PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE 441

of years for Nature to bring man into existence, the dyna-
mic intelligence of man (homo sapietis) has transformed
life on earth so tremendously in the course of a few millen-
nia which constitute the sum of human history/ Secondly,
we have pointed to the conclusion that ' Man has remained
the same through all the varying conditions of life'; that
"Our knowledge of him in the twentieth century A.D. may
be fuller and more intimate than our knowledge of him in
the twentieth century B.C., but that makes no difference in
his fundamental character.1 For, ' He is still the intelligent
and inventive brute that he was 500,000 (or 50-, or 20-, or
2,000) years ago : affectionate at home, jealous of his neigh-
bour, ferocious in war, and ruthless when his selfish instincts
are roused; but noble and progressive on the whole, with a
marvellous organising capacity, which has made -him master
on earth over animate and inanimate creation alike.1 Finally,
we said, ' World History is but a recalling of this wonder-
ful creature's doings, his struggles, achievements and failures
in the past, that they might instruct his present, and bear
fruit in his future/ That is why the Arab historian, Ibn
Kihaldun, wrote : ' Know that the science of History is noble
in its conception, abounding in instruction, and exalted in
its aim/

If by ' science' we mean a systematised body of knowledge,
we need not quarrel over the description of History as a
science. That History is "abounding in instruction' may
not also be denied; Carlyle found in it ' philosophy taught
through examples/ Though different readers may find ma-
terial for different philosophies in human history, the funda-
mental 'science of History' (i.e. an intelligible presentatioo
of the Past) is 'noble in its conception' and 'exalted in its
aim'. Occasionally we might come'across a cynic who opines
that 'History teaches but one lesson-: man has learnt no