SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL GOOD WILL 405 



SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL GOOD WILL 



By J. McKEEN CATTELL 



SCIENCE with its applications has been one of the principal fac- 

 tors leading to peace and international good will. Science, 

 democracy and the limitation of warfare are the great achievements of 

 modern civilization. They have advanced together almost continu- 

 ously from the beginnings of the universities of Bologna, Paris and Ox- 

 ford in the twelfth century to their great triumphs in the nineteenth 

 century and the present promise of their complete supremacy. It may 

 be urged reasonably that science is the true cause of democracy and that 

 science and democracy together are the influences most conducive to 

 permanent and universal peace. 



The applications of science in industry, agriculture and commerce, 

 in the prevention of disease and of premature death, have abolished 

 the need of excessive manual labor. It long ago became unnecessary 

 for the great majority of the people to be held in bondage in order that 

 a few free citizens might have education and opportunity, and slavery 

 has been gi'adually driven from the world. The vast progress of scien- 

 tific discovery and invention in the nineteenth century has reduced to 

 a moderate amount the daily labor required from each in order that all 

 may be adequately fed, clothed and housed. The death-rate has been 

 decreased to one half; the ensuing lower birth-rate has freed nearly 

 half the time of women and reduced proportionately the labor of men. 

 The period of childhood and youth may be devoted to universal educa- 

 tion, and equality of opportunity can be given to all. It is no longer 

 needful to depend on a privileged class to conduct the afi^airs of govern- 

 ment and to supply men of performance. Those selected from all the 

 people as most fit can be given the preparation and opportunity needed 

 to enable them to become leaders, and every one can take an intelligent 

 share in political affairs and in appreciation of the higher things of life. 



In giving us democracy science has made its greatest contribution 

 to the limitation of warfare. It must be admitted that a democratic 

 people may be inflamed into a mob mad for war ; but this is not likely 

 to happen in the case of a war of policy or of aggression. In the past 

 wars have been more often due to the ambitions, difficulties and in- 

 trigues of kings and princes than to the passions of the people, and the 

 decrease of wars has been largely a result of the establishment of con- 

 stitutional governments and of the legalization of the methods of con- 

 scription and taxation. If a declaration of war or an ultimatum lead- 

 ing to war were subject to a referendum, the vote being taken not too 



