266 THE CONTROL OF LIFE 



judge any social change by the criteria of successively 

 higher ideals. Is it sound physically, biologically, psy- 

 chologically, socially ? But we must judge physical 

 operations not only in themselves but in the light of 

 biological ideals, and biological operations in the Ught 

 of the psychological, and psychological changes in the 

 light of the social, which includes the ethical. 



Increased productivity is a physical ideal — ^will it 

 mean increased health ? It has often meant a black 

 country and a short drab life. Increased efficiency is 

 an ideal for engines, ; will it mean increased freedom 

 of the spirit ? Increased health is an ideal for the 

 animal, but man does not live by bread alone, he is a 

 mind-body as well as a body-mind. Pruning off dis- 

 eased branches is a biological ideal,but Herodian methods 

 would probably sap the spiritual vitality of society. 

 The principle of guidance is this — ^judge the physical in 

 the light of the biological, and the biological in the Hght 

 of the psychological, and the psychological in the light 

 of the social. More simply, our proposals for progress 

 must in the long run be submitted to the august tribunal 

 of the true, the beautiful, and the good. 



The big things are truth, beauty, and goodness ; but 

 the scientific realist wishes instalments in the concrete. 

 So we have suggested, to get the question clear, that 

 there are fundamental pre-conditions of the realisation 

 of the supreme values. These pre-conditions are two- 

 fold — physical and biological. The physical pre-con- 

 ditions are increased material resources and increased 

 economy in using them. We have already quoted Sir 



