Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/301

 NOTES AND ABSTRACTS 287

On the Possibility and Task of Social Psychology. A social group is a complex of a number of individuals who are in any way united, and we can say that of all spiritual processes, e. g., authority, reputation, property, spiritual consump- tion of literature, taste, etc., the social group is the sufficient and also the necessary condition of their development.

Social psychology comprehends those spiritual events which depend ttpon the presence of a social group, i. e., a number of individuals participating in an exchange process.

The presuppositions of social psychology are social ideas and social determina- tions, Socialiuollungen. These presuppositions appear and operate upon one another through the principle of imitation, which plays a role in social psychology similar to that which the principle of association plays in individual psychology. We can say, in general, that without imitation there could be no socio-psychical event and no generalization of a dawning spiritual conception. The process of imitation, which requires at least two individuals, operates in different ways.

One form is the crowding out and extermination, e. g., in the case of fashions.

A second is that of partial assumption, new elements being exclusively adopted by certain classes.

A third is the subordination of one element to another without an entire assump- tion or rejection.

A fourth is that in which two ideas in conflict unite to form a third new product. FRANZ EULENBURG, "Uber-die Moglichkeit und die Aufgaben einer Socialpsychologie," in Jahrbuch fur Gesetzgcbung, Verwaltung und Volkswirtschaft, erstes Heft, 1900.

Socialism in the United States. i. The trade-unionists of the United States have thus far shown themselves, as a whole, indifferent or averse to socialism. They look to the existing order, or to conditions slowly evolved from it, for the advancing of their interests.

2. It is a fact of greater consequence that they have shown the intelligence neces- sary to discriminate sharply between two economic policies the narrower policy of state railways, municipal gas-works, etc., and the wider policy of outright socialism accepting the one and rejecting the other.

3. Most important of all, they have shown that equality which is the highest of civil virtues in a republic superiority to mere "stampeding " by appeals to sentiment and blind impulse.

So long as this spirit of caution prevails, we need not anticipate with grave anxiety the action of the working people on any such question as that of socialism. A cautious advance toward socialism would permit a retreat without great damage if its experimental suggestions should prove unwise in practice. Only hasty changes are seriously threatening. AMBROSE PARE WINSTON, "Socialism in America," in the Contemporary Review, January, 1900.

Criminal Sociology. The completion of Ferri's Criminal Sociology is forced upon our attention. Enrico Ferri does not do things by halves. The first edition of his book, the modest Nuovi Orizzonti del Diritto penale, had 150 pages (1881); the second edition (1884), 560; the third (1892) had a hundred pages more; the fourth (1900) is a majestic volume of l,ooo pages.

Differences of opinion Ferri thinks it possible to reduce to three chief points. According to him, the classical school admits :

1. That the delinquent is animated by ideas and sentiments analogous to those of other men.

2. That the principal effect of punishment is to oppose the development of criminality.

3. That man is endowed with moral freedom, or free will. It is because of this free will that he becomes morally guilty and legally responsible for his acts of delinquency.

On the contrary, the positive school arrives at opposite conclusions on these three*points :