374 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



ality, or rather, personality is expressed, and its character for others 

 determined, by the attitude taken. 



I am not quite sure that the use of the word philosophy in this way, 

 a way that allows us to speak of the pragmatic philosophy, is justified, 

 but that is a minor matter, and may be overlooked in our quest for 

 larger game. The important question is, supposing the world con- 

 verted to this pragmatic philosophy, what would be the consequences, 

 pragmatically speaking? Would pragmatism itself be pragmatically 

 justified ? 



At the very outset, it must be obvious that a genuinely pragmatic 

 attitude implies for most of us a noteworthy increase in intellectual 

 activity. It is an attitude which obliges us to inquire, test and form 

 judgments. The pragmatist asks cui bono? not in the indolent manner 

 of the pessimist, but as the miner asks for the precious metal, and is 

 determined to find it, no matter what the cost. The pragmatist is 

 necessarily an optimist, for his quest implies from the start that the 

 truth is good and serviceable, worthy to be sought. I think the psy- 

 chologist and the sociologist might have something to say here about 

 the possibility of a breakdown due to too much pragmatism. Are we 

 not protected to a considerable extent by our very stupidity ? Human 

 judgment is a two-edged sword, which has often wounded those who 

 used it. Do not our educational eJEforts indicate to us daily the limita- 

 tions of the human mind ? 



It was the belief of William James that most people are capable of 

 much more than they customarily put forth. He was supported in 

 this by examples of heroic effort and achievement under conditions of 

 stress, physical and mental. Our normal performance in these civil- 

 ized days far exceeds that of our ancestors of a few hundred years back ; 

 ancestors who, biologically speaking, did not differ in any important 

 particular from ourselves. The same peoples, living contemporaneously 

 in different parts of the world, differ enormously in their intellectual 

 performance, according to circumstances. It must be admitted, then, 

 that the depths of the human mind have not been sounded, and that 

 much still unsuspected may yet come forth. Whether we like it or not, 

 education and democracy will place us in a position where we must 

 either become more intelligent or go to smash. If we can stand the 

 strain, all will be justified, and humanity will realize values unattain- 

 able by any living being at any previous stage in the history of the 

 world. If we fail, the vision of such possibilities will at least remain 

 as a permanent contribution to human welfare, and perhaps a spur to 

 other and more successful efforts in a time far distant. 



After all, the pragmatic position does not demand so much of the 

 individual as might at first appear. We are social beings, and in par- 

 ticular our knowledge and judgments are social products. It is equally 



