APHORISMS AND REFLECTIONS 173 



them unsupported. The laws of their nature are as 

 invariable as the laws of gravitation, only the 

 applications to particular cases offer worse problems 

 than the case of the three bodies. 



The Political Economists have gone the right 

 way to work — the way that the physical philosopher 

 follows in all complex affairs— by tracing out the 

 effects of one great cause of human action, the 

 desire of wealth, supposing it to be unchecked. 



If they, or other people, have forgotten that there 

 are other potent causes of action which may interfere 

 with this, it is no fault of scientific method but only 

 their own stupidity. 



Hydrostatics is not a " dismal science," because 

 water does not always seek the lowest level — e.g. 

 from a bottle turned upside down, if there is a cork 

 in the neck ! 



There is much need that somebody should do for 

 what is vaguely called " Ethics " just what the 

 Political Economists have done. Settle the question 

 of what will be done under the unchecked action of 

 certain motives, and leave the problem of "ought" 

 for subsequent consideration. 



For, whatever they ought to do, it is quite certain 

 the majority of men will act as if the attainment of 

 certain positive and negative pleasures were the end 

 of action. 



We want a science of "Eubiotics" to tell us 

 exactly what will happen if human beings are 

 exclusively actuated by the desire of well-being in 

 the ordinary sense. Of course the utilitarians have 

 laid the foundations of such a science, with the 

 result that the nicknamer of genius called this 

 branch of science "pig philosophy," making just 

 the same blunder as when he called political economy 

 "dismal science." 



"Moderate well-being" may be no more the 

 worthiest end of life than wealth. But if it is the 

 best to be had in this queer world— it may be worth 

 trying for. 



