ROBERT S. MORISON 



be tied in some way to the cure of cancer or the reduction of the 

 baleful effects or radiation on posterity. 



All this is understandable enough in a society which de- 

 rives its philosophy to such a large extent from the utilitarian- 

 ism of Jeremy Bentham and our own pragmatist, William 

 fames. Carried far enough, however, even this philosophy of 

 practical men can be used to justify the apparently impractical. 

 Basic research is now widely recognized as even more practical 

 than applied, if we only lengthen our time scale a little. Every- 

 body but an occasional Secretary of Defense knows that Fara- 

 day's baby grew up into a lusty adult who begat, among other 

 things, the Delco Division of General Motors. 



Another thing that has saved the utilitarian background 

 of modern philanthropy from being too harmful is the fact that 

 basic research in the natural sciences had already established a 

 vigorous life of its own long before philanthropy appeared on 

 the scene. We have already alluded to the fact that modern 

 science started hand in hand with the arts as part of the spon- 

 taneous desire to glorify man and his works, especially as they 

 were exhibited at the courts and palaces of dukes and cardinals. 

 Long afterwards court physicians and astronomers continued 

 to make basic discoveries purely to amuse themselves and their 

 sovereigns. No one at the time thought that Harvey's descrip- 

 tion of the circulation had much to do with improving the 

 practice of medicine. Indeed, his practice is said to have suffered 

 seriously after its publication. The Astronomer Royal was sup- 

 posed to have something to do with setting the clocks of an em- 

 pire, but in actual fact he devoted much of his time to more 

 basic studies. The first one, James Flamsteed, furnished the 

 "places of the moon" which enabled Newton to lay the founda- 

 tions of lunar theory. 



Private individuals, especially among the landed gentry of 

 England, pursued science out of innate curiosity or in the hope 



226 



