Investigations Of The Department Of Psychology And Education Of The University Of Colorado Vol 1 PDF Download

Excerpt from Investigations of the Department of Psychology and Education of the University of Colorado, Vol. 1: Certain Aspects of Educational Progress Sociology is the science which considers the fundamental laws of association and the means of social progress. It is thus distinguished from the special problems of human association treated in Economics, Political Science, Ethics, etc. Sociology as a distinct science is comparatively new, but it is increasingly engaging the attention of thinkers and philanthropists and gives promise of large results for human betterment. The theme proposed is a large and difficult one, and calls for a summary of some accepted views with more or less reference to leading writers. It must be understood, however, that the personal equation will enter into the entire treatment of the subject. Principles. Many theories regarding the basal principle of association have been advanced. We may quote that of Professor Giddings, who finds the original subjective social element to be "consciousness of kind." He thus defines his meaning: "The consciousness of kind is that pleasurable state of mind which includes organic sympathy, the perception of resemblance, conscious or reflective sympathy, affection, and the desire for recognition." Together with the struggle for life appears the social tendency as the struggle for the life of others - the germ of altruism. Instinctive association later becomes conscious and purposeful, and what is called the social mind is developed. Society advances by survival of the fittest ideals and forms of organization. That society is not a self-shaping organism is now generally admitted. Even Herbert Spencer, after the extensive use which he makes of his device to set forth the organization of society, explains that there are only certain limited analogies between the human and the social organism; and Huxley repudiates the use of such analogies on the ground that the units of society are independent existences. Any exclusive biological doctrine of social evolution appears to bo materialises and fatalistic. It refuses a unique character to the psychic elements of human nature, denies free agency, and leads to the laissez-faire view which even today is the worst feature of our civilization. If he who attempts to prove free will is logically insane, he who in real problems denies free agency is practically a fool. There is a difference between biological laws and human social laws, since society has a moral aim. "Ethics and evolution are as far asunder as the poles." Natural evolution at a certain point becomes "artificial and teleological" - conscious purpose appears as a factor in guiding events. Professor Ward claims in substance, that psychology alone can explain human society and that the social bond is found in the feelings. Professor Giddings and Professor Baldwin advance similar views. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.