I judge of the value of human
pursuits by their bearing upon human interests; in other words, by their
utility; but I should like that we should quite clearly understand what
it is that we mean by this word "utility." In an Englishman's mouth it
generally means that by which we get pudding or praise, or both. I have
no doubt that is one meaning of the word utility, but it by no means
includes all I mean by utility. I think that knowledge of every kind is
useful in proportion as it tends to give people right ideas, which are
essential to the foundation of right practice, and to remove wrong
ideas, which are the no less essential foundations and fertile mothers
of every description of error in practice. And inasmuch as, whatever
practical people may say, this world is, after all, absolutely governed
by ideas, and very often by the wildest and most hypothetical ideas, it
is a matter of the very greatest importance that our theories of things,
and even of things that seem a long way apart from our daily lives,
should be as far as possible true, and as far as possible removed from
error. It is not only in the coarser practical sense of the word
"utility," but in this higher and broader sense, that I measure the
value of the study of biology by its utility; and I shall try to point
out to you that you will feel the need of some knowledge of biology at a
great many turns of this present nineteenth century life of ours.
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