Science of the Future : A Forecast 



the whole of Nature runs and wavers before 

 the eye of Science, the latter recognises that its 

 distinctions are arbitrary, and turns upon and 

 destroys itself. This has happened before, I 

 believe ages back in the history of the human 

 race and probably will happen again. 



The only conceivable answer to the question, 

 ' What is that which is now a mollusc and now a 

 man and now an inorganic atom ? " I is given 

 by man himself and his answer is, I fear, not 

 " scientific." It is " I Am." " I am that which 

 varies." And the force of his answer depends 

 on what he means by the word " I." And so 

 also the only conceivable answer to the absolute 

 datum question is to be found in the meaning 

 of the word " I " in the deepening back of 

 consciousness itself. Man is the measure of all 

 things. If we are to use Science as a minister 

 to the most external part of man to provide 

 him with cheap boots and shoes, etc. then we 

 do right to seek our absolute datum in his external 

 part, and to take his foot as our first measure. We 

 found a science on feet and pounds, and it serves 

 its purpose well enough. But if we want to 

 find a garment for his inner being or, rather, 

 one that shall fit the whole man to wear which 

 will be a delight to him and, as it were, a very inter- 

 pretation of himself it seems obvious that we 

 must not take our measure from outside, but 

 from his very most central principle. The whole 



1 Compare the Sphinx-riddle : What is that which goes on 

 four legs, etc. 



137 



