When thinking about group-selection,
which needs to be understood as having been the key to the creation
and maintenance of ethics in human society (recently underlined by
the great E. O. Wilson), it is also vital to understand the equally
great Raymond Cattell's concern in Beyondism regarding the individual and the
group in change.
While affirming the central importance
of group selection in evolutionary progress, Cattell saw danger in
exclusive conformity to the group regarding change and progress,
rather than standing by ones individual position. Strict group
conformity suggest a spasmodic revolutionary change-pattern rather
than group-change aided by individuals with new creative traits.
One might compare conformity-group-change to China, and individual-group-change to
America (at least in the past), seeing that a balance here needs to
be found for the smoothest changes to take place. The key here is
being able to see the difference between creative and criminal
deviant change in the individual (not always easy to see) and being able to see which deviations
help or hinder the social group. One method to aid in this process was Cattell's ingenious and scientific, multivariate psychological tests which he and his
associates devised.
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