We are living in the age of usefulness. Instead of seeking what is good, we hanker after what is useful. Both are different propositions, however. The difference is not merely linguistic jugglery. It's distinctively cultural. The former concerns the aesthetics of human existence while the latter develops a transactional mentality. If usefulness is the metric to determine value, then everyone ends up becoming disposable as soon as their utility loses currency. That's called the dehumanising cult of utility. It transforms friendships into social networking and professional interactions into a trade of self-interest.

The knowledge that earns a job or that can be monetised has become the fulcrum of human effort. Bertrand Russell, in his essay Useless Knowledge, writes: "There is indirect utility, of various different kinds, in the possession of knowledge which does not contribute to technical efficiency. I think some of the worst features of the modern world could be improved by a greater encouragement of such knowledge and a less ruthless pursuit of........

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