"Political Engineering" Explained

James M. MacKaye '95, spoke on "The True criterion of Right" in the first of his series of five lectures on "Political Engineering" yesterday afternoon. He explained that in the field of industry and mechanics, our civilization is in keeping with our idea of the twentieth century, because scientific methods of Investigation have been applied. In the field of ethics, however, our civilization is distinctly mediaeval, inasmuch as our moral codes are based upon personal Intuition and not upon scientific research. Mr. MacKaye believes that if scientific principles are applied to our code of morals, it will be as easy to obtain happiness as to manufacture the most common product.

During the four more lectures that Mr. MacKaye will give, he will explain how scientific or, as he calls them, common sense methods may be adapted to the creation of an ethical system. This type of work that he has undertaken he calls "Political Engineering" or the science which treats of the adaptation of the means of society to its end.