ii USELESS KNOWLEDGE 27 



every form of Error, of every one who from whatever 

 motive, whether from ignorance or sordidness or a mis 

 taken and degrading moral enthusiasm, attempts to put 

 any hindrance in the way of her absolute supremacy. 



Towards the end of this diatribe, to which I had at 

 various points shown myself unable to listen without 

 writhing, Aristotle had wrought himself up into a state 

 of fervour of which I should hardly have deemed him 

 capable. Plato, however, skilfully provided for the con 

 tinuation of the discussion by blandly remarking : 



Bravo, Aristotle, you have spoken most interestingly, 

 and shown not only the analytic subtlety for which you 

 are famous, but also that true enthusiasm which proves 

 that you are not merely a logical perforating machine for 

 windbags and other receptacles of gaseous matter. I will 

 leave it, however, to our visitor to answer you, partly 

 because the question has, it would seem, grown somewhat 

 beyond my ken, and partly because I can see that he 

 has not a little to say, and foresee that your differences 

 will prove most entertaining and instructive. 



You are right, Plato, in thinking that I differ pro 

 foundly with the doctrine to which Aristotle has just given 

 such eloquent expression. But I feel that I am hardly 

 equal single-handed to cope with Aristotle, and I wish 

 that lames were present to support me and to persuade 

 you both of what I believe to be right and reasonable. 



And who is lames ? 



A philosopher, Plato, of the Hyperatlanteans, very 

 different from the &quot; bald-headed little tinkers &quot; who are 

 philosophers, not by the grace of God, but by the favour 

 of some wretched &quot; thinking-shop,&quot; and a man (or shall 

 I rather call him a god ?) after your own heart. But, 

 alas, he has been bridled, like Theages, by his own, and 

 so has not yet been enabled to set forth fully the doctrine 

 which he has named l Pragmatism, and which I would 

 fain advance against that of Aristotle. 



1 Strictly speaking, I am reminded, it was Mr. C. S. Peirce, but it would 

 seem to follow from pragmatist principles that a doctrine belongs to him who 

 makes an effective use of it. 



