NOVEMBER,1946 scientificmethodcannotbeblamedforthefailureofscientific socialism.Thatmethodcannotoperateonfractionalorfalse premises,andnootherpremisesareavailabletousnow. Itisprobablyuptothescientiststhemselvestoevolvenew ones,asindeedtheproponentsofGeneralSemanticsseemtobe doing.Politicaltheoristshaveshownthemselvestooproneto acceptalmostanythingasa"fact"whichtendstoconfirma favoritepremise,andtolopoffanyinconvenientoverhang. Givenafewcenturies,thereisreasontobelievethatscientific methodmaybeableeventualytodowhatMr.Macdonald thinksitcandonow,thatis,pointouttousthemostefec- tivemeanstotheendwedesire.Atthemomentitcando nothingofthekind.Itcanonlytellusthatthusfareveryap- plicationofscientificmethodtopoliticshasresultedinan expTh loesios nc . ientificmethod,then, isnotnowoperable uponthe fieldsofhistoryandpoliticsasawhole.Toinsistthatitnever wilbeistoendorseaprejudiceofTolstoi'swhichislessexcusableinourdaythanitwasinhisheatleastonlysus- pectedhowlittleweknowofthenecessarybasics. Ontheotherhand,toabandonthepretensethatweknow, orthatanybodyknows,allthelawsbywhichhistoryoperates, isessential.Therearetwovarietiesofscientificmethod,one ofwhich,operationfromanestablishedpremise,wehaveconsideredabove.Theother,whichconsistsofbehaving asif a givensetofpremisesweretrueuntiltheevidenceindicates otherwise,iscaledempiricism,andinpoliticsitistheMark oftheBeast. Actionspredicatedbyagiventheorymusthavepredictable resultsifthetheoryissound.Onthisveryassumption,strikes, insurections,andinternationalwarsarecaled.Totakesuch masactioninthenameofacausemeansthatthereissome reasontobelievethattheefectwillbeaspredicted.Oncewe accept,however,thattherootofpoliticsandhistorydoesnot lieinformulationsorknownlaws,theethicalexcusesforor- ganizedconflictonalargescalesimplydisappear.Wecannot becertainthattheactionwillproduceanythinglikethede- siredresultindeed,toconsidertheevidencescientificalyis tobecomeawarethatitdoessoonlybyrareaccidentandto takelifeanddestroypropertyinthemere hope ofsucharesult isamultiplecrime.Thisisthecrimeofempiricism,with humanbeingsastheexperimentalsubjects.* Thereis,therefore,thesoundestofreasonsforindividual actioninpolitics,asopposedtomassaction;thephenomenon ofalienation,abrilliantMarxistpercept,isbutoneofmany resultsofproceedingasifoneknewitall.Thereisalsogood reasonforbelievingthatindividualactionwillbeconsider- ablymoreefectiveinthelongrun.Muchoftheenergydevotedtopushingascientificpoliticalmovementeventualyis siphonedoffintotechnicalschisms,aswehaveseen.Thetypicalleadersofsuchmovementsarethepartygenerals,inflexible ofmind,boundtothelimitsoftheirparticularsetsof"historicallaws,"submergeduptotheirnosesintechnicalverbiage oftheorderusedbyKarlKorsch,andmostweakeningofal —proclaimingtheinevitabilityofwhateverprogramtheywish toseeadopted.Thiskindofpolitical"thinking"doesmore *Dostoievsky'sfamousproblem,recentlyemphasizedbynon-violentists, astowhetherornotthecomingoftheMilleniumcouldbejustifiedif it involvedthedeathbytortureofasinglechild,hasapeculiarpoignancyin ourcivilization,whereahundredthousandlivesaresnufedoutforexpectationsfarlessdefinite.RecentnewspaperreportsrecordthatevenAdmiral Halsey, w i d e l y knownforhumanitariansentiments,consideredthe tintwan, / _ _ • t t TerbrbtetÉig Gi fYegianco thanleadmenintouselessanddamagingaction;itbecomesa substituteforactionitself.Thelanguageofbureaucratsand ofmanifestoesisacommonone,asortoftradejargonwhich alowsonetothinkonehasdonesomethingwhenactualyone hasonlysaidsomething. UnderextremeconditionsBelsen,orunderfire—thisjar- gonofpowerissimplyintheway;asitisintheindividual actionoftheC.O.orsaboteur;politicsbecomespoliticalac- tion,andasumesanalmostBiblicalspecificity.Theindividual doessomething;asmalsomethingthatrealyproducesthe resultsitwassupposedtoproduce. Thisisnoeasysolution.Itinvolveslyingdownacrosstruck driveways,refusingtopaytaxesinwartime,andmanyother actionsasdifficultanddangerouswhichdonotoffertheMil- leniumatasinglestroke.WiththeBombinourhands,however,wecannolongerafordtheexperimentalslaughtersof oneoranothertheorist'sEasySolution.Weshal,instead,do weltorememberPareto'sdictumthatnoactionislogical whichcannotbeexpectedtoproducethedesiredresultswhen thetotalcircumstancesareknown;andthatwhetherornot thetotalcircumstancesareunknowableasEngelsthought, theyarecertainlyunknowntodayinanyfieldwheremasac- tionisapplicable. JAMESBLISH NEWROADS:Discussion Sir O: neistemptedtosaythatthehighestgeniusofMacdonald isforart.Brilliantasis"TheRootIsMan,"theflashesofhis earlierarticle,"TheBomb,"arebrighter,anditstbunders moreominous;inithesemsfreertobetheartist,fromthe potentfrontpagelayoutonthroughallthecommentsofthat mostconvincingofatom-bombarticles.It ispartlythenin termsofartistrythatsomeofhispresentterminologyisto beinterpreted.It istheappealofanartist,admirablycalcu- latedtobringhomethefullsignificancewhichhehasput intotheterms"Progressive"and"Radical,"tosetoffthetiny Radicalgroupinsuchawayastopresentitasoneoftwo basicbranchesfromtheoldLeftwingstem.Amoreprosaic personmightsimplyhavepointedoutthetransformedrole oftheProgressivegroups,anddissociatedhimselffromit. Similarly,hisinsistenceonclassifyinghimselfasadualistis amaterofdramaticterminology.Hemighthavebeensatis- fiedmerelytospeakofalimitationofthescientificmethod, withoutassertingthatthereweretwoworlds,scientificand ethical. If apersonmaintainedthattherewasnothingto musicbutrhythm,hiscriticwouldnotassertthattherewere twomusicsrhythmandalsopitch;rather,hewouldpoint outthatthereweremanythingsinvolvedinthesamemusic: duration,stress,pitch,andalsotimbre,melody,andpersonal associations.Buttheseeminglyabsurdideaof"twoworlds" has,inthelargerproblem,artisticjustificationbothasachallengetoold-linecritics,andasagoadtotheimagination. However,notalltheweaknessesinhisterminologycanbe tracedtoartisticflair.Inparticular, Iwanttopointouta lineofhistoricalinterpretationwhichisopenedupbyhis rejectionoftheclassicconceptionofprogress;hisfailureas yettofolowitthroughispartlytoblameforsomefalse notesinhisargument.HestilllooksonthephenomenaassociatedwiththeIndustrialRevolutionofrecentcenturiesas ageneralculturalstageinwhichEuropewasessentialythe firstofatyre,ratherthanasauniqueepisodeinwhichEu- ropewasessentialydistinctive.Thisleadshimtolookforan
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