Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/625

 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY 605

solvable only after a preliminary view of the same questions in the inorganic and organic order, both concrete and abstract.

Besides, the conception of Auguste Comte (still more that of Quetelet) is also too largely mechanical and physical ; and pre- cisely for this reason it will be well to accustom ourselves to the truly natural conception of social statics by the study, directly from the point of view of the limits of variability, of the organic forms of which the societies are a continuation and a develop- ment, and in which statics assumes the special and more compli- cated form of structure. As for Herbert Spencer, in consequence of a natural and legitimate reaction against the old conceptions, he has been dominated too exclusively by the evolutionary aspect of societies and things in general, and seems to have completely neglected this fundamental aspect of the social equi- librium, this primary condition, this sine qua non of every organi- zation.

We do not pretend, however, to develop a general philosophy of the structure of societies, nor even a theory of the limits of social variation. We even believe it impossible to succeed in an attempt of this character, in the present state of our knowl- edge, and with our imperfect instruments of investigation. Knowing all this, we shall dwell principally upon the order to be followed in these studies. It is method which will especially engage our attention. Only secondarily, as in the first two parts of our Introduction a la sociologie, shall we permit ourselves to state general, abstract conclusions. Even at this time sociology has a primary desideratum to realize, namely, a recognition of what are the principal problems to be solved by it. This object is far from realization. The best proof that this is the case is the almost complete neglect of the fundamental problem which we shall now undertake, as far as possible, to elucidate.

SECTION I. MATHEMATICAL LIMITS.

All phenomena are at first presented to our consciousness in their simplest and most general aspect, as more or less numer- ous, as occupying a space more or less extended, as simulta- neous in duration or successive in time. In the field of