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 416 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

social evolution. The solution of the Apparent contradiction must be found outside the domain of phenomena themselves. The rule of causality is exclusive in the domain of pure phenomena, whether physical ,or psychical. But all phenomena enter the ethical form when looked upon in their relation to the subject, the thinking being. II. The essence of phenomenulity is possibility of representation as an object of thought. "Existence" is equivalent to possibility of becoming an object of thought. The object of thought contains implicitly the notion of the thinking subject. Intuition itself is in complete accord with the negative character of the subject. The negative side of consciousness, the thinking subject, is that which, necessarily conditioning all phenomena, is not itself phenomenon and thus eliminates causality from itself. III. The nature of the object of sociology. Social phenomena, being first of all phe- nomena objects of thought are included in the two forms of our intuition. In the domain of social life a phenomenon cannot be social without being at the same time either material or mental. Nevertheless social phenomena possess a specific attribute. Physical phenomena become social when they become bearers of human wants. A psychic phenomenon becomes social when it ceases to be merely an inner state of con- sciousness and acquires an objective character a desire raised to the dignity of a social fact. The specific attribute of social phenomena is the synthesis of the physi- cal and psychic categories. Physical phenomena spiritualize in becoming social; psychic objectify ; both become psychic facts. IV. By reason of this psychico-objec- tive character of social phenomena there has been formed the hypothesis of a super- individual collective consciousness, corresponding to the hypothesis of "elementary sensations" in the individual, which is a synthesis of individual consciousnesses. Both hypotheses, however, are founded upon a philosophical error. They forget the fact that the human mind, by which everything manifests its being, cannot be translated into something else than itself, and that it is useless to seek explanations outside of human thought, that is, attempting to put phenomena into ultra-phenomenality. (Con- tinued}. EDOUARD ABRAMOWSKI, Revue Internationale de Sociologie, Aout-Septem- bre, 1897.

Disorganization of the Family and its Social Consequences. The con- stitution of the family is the essential element in society. Upon its character depends the quality of the whole social life. Decadence commenced for the Greeks and Romans when the organization of the family was weakened. In the last quarter-century tend- encies toward disorganization in the French family have become clearly apparent. There are five general causes of this disorganization, which hold for all classes of society: (i) Destruction of religious belief, which has carried with it weakening of moral principles; (2) the general desire, to which parents often sacrifice everything else, to raise their children to a ^higher position than their own ; (3) weakening of the authority of parents and of the respect which their children show them; (4) thirst for pleasure ; (5) abuse of divorce. Among the causes which apply specially to particular classes of society are the following: (i) the passion for money-making, particularly apparent in the bourgeoise, which leads to neglect of the education and care of children and inculcates in them a spirit of selfishness ; (2) the instability of the life of the labor- ing classes in cities in the matter of housing, occupation and wages ; (3) the alcoholic habit. Some of the social consequences of the disorganization are : (i) increase of the crime of infanticide : (2) increase in the number of acts of brutality committed by parents on children ; (3) increase in the criminality of children and young poeple. Energetic remedies must be applied to meet the evil of family disorganization. Reli- gious beliefs'must be brought back to the family. To this end the school must be favor- able to religion. Religious neutrality in schools has proved to be an impossibility. Parents must act in the family in such a way as to secure the respect of their children. A distinctly moral education must be added to the intellectual instruction both in the school and the family. Finally, divorce should be made attainable only in extreme cases. ERNEST PASSEZ, La Reforme Sociale, ler Septembre, 1897.