Withorwithouttheaccompanimentofthathypothesisofnebularcondensation
whenceitnaturallyfollows,thedoctrinethattheSunisgraduallylosing
hisheat,hasnowgainedgeneralacceptance;andcalculationshavebeenmade,
bothrespectingtheamountofheatandlightalreadyradiated,ascompared
withtheamountthatremains,andrespectingtheperiodduringwhichactive
radiationwillcontinue。Prof。Helmholtzestimatesthatsincethetimewhen,
accordingtothenebularhypothesis,themattercomposingtheSolarSystem
extendedtotheOrbitofNeptune,therehasbeenevolvedbythearrestof
sensiblemotion,anamountofheat454timesasgreatasthatwhichtheSun
stillhastogiveout。Healsomakesanapproximateestimateoftherate
atwhichthisremaining1/464thisbeingdiffused:showingthatdecrease
oftheSun'sdiametertotheextentof1/10,000wouldproduceheat,atthe
presentrate,formorethan2000years;orinotherwords,thatacontraction
of1/20,000,000ofhisdiameter,sufficestogeneratethelightandheat
annuallyemitted;andthatthusatthepresentrateofexpenditure,theSun's
diameterwilldiminishbysomethinglike1/20inthelapseofthenextmillion
years。*Ofcourse
theseconclusionsarebutrudeapproximationstothetruth。Untilquiterecently,
wehavebeentotallyignorantoftheSun'schemicalcomposition,andeven
nowhaveobtainedbutasuperficialknowledgeofit。Weknownothingofhis
internalstructure;anditisquitepossiblethattheassumptionsrespectingcentraldensity,madeintheforegoingestimates,arewrong。Butnouncertaintyinthedataonwhichthesecalculationsproceed,and
noconsequenterrorintheinferredrateatwhichtheSunisexpendinghis
reserveenergy,militatesagainstthegeneralpropositionthatthisreserveofenergyisbeingexpended,andmustintimebeexhausted。ThuswhiletheSolarSystem,ifevolvedfromdiffusedmatter,hasillustrated
thelawofequilibrationintheestablishmentofamovingequilibrium;and
while,asatpresentconstituted,itillustratesthelawofequilibration
intheperpetualbalancingofallitsmovements;italsoillustratesthis
lawintheseprocesseswhichastronomersandphysicistsinferarestillgoing
on。ThatmotionofmassesproducedduringEvolution,isbeingslowlyrediffused
inmolecularmotionoftheetherealmedium;boththroughtheprogressive
integrationofeachmass,andtheresistancetoitsmotionthroughspace。
Infinitelyremoteasmaybethestatewhenalltherelativemotionsofits
massesshallbetransformedintomolecularmotion,andallthemolecular
motiondissipated;yetsuchastateofcompleteintegrationandcomplete
equilibration,isthattowardswhichthechangesnowgoingonthroughouttheSolarSysteminevitablytend。§172。Asphericalfigureistheonewhichcanaloneequilibratethe
forcesofmutually—gravitatingmolecules。Ifanaggregateofsuchmolecules
rotates,theformofequilibriumbecomesaspheroidofgreaterorlessoblateness,
accordingtotherateofrotation;andithasbeenascertainedthattheEarth
isanoblatespheroid,divergingjustasmuchfromsphericityasisrequisite
tocounterbalancethecentrifugalforceconsequentonitsvelocityround
itsaxis。Thatistosay,duringtheevolutionoftheEarth,therehasbeen
reachedanequilibriumofthoseforceswhichaffectitsgeneraloutline。
TheonlyotherequilibrationwhichtheEarthasawholecanexhibit,isthe
lossofitsrotation;andthatanysuchlossisgoingonwehavenodirect
evidence。Ithasbeencontended,however,byProf。Helmholtzandothers,
thatinappreciableasmaybeitseffectwithinknownperiodsoftime,the
frictionofthetidalwavemustbediminishingtheEarth'smotionroundits
axis,andmusteventuallydestroyit。Nowthoughitseemsanoversightto
saythattheaxialmotioncanthusbedestroyed,sincetheextremeeffect,
tobereachedonlyininfinitetime,wouldbeanextensionoftheEarth's
daytothelengthoflunation;yetitseemsclearthatthisfrictionofthe
tidalwaveisarealcauseofdecreasingrotation。Slowasitsactionis,
wemustrecognizeitsretardingeffectasexemplifying,underanotherform,
theuniversalprogresstowardsequilibrium。(*)ItisneedlesstoshowindetailhowthosemovementswhichtheSun'srays
generateintheairandwaterontheEarth'ssurface,andthroughthemin
theEarth'ssolidsubstance,(*)one
andallteachthesamegeneraltruth。Evidentlythewindsandwavesandstreams,
aswellasthedenudationsanddepositionstheyeffect,illustrateonagrand
scale,andinendlessmodes,thatgradualdissipationofmotionsdescribed
inthefirstsection,andtheconsequenttendencytowardsabalanceddistribution
offorces。Eachofthesesensiblemotions,produceddirectlyorindirectly
byintegrationofthoseinsensiblemotionscommunicatedfromtheSun,becomes
dividedandsubdividedintomotionslessandlesssensible;untilbygradual
orsuddenarrestofeach,andproductionofitsequivalentinmolecularmotion,
thereisanescapeofitintospaceintheshapeofthermalundulations。
Intheirtotality,thesecomplexmotionsconstituteadependentmovingequilibrium。
Aswebeforesawthereistraceablethroughoutthemaninvolvedcombination
ofrhythms。Theunceasingcirculationofwaterfromtheoceantotheland
andfromthelandbacktotheocean,isatypeofthesevariouscompensating
actionswhich,inthemidstofalltheirregularitiesproducedbytheirmutual
interferences,maintainanaverage。Andinthis,asinotherequilibrations
ofthethirdorder,weseethattheenergyeverincourseofdissipation,
iseverrenewedfromwithout:therisesandfallsinthesupplybeingbalanced
byrisesandfallsintheexpenditure;aswitnessthevariationsofmeteorologic
activityinnorthernzonescausedbychangesoftheseasons。Butthefact
itchieflyconcertsustonoteisthatthisprocessmustgoonbringingthings
evernearertocompleterest。Thesemechanicalmovements,meteorologicand
geologic,whicharecontinuallybeingequilibrated,bothtemporarybycounter—movements
andpermanentlybythedissipationofsuchmovementsandcounter—movements,
willslowlydiminishasthequantityofforcereceivedfromtheSundiminishes。
Astheinsensiblemotionspropagatedtousfromthecentreofoursystem
becomefeebler,thesensiblemotionshereproducedbythemmustdecrease;
andatthatremoteperiodwhenthesolarheathasceasedtobeappreciable,
therewillnolongerbeanyappreciablere—distributionsofmatteronthesurfaceofourplanet。Thus,allterrestrialchangesareincidentsinthecourseofcosmical
equilibration。Itwasbeforepointedout(§69),thatoftheincessant
alterationswhichtheEarth'scrustandatmosphereundergo,thosewhichare
notduetotheactionofthemoonandtothestill—progressingmotionof
theEarth'ssubstancetowardsitscentreofgravity,areduetothestill—progressing
motionoftheSun'ssubstancetowardsitscentreofgravity。Hereitisto
beremarkedthatthiscontinuanceofintegrationintheEarthandinthe
Sun,isacontinuanceofthattransformationofsensiblemotionintoinsensible
motionwhichwehaveseenendsinequilibrium;andthatthearrivalineach
caseattheextremeofintegration,isthearrivalatastateinwhichno
moresensiblemotionremainstobetransformedintoinsensiblemotion——
astateinwhichtheforcesproducingintegrationandtheforcesopposingintegrationhavebecomeequal。§173。Everylivingbodyexhibits,inafour—foldform,theprocess
wearetracingout——exhibitsitfrommomenttomomentinthebalancing
ofmechanicalforces;fromhourtohourinthebalancingoffunctions;from
yeartoyearinthechangesofstatethatcompensatechangesofconditions;
andfinallyinthearrestofvitalmovementsatdeath。Letusconsiderthefactsundertheseheads。Thesensiblemotionconstitutingeachvisibleactionofananimal,is
soonbroughttoaclosebysomeopposingforcewithinorwithouttheanimal。
Whenaman'sarmisraised,themotiongiventoitisantagonizedpartly
bygravityandpartlybytheinternalresistancesconsequentonstructure;
anditsmotion,thussufferingcontinualdeduction,endswhenthearmhas
reachedapositionatwhichtheforcesareequilibrated。Thelimitsofeach
systoleanddiastoleoftheheart,severallyshowusamomentaryequilibrium
betweenmuscularstrainsthatproduceoppositemovements;andeachgushof
bloodhastobeimmediatelyfollowedbyanotherbecausetherapiddissipation
ofitsmomentumwouldotherwisesoonbringthecirculatingmasstoastand。
Asmuchintheactionsandreactionsgoingonamongtheinternalorgans,
asinthemechanicalbalancingofthewholebodythereisateveryinstant
aprogressiveequilibrationofthemotionsateveryinstantproduced。Viewed
intheiraggregate,andasformingaseries,theorganicfunctionsconstitute
adependentmovingequilibrium,amovingequilibriumofwhichthemotive
poweriseverbeingdissipatedthroughthespecialequilibrationsjustexemplified,
andiseverbeingrenewedbythetakinginofadditionalmotivepower。The
forcestoredupinfoodcontinuallyaddstothemomentumofthevitalactions,
asmuchasiscontinuallydeductedfromthembytheforcesovercome。All
thefunctionalmovementsthusmaintainedarerhythmical(§85);bytheir
unioncompoundrhythmsofvariouslengthsandcomplexitiesareproduced;
andinthesesimpleandcompoundrhythms,theprocessofequilibration,besides
beingexemplifiedateachextremeofeveryrhythm,isseeninthehabitual
preservationofaconstantmean,andinthere—establishmentofthatmean
whenaccidentalcauseshaveproduceddivergence。fromit。When,forinstance,
thereisagreatexpenditureofmuscularenergy,therearisesareactive
demandonthosestoresofenergywhicharelaidupintheformofconsumable
matterthroughoutthetissues:increasedrespirationandincreasedcirculation
aidanextragenesisofforce,thatcounterbalancestheextradissipation
offorce。Thisunusualtransformationofmolecularmotionintosensiblemotion,
ispresentlyfollowedbyanunusualabsorptionoffood——thesourceofmolecular
motion;andtheprolongeddraftonthesparecapitalinthetissues,isfollowed
byaprolongedrest,duringwhichtheabstractedcapitalisreplaced。If
thedeviationfromtheordinarycourseofthefunctionshasbeensogreat
astoderangethem,aswhenviolentexertionproduceslossofappetiteand
lossofsleep,anequilibrationisstilleventuallyeffected。Providingthe
disturbanceisnotsuchastodestroylife(inwhichcasecompleteequilibration
issuddenlyeffected),theordinarybalanceisby—and—byre—established:
thereturningappetiteiskeeninproportionasthewastehasbeenlarge;
whilesleep,soundandprolonged,makesupforpreviouswakefulness。Not
evenwhensomeextremeexcesshaswroughtaderangementthatisneverwholly
rectified,isthereanexceptiontothegenerallaw;forinsuchcasesthe
cycleofthefunctionsis,afteratime,equilibratedaboutanewmeanstate,
whichthenceforthbecomesthenormalstateoftheindividual。Andthisprocess
exemplifiesinalargewaywhatphysicianscallthevismedicatrixnaturae。
Thethirdformofequilibrationdisplayedbyorganicbodies,isasequence
ofthatjustillustrated。When,throughachangeofhabitorcircumstance,
anorganismispermanentlysubjecttosomenewinfluence,ordifferentamount
ofanoldinfluence,therearises,aftermoreorlessdisturbanceofthe
organicrhythms,abalancingofthemaroundthenewaverageconditionproduced
bythisadditionalinfluence。ifthequantityofmotiontobehabitually
generatedbyamusclebecomesgreaterthanbefore,itsnutritionbecomes
greaterthanbefore。iftheexpenditureofthemusclebearstoitsnutrition,
agreaterratiothanexpenditurebearstonutritioninotherpartsofthe
system,theexcessofnutritionbecomessuchthatthemusclegrows。Andthe
cessationofitsgrowthistheestablishmentofabalancebetweenthedaily
wasteandthedailyrepair。Thelikeismanifestlythecasewithallorganic
modificationsconsequentonchangesofclimateorfood。Ifweseethata
differentmodeoflifeisfollowed,afteraperiodofderangement,bysome
alteredconditionofthesystem——ifweseethatthisalteredcondition,
becomingby—and—byestablished,continueswithoutfurtherchange;wehave
noalternativebuttosaythatthenewforcesbroughttobearonthesystem,
havebeencompensatedbytheopposingforcestheyhaveevoked。Andthisis
theinterpretationoftheprocesscalledadaptation。Finally,eachorganism
illustratesthelawintheensembleofitslife。Attheoutsetitdailyabsorbs
undertheformoffood,anamountofforcegreaterthanitdailyexpends;
andthesurplusisdailyequilibratedbygrowth。Asmaturityisapproached
thissurplusdiminishes;andintheperfectorganismtheday'sabsorption
oflatentenergybalancestheday'sexpenditureofactualenergy。Thatis
tosay,duringadultlifethereiscontinuouslyexhibitedanequilibrium
ofthethirdorder。Eventually,thedailylossbeginstooutbalancethedaily
gain,andthereresultsadiminishingamountoffunctionalaction;theorganic
rhythmsextendlessandlesswidelyoneachsideofthemediumstate;andtherefinallycomesthatcompleteequilibriumwecalldeath。Theultimatestructuralstateaccompanyingthatultimatefunctionalstate
towardswhichanorganismtends,maybededucedfromoneofthepropositions
setdownintheopeningsectionofthischapter。Wesawthatthelimitof
heterogeneityisreachedwhentheequilibrationofanyaggregatebecomes
complete——thatthere—distributionofmattercancontinuesolongonly
astherecontinuessomemotionunbalanced。Whatistheimplicationinthe
caseoforganicaggregates?Wehaveseenthattomaintainthemovingequilibrium
ofone,requiresthehabitualgenesisofinternalforcescorrespondingin
number,directions,andamountstotheexternalincidentforces——asmany
innerfunctions,singleorcombined,astherearesingleorcombinedouter
actionstobemet。Butfunctionsarethecorrelativesoforgans;amounts
offunctionsare,otherthingsequal,thecorrelativesofsizesoforgans;
andcombinationsoffunctionsthecorrelativesofconnexionsoforgans。Hence
thestructuralcomplexityaccompanyingfunctionalequilibrium,isdefinable
asoneinwhichthereareasmanyspecializedpartsasarecapable,separately
andjointly,ofcounteractingtheseparateandjointforcesamidwhichthe
organismexists。Andthisisthelimitoforganicheterogeneity。towhichManhasapproachedmorenearlythananyothercreature。Groupsoforganismsdisplaythisuniversaltendencytowardsabalance
veryobviously。in§85,everyspeciesofplantandanimalwasshown
tobeperpetuallyundergoingarhythmicalvariationinnumber——nowfrom
abundanceoffoodorabsenceofenemiesrisingaboveitsaverage;andthen,
byaconsequentscarcityoffoodorabundanceofenemies,beingdepressed
belowitsaverage。Andherewehavetoobservethatthereisthusmaintained
anequilibriumbetweenthesumofthoseforceswhichresultintheincrease
ofeachrace,andthesumofthoseforceswhichresultinitsdecrease。Either
limitofvariationisapointatwhichtheonesetofforces,beforeinexcess
oftheother,iscounterbalancedbyit。Andamidtheseoscillationsproduced
bytheirconflict,liesthataveragenumberofthespeciesatwhichitsexpansive
tendencyisinequilibriumwithsurroundingrepressivetendencies。Norcan
itbequestionedthatthisbalancingofthepreservativeanddestructive
forceswhichweseegoingonineveryrace,mustnecessarilygoon。Increase
ofnumbercannotbutcontinueuntilincreaseofmortalitystopsit;anddecrease
ofnumbercannotbutcontinueuntilitiseitherarrestedbyfertilityorextinguishestheraceentirely。§174。Theequilibrationsofthosenervousactionswhichconstitute
theobversefaceofmentallife,maybeclassifiedinlikemannerwiththose
whichconstitutewhatwedistinguishasbodilylife。Wemaydealwiththeminthesameorder。Eachpulseofnerveforcefrommomenttomomentgenerated,(anditwas
explainedin§86thatnervecurrentsarenotcontinuousbutrhythmical,)
ismetbycounteractingforces,inovercomingwhichitisdispersedandequilibrated。
Suchpartofitasdoesnotworkmentalchangesworksbodilychanges——contractions
oftheinvoluntarymuscles,thevoluntarymuscles,orboth;asalsosome
stimulationofsecretingorgans。Thatthemovementsthusinitiatedareever
beingbroughttoaclosebytheopposingforcestheyevoke,wehavejust
seen;andhereitistobeobservedthatthelikeholdswiththecerebral
changesthusinitiated。Thearousingofathoughtorfeeling,involvesthe
overcomingofacertainresistance:instancethefactthatwheretheassociation
ofmentalstateshasnotbeenfrequent,asensibleeffortisneededtocall
uptheoneaftertheother;instancethefactthatduringnervousprostration
thereisacomparativeinabilitytothink——theideaswillnotfollowone
anotherwiththeordinaryrapidity;instancetheconversefactthatattimes
ofunusualenergy,naturalorartificial,thinkingiseasy,andmorenumerous,
moreremote,ormoredifficultconnexionsofideasareformed。Thatisto
say,thewaveofnervousenergyeachinstantgenerated,propagatesitself
throughoutbodyandbrain,alongthosechannelswhichthepassingconditions
renderlinesofleastresistance;andspreadingwidelyinproportiontoits
amount,endsonlywhenitisequilibratedbytheresistancesiteverywhere
meets。Ifwecontemplatementalactionsasextendingoverhoursanddays,
wediscoverequilibrationsanalogoustothosehourlyanddailyestablished
amongthebodilyfunctions。Thisisseeninthedailyalternationofmental
activityandmentalrest——theforcesexpendedduringtheonebeingcompensated
bytheforcesacquiredduringtheother。Itisalsoseenintherecurring
riseandfallofeachdesire。Eachdesirereachingacertainintensity,is
equilibratedeitherbyexpenditureoftheenergyitembodiesinthedesired
actions,or,lesscompletely,intheimaginationofsuchactions:theprocess
endinginthatsatietyorthatcomparativequiescence,formingtheopposite
limitoftherhythm。Anditisfurthermanifestunderatwo—foldformon
occasionsofintensejoyorgrief。Eachparoxysm,expressingitselfinviolent
actionsandloudsounds,presentlyreachesanextremewhencethecounteracting
forcesproducereturntoaconditionofmoderateexcitement;andthesuccessive
paroxysms,finallydiminishinginintensity,endinamentalequilibrium
eitherlikethatbeforeexisting,orhavingapartiallydifferentmedium
state。Butthekindofmentalequilibrationtobeespeciallynoted,isthat
shownintheestablishmentofacorrespondencebetweenrelationsamongour
ideasandrelationsintheexternalworld。Eachouterconnexionofphenomena
whichwearecapableofperceiving,generates,throughaccumulatedexperiences,
aninnerconnexionofmentalstates;andtheresulttowardswhichthisprocess
tends,istheformationofamentalconnexionhavingarelativestrength
thatanswerstotherelativeconstancyofthephysicalconnexionrepresented。
Inconformitywiththegenerallawthatmotionpursuesthelineofleast
resistance,andthat,otherthingsequal,alineoncetakenbymotionis
madealinewhichwillbemorereadilytakenbyfuturemotion,wehaveseen
thattheeasewithwhichnervousimpressionsfollowoneanotheris,other
thingsequal,greatinproportiontothenumberoftimestheyhavebeenrepeated
togetherinexperience。Hence,correspondingtosuchaninvariablerelation
asthatbetweentheresistanceofanobjectandsomeextensionpossessed
byit,therearisesanindissolubleconnexioninconsciousness;andthis
connexion,beingasabsoluteinternallyastheansweringoneisexternally,
undergoesnofurtherchange——theinnerrelationisinperfectequilibrium
withtheouterrelation。Conversely,ithappensthat,answeringtosuchuncertain
relationsofphenomenaasthatbetweencloudsandrain,thereariserelations
ofideasoflikeuncertainty;andif,undergivenaspectsofthesky,the
tendenciestoinferfairorfoulweather,correspondstothefrequencies
withwhichfairorfoulweatherfollowssuchaspects,theaccumulationof
experienceshasbalancedthementalsequencesandthephysicalsequences。
Whenitisrememberedthatbetweentheseextremestherearecountlessorders
ofexternalassociationshavingdifferentdegreesofconstancy,andthat
duringtheevolutionofintelligencethereariseansweringeternalassociations
havingdifferentdegreesofcohesion;itwillbeseenthatthereisaprogress
towardsequilibriumbetweentherelationsofthoughtandtherelationsof
things。Thelikegeneraltruthsareexhibitedintheprocessofmoraladaptation,
whichisacontinualapproachtoequilibriumbetweentheemotionsandthe
kindsofconductrequiredbysurroundingconditions。Justasrepeatingthe
associationoftwoideasfacilitatestheexcitementoftheonebytheother,
sodoeseachdischargeoffeelingintoactionrenderthesubsequentdischarge
ofsuchfeelingintosuchactionmoreeasy。Thusithappensthatifanindividual
isplacedpermanentlyinconditionswhichdemandmoreactionofaspecial
kindthanhasbeforebeenrequisite,orthanisnaturaltohim——ifbyevery
morefrequentormorelengthenedperformanceofitundersuchpressure,the
resistanceissomewhatdiminished;then,dearly,thereisanadvancetowards
abalancebetweenthedemandforthiskindofactionandthesupplyofit。
Eitherinhimself,orinhisdescendantscontinuingtoliveundertheseconditions,
enforcedrepetitionmustatlengthbringaboutastateinwhichthismode
ofdirectingtheenergieswillbenomorerepugnantthantheothermodes
previouslynaturaltotherace。Hencethelimittowardswhichemotionalmodification
perpetuallytends,isacombinationofdesirethatcorrespondtothevarious
ordersofactivitywhichthecircumstancesoflifecallfor。Inacquired
habits,andinthemoraldifferencesofracesandnationsthatareproduced
byhabitsmaintainedthroughsuccessivegenerations,wehaveillustrations
ofthisprogressiveadaptation,whichcanceaseonlywiththeestablishmentofequilibriumbetweenconstitutionandconditions。###第40章§175。Eachsocietydisplaystheprocessofequilibrationinthecontinuous
adjustmentofitspopulationtoitsmeansofsubsistence。Atribeofmen
livingonwildanimalsandfruits,ismanifestly,likeeverytribeofinferior
creatures,alwaysoscillatingfromsidetosideofthataveragenumberwhich
thelocalitycansupport。Though,byartificialproductionunceasinglyimproved,
asuperiorracecontinuallyaltersthelimitwhichexternalconditionsput
topopulation;yetthereiseveracheckingofpopulationatthetemporary
limitreached。Itistruethatwherethelimitisbeingrapidlychanged,
asamongourselves,thereisnoactualstoppage:thereisonlyarhythmical
variationintherateofincrease。Butinnotingthecausesofthisrhythmical
variation——inwatchinghow,duringperiodsofabundance,theproportion
ofmarriagesincreases,andhowitdecreasesduringperiodsofscarcity,
itwillbeseenthattheexpansiveforceproducesunusualadvancewhenever
therepressiveforcediminishes,andviceversa;andthusthereisasnearabalancingofthetwoasthechangingconditionspermit。Theinternalactionsconstitutingsocialfunctions,exemplifythegeneral
principlenolessclearly。Supplyanddemandarecontinuallybeingadjusted
throughoutallindustrialprocesses;andthisequilibrationisinterpretable
inthesamewayasprecedingones。Theproductionanddistributionofacommodity
implyacertainaggregateofforcescausingspecialkindsandamountsof
motion。Thepriceofthiscommodity,isthemeasureofacertainotheraggregate
offorcesexpendedinotherkindsandamountsofmotionbythelabourerwho
purchasesit。Andthevariationsofpricerepresentarhythmicalbalancing
oftheseforces。Everyriseorfallinthevalueofaparticularsecurity,
impliesaconflictofforcesinwhichsome,becomingtemporarilypredominant,
causeamovementthatis。presentlyarrested,orequilibrated,bytheincreased
opposingforces;andamidthesedailyandhourlyoscillationsliesamore
slowly—varyingmedium,intowhichthevalueevertendstosettle,andwould
settlebutfortheconstantadditionofnewinfluences。Asintheindividual
organismsointhesocialorganism,functionalequilibrationsgeneratestructural
equilibrations。Whenontheworkersinanytradetherecomesanincreased
demand,andwheninreturnfortheincreasedsupplytheyreceiveanamount
ofothercommoditieslargerthanbefore——when,consequently,theresistances
overcomebytheminsustaininglifearelessthantheresistancesovercome
byotherworkers;thereresultsaflowofotherworkersintothistrade。
Thisflowcontinuesuntiltheextrademandismet,andthewagessofarfall
thatthetotalresistanceovercomeinobtainingalivelihood,isasgreat
inthisnewly—adoptedoccupationasintheoccupationswhenceitdrewrecruits。
Theoccurrenceofmotionalonglinesofleastresistance,wasbeforeshown
tonecessitatethegrowthofpopulationinthoseplaceswherethelabour
requiredforself—maintenanceisthesmallest;andherewefurtherseethat
thoseengagedinanysuchadvantageouslocality,mustmultiplytillthere
arisesanapproximatebalancebetweenitspopulationandthatofothersavailablebythesamecitizens。Thesevariousindustrialactionsandreactionsconstituteadependent
movingequilibriumlikethatmaintainedamongthefunctionsofanindividual
organism,andlikeittendsevertobecomemorecomplete。Duringearlystages
ofsocialevolution,whiletheresourcesofthelocalityinhabitedareunexplored
andtheartsofproductionundeveloped,thereisneveranythingmorethan
atemporaryandpartialbalancingofsuchactions。Butwhenasocietyapproaches
thematurityofthattypeonwhichitisorganized,thevariousindustrial
activitiessettledownintoacomparativelyconstantstate。Moreover,advance
inorganization,aswellasadvanceingrowth,isconducivetoabetterequilibrium
ofindustrialfunctions。Whilethediffusionofmercantileinformationis
slowandthemeansoftransportdeficient,theadjustmentofsupplytodemand
isveryimperfect。Greatover—productionofacommodityisfollowedbygreat
under—production,andthereresultsarhythmhavingextremesthatdepart
widelyfromthemeanstateinwhichdemandandsupplyareequilibrated。But
whengoodroadsaremadeandthereisarapiddiffusionofprintedorwritten
intelligence,andstillmorewhenrailwaysandtelegraphscomeintoexistence
——whentheperiodicalfairsofearlydaysgrowintoweeklymarkets,and
theseintodailymarkets,thereisgraduallyproducedabetterbalanceof
productionandconsumption:therapidoscillationsofpricewithinnarrow
limitsoneithersideofacomparativelyuniformmean,indicateanearapproach
toequilibrium。Evidentlythisindustrialprogresshasforitslimit,that
whichMr。Millhascalled"thestationarystate。"Whenpopulation
shallhavebecomedenseoverallhabitablepartsoftheglobe;whentheresources
ofeveryregionhavebeenfullyexplored;andwhentheproductiveartsadmit
ofnofurtherimprovements;theremustresultanalmostcompletebalance,
bothbetweenthefertilityandmortalityineachsociety,andbetweenits
producingandconsumingactivities。Eachsocietywillexhibitonlyminor
deviationsfromitsaveragenumber,andtherhythmofitsindustrialfunctions
willgoonfromdaytodayandyeartoyearwithcomparativelyinsignificantperturbations。Oneotherkindofsocialequilibrationhasstilltobeconsidered:——
thatwhichresultsintheestablishmentofgovernmentalinstitutions,and
whichbecomescompleteastheseinstitutionsfallintoharmonywiththedesires
ofthepeople。Thoseaggressiveimpulsesinheritedfromthepre—socialstate
——thosetendenciestoseekself—satisfactionregardlessofinjurytoother
beings,whichareessentialtoapredatorylife,constituteananti—social
forcetendingevertocauseconflictandseparation。Contrariwise,those
desireswhichcanbefulfilledonlybyco—operationandthosewhichfind
satisfactionthroughintercoursewithfellow—men,aswellasthoseresulting
inwhatwecallloyalty,areforcestendingtokeeptheunitsofasociety
together。Ontheonehand,thereisineachmanmoreorlessofresistance
againstrestraintsimposedonhisactionsbyothermen——aresistancewhich,
tendingevertowideneachman'ssphereofaction,andreciprocallytolimit
thespheresofactionofothermen,constitutesarepulsiveforcemutually
exercisedbythemembersofasocialaggregate。Ontheotherhand,thegeneral
sympathyofmanformanandthemorespecialsympathyofeachvarietyof
manforothersofthesamevariety,togetherwithalliedfeelingswhichthe
socialstategratifies,actasanattractiveforce,tendingevertokeep
unitedthosewhohaveacommonancestry。Andsincetheresistancestobe
overcomeinsatisfyingthetotalityoftheirdesireswhenlivingseparately,
aregreaterthantheresistancestobeovercomeinsatisfyingthetotality
oftheirdesireswhenlivingtogether,thereisaresiduaryforcethatprevents
separation。Likeotheropposingforces,thoseexertedbycitizensonone
anotherproducealternatingmovementswhich,atfirstextreme,undergogradual
diminutiononthewaytoultimateequilibrium。Insmall,undevelopedsocieties,
markedrhythmsresultfromtheseconflictingtendencies。Atribethathas
maintaineditsunityforagenerationortwo,reachesasizeatwhichit
willnolongerholdtogether;and,ontheoccurrenceofsomeeventcausing
unusualantagonismamongitsmembers,divides。Eachprimitivenationexhibits
wideoscillationsbetweenanextremeinwhichthesubjectsareunderrigid
restraint,andanextremeinwhichtherestraintfailstopreventrebellion
anddisintegration。Inmoreadvancednationsofliketype,wealwaysfind
violentactionsandreactionsofthesameessentialnature:"despotism
temperedbyassassination,"characterizingapoliticalstateinwhich
unbearablerepressionfromtimetotimebringsaboutaburstingofbonds。
AmongourselvestheconflictsbetweenConservatism(whichstandsforthe
restraintsofsocietyovertheindividual)andReform(whichstandsforthe
libertyoftheindividualagainstsociety),fallwithinslowlyapproximating
limits。sothatthetemporarypredominanceofeitherproducesalessmarkeddeviationfromthemediumstate——asmallerdisturbanceofthemovingequilibrium。Ofcourseinthiscase,asinprecedingcases,thereisinvolvedalimit
totheincreaseofheterogeneity。Afewpagesback,itwasshownthatan
advanceinmentalevolutionistheestablishmentofsomefurtherinternal
actioncorrespondingtosomefurtherexternalaction。Weinferredthateach
suchnewfunction,involvingsomenewmodificationofstructure,implies
anincreaseofheterogeneity;andthatthus,increaseofheterogeneitymust
goonwhilethereremainanyouterrelationsaffectingtheorganismwhich
areunbalancedbyinnerrelations。Evidentlythelikemustsimultaneously
takeplacewithsociety。Eachincrementofheterogeneityintheindividual
implies,ascauseorconsequence,someincrementofheterogeneityinthe
arrangementsoftheaggregateofindividuals。Andthelimittosocialcomplexity
canbereachedonlywiththeestablishmentoftheequilibrium,justdescribed,betweensocialandindividualforces。§176。Herepresentsitselfafinalquestion,whichhasprobablybeen
takingshapeinthemindsofmanywhilereadingthischapter。"IfEvolution
ofeverykindisanincreaseincomplexityofstructureandfunctionthat
isincidentaltotheuniversalprocessofequilibration,andifequilibration
mustendincompleterest,whatisthefatetowardswhichallthingstend?
IftheSolarSystemisslowlydissipatingitsenergies——iftheSunislosing
hisheatataratewhichwilltellinmillionsofyears——ifwithdecrease
oftheSun'sradiationstheremustgoonadecreaseintheactivityofgeologic
andmeteorologicprocessesaswellasinthequantityofvegetableandanimal
life——ifManandSocietyaresimilarlydependentonthissupplyofenergy
whichisgraduallycomingtoanend;arewenotmanifestlyprocessingtowardsomnipresentdeath?"Thatsuchastatemustbetheoutcomeofthechangeseverywheregoing
on,seemsbeyonddoubt。Whetheranyulteriorprocessmayreversetheseprocesses
andinitiateanewlife,isaquestiontobeconsideredhereafter。Forthe
presentitmustsufficethattheendofallthetransformationswehavetraced,
isquiescence。Thisadmitsofaprioriproof。Thelawofequilibration,not
lessthantheprecedinggenerallaws,isdeduciblefromtheultimatedatumofconsciousness。Theforcesofattractionandrepulsionbeing,asshownin§74,universally
co—existent,itfollowsthatallmotionismotionunderresistance:either
thatexercisedonthemovingbodybyotherbodies,orthatexercisedbythe
mediumtraversed。Therearetwocorollaries。Thefirstisthatdeductions
perpetuallymadebythecommunicationofmotiontothatwhichresists,cannot
butbringthemotionofthebodytoanendinalongerorshortertime。The
secondisthatthemotionofthebodycannotceaseuntilthesedeductions
destroyit。Inotherwords,movementmustcontinuewhileequilibrationis
incomplete,andequilibrationmusteventuallybecomecomplete。Boththese
aremanifestdeductionsfromthepersistenceofforce。Hencethisprimordial
truthisourwarrantfortheconclusionsthatthechangeswhichEvolution
presentscannotenduntilequilibriumisreached,andthatequilibriummustatlastbereached。Atthesametimeitfollowsthatineveryaggregatehavingcompoundmotions,
thereresultsacomparativelyearlydissipationofthemotionswhichare
smallerandmuchresisted,followedbylong—continuanceofthelargerand
lessresistedmotions;andthatsotherearisemovingequilibria。Hence,
also,maybeinferredthetendencytoconservationofsuchmovingequilibria。
Foranynewmotiongiventothepartsofamovingequilibriumbyadisturbing
force,musteitherbesuchthatitcannotbedissipatedbeforethepre—existing
motions,inwhichcaseitbringsthemovingequilibriumtoanend。orelse
itmustbesuchthatitcanbedissipatedbeforethepre—existingmotions,inwhichcasethemovingequilibriumisre—established。Thusfromthepersistenceofforcefollow,notonlythevariousdirect
andindirectequilibrationsgoingonaround,togetherwiththatcosmical
equilibrationwhichbringsEvolutionunderallitsformstoaclose,but
alsothoselessmanifestequilibrationsshowninthereadjustmentsofmoving
equilibriathathavebeendisturbed。Bythisultimateprincipleisprovable
thetendencyofeveryorganism,disorderedbysomeunusualinfluence,to
returntoabalancedstate。Toitalsomaybetracedthecapacity,possessed
inaslightdegreebyindividualsandinagreaterdegreebyspecies,of
becomingadaptedtonewcircumstances。Andnotlessdoesitaffordabasis
fortheinferencethatthereisagradualadvancetowardsharmonybetween
man'smentalnatureandtheconditionsofhisexistence。
Chapter23Dissolution§177。When,inChapter22,weglancedatthecycleofchangesthrough
whicheveryexistencepasses,inashorttimeorinatimealmostinfinitely
long——whentheoppositere—distributionsofmatterandmotionimpliedwere
severallydistinguishedasEvolutionandDissolution。thenaturesofthe
two,andtheconditionsunderwhichtheyrespectivelyoccur,werespecified
ingeneralterms。Sincethen,wehavecontemplatedthephenomenaofEvolution
indetail,andhavefollowedthemouttothosestatesofequilibriuminwhich
theyallend。Tocompletetheargumentwemustnowcontemplate,somewhat
moreindetailthanbefore,thecomplementaryphenomenaofDissolution。Not,
indeed,thatweneeddwelllongonDissolution,whichhasnoneofthosevarious
andinterestingaspectswhichEvolutionpresents;butsomethingmoremustbesaidthanhasyetbeensaid。Itwasshownthatneitherofthesetwoantagonistprocessesgoesonunqualified
bytheother,andthatamovementtowardseitherisadifferentialresult
oftheconflictbetweenthem。Anevolvingaggregate,whileontheaverage
losingmotionandintegrating,isalways,inonewayorother,receiving
somemotionandtothatextentdisintegrating;andaftertheintegrative
changeshaveceasedtopredominate,thereceptionofmotion,thoughperpetually
checkedbyitsdissipation,constantlytendstoproduceareversetransformation,
andeventuallydoesproduceit。WhenEvolutionhasrunitscourse——when
anaggregatehasreachedthatequilibriuminwhichitschangesend,itthereafter
remainssubjecttoallactionsinitsenvironmentwhichmayincreasethe
quantityofmotionitcontains,andwhichincourseoftimearesure,either
slowlyorsuddenly,togiveitspartssuchexcessofmotionaswillcause
disintegration。Accordingasitssize,itsnature,anditsconditionsdetermine,
itsdissolutionmaycomequicklyormaybeindefinitelydelayed——mayoccur
inafewdaysormaybepostponedforbillionsofyears。Butexposedasit
istothecontingenciesnotsimplyofitsimmediateneighbourhoodbutof
aUniverseeverywhereinmotion,thetimemustatlastcomewhen,eitheraloneorincompanywithsurroundingaggregates,ithasitspartsdispersed。Theprocessofdissolutionsocausedwehaveheretolookatasittakes
placeinaggregatesofdifferentorders。Thecourseofchangebeingthereverse
ofthathithertotraced,wemayproperlytaketheillustrationsofitin
thereverseorder——beginningwiththemostcomplexandendingwiththemostsimple。§178。Regardingtheevolutionofasocietyasatonceanincrease
inthenumberofindividualsintegratedintoacorporatebody,anincrease
inthemassesandvarietiesofthepartsintowhichthiscorporatebodydivides,
aswellasoftheactionscalledtheirfunctions,andanincreaseinthe
degreeofcombinationamongthesemassesandtheirfunctions;weshallsee
thatsocialdissolutionconformstothegenerallawinbeing,materially
considered,adisintegration,and,dynamicallyconsidered,adecreasein
themovementsofwholesandanincreasethemovementsofparts;whileit
furtherconformstothegenerallawinbeing,causedbyanexcessofmotioninsomewayorotherreceivedfromwithout。Itisobviousthatthesocialdissolutionwhichfollowstheaggression
ofmothernation,andwhich,ashistoryshowsus,isapttooccurwhensocial
evolutionhasendedanddecayhasbegun,is,underitsbroadest,aspect,
thereceptionofanewexternalmotion;andwhen,assometimeshappens,the
conqueredsocietyisdispersed,orwhenitscomponentdivisionsfallapart,
itsdissolutionisliterallyacessationofthosecorporatemovementswhich
thesociety,bothinitsarmyandinitsindustrialbodies,presented,andalapseintoindividualoruncombinedmovements。Again,socialdisorder,howevercaused,entailsadecreaseofintegrated
movementsandanincreaseofdisintegratedmovements。Asthedisorderprogresses
thepoliticalactionspreviouslycombinedbecomeuncombined:therearise
theantagonisticactionsofriotorrevolt。Simultaneously,theindustrial
andcommercialprocessesthatwereco—ordinatedthroughoutthebodypolitic,
arebrokenup;andonlythelocal,orsmall,tradingtransactionscontinue。
Andeachfurtherdisorganizingchangediminishesthejointoperationsby
whichmensatisfytheirwants,andleavesthemtosatisfytheirwants,as
besttheycan,byseparateoperations。Ofthewayinwhichsuchdistintegrations
aresetupinasocietythathasevolvedtothelimitofitstype,andreached
astateofmovingequilibrium,agoodillustrationisfurnishedbyJapan。
Thefinishedfabricintowhichitspeoplehaveorganizedthemselves,maintained
analmostconstantstatesolongasitwaspreservedfromfreshexternal
forces。ButassoonasitreceivedanimpactfromEuropeancivilization,
partlybyarmedaggression,partlybycommercialimpulse,partlybytheinfluence
ofideas,thisfabricbegantofalltopieces。Thereisnowinprogressa
politicaldissolution。*Probablyapolitical
reorganizationwillfollow;but,bethisasitmay,thechangethusfarproduced
byanouteractionisachangetowardsdissolution——achangefromintegratedmotionstodisintegratedmotions。Evenwhereasocietythathasdevelopedintothehighestformpermitted
bythecharactersofitsunits,beginstodwindleanddecay,theprogressive
dissolutionisstillessentiallyofthesamenature。Declineofnumbersis,
insuchcase,broughtaboutpartlybyemigration;forasocietyhavingthe
fixedstructureinwhichevolutionends,isonethatwillnotyieldandmodify
underpressureofpopulation:solongasitsstructureisplasticitisstill
evolving。Hencethesurpluspopulationiscontinuallydispersed:theinfluences
broughttobearonthecitizensbyothersocietiescausetheirdetachment,
andthereisanincreaseoftheuncombinedmotionsofunitsinsteadofan
increaseofcombinedmotions。Graduallyasthesocietybecomesstillless
capableofchangingintotheformrequiredforsuccessfulcompetitionwith
moreplasticsocieties,thenumberofcitizenswhocanlivewithinitsunyielding
frameworkbecomespositivelysmaller。Henceitdwindlesboththroughcontinued
emigrationandthroughthediminishedmultiplicationthatfollowsinnutrition。
Andthisfurtherdwindlingissimilarlyadecreaseinthetotalquantity
ofcombinedmotionandanincreaseinthequantityofuncombinedmotion——asweshallpresentlyseewhenwecometodealwithindividualdissolution。Considering,then,thatsocialaggregatesdiffersomuchfromaggregates
ofotherkinds,formed,astheyare,ofunitsheldtogetherlooselyandindirectly,
insuchvariablewaysbysuchcomplexforces,theprocessesofdissolutionamongthemconformstothegenerallawquiteasclearlyascouldbeexpected。§179。Whenfromthesesuper—organicaggregateswedescendtoorganic
aggregates,thetruththatDissolutionisadisintegrationofmattercaused
bythereceptionofadditionalmotionfromwithout,becomeseasilydemonstrable。Wewilllookfirstatthetransformationandafterwardsatitscause。Death,orthatfinalequilibrationwhichprecedesdissolution,isthe
bringingtoacloseallthosemanyconspicuousintegratedmotionsthatarose
duringevolution。Theimpulsionsofthebodyfromplacetoplacefirstcease;
presentlythelimbscannotbestirred;laterstilltherespiratoryactions
stop;finallytheheartbecomesstationaryand,withit,thecirculating
fluids。Thatis,thetransformationofmolecularmotionintothemotionof
masses,comestoanend。Theprocessofdecayinvolvesanincreaseofinsensible
movements;sincethesearefargreaterinthegasesgeneratedthantheyare
inthefluid—solidmattersoutofwhichthegasesarise。Eachofthecomplex
chemicalunitscomposinganorganicbody,possessesarhythmicmotionin
whichitsmanycomponentunitsjointlypartake。Whendecompositionbreaks
upthesecomplexmolecules,andtheirconstituentsassumegaseousforms,
thereis,besidesthatincreaseofmotionimpliedbydiffusion,aresolution
ofsuchmotionsasthecomplexmoleculespossessed,intomotionsoftheir
constituentmolecules。Sothatinorganicdissolutionwehave,first,an
endputtothattransformationofthemotionsofunitsintothemotionsof
aggregates,whichconstitutesevolution,dynamicallyconsidered;andwehave
afterwards,thoughinasubtlersense,atransformationofthemotionsof
aggregatesintothemotionsofunits。Stillitisnotthusshownthatorganic
dissolutionanswerstothegeneraldefinitionofdissolution——theabsorption
ofmotionandconcomitantdisintegrationofmatter。Thedisintegrationof
matteris,indeed,conspicuousenough;buttheabsorptionofmotionisnot
conspicuous。True,thefactthatmotionhasbeenabsorbedmaybeinferred
fromthefactthatparticlespreviouslyintegratedintoasolidmass,occupying
asmallspace,havemostofthemmovedawayfromoneanotherandnowoccupy
agreatspace;forthemotionimpliedbythisexpansionmusthavebeenobtained
fromsomewhere。Butitssourceisnotobvious。Alittlesearch,however,willbringustoitsderivation。Atatemperaturebelowthefreezingpointofwater,decompositionoforganic
matterdoesnottakeplace。Deadbodieskeptatthistemperatureareprevented
fromdecomposingforanindefinitelylongperiod:witnessthefrozencarcases
ofmammoths(elephantsofaspecieslongagoextinct)thatarefoundimbedded
intheiceatthemouthsofSiberianrivers;andwhich,thoughtheyhave
beenthereformanythousandsofyears,havefleshsofreshthatwhenat
lengthexposeditisdevouredbywolves。What,now,isthemeaningofsuch
exceptionalpreservations?Abodykeptbelowfreezingpoint,isabodywhich
receivesverylittleheatbyradiationorconduction;andthereceptionof
butlittleheatisthereceptionofbutlittlemolecularmotion。Thatis
tosay,inanenvironmentwhichdoesnotfurnishitwithmolecularmotion
passingacertainamount,anorganicbodydoesnotundergodissolution。Confirmatory
evidenceisyieldedbythevariationsinrateofdissolutionwhichaccompany
variationsoftemperature。Allknowthatincoolweathertheorganicsubstances
usedinourhouseholdskeeplonger,aswesay,thaninhotweather。