implication, a developed ecclesi- astical system arises when victories produce composite societies and supreme rulers. Thus differentiated from political institu- tions, ecclesiastical institutions are partly co-operative and partly competitive : co-operative in so far that they join in enforcing the laws derived from the past, and competitive in so far that there grows up a struggle for supremacy : the ecclesiastical power, in virtue of its assumed divine authority, often becoming predominant. Differentiating as the ecclesiastical structure thus does from the political structure, it long participates in political functions. Its priests take part in war, and act as judges and local rulers during peace. But the differentiation becomes almost complete as social evolution progresses. And while ecclesiastical structures separate from political structures, theie is shown within them progressing integration and progressing heterogeneity. _ The futility of historical studies as ordinarily pui sued, in- dicated already, is again shown on turning to the evolution of “ Professional Institutions.” Even before the collection and classification of the facts presented by inferior societies had gone far enough to make possible a complete tabulation, i became manifest that all the professions are diffeientiatec liom the priesthood. But so little recognized was this truth that the tabular representation, implying derivation of the one fiom le other, created surprise among highly educated critics. Some significant evolutionary facts are exhibitec in nc us- trial Institutions.” The division of labour displays unfamiliar