▁enthus iast ically ▁accepted ▁Dar win ' s ▁find ings ▁and ▁theories . ▁On ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁he ▁believed ▁that , ▁log ically , ▁there ▁had ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁mechanism ▁that ▁would ▁allow ▁environmental ▁factors ▁to ▁influence ▁evolution ▁faster ▁than ▁Dar win ' s ▁rather ▁slow ▁evolution ary ▁process . ▁The ▁modern ▁theory ▁of ▁ep igen et ics ▁suggests ▁that ▁Ward ▁was ▁correct ▁on ▁this ▁issue , ▁although ▁old - school ▁Dar w ini ans ▁continue ▁to ▁rid ic ule ▁L arm ark ian ism . ▁ ▁Pos it iv ism ▁While ▁Dur k heim ▁is ▁usually ▁cred ited ▁for ▁updating ▁Com te ' s ▁posit iv ism ▁to ▁modern ▁scientific ▁and ▁soci ological ▁standards , ▁Ward ▁accomplished ▁much ▁the ▁same ▁thing ▁ 1 0 ▁years ▁earlier ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁However , ▁Ward ▁would ▁be ▁the ▁last ▁person ▁to ▁claim ▁that ▁his ▁contributions ▁were ▁somehow ▁unique ▁or ▁original ▁to ▁him . ▁As ▁Gill is ▁J . ▁Har p ▁points ▁out ▁in ▁" The ▁Pos it iv ist ▁Republic ", ▁Com te ' s ▁posit iv ism ▁found ▁a ▁fert ile ▁ground ▁in ▁the ▁dem ocr atic ▁republic ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁and ▁there ▁soon ▁developed ▁among ▁the ▁p rag m atic ▁intellectual ▁community ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City , ▁which ▁featured ▁such ▁think ers ▁as ▁William ▁James ▁and ▁Charles ▁Sand ers ▁Pe ir ce ▁and , ▁on ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁among ▁the ▁federal ▁government ▁scient ists ▁in ▁Washington ▁D . C . ▁( like ▁Ward ) ▁a ▁general ▁cons