Such is the regularity we expect to find, if the actions of men are governed by the state of the society in which they occur; while on the other hand, if we can find no such regularity, we may believe that their actions depend on some capricious and personal principle peculiar to each man, as free will or the like. It becomes, therefore, in the highest degree important, to ascertain whether or not there exists a regularity in the entire moral conduct of a given society; and this is precisely one of the questions for the decision of which statistics supply us with materials of immense value.
History of Civilization in England (volume 1, chapter 1), p. 23 – a deep justification for the fields of psychology and sociology, ultimately a test for the existence of free will
– a deep justification for the fields of psychology and sociology, ultimately a test for the existence of free will