42 THE CONTROL OF LIFE 



§ 4. Faith in Science 



Obvious common sense it seems, when confronted 

 with difficulties and limitations, to get at the facts, to 

 work at them till they are understood, and then to 

 apply in practice the science thus gained. This is 

 what man has always been doing in a rough and ready 

 way in his primary occupations, as hunter, shepherd, 

 gardener, fisher, and so on. Out of the practical lore 

 there has evolved the criticised, systematised, com- 

 municable knowledge which we call Science. Up to 

 a certain point and along certain lines men believe in 

 this science, and do not dream of dispensing with its 

 aid. To build a bridge or a ship, to make a dam or 

 a canal, to fashion a lens or a big gun, without utilising 

 the available science is reckoned madness ; why, then, 

 does one require to plead for more scientific control of 

 life? 



The answer is threefold, (a) In the first place, the 

 sciences that are relevant to the control of things are 

 much more advanced, much more exact, much more 

 reliable than those that are relevant to the control of 

 life. It is not merely that they or their foundations 

 are older ; it is that the material is more readily sub- 

 jected to an analysis which for practical purposes 

 (though perhaps not for philosophical purposes) has 

 attained or can attain to a high degree of exhaustive- 

 ness. It is easier to predict the movements of a comet 

 than those of a cat. (6) The second reason is that in 

 dealing with living creatures and with himself, it is 

 temptingly easy for man to muddle along. The farmer 



