SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 137 



speak, counterfoils or symbols of reality. We may 

 well say of them what Hobbes said of words: 

 "They are wise men's counters, they do but 

 reckon by them, but they are the money of fools." 



Yet we must not react too far from the realism 

 of old-fashioned Science! For while it is true 

 that Science only gets at fractions of reality, and 

 that it works with formulae and intellectual 

 counters, scientific conclusions are none the less 

 trustworthy indices of what does actually happen. 

 Otherwise we could not use them as a basis for 

 safe prophecy. No one knows what matter, gravi- 

 tation, inertia, and sp on, really are; but the 

 established formulations which deal with them 

 have certainly a close correspondence with real- 

 ity. We need not do more than refer to the 

 familiar but astounding fact that, given three 

 good observations of a comet, and we can 

 prophesy with absolute certainty when it, barring 

 accidents, will return! 



PROBLEMS BEFORE WHICH SCIENCE AND PHI- 

 LOSOPHY MEET. The world is full of unsolved 

 problems which give it part of its charm and 

 interest, and there is no prospect of the supply 

 running short. Some of these unsolved problems 

 are scientific, and he is rash indeed who will call 

 any of them insoluble. Many of the insoluble 

 problems of our forefathers have their solutions 

 stated in our text-books, and Science is still very 



