24 The Higher Usefulness of Science 



later elaborators of the doctrines of Being and Becom- 

 ing, who contended for the reality of the things as they 

 transform into one another. We know, too, the con- 

 clusive arguments by which it was proved that Water, 

 Air, and Fire is, each in turn, the "real thing" in the 

 cosmic matter theory. Further, we know as much, 

 perhaps, as we need to know about the atomism of 

 Leucippus, the mind-stuff-ism of Anaxagoras, the num- 

 berism of Pythagoras, and so on. Some historians of 

 philosophy have aptly called the first stage of Greek 

 philosophy a cosmological period. 



Then arose, according to wont in such cases, the 

 strong, eager, independent and courageous protestant 

 against the vapid metaphysics of nature then preva- 

 lent. The new seeker after truth was Socrates. "For 

 heaven's sake," we seem to hear this young "knocker" 

 exclaim after he had drunk his fill at the approved 

 fountains of wisdom, "since we must philosophize, let' 

 us see if we can't find a way of doing it that will lead 

 to something tangible and permanent, and above all, to 

 something of consequence to human beings." About 

 the chief ground of Socrates' rebellion was that man 

 seemed to him left out of the systems against which he 

 fought, while the only subject, thought he, worthy of 

 serious study by serious men, is man himself. "God 

 has commanded me to examine men," and "In the city 

 I can learn of men, but the fields and trees teach me 

 nothing," he said. 



Despite Socrates' failure to do all he started out to 



