Mankind in the MakingWells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Philosophy
Mankind in the Making
Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Social problems; Social sciences
illiterate or untrained woman. I can only reiterate my conviction that
nothing really effective can be organized in these matters until we are
much clearer than we are at present in our ideas about them, and that
a public body devoted to education has no business either to impose
celibacy, or subsidize families, or experiment at all in these affairs.
Not only in the case of elementary teachers, but in the case of
soldiers, sailors, and so on, the State may do much to promote or
discourage marriage and offspring, and no doubt it is also true, as Mr.
Wallas insists, that the problems of the foreign immigrant and of racial
intermarriage, loom upon us. But since we have no applicable science
whatever here, since there is no certainty in any direction that any
collective course may not be collectively evil rather than good, there
is nothing for it, I hold, but to leave these things to individual
experiment, and to concentrate our efforts where there is a clearer hope
of effective consequence. Leave things to individual initiative and some
of us will, by luck or inspiration, go right; take public action on
an insufficient basis of knowledge and there is a clear prospect of
collective error. The imminence of these questions argues for nothing
except prompt and vigorous research.]
That, however, is only one aspect of this question. There are others
from which the New Republican may also approach this problem of the
quality of the birth supply.
In relation to personal conduct all these things assume another colour
altogether. Let us be clear upon that point. The state, the community,
may only act upon certainties, but the essential fact in individual life
is experiment. Individuality is experiment. While in matters of public
regulation and control it is wiser not to act at all than to act upon
theories and uncertainties; while the State may very well wait for
a generation or half a dozen generations until knowledge comes up to
these--at present--insoluble problems, the private life _must_ go on
now, and go upon probabilities where certainties fail. When we do not
know what is indisputably right, then we have to use our judgments
to the utmost to do each what seems to him probably right. The New
Republican in his private life and in the exercise of his private
influence, must do what seems to him best for the race; [Footnote: He
would certainly try to discourage this sort of thing. The paragraph is
from the _Morning Post_ (Sept., 1902):--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account