Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/601

 THE AMERICAN

JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

VOLUME XI MARCH, IQ06 NUMBERS

THE PLACE OF SCIENCE IN MODERN CIVILIZATION

THORSTEIN VEBLEN The University of Chicago

It is commonly held that modern Christendom is superior to any and all other systems of civilized life. Other ages and other cultural regions are by contrast spoken of as lower, or more ar- chaic, or less mature. The claim is that the modern culture is superior on the whole, not that it is the best or highest in all re- spects and at every point. It has, in fact, not an all-around superi- ority, but a superiority within a closely limited range of intellec- tual activities, while outside this range many other civilizations surpass that of the modern occidental peoples. But the peculiar excellence of the modern culture is of such a nature as to give it a decisive practical advantage over all other cultural schemes that have gone before or that have come into competition with it. It has proved itself fit to survive in a struggle for existence as against those civilizations which differ from it in respect of its distinctive traits.

Modern civilization is peculiarly matter-of-fact. It contains many elements that are not of this character, but these other elements do not belong exclusively or characteristically to it. The modern civilized peoples are in a peculiar degree capable of an impersonal, dispassionate insight into the material facts with which mankind has to deal. The apex of cultural growth is at this point. Compared with this trait the rest of what is com-