July 13, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



41 



it not a fact that the nation, as nations go to- 

 day, is an artificial alliance for economic pur- 

 poses? The real groupings of mankind, in a 

 spiritual, intellectual or even historical sense, 

 are usually not coincident with national boun- 

 daries, and aiford no support to the doctrine 

 that nations are the most sacred of all human 

 units. How far Miinsterberg could be led 

 astray by the ideal of nationalism is shown in 

 his defense of the militant professors who, 

 " uplifted by a healthy patriotism," proclaimed 

 historic and political facts as they appeared 

 from the angle of their hopes (p. 37) ; yet he 

 hastened to add that " while our beliefs may 

 clash, no hatred ought to darken our vision." 



The new idealism, as interpreted by Miin- 

 sterberg, is that of organization for public serv- 

 ice. " Where individualism prevails, subordina- 

 tion is unwelcome; and that means that dilet- 

 tantism flourishes and the expert is powerless. 

 The dilettant is now ruled out and the triumph 

 of the expert secured all over the world for the 

 days to come; organization replaces haphazard 

 performance; the self-conscious will of the 

 group suppresses the individual whim. To 

 have attained this is the most important vic- 

 tory of the German nation. If the war brought 

 nothing else, this alone may make us feel that 

 those who died on both sides did not give their 

 lives in vain" (p. 137). With this interpreta- 

 tion, the new nationalism finds fresh meanings. 

 The nation is now the cooperative unit. It 

 is the machine, all parts of which work to- 

 gether in harmony. Why not extend this idea 

 further, and let the unit be mankind? 



The conception of universal cooperation, 

 once we have grasped and appreciated the ex- 

 traordinary coherence of such a strange con- 

 glomeration as the British Empire, is simple 

 and attractive. Since nations, artificial as 

 they are, are such workable units in time of 

 stress, what is to prevent the extension of the 

 national method until nations are no more? 

 Miinsterberg looked forward to something like 

 that : " the world federation ought to be an 

 ideal . . . but it must have ages to mature." 

 It can not come through law, but must arise 

 '■ out of the needs of the active nations," must 

 be dynamic and constructive. 



The interplay of diverse ideas and ideals 

 produces inconsistencies which alternately 

 irritate and charm. It is irritating to find 

 what seems to be a failure in the integrity of 

 scientific reasoning, but one is charmed at the 

 naive sincerity of the utterances. After all, 

 the road to salvation is not the straight and 

 narrow path we have been led to imagine, but 

 has many turns. Every promising path ap- 

 pears to have its obstacles and its dangers. 

 Even the federation of the world might lead 

 to an ossification of the springs of originality 

 in mankind. State socialism may go the way 

 of all organization carried to extremes, and 

 lead to petrefaction. 



History shows us that the causes of progress 

 are largely individual. The new movement 

 arises as a consequence of the breaking away 

 of some personality from the fetters of the es- 

 tablished order. He may be crucified, but his 

 work permeates society, and fructifies through 

 social cooperation. Thus individualistic and 

 socialistic forces are alike indispensable for 

 progress. Miinsterberg seems not to have fully 

 appreciated this; the Germans, as a nation, do 

 not appreciate it, and that is why we dread the 

 " Prussianization " of the world. On the other 

 hand, we have not sufficiently appreciated the 

 importance of organization ; and here in Amer- 

 ica, in particular, the work of individuals fails 

 for lack of adequate cooperation. 



We grant with Miinsterberg that a genuine 

 idealism is at the base even of German war- 

 fare. He himseK defines it exactly. " It is a 

 belief in ' absolute ' values. . . . Belief in ab- 

 solute values means simply that the deed is 

 valued independent from the pleasure it brings. 

 ... If we are filled with the belief that an ac- 

 tion has value without any reference to pleas- 

 ure or pain, then we credit it with absolute 

 value. To be guided in life by such a belief is 

 idealism." This conception is expanded quite 

 fully, and as presented has its attractive side. 

 Indeed, who can go through life sanely or use- 

 fully without some such idealism, some belief 

 in unprovable axioms or " absolute values " ? 

 Tet modem science becomes more and more 

 experimental, more and more inclined to test 

 all things, and hold fast to that which is good. 



