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Science & Education by Thomas Henry Huxley
page 217 of 357 (60%)
that, from a philological point of view, neither Treviranus nor Lamarck
had any right to coin this new word "Biology" for their purpose; that,
in fact, the Greek word "Bios" had relation only to human life and
human affairs, and that a different word was employed by the Greeks
when they wished to speak of the life of animals and plants. So Dr.
Field tells us we are all wrong in using the term biology, and that we
ought to employ another; only he is not sure about the propriety of
that which he proposes as a substitute. It is a somewhat hard
one--"zootocology." I am sorry we are wrong, because we are likely to
continue so. In these matters we must have some sort of "Statute of
Limitations." When a name has been employed for half a century, persons
of authority [3] have been using it, and its sense has become well
understood, I am afraid people will go on using it, whatever the weight
of philological objection.

Now that we have arrived at the origin of this word "Biology," the next
point to consider is: What ground does it cover? I have said that in
its strict technical sense, it denotes all the phenomena which are
exhibited by living things, as distinguished from those which are not
living; but while that is all very well, so long as we confine
ourselves to the lower animals and to plants, it lands us in
considerable difficulties when we reach the higher forms of living
things. For whatever view we may entertain about the nature of man, one
thing is perfectly certain, that he is a living creature. Hence, if our
definition is to be interpreted strictly, we must include man and all
his ways and works under the head of Biology; in which case, we should
find that psychology, politics, and political economy would be absorbed
into the province of Biology. In fact, civil history would be merged in
natural history. In strict logic it may be hard to object to this
course, because no one can doubt that the rudiments and outlines of our
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