SCIENCE FOR LIFE 27 



given man so much mastery of natural wealth and 

 natural power, are they really for his good ? Were 

 they not used of late to bring about the most terrifying 

 abomination of desolation the world has ever seen ? 

 This raises a large question, but the general answer is 

 clear. Firstly, the soundness of operations in any 

 given field has to be judged by certain criteria relevant 

 to that field. Thus any exploitation of physical energy 

 that is notoriously wasteful is self-condemned. But, 

 secondly, the soundness of operations in any given field 

 has always to be judged in terms of values in any higher 

 field that is affected. What is quite sound physically 

 may be illegitimate biologically ; what is admirable 

 biologically may be ruinous socially. Ultimately, all 

 operations have to be judged before the tribunal of 

 the highest values — the true, the beautiful, and the 

 good. 



There is no reason to be afraid of any application of 

 science if the end be a better kind of life. There is 

 no reason to be afraid of organisation as such as long as 

 it leaves man free, and as long as its end is more than 

 productivity, and more than comfort. There is no reason 

 to be afraid of harnessing Science to the chariot of 

 civilisation if the end be the liberation of the spirit. 

 We shall return to this in the last chapter. 



In Conclusion 

 Hear, then, the conclusion of the whole matter. 

 Many of the shadows that blot out the sun and many 

 of the stumbling-blocks that trip us up are quite gratui- 



