Evening star., 1935-12-31

ST. LOUIS, December 3l.-A test-tube
morality was proposed before the assem-
blage of American science here last
night.
A scientifically determined ethical syS-
tenn was advocated as a way toward a
better and saner world in the presiden-
tiel address of Prof. Edward L. Thorn
dixie of Columbia University TO the Amer
ican Association for the Advancement OF
Science.
At the same time. he revealed, he him
self has done some preliminary work
leading to the establishment of such a
science. Recognizing innumerable diff
flculties in the way of such goal and
the education of human character in
accordance with it, Prof Thorndike nev-
erthelesS predicted that men can be
taught to find satisfaction in useful work,
healthful and noble recreation and the
welfare of others to degree that the
world has never seem"
Prof. Thorndike, one of the worlds
foremost psychologists, is the man who
determined by experiments with ami
mails the actual process of learning which
forms the basis for the modern educa-
tional system and which revolutionized
methods of teaching everywhere. He
expressed confidence that eventually it
will be possible to teach men to be good,
to some extent, just as they now are
taught to read and write-by the same
system of repetition and reward now
used in schools and which is based
largely on his own experiments.
The first step, he stressed, is Scien-
tific determination of what men and
women actually desire. This now is
largely matter of gueSswork.
Once determined and classified these
desires would constitute the basic sub
iect matter for the new science of morals,
lust as plant families are the basic sub
ject matter of botany, or rocks OF
geology.
The next step would be to weight these
desires according to their consequences
in respect to the general welfare. Then
goodness would be constituted Of such
behavior as tended toward the satisfac-
ton of desires with plus consequences
and evil would consist of acts tending
toward the satisfaction of desires with
minus consequences.
No behavior can be considered good
or bad of itself, he insisted. The act
of getting drunk, for example, is bad
because the drunkard not only Injuries
himself physically and thus makes him.
self less useful member of society, but
also because he makes himself source
of annoyance and possible danger to
others In so far as it satisfies the in
dividual'S yearning for alcohol, it might
be considered good" but its plus quail
tiles are vastly overweighted by its
minus qualities.
The act of enjoying beautiful poetry is
all good" 1t satisfies a desire of the
individual. 1t acts in no way against the
satisfaction of the desires of others. The
act of a savage in trying to appease the
wrath of his tribal gods is good" in so
far as it contributes to his own sense OF
security. But if his rites involve the
sacrifice of some other human being, the
inconvenience caused the victim would
carry such a heavy minus weighting
that the virtue of the proceeding would
be quite questionable.
Having determined what human de-
Sires actually are and classified them
as good or bad, according to the conse-
quences of their fulfillment, the next
step proposed by Prof. Thorndike would
be the setting up of q system of educa-
ton to increase the good and decrease
the bad wants.
Very little ever can be accomplished
In character education. he tntimated.