Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/521

 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY 501

Yet this first synthesis, which is based upon a hierarchic classi- fication of the phenomena originating from the elementary social factors, is still very simple ; it constitutes a co-ordinated series, which is mainly lineal. It has been criticised because of this fact, particularly by MM. Worms and Tarde, who fail to con- sider that this first part of our work was essentially analytic; that the great laws of continuity, universality, homogeneity, simultaneity, correlation, and interdependence of social phe- nomena could be set forth only at a later time, and that they would be especially considered in our announced synthetic vol- umes devoted to the general structure and life of societies.

M. G. Dewelshauwer, in L'id^alisme scientifique, pp. 7783, likewise criticises our classification. He condemns it as being exclusively lineal, and consequently as not corresponding to reality. Like the other critics, he does not see that each of the superposed classes of phenomena is divided into a great number of branches, and that this elementary and analytic classification, because of the fact that it is abstract and elementary, is only provisional. In fact, it is in the general structure and the gen- eral life of societies that we are able to accord to the organic correlation and to the interdependence of societies the impor- tance which they deserve; the hierarchy of elementary phe- nomena is added first to their concrete synthetic aspect, then to their general and abstract synthetic aspect.

In his turn, M. Worms, in Revue intematoinale de sociologie, No. 5, 1893, criticises our classification by saying that social phe- nomena are in reality synchronous. This is true only in the homogeneous and confused state of primitive societies ; progress consists precisely in their successive organic differentiation and their successive appearance, but all the social functions take place synchronously in the amorphous and undifferentiated state. M. Worms also contends the genetic phenomena make double use of the constitutive factor, populations. This is an error ; the factor of populations is exclusively biologic and psychic, in so far as it is a factor, while combined with the second factor (the land) into a society it becomes social and assumes special forms, giving rise to institutions or organs, groups of organs, systems,