a physical sense to physical ears. But neither body
nor speech is absolutely necessary for the expression of meaning to
another. We have neither seen nor heard many of the individuals who have
exercised great influence over our lives. Words have answered the
purpose. By this is not meant that we have not lost something of great
value in having to depend on print alone. Something of every individual
reveals itself in his body and speech which is missed when we have to
depend on paper and ink as mediums of meaning. But meaning is something
other than its medium; it is a mental or spiritual content. This content
has to be classified and interpreted. The interpretation forms here
again, as on the level of natural science, syntheses and generalisations
larger than any one individual. These are the resultants of mind with
mind and will with will. When human beings come into contact with each
other, there originates a state of things in which something is
_thought_ and _done._ What is thought and done deals with situations
outside the situation of each individual. The interpretation of these
situations is, therefore, an objective reality which becomes a [p.74]
norm for each individual. Mankind has thus created a reality which is
beyond that of the content of each individual's experience _as an
individual_.

We thus see that there are presented in such norms two aspects of a very
different nature. On the one hand, we discover the contribution of each
individual, and witness events dealing with situations which succeed one
another with greater or less rapidity. This aspect is in constant flux.
It constitutes the capability of meeting the needs of the moment. All
this works well so long as the needs of the moment involve no great
complexities. But immediately the situation becomes complex there is a
turn to something besides this mere flow of things.[21] To what? It is a
turn to something whose nucleus of meaning and value has persisted in
the midst of all the flow. This is no other than one or other of the
highest of the ideal constructions which formed the basis of the life of
the community. The community had been unconsciously garnering something
over-individual and over-historical for its future use. Thus, in history
itself there is the presence of a reality higher than the individual,
and higher than the ordinary meaning of the [p.75] hour. This becomes the
standard by which everything has to be measured. Of course, this nor