The Summary Cause for the
Stability or Downfall of Human Societies
CHAPTER 12
Substance and accident in social life:
the struggle between two summary forces:
the single aim of politics
88. So far we have explained in general the rule that society, if it wishes to continue and flourish, must possess a tendency drawing it unceasingly to consolidate its own being. It must not preoccupy itself with merely ornamental accessories which, if unimpeded, will indeed follow of their own accord as effects of vigorous, secure life in society. However, we have not yet explained the nature of this being, this life of society and this substance.
89. At this point a new, profound investigation must be undertaken. Anyone wishing to undertake it ex professo would find he had entered through the broad gate into the immense field of political science. This, however, is not what we intend. Our sole desire in this little work is to emphasise the importance of what appears to us as the first of all rules affecting the science of government in societies. Nevertheless we shall indicate at least one path which could help others to arrive at the secrets this important investigation has to unfold.
First we have to realise that human societies (similar in this respect to the bodies which make up the universe) are never static, but in continual movement with a constant change of state.
90. We can now determine two limits, that is, two extreme states which societies are forever approaching through their movement. These limits are the state of maximum imperfection in which society can be conceived, and the state of maximum perfection. We must also realise that every society moves between these two states in such a way that it tends in its motion sometimes towards the upper and sometimes toward the lower limit of perfection. These limits are never actually reached, however, despite proximity to them. On the one hand, supreme perfection is never attained in human affairs; on the other, any society which could attain supreme imperfection would in fact have ceased to exist long before.
In the light of this never-ending change of generations, talents, humour, customs and proportion between things, it does appear, generally speaking, that two summary forces exist corresponding to the two summary tendencies or movements in society, one of which urges towards perfection, while the other gravitates towards imperfection. These forces, similar to the centrifugal and centripetal motions which control the tangential movements of stars, are the causes of all movement in the social universe, and form the two complex means with which in his wisdom the political theorist can, if he succeeds in grasping them, govern this universe.
91. We now need to consider more carefully the nature of what we have called summary forces.
Many particular forces act in human societies, and many causes produce effects. Part of these effects make perfect, part of them worsen and corrupt human beings and society. It is impossible to avoid this struggle between the mixture of good and evil agencies in any human society whatsoever; one cannot be found without the other. The sum of all favourable causes conspiring to bring about progress in the perfection of human beings and society, and the sum of all causes setting an obstacle to such perfection or destruction, are the two summary forces of which we are speaking.
92. Clearly, therefore, the state of society tends towards greater prosperity in so far as the first summary force prevails. Consequently, the whole art of government must have as its final aim, the intention of `increasing as far as possible the first force, and decreasing the second’. We can affirm in general, without fear of error, that the essential scope of political disposi-tions is the prevalence of the first cause.