SCIENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD SCIENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD by THOMAS H. LEVY JULIAN HUXLEY JOHN R. BAKER BERTRAND RUSSELL ALDOUS HUXLEY HUGH IA. FAUSSET HILAIRE BELLOC J. B. S. HALDANE OLIVER LODGE Edited by MARY ADAMS LONDON GEORGE ALLEN UNWIN LTD MUSEUM STREET EDITORS INTRODUCTION THIS book is based on a series of broadcast talks on science 3 which formed part of a com prehensive symposium on The Changing World. In that symposium an attempt was made to reflect the crisis through which the world is passing and to make an ...
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SCIENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD SCIENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD by THOMAS H. LEVY JULIAN HUXLEY JOHN R. BAKER BERTRAND RUSSELL ALDOUS HUXLEY HUGH IA. FAUSSET HILAIRE BELLOC J. B. S. HALDANE OLIVER LODGE Edited by MARY ADAMS LONDON GEORGE ALLEN UNWIN LTD MUSEUM STREET EDITORS INTRODUCTION THIS book is based on a series of broadcast talks on science 3 which formed part of a com prehensive symposium on The Changing World. In that symposium an attempt was made to reflect the crisis through which the world is passing and to make an analysis of those forces of transformation in science, art, economics, and social life which have been in operation since the beginning of the century. All the speakers were preoccupied with the same general theme and, within each particular field of inquiry, set themselves to answer the same questions, thus achieving for the first time in the history of broadcasting a unity of theme and a continuity of treatment over a considerable period of time. The dominance of science over the day-to day lives of our contemporaries gives a special interest and significance to the analysis of the changes which have been brought about by progress in scientific thought. The practical applications of science order our civilization. Science generally enters the lives of ordinary individuals as a mechanical device or a social convenience a motor-car, a wireless set, or a 12 SCIENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD telephone. The impression is widespread that science is the history of sudden and startling inventions rather than a method of pursuing truth. It is the aim of Professor Levys con tribution in Part I to disclose the fundamental nature of science that it is a process of sys tematic trialand error, of frustration and discovery, a laborious construction of instru ments, theories, and methods of investigation. Professor Levy defines the scope of scientific inquiry, and stresses the importance of the scientific outlook for the investigation of the motives of human behaviour. Mans investigation of himself is a significant development of twentieth-century science, and the biologist has a definite contribution to make to any discussion of human nature. Researches into our ancestry, our growth, and our conduct have practical applications to everyday affairs, casting light on urgent social problems, compelling tolerance, and occa sionally indicating profitable adjustments. The science of human heredity is beginning to affect the social conscience and to provoke speculations about the biological future of the race. Some of the facts necessary for an appre ciation of biological questions are provided in Part II by Dr. John Baker, while Professor EDITORS INTRODUCTION 13 Julian Huxley discusses their meaning in relation to the environment in which man exists. Finally, in Part III, the civilization which constitutes our environment comes under scrutiny. Men with views as widely divergent as those of Mr. Hilaire Belloc and Professor J. B. S. Haldane examine critically the philo sophical, aesthetic, and social implications of scientific progress. It cannot be denied that science has brought material freedom, wealth, and leisure, and liberation from famine and disease. But has science produced these things at the cost of spiritual atrophy and personal servility Does a machine-made civilization stifle artistic expression, or does it merely trans fer its sphere of activity Under themachine, are all the elements of mans personality able to find harmonious expression Is it possible to view the ever-moving frontiers of science with equanimity Is the advance of science inevit able, or does scientific progress contain within itself the seeds of decay There is a widespread sense of disharmony between the old and the new from which spring endless perplexities and conflicts...
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