Ward theorized that poverty could be minimized or eliminated by the systematic intervention of society. Mankind wasn't helpless before the impersonal force of nature and evolution. Through the power of Mind, man could take control of his situation and direct the evolution of human society. This theory is known as telesis. (Also see: meliorism, sociocracy and public sociology). A sociology which intelligently and scientifically directed the social and economic development of society should institute a universal and comprehensive system of education, regulate competition, connect the people on the basis of equal opportunities and cooperation, and promote the happiness and the freedom of everyone.