Evening star., 1931-11-29
Can Science Save World?

found the key to success. They talked
psycholcgy day in and day out. Theirs
was oinerent sort of psychology from
tnat which, under university AUSPICES
framed psychological tests during the
war. Just recently American business
leaders have appeared to think that
economics, braced up by statistics and
the science" of organization. would
solve our problems. They have not
made great progress Indeed, to Judge
by their predictions during the last
TWO years as to the return of pros
perlty, they are very uncertain guides
The experience through which we
nave been passing is wholesome in two
respects. First, it seems at least to
indicate a widespread belief in the
power OF truth to make us free Sec
onoiy. is a clear revelation of the
lnaoequacy of this, that or the other
single branch Of knowledge to accom-
pllsh all things. When the effects of
the nnancial crash began to be Sc
Verely felt many were cheered by the
fact that in the Office of President was
one who by his large experience during
the war, and later in the Department
OF Commerce, was the worlds foremost
economic engineer. He, if any cne.
could be counted upon to relieve the
strain. Yet, with due credit to his
efforts, it is plain that too much was
expected OF his speciality. knowledge
Is at locse ends. And, be it noted
the danger of knowledge at loose ends
increases in proportion to the amount
OF knowledge that is liberated.
Must Restore Balance.
The time is ripe fer a concerted ef-
fort to restore the balance which has
been so seriously disturbed. The labors
OF no one agency will suffice There
must be general participation. The
subject is, naturally, too large for dis
cuSsion in this article. It is Instructive.
however, to note certain forces that are
working in the right direction. Uni
verSltieS, for example, are forging
ahead, not by sighting science, but
by extending its domain. They have
developed from science a spirit which
they are setting up as the presiding
genius OF all their activities. Proceed
ing from one aScertained fact to
another aScertained fact and making
sure that observations are correct and
conclusions reasonable, seeking truth
wherever it leads, and thereby pro-
crossing from knowledge to wisdom
world and of its poSSibilities-that is
the spirit of science.
To this spirit universities are at
tempting to make the work of their
several schools and colleges conform.
A pr1ori opinions, traditional beliefs,
impresSlonism are yielding to the
newer impulse. A fact is not a fact
unless 1t is established as such, and
1t Is recognized that certain intellectual
and spiritual facts may be quite as eu-
thentic as physical facts. So-called
basic principles are undergoing fresh
examination. A striking illustration in
non-scientific field is the concerted
effort Of scholars to rewrite American
! history. In the process all sorts Of
| preJudices, loose statements and sweep
ing generalizaticns have had TO be
! thrown into the scrap-heap
| 1t Is clear that what universities have
done for science they are endeavcring,
in SO far as circumstances will permit,
TO do for all human affairs. They arc
bent, frst, upon sharpening knowledge
In all its branches, and, secondly, upon
forming new combinations of knowledge
whereby the significance Of all pertinent
facts may be focused on any given sit
uation. An Institute of Human Rela-
tions, recently inaugurated at Yale, with