away.

For that field of learning within which the cognitive or intellectual
interest is dominant--the sciences properly so called--the case is
somewhat different, not only as regards the attitude of the leisure
class, but as regards the whole drift of the pecuniary culture.
Knowledge for its own sake, the exercise of the faculty of comprehensive
without ulterior purpose, should, it might be expected, be sought by
men whom no urgent material interest diverts from such a quest. The
sheltered industrial position of the leisure class should give free
play to the cognitive interest in members of this class, and we should
consequently have, as many writers confidently find that we do have, a
very large proportion of scholars, scientists, savants derived from
this class and deriving their incentive to scientific investigation and
speculation from the discipline of a life of leisure. Some such result
is to be looked for, but there are features of the leisure-class
scheme of life, already sufficiently dwelt upon, which go to divert the
intellectual interest of this class to other subjects than that causal
sequence in phenomena which makes the content of the sciences. The
habits of thought which characterize the life of the class run on
the personal relation of dominance, and on the derivative, invidious
concepts of honor, worth, merit, character, and the like. The casual
sequence which makes up the subject matter of science is not visible
from this point of view. Neither does good repute attach to knowledge of
facts that are vulgarly useful. Hence it should appear probable that the
interest of the invidious comparison with respect to pecuniary or other
honorific merit should occupy the attention of the leisure class, to the
neglect of the cognitive interest. Where this latter interest asserts
itself it should commonly be diverted to fields of speculation or
investigation which are reputable and futile, rather than to the quest
of scientific knowledge. Such indeed has been the history of priestly
and leisure-class learning so long as no considerable body of
systematized knowledge had been intruded into the scholastic discipline
from an extra-scholastic source. But since the relation of mastery and
subservience is ceasing to be the dominant and formative factor in the
community's life process, other features of the life process and other
points of view are forcing themselves upon the scholars. The true-bred
gentleman of leisure