Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/261

 THE MECHANICS OF SOCIETY 247

In the early human stages it is mainly genetic, but begins to be telic. In the later stages it is chiefly telic. The transition from genetic to telic progress is wholly due and exactly proportional to the development of the intellectual faculty. The intellectual method is essentially telic. The intellect was developed as an aid to the will for the sole purpose of securing the more complete satisfaction of desire. It enables man to obtain by an indirect method what he could not obtain by a direct method. Through it satisfactions are multiplied and life correspondingly enriched. On the subhuman plane the organic advances that nature accomplishes all take place according to the genetic prin- ciple. They constitute what is commonly understood as devel- opment or organic evolution. Certain writers, however, have used the term genesis in this, or some more or less modified sense. When we take in human evolution it becomes evident that it includes something more than is involved in the evolu- tion of irrational beings. The moment we rise to the social sphere we encounter the telic aspect of the subject. It is still development or evolution, but a new principle, radically differ- ent from the genetic, has now been introduced, and in all the higher forms of social progress it assumes the leading role. Obviously, therefore, the sociologist at least demands a termi- nology that shall clearly indicate this important distinction. That much of social progress consists of simple genesis there is no doubt, but the greater part of human evolution is not genesis. A term is wanted to describe this major part of social evolution. So pressing is this need that I feel justified in striving to find and introduce such a term. We already have the word teleol- ogy, formerly employed exclusively in a theological sense, but which I long ago showed to be applicable to human activity. 1 From this we have the adjective teleologies I, and these might suffice for the purpose. But there is a shorter adjective form telic which is preferable to ideological, and possesses the advantage of being converted into the name of a science, A//V.v, as proposed by Dr. Small. These two words m.iv he eoMveniently set over

1 Dynamic Sociology, V.,!. I. pp. 28, 29.