ally transformed, and with
character, destiny.

Floating ideas, not yet woven into the warp and woof of life, not yet
incarnate in the individual or in the social order, have little
influence on the character of the individual or the group, however
beautiful, true, or elevating such ideas may be in themselves. The
character of a people is to be judged, therefore, not by the beauty or
elevation of every idea that may be found in its literature, but only
by those ideas that have been assimilated, that have become
incorporated into the social order. These determine a people's
character and destiny. According as these ideas persist in the social
order, is its character permanent.

Progress consists of expanding life, communal and individual,
extensive and intensive, physical and psychical. True progress is
balanced. High communal development, that is, highly organized
society, is impossible without the wide attainment of highly developed
individuals. Progressive mastery of nature likewise is impossible
apart from growing psychic development in all its branches, emotional,
intellectual and volitional, communal and individual.

Historically, communalism is the first principle to emerge in
consciousness. To succeed, however, it must be accompanied by at least
a certain degree of individualism, even though it be quite implicit.
The full development of the communal principle is impossible apart
from the correspondingly full development of the individual principle.
These are complementary principles of progress. Each alone is
impossible. In proportion as either is emphasized at the expense of
the other, is progress impeded. Arrested civilizations are due to the
disproportionate and excessive development of one or the other of
these principles.

Personality, expressing and realizing itself in communal and
individual life, in objective and subjective forms, is at once the
cause and the goal of progress. Social and psychic evolution are,
therefore, in the last analysis, personal processes. The irreducible
and final factor in social evolution and in social science is
personality; for personality is the determinative factor of a human
being.

Progress in personal development consists of increasing extent and
accuracy of knowledge, refinement and elevation of emotions, and
nobility and reliability of volitions. Progress in personal
development requires the individual to pass from objective
heterocratic to subjective autocratic