THE TWO ASPECTS OF SCIENCE 3 



way inferior to that of the purest and most abstract 

 learning. 



However, to-day it is probably unnecessary to pursue 

 such arguments. For it is now generally recognized that 

 the two forms of science, whatever may be their relative 

 value, are in fact inseparable. The practical man is 

 coming to understand that the earnest pursuit of pure 

 science is necessary to the development of its practical 

 utility, though he may sometimes have strange notions 

 of how that pursuit may best be encouraged. And 

 academic students are finding that the problems of practi- 

 cal science often offer the best incentive to the study of 

 pure science, and that knowledge need not be intellectually 

 uninteresting because it is commercially useful. In a 

 later chapter we shall consider in rather greater detail 

 what is the relation between pure and practical science 

 and why they are so inseparable ; but it is well to insist 

 at the outset upon their close connexion. For the 

 distinction between the two has undoubtedly discouraged 

 the study of science among the W.E.A. classes for which 

 this little book is intended primarily. Those who are 

 more familiar with the practical aspect are apt to think 

 that the study of science can be nothing but a disguise 

 for technical and vocational education ; while others 

 think that anything so entirely abstract as pure science 

 can have no bearing on the practical problems of society 

 in which they are more directly interested. Both views 

 are entirely mistaken ; the study of science need be no 

 more " technical " than the study of music, and, on the 

 other hand, it may be quite as practical as that of 

 political economy. 



Nevertheless, though pure and practical science are 

 inseparable and merely different aspects of the same 

 study, it is necessary to remember the difference between 

 them. And I want to point out here, once and for all, 

 that what we are going to study directly is pure science ; 



