60 HUMANISM 



in 



what receives social recognition for this very reason 

 largely works. Again, there may be old-established 

 mental industries which have outlived their usefulness, 

 but have not yet been condemned as false. Other truths 

 again are intrinsically of so individual a character that 

 society accepts, e.g. Smith s statement that he has a 

 headache, or that he dreamt a dream, on his ipse dixit. 

 And while new truths are struggling for recognition, it 

 may come about that much that is useful is thought to 

 be useless and vice versa, and that the discrepancy 

 between truth as it is supposed, and as it turns out, to be, 

 grows great. Then, again, few societies are so severely 

 organised with a sole view to efficiency as not to tolerate 

 a considerable number of useless persons pursuing 

 1 useless knowledge, or useful knowledge in a useless 

 way. Of course there is a certain amount of social 

 pressure brought to bear upon such persons, but it is not 

 enough to produce complete social agreement, and the 

 elimination of all discrepant truth. Indeed, the toleration 

 of socially useless, and even pernicious truths, which are 

 individually entertained, seems on the whole to be 

 increasing. This only shows that we can afford the 

 luxury. In earlier times the thinkers of divergent views 

 had short shrift granted them, and so as the result of 

 much past brutality we now enjoy considerable bodies 

 of objective truth. And considering how much use 

 philosophers have always made of this indulgence to 

 differ from their fellows, it would be gracious if they at 

 least gave honour where honour was due, and appreciated 

 the labours of their ancestors, instead of attributing the 

 whole credit of the conformity which exists to the initial 

 constitution of the Absolute. Or if they insist on it, 

 they might at least, in common fairness, attempt to tell us 

 to whom the discredit should attach for the discrepancy 

 and nonconformity, which exist no less and are by far 

 more troublesome, even if they are too indolent to help 

 in the practical work of science, which enlarges the limits 

 of practical agreement and constitutes objective truth. 

 To sum up ; the answer to the question What is 



