Part 5

And will these god-like beings with their infinite wealth and power, in their perfect rationality, be any happier or even morally better creatures than ourselves?

The formula for happiness is a fairly simple one. Its relative components form a vulgar fraction. The denominator is constituted by that towards which we aspire; the numerator is the number of our achievements. There is a law by which these two vary almost in unison. Any augmentation of achievement sends up proportionally the number of our desires, whilst great losses are followed by resignation. It is just for those fleeting moments in which the balance is disturbed that we experience bliss or misery. But the moments are very fleeting, and the normal ratio is restored. Happiness is the carrot before the donkey’s nose. Therein lies the moral of Tantalus, so grievously misinterpreted by Dr Schiller. Tantalus is the symbol of human progress. The only danger is that under Scientific Management man may see through the trick.

And will he be better then than he is to-day? That, however, is a question for the moralists of the future to decide.

* * * * *

Transcriber’s Notes:

――Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (italics).

――Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.

――Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.

――Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.