diel Tenth Part: The Law of Human Progress Whats ane aw of numan progress? ‘Whether humans gradually developed from animals snot the question here. Inference cannot proceed from the unknown to the known, However humans may have orginated, we can know our spetes only as we find it now. There no trace of urnans in any lower state than that of pruntve peopl stil found today. No vesge remains of what bridged the chasm between humans and animal Between the lowest savage andthe highest animal, there san trreconctable difference. Ie nota difference of degree but of kind, Many ofthe charactarstics actions and emotions of humans are seen in lower animals, But no mater how low onthe scale of hamarity, no ‘The beaver builds adam the bird a nest—but always onthe same models. Human dwellings pass from rude huts tomagnifcent mansions ‘We know of no animal that uses clothes, cooks food, makes tools or weapons, breeds ther animals to eat or hasan articulate language fevitvnthon thoes sil iumans everywhere, and ata times we know of have exited this cut —to supplement rat nate has to dtferences in oral pacity. The most advanced today were savages with Mstoric times. Wealso sce wide aferences between peoples ofthe same stack Nolther can they be accounted for by diferencor im pysical environment In many cares, thecradls of esr ‘re now occupied by barbarians, et grea tes ris ina few years over the hunting grounds of wid tribes, ‘These tferences are evidently connected with socal development. Beyond perhaps the simplest radments tt becomes possible for rmumans to improve only as we ve with other people. We tmprove as we learn to cooperate society. Al these improvements human powers and condtions we sunmartze nthe term “llzation, ‘But whats the law of this improvement? Which socal arrangements favor it and which donot Different communities have arived at ditferent stage of cheatin, Can some common princine explain hi? transmission of acquired qualities, This expanation of progress thnk very much ik the view navuraly taken by the wealthy ‘eenrne the sme cstrbton ofseenth. There plenty of money tae made hy those who have the wand amity, thee ‘Ghorance dienes, or wastefuness creates We difference between Heh and poor So the common explanation of ferences amone citations sone of ferences in capacity: The more cviired races are superior races {Common Enaishmen felt they had a naturally auperionty over frog esting Frenchmen. American opinion stzioited thelr countrys succes in invention and mater comfort to “Yankee ingenuity I the bestnnng fthisinaniny we examined — and cisroved — certain economic theories that sipport common opinion The wie saw capitalists as paying wages while competition reduced wages. Just as Mathusian theory supported emstng prejudices seein progress as gradual ace inprovement harmontes with common opin Itglves coherence and asleninformula to opis already Provaling te phenomenal spread since Barwin’ has not hoon sa muh congue aeration. So this view now dominates thought: The strut for existence. in proportion tits intensity. spurs peopl to nev efors and inventions ‘The eapacty for improvement is established by heredtary Vansmisslon and spread as whe most proved Le, best adapted) naWtauals ‘henomena are now explained ae confdentiy and ae wid Dy this theory as, short wile agp they were explained by special creation tyranny, superstition. famine. and poverty are the fmpeling causes that drive Rumans on. They Work Dy eimimating poor eypes and extending tener. Advances are fixed by hereditary transssion, The current individuals the result of changes perpetuated Lough & tong sertes of past naiiduals. Soca oganlzation then takes is form rom the ndvidual o whieh its composed, Plosophers may teach {hat this doer not oszon the duty of tying to reform aburer. But ae goneraily understood, the recut fatal, Why bother, since change ‘anomly occur through slow development of man's nature? ‘Yet weave reached point where progress seems tobe natural to us. We lok orwand confidently to greater achievements, Some even difference between savage and cvlized, saying savages are still so poorly developed that thelr progress (hardly apparent. But how shall feds of nature while they are children, They were cllled when we were savages, They had grest cis, powerful governments, art propel pople forward, how shall we account for ths? These arrested clilaation stopped when they were superior in many respects to ‘path of progress and then stopped. Its that people have gone so far —and then gone back. Its not merely an isolated case that thus _Every ciation the world has ever seen as ha ite nelodofvigross groves of arrest and staznaton then decline an fall. Tre, 3" ‘own civilization sore advanced and moves quicker than any preceding cvllzaton, But ao was Roman civileation int day. That proves In trath nothing couls be further rom explaining the facts of universal history shan thie theory that canton isthe rent of ator setection Ie tsnconststent with the fac ina ctiztion hep aten afer ties adh ferent places, and has progressed a. ‘hewniversal mi. thatthe reverse ttre, The earth isthe tomb of te dead empires Inevery ease, the more advanced civilization supposedly modified hy herediy, has heen suceeded by afresh race coming fom a ower ceieation people at rst improve ~ and later cegenerate, Every civieaion that has been overwhelmed by barbarians hae rally peri toms ternal decay the wort advance does nt otcide with Rerecty for any length of time, In any particular line, Ypression always seems to follow ta expend before decays? Analogies are the mor danzerot mode of thoneht. They mayrconnect similarities, ye egies or cover UD trum The aggregate ores ofa group i the sum ofls ndidual components. A community cannot lose vital power unless te Vial powers ofits components are lesened. As long as members are constantly reproduced wit all the tech vigor of hldhood. a community cannot ‘Yet within this anetogy turks an obvious truth. The obstaclas that Maly bring progress to halt are actually raised by the course of progres set The conditions that have destroyed allprevious cilzations have been conditions produced by the growth of ciation