THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN CIVILIZATION

The relevance, or lack of it, which science has for us in our daily lives, and the relationship which exists or does not exist between the aims and means of science and those of the various arts we call collectively the humanities, are both subjects which have been attacked with great frequency and vehemence, but usually with little real results in recent years. So it is that Professor Lindsay deserves almost as much commendation for the courage he shows in even attempting so obviously formidable a task, as he does for his very considerable success. Beginning with clearly illustrated definitions of what he considers to be the basic scientific methods and purposes, he proceeds to compare these fundamentals to those of music, the graphic arts, literature, philosophy, and history. His contention is that ""the house of intellect should be one house"", and the detailed logic behind his contention is extremely persuasive. From this point he moves on into less familiar territory, with careful studies of the relationships of science and technology to government, ethics, and human behavior in general. His examples are always fascinating and usually highly illuminating. His many suggestions deserve the layman's serious attention, and his style is sufficiently free of abstruse jargon to make this attention not only possible, but pleasurable as well.