Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/825

 COLLECTIVE TELESIS 809

directed into useful channels. Zeal and ardor are precious gifts if only they tend in the right direction, and society may profit by every human attribute if only it has the wisdom to utilize it. The principle involved in attraction, when applied to social affairs, is simply that of inducing men to act for the good of society. It is that of harmonizing the interests of the individual with those of society, of making it advantageous to the individ- ual to do that which is* socially beneficial ; not merely in a nega- tive form, as an alternative of two evils, as is done when a penalty is attached to an action, but positively, in such a manner that he will exert himself to do those things that society most needs to have done. The sociologist and the statesman should codperate in discovering the laws of society and the methods of utilizing them so as to let the social forces flow freely and strongly, untrammeled by penal statutes, mandatory laws, irri- tating prohibitions, and annoying obstacles. And here it is important to draw the line sharply between sociology and ethics ; between social action and social friction.

All desire is for the exercise of some function, and the objects of desire are such only by virtue of making such exercise possible. Happiness there- fore can only be increased by increasing either the number or the intensity of satishable desires .... The highest ideal of happiness, therefore, is the freest exercise of the greatest number and most energetic faculties. This must also be the highest ethical ideal. But it is clear that its realization would abolish moral conduct altogether and remove the very field of ethics from a scheme of philosophy. To remove the obstacles to free social activity is to abolish the so-called science of ethics. The avowed purpose of ethics is to abolish itself. The highest ethics is no ethics. Ideally moral conduct is wholly unmoral conduct. Or more correctly stated, the highest ideal of a moral state is one in which there will exist nothing that can be called moral.

Whether we look at the subject from tin standpoint of social progress or from that of individual welfare the liberation of social energy is the desidera- tum. The sociologist demands it because it increases the progressive power of society. The moralist should demand it because it increases happiness. For activity means both, and therefore the more activity the better. True morality not less than true progress consists in the emancipation of social energy and the free exercise of power. Evil is merely the friction which is to be overcome or at least minimized .... The tendencies that produce evil are not in themselves evil. There is no absolute evil. None of tin-