CHAPTER III CONFLICT AS A FACTOR IN SOCIAL EVOLUTION
§ 1 the Cause of Social Evolution
Social evolution has two main parts: increasing the number of people in society and expanding the goals of their activities. At first, people interact only with those nearby, but over time, the division of labor grows to include everyone. This ongoing process aims to create a worldwide system where everyone works together. As society changes, people focus more on their specific roles and rely less on meeting their own needs. It’s also important to understand that social development is about cooperation and peace, not conflict.
§ 2 Darwinism
An individual's fate is determined by their being, which comes from their history and the experiences of their ancestors. When a person is born, they carry traits from their race, which reflects many generations of family history. After birth, a person's life is also influenced by their environment, including natural factors like soil and climate and social factors like language and societal roles. Many people have thought of life as a struggle for survival, but applying this idea to human society has led to misunderstandings, such as sociological Darwinism, which wrongly emphasizes conflict instead of cooperation.
Darwin was influenced by Malthus's ideas on population, but Malthus did not see struggle as a necessary part of society. Darwin often used the term "struggle for existence" to describe how living beings depend on each other and their environment, rather than to mean violent conflict. Some people misunderstood this, leading them to view human society as a battleground, which emphasizes conflict over collaboration.
In contrast, liberal social theory argues that society is built on cooperation. This theory suggests that private ownership of production helps balance society's limited resources with people's needs, reducing conflict through economics rather than competition. In a society, people work together, and conflicts mainly come from external threats instead of from within the community.
Sociological Darwinism fails to explain how people can peacefully coexist and support one another. A good social theory should show how societies can develop and thrive through collaboration. Recent discussions have pointed to the importance of mutual aid, which indicates that working together is crucial to social development. The liberal social theory of the division of labor provides a better understanding of how individuals can live and work together peacefully.
§ 3 Conflict and Competition
Social theories based on natural law claim that all humans are equal and have a right to life and full participation in society. This perspective promotes inclusiveness, equality, and peace. On the other hand, liberal theory focuses on utility, suggesting that individuals benefit from being treated as equal citizens in a peaceful society. Violence and conflict threaten social order, and war is only justified for defense, as it disrupts cooperation.
There is a significant difference between fighting and competition. Fighting aims to destroy, while competition focuses on construction and efficiency. Both involve conflict, but their social functions are not the same. Competition is essential for social collaboration, and even in socialist systems, some form of competition is needed. Although both fighting and competition can produce winners and losers, the consequences differ: defeated individuals in fighting may die, while those who lose in competition can find new roles in society without facing starvation. Ultimately, fighting destroys cooperation, while competition enhances it, illustrating their contrasting roles in society. Concepts like class struggle and national wars are seen as destructive rather than constructive.
§ 4 National War
Language is a key tool for people to work together and communicate. It helps individuals share their thoughts and feelings. Without language, there would only be instinct, not real thought or will. Thinking results from social interactions, meaning that our ideas are formed based on conversations with others and what has been learned over time. A person's thoughts are connected to the language they use.
The idea of a universal language would help people understand each other better, but simply creating new words won't solve all problems between cultures. The untranslatable parts of ideas and differences in language keep nations apart, leading to misunderstandings and tensions. These issues can create conflict and hatred among nations.
Imperialism focuses on the conflicts between countries but overlooks the shared interests that exist within them. Nationalist-imperialist beliefs arose as a reaction against global ideas of unity and cooperation. The German nation is less unified than others because of its diverse regions and the negative impact of nationalism. Rejecting global ideas may not strengthen national identity but could cause more divisions in society. Overall, these imperialistic thoughts can lead to increased conflicts.
§ 5 Racial War
Scientific understanding of human qualities in relation to races is still very limited. While it is recognized that individuals differ in abilities, there is no clear way to define the difference between good and bad traits among races. Various groups show physical and psychological similarities, but attempts to link these with racial characteristics have failed. Past theories, such as those based on cranial measurements, have been debunked. It has been shown that physical traits do not reliably indicate intelligence or moral standing, and environmental factors can also influence these characteristics.
Critics of race-based theories highlight that many so-called "race experts" rely on unproven ideas, often promoting their views without a scientific basis. The concept of race, especially as promoted by thinkers like Gobineau, associates inherent qualities with specific races and downplays the role of environment. However, modern interpretations of race suggest that while there may be differences between groups, these do not undermine the idea of social cooperation and division of labor.
The race theory conflicts with the liberal idea of equality, particularly when it suggests a struggle between races. However, historical perspectives reveal that war does not promote the survival of the fittest among civilized societies but rather causes harm to those deemed fit. Overall, scientific research on races tends to support liberal views about the development of society through peaceful cooperation rather than conflict and violence.
§ 1 the Cause of Social Evolution
Social evolution has two main parts: increasing the number of people in society and expanding the goals of their activities. At first, people interact only with those nearby, but over time, the division of labor grows to include everyone. This ongoing process aims to create a worldwide system where everyone works together. As society changes, people focus more on their specific roles and rely less on meeting their own needs. It’s also important to understand that social development is about cooperation and peace, not conflict.
§ 2 Darwinism
An individual's fate is determined by their being, which comes from their history and the experiences of their ancestors. When a person is born, they carry traits from their race, which reflects many generations of family history. After birth, a person's life is also influenced by their environment, including natural factors like soil and climate and social factors like language and societal roles. Many people have thought of life as a struggle for survival, but applying this idea to human society has led to misunderstandings, such as sociological Darwinism, which wrongly emphasizes conflict instead of cooperation.
Darwin was influenced by Malthus's ideas on population, but Malthus did not see struggle as a necessary part of society. Darwin often used the term "struggle for existence" to describe how living beings depend on each other and their environment, rather than to mean violent conflict. Some people misunderstood this, leading them to view human society as a battleground, which emphasizes conflict over collaboration.
In contrast, liberal social theory argues that society is built on cooperation. This theory suggests that private ownership of production helps balance society's limited resources with people's needs, reducing conflict through economics rather than competition. In a society, people work together, and conflicts mainly come from external threats instead of from within the community.
Sociological Darwinism fails to explain how people can peacefully coexist and support one another. A good social theory should show how societies can develop and thrive through collaboration. Recent discussions have pointed to the importance of mutual aid, which indicates that working together is crucial to social development. The liberal social theory of the division of labor provides a better understanding of how individuals can live and work together peacefully.
§ 3 Conflict and Competition
Social theories based on natural law claim that all humans are equal and have a right to life and full participation in society. This perspective promotes inclusiveness, equality, and peace. On the other hand, liberal theory focuses on utility, suggesting that individuals benefit from being treated as equal citizens in a peaceful society. Violence and conflict threaten social order, and war is only justified for defense, as it disrupts cooperation.
There is a significant difference between fighting and competition. Fighting aims to destroy, while competition focuses on construction and efficiency. Both involve conflict, but their social functions are not the same. Competition is essential for social collaboration, and even in socialist systems, some form of competition is needed. Although both fighting and competition can produce winners and losers, the consequences differ: defeated individuals in fighting may die, while those who lose in competition can find new roles in society without facing starvation. Ultimately, fighting destroys cooperation, while competition enhances it, illustrating their contrasting roles in society. Concepts like class struggle and national wars are seen as destructive rather than constructive.
§ 4 National War
Language is a key tool for people to work together and communicate. It helps individuals share their thoughts and feelings. Without language, there would only be instinct, not real thought or will. Thinking results from social interactions, meaning that our ideas are formed based on conversations with others and what has been learned over time. A person's thoughts are connected to the language they use.
The idea of a universal language would help people understand each other better, but simply creating new words won't solve all problems between cultures. The untranslatable parts of ideas and differences in language keep nations apart, leading to misunderstandings and tensions. These issues can create conflict and hatred among nations.
Imperialism focuses on the conflicts between countries but overlooks the shared interests that exist within them. Nationalist-imperialist beliefs arose as a reaction against global ideas of unity and cooperation. The German nation is less unified than others because of its diverse regions and the negative impact of nationalism. Rejecting global ideas may not strengthen national identity but could cause more divisions in society. Overall, these imperialistic thoughts can lead to increased conflicts.
§ 5 Racial War
Scientific understanding of human qualities in relation to races is still very limited. While it is recognized that individuals differ in abilities, there is no clear way to define the difference between good and bad traits among races. Various groups show physical and psychological similarities, but attempts to link these with racial characteristics have failed. Past theories, such as those based on cranial measurements, have been debunked. It has been shown that physical traits do not reliably indicate intelligence or moral standing, and environmental factors can also influence these characteristics.
Critics of race-based theories highlight that many so-called "race experts" rely on unproven ideas, often promoting their views without a scientific basis. The concept of race, especially as promoted by thinkers like Gobineau, associates inherent qualities with specific races and downplays the role of environment. However, modern interpretations of race suggest that while there may be differences between groups, these do not undermine the idea of social cooperation and division of labor.
The race theory conflicts with the liberal idea of equality, particularly when it suggests a struggle between races. However, historical perspectives reveal that war does not promote the survival of the fittest among civilized societies but rather causes harm to those deemed fit. Overall, scientific research on races tends to support liberal views about the development of society through peaceful cooperation rather than conflict and violence.