With the development of commerce, this mutual criticism of morals would
be greatly accelerated. So the authority of local conventions and
standards would be discredited, custom would become more fluid, and
individual judgment find freer play. Especially would the more
observant, the more traveled, the more reflective, tend to vary from
the ideals of their neighbors.
(5) In various other ways, apart from the mutual influence of divergent
group-customs, the progress of civilization tends to produce variations
in ideals. The increase of knowledge, the development of science and
philosophy, bring floods of new ideas to burst the old dams; deepening
insight reveals the irrationality of old ideas to the leaders of
thought. The progress of the arts gives new interests and valuations.
The spiritual seers and prophets see visions of a better order and
proclaim new gospels. The development of classes and castes allows
to the aristocracy more leisure to think and criticize; the institution
of slavery, in particular, produced a class of slave-owners with ample
time to dissect their inherited conceptions.
(6) Finally, where, under favoring conditions, the danger of war in
which man has for the most part lived became less acute, custom
generally grew laxer. It is the imperious necessity of selfpreservation
that has been the greatest conservative force; warlike states have
demanded strict allegiance and looked with suspicion upon
deviations from the group ideals.
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