these have been partly realised, and there is no reason why any of
them should not be fully realised, in a society or in the world, if
it were the united purpose of a society or of the world to realise
it. They are approved or condemned because they are held to be good
or bad, not because they are true or false. But there is another
order of ideas that play a great part in determining and directing
the course of man's conduct but do not depend on his will--ideas
which bear upon the mystery of life, such as Fate, Providence, or
personal immortality. Such ideas may operate in important ways on
the forms of social action, but they involve a question of fact and
they are accepted or rejected not because they are believed to be
useful or injurious, but because they are believed to be true or
false.

The idea of the progress of humanity is an idea of this kind, and it
is important to be quite clear on the point. We now take it so much
for granted, we are so conscious of constantly progressing in
knowledge, arts, organising capacity, utilities of all sorts, that
it is easy to look upon Progress as an aim, like liberty or a world-
federation, which it only depends on our own efforts and good-will
to achieve. But though all increases of power and knowledge depend
on human effort, the idea of the Progress of humanity, from which
all these particular progresses derive their value, raises a
definite question of fact, which man's wishes or labours cannot
affect any more than his wishes or labours can prolong life beyond
the grave.

This idea means that civilisation has moved, is moving, and will
move in a desirable direction. But in order to judge that we are
moving in a desirable direction we should have to know precisely