Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/538

 524 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

NATIONAL CONDITIONS AND ACTIVITIES.

Anthropologic.

Ethnic.

Economic.

Civic.

Ethic.

Type. .

A-D

E-H

J-M

N-Q

R-U

Class

a-d

e-k

jm

na

ru

Order

j-d' 1

S-tf

ji-m 1


 * w

r*-u l

Species

a"-d"

P-&*

/*-W

n il -g"

r il -u"

Subspecies. .

a" { -d

^iiL^iii

yiii_ w m

n" 1 -?

7-iii_^'il

Variety

a iv -d

e iv -# v

yiv_ w iv

n"-y iv

r"-u iv

Etc

etc.

etc.

etc.

etc.

etc.

It is perhaps superfluous to repeat that the classifications in the antecedent sciences are not in such shape that even the abstractions from one of these states, represented by one of the vertical columns in the blank, could at once be transferred to these groupings. We have conducted our formal process of eliminating proposed principles of classification by assuming schemes of classification which, so far as we know, are not advocated in their entirety by specialists in the divisions of social science discussed. Although we thus do a certain seem- ing injustice to those sciences, the essential justice of the pro- cedure is beyond question. The main point is that, even if activities within the biologic, the economic, the civic, and the ethic series were severally reducible to classifications which could be paralleled in each of the other series, the ultimate classification of a particular state would be a matter of placing it in a scale, not of abstract, but of concrete activities. In the concrete these series are complicated almost beyond recog- nition. The categories adequate for the abstracted series of con- ditions and activities would be entirely inadequate for states, and even for minor associations within states. On the contrary,