76 Scientific Truth and the Scientific Spirit 



they are anxious to get their own views on record without going 

 through the labour of preparing a critical review of that literature. 

 There is in consequence an ever increasing dependence on Jahres- 

 berichte, Centralblätter and Ergebnisse. Even when the function of 

 criticism is exercised the Situation is not always thereby bettered, 

 for the criticism not infrequently is shpshod or specious, and the 

 result is only polemics, or it is completely ignored. 



It may be urged that the criticism to be effective would increase 

 the length of each contribution, which on the average is sufficiently 

 long already. The answer to this is that effective criticism would in 

 the end not only shorten the length of the papers, but also lessen 

 their number. 



The haste to publish and the tendency to multiply unnecessarily 

 the number of papers are vices which should be curbed. The fact 

 that they are so prevalent is due to the absence of effective 

 criticism. 



In claiming that criticism is the essence of the Scientific Spirit, 

 I must not be understood as justifying criticism of the indiscrimi- 

 nating or reckless type. That is utterly senseless and is a graver 

 fault than the absence of all criticism. Criticism, to be effective, 

 must be pertinent, judicial, honest and, above all, courteous to 

 the object of it. Criticism of that type no one can refuse or reject 

 and it is extremely valuable to the individual who is subjected to it, 

 as he will admit sooner or later if he is of the right sort. It is the 

 only means of determining whether what he offers as a contribution 

 is going to work. 



To inculcate right Standards of criticism there should be given 

 in every University a course of lectures on Ethics for all those who 

 propose to devote themselves to a scientific career. There might 

 even be, I would suggest, a Brotherhood like the ancient Brother- 

 hood of Hippocrates, the members of which would vow to devote 

 themselves to the cause of Truth, to deal justly and courteously 

 with one another and with all labourers for that cause and to keep 

 the scientific record purged of what is false or mean. 



Not to dwell further on this subject, I will now briefly empha- 

 size the central points of this address : 



The first is that Absolute Truth is not knowable, and that even 

 to the end of time it will be so. 



