Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/738

 724 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

to imitate ; " T and, therefore, that " imitation is the method of his personal progress," 2 "the essential method of his growth." But if this holds of the individual, it must hold also of society; for whether we view society as an aggregation, or as a functional combination, of individuals, it can contain no elements, factors, or forces not discoverable in the individual. The processes of the social life are implied in the processes of individual life. If the principle of imitation will explain fully the method of per- sonal progress, it will also explain fully the method of social progress. Professor Baldwin, therefore, quite properly general- izes his theory of personal growth by imitation and applies it to society. "Society," he tells us, "grows by imitative generaliza- tion of the thoughts of individuals." 3 Therefore, "imitation is the method of social organization," 4 and all progress takes place through society's generalizing by imitation the inventions of individuals. Thus we have a circular process : the individual develops intellectually and morally by imitating the mental atti- tudes and actions of those about him, while society changes through the continued imitation of the thought of some indi- vidual, a "leader" or a "genius."

Here we must note the chief points of divergence of Profes- sor Baldwin's theory from M. Tarde's. Baldwin nowhere says that "society is imitation," that imitation is the criterion of the social, as Tarde says. On the contrary, Professor Baldwin dis- tinguishes between the matter, or content, of social organization and the method, or process, 5 and affirms that imitation has to do exclusively with the latter. Imitation is the method of the social life, but not its content. 6 This distinction, it may fairly be urged, is implicit in Tarde's writings ; but that Professor Bald- win makes it explicit is sufficient testimony to the superior logic and scientific method of his work. Again, Professor Baldwin finds the matter or content of social life in thought, 7 while M. Tarde apparently finds it in beliefs and desires. This, however, is a minor divergence between the two theories, for Professor

1 Social and Ethical Interpretations in Mental Development, p. 100. 'Ibid., p. 100. *It>id. t p. 508. 6 Ibid., pp. 478, 479, 507-0-


 * Ibid., p. 507. *Ibid., p . 476. 7 ibid., pp. 487-506.