The Natural History of the State An Introduction to Political Science

"Prof. Ford's book is a suggestive attempt to construct, from a study of such facts or reasonable implications of biology, anthropology, and philology as relate to the origin of man, a scientific theory of the origin and nature of the state. Briefly stated, the theory affirms that the state is as properly to be regarded an organism as is any form of animal life; that it has its origin in the formation of communities among animals earlier than man. . . . The Individual, accordingly, is a derivative rather than an original; the state Is absolute in its relation to the individual units; and different types of government develop according to the conditions and needs of different environments. . . . 'The test of value in any Institution to primarily not the advantage of the Individual but the advantage of society' (p. 177)."<br> -<i>The Nation</i><br> <br> "A scholarly contribution, of interest to advanced students in political science and students of government and law generally. List of authorities (4p.)."<br> -<i>The New Republic</i><br> <br> "As a whole, the book may be said to be an excellent summary of the argument for a social origin of society, as against the obsolete Individualism of the social contract theory, but it fails to prove that the state had a pre-human origin or to give a satisfactory notion of what the author means by state, government, and sovereignty."<br> -<i>Boston Transcript</i>