f we succeed in finding the laws of human nature, all the rest will be a
comparatively easy task--the ethical, social, economic and political status
of Man should be in accord with the laws of his nature; then civilization
will be a human civilization--a permanent and peaceful one--not before.

It is useless to argue if electricity be "natural" or "_super_natural," of
"material" or of "spiritual" origin. As a matter of fact we do not ask
these questions in studying electricity; we endeavor to find out the
natural laws governing it and in handling live wires we do not argue or
speculate about them--we use rubber gloves, etc. It will be the same with
Man and the great affairs of Man--we have, first of all, to know what Man
is.

Though this book has been written with scrupulous care to avoid words or
terms of vague meaning--and though it often may seem coldly critical of
things metaphysical, it has not been written with indifference to that
great, perhaps the greatest, urge of the human heart--the craving for
spiritual truth--our yearning for the higher potentialities of that which
we call "mind," "soul" and "spirit"--but it has been written with the deep
desire to find the source of these qualities, their scientific
significance and a scientific proof of them, so that they may be
approached and studied by the best minds of the world without the
digressions, and misinterpretations that are caused by the color and the
confusion of personal emotions; and if the book be read with care, it will
be seen that, though the clarifying definition of the classes of life has
been chiefly used in the book for its great carrying power in the
_practical_ world, its greatest help will ultimately be in guiding the
investigation, the right valuation and especially the control and use of
the higher human powers.

In writing this book I have been not only introducing new ideas and new
methods of analysis, but I have been using a tongue new to me. The
original manuscript was very crude and foreign in form, and I am greatly
indebted to various friends for their patient kindness in correcting the
many errors of my poor English.

I am also under great obligations to Walter Polakov, Doctor of
Engineering, for his exceedingly helpful suggestions, not only in giving
me a thorough criticism from the point of view of the Engineer, but also
in devoting his energies to organizing the first "Time-binding Club" where
these problems have been discussed