Mankind in the MakingWells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Philosophy
Mankind in the Making
Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Social problems; Social sciences
various sorts would escape through the avenue of Section ii. which, by
the by, would have to involve Historical Reading. So much for my second
suggested College course.
The third of these three alternative courses is the History course, done
extensively in relation to general geography, economic theory, and the
general evolution of the world, and intensively in relation to British
or American history, and perhaps to some particular period. Out of it
would spring a thorough study of the development of English literature
and also of the legal systems of the English-speaking peoples. This
course also would be a way of approach to philosophical science, to
theology, to the thorough study of economic and political science, and
possibly it would contribute a larger proportion of its students to
imaginative literature than either of the two preceding courses. It
would also be the natural preliminary course to the special study of
law and so a source of politicians. In the Section ii. of this course a
light but lucid treatment of the great generalizations of physical and
biological science would be desirable. And from this course also the
artist would break away.
Conceivably there are other courses. The course in Mathematics as
one sees it given to the Cambridge Tripos men, and what is called the
Classical course, will occur to the reader. Few people, however, are to
be found who will defend the exclusively mathematical “grind” as a sound
intellectual training, and so it need not be discussed here. The case,
however, is different with the classical course. It is alleged by those
who have had the experience that to learn Latin and Greek more or
less thoroughly and then to stumble through one or two Latin and Greek
authors “in the original” has an educational value surpassing any
conceivable alternative. There is a mysterious benefit from one’s
private translation however bad that no other translation however good
can impart. Plato, for example, who has certainly in the very best
translations, quite perceptibly no greater mind than Lord Bacon, Newton,
Darwin, or Adam Smith, becomes god-like to all who pass beyond the
Little-Go. The controversy is as old as the Battle of the Books, a quite
interminable wrangle, which I will not even attempt to summarize here.
For my own part I believe all this defence of the classics on the part
of men with classical education is but one more example of that human
weakness that splashes Oxford metaphysical writings with needless tags
and shreds of Greek and set Demetrius the silversmith bawling in the
streets. If the reader is of another opinion there is no need to convert
him in this present argument, provided only that he will admit the
uselessness of his high mystery for the training of the larger mass of
modern men. By his standards they are beneath it. A convention upon this
issue between the two parties therefore is attainable. Let us admit the
classical course for the parents who like and can afford this sort of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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