第18章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"A History of Political Economy",免费读到尾

  Withthisdoctrine,thatofcostofproductionasdeterminingpricecollapses,andtheprincipleemergesthatitisnotcostof

  production,butdemandandsupply,onwhichdomestic,nolessthaninternational,valuesdepend,thoughthisformulawill

  requiremuchinterpretationbeforeitcanbeusedsafelyandwithadvantage。ThusLeslieextendstothewholeofthenational

  industrythepartialnegationoftheolderdogmaintroducedbyCairnesthroughtheideaofnon—competinggroups。Hedoes

  not,ofcourse,disputetherealoperationofcostofproductiononpriceinthelimitedareawithinwhichratesofprofitand

  wagesaredeterminateandknown;buthemaintainsthatitsactiononthelargescaleistooremoteanduncertaintojustify

  ourtreatingitasregulatorofprice。Now,ifthisbeso,theentireedificewhichRicardorearedonthebasisoftheidentityof

  costofproductionandprice,withitsapparentbutunrealsimplicity,symmetry,andcompleteness,disappears;andthe

  groundisclearedforthenewstructurewhichmusttakeitsplace。Lesliepredictsthat,ifpoliticaleconomy,underthatname,

  doesnotbenditselftothetaskofrearingsuchastructure,theofficewillspeedilybetakenoutofitshandsbySociology。

  Lesliewasasuccessfulstudentofseveralspecialeconomicsubjectsofagriculturaleconomy,oftaxation,ofthedistribution

  ofthepreciousmetalsandthehistoryofprices,and,ashasbeenindicated,ofthemovementsofwages。Butitisinrelation

  tothemethodandfundamentaldoctrinesofthesciencethathedidthemostimportant,becausethemostopportuneand

  needfulwork。And,thoughhiscoursewasclosedtooearlyfortheinterestsofknowledge,andmuchofwhatheproduced

  wasmerelyoccasionalandfragmentary,hisserviceswillbefoundtohavebeengreaterthanthoseofmanywhohaveleft

  behindthemmoresystematic,elaborate,andpretentiouswritings。

  OneofthemostoriginalofrecentEnglishwritersonPoliticalEconomywasW。StanleyJevons(18351882)。The

  combinationwhichhepresentedofapredilectionandaptitudeforexactstatisticalinquirywithsagacityandingenuityinthe

  interpretationoftheresultswassuchasmightremindusofPetty。Hetendedstronglytobringeconomicsintocloserelation

  withphysicalscience。Hemadeamarkedimpressiononthepublicmindbyhisattempttotakestockofourresourcesinthe

  articleofcoal。Hisideaofarelationbetweentherecurrencesofcommercialcrisesandtheperiodofthesun—spotsgave

  evidenceofafertileandboldscientificimagination,thoughhecannotbesaidtohavesucceededinestablishingsucha

  relation。HewasauthorofanexcellenttreatiseonMoneyandtheMechanismofExchange(1875),andofvariousessayson

  currencyandfinance,whichhavebeencollectedsincehisdeath,andcontainvigorousdiscussionsonsubjectsofthisnature,

  asonbimetallism(withadecidedtendencyinfavourofthesinglegoldstandard),andseveralvaluablesuggestions,aswith

  respecttothemostperfectsystemofcurrency,domesticandinternational,andinparticulartheextensionofthepaper

  currencyinEnglandtosmallerdenominations。Heproposedinotherwritings(collectedinMethodsofSocialReform,1883)

  avarietyofmeasures,onlypartlyeconomicintheircharacter,directedespeciallytotheelevationoftheworkingclasses,one

  ofthemostimportantbeinginrelationtotheconditionsofthelabourofmarriedwomeninfactories。Thiswasoneof

  severalinstancesinwhichherepudiatedthelaisserfaireprinciple,which,indeed,inhisbookonTheStateinRelationto

  Labour(1882),herefutedintheclearestandmostconvincingway,withoutchangingthepositionhehadalwaysmaintained

  asanadvocateoffreetrade。Towardstheendofhiscareer,whichwasprematurelyterminated,hewasmoreandmore

  throwingoff\"theincubusofmetaphysicalideasandexpressions\"whichstillimpededtherecognitionorconfusedthe

  appreciationofsocialfacts。Hewas,inhisownwords,evermoredistinctlycomingtotheconclusion\"thattheonlyhopeof

  attainingatruesystemofeconomicsistoflingaside,onceandforever,themazyandpreposterousassumptionsofthe

  Ricardianschool。\"Withrespecttomethod,thoughhedeclaresittobehisaimto\"investigateinductivelytheintricate

  phenomenaoftradeandindustry,\"hisviewshadnotperhapsassumedadefinitiveshape。Theeditorofsomeofhisremains

  declinestoundertakethedeterminationofhisexactpositionwithrespecttothehistoricalschool。Thefullestindicationswe

  possessonthatsubjectaretobefoundinalectureof1876,OntheFutureofPoliticalEconomy。Hesawtheimportance

  andnecessityineconomicsofhistoricalinvestigation,alineofstudywhichhehimselfwasledbynativebenttoprosecutein

  somedirections。Buthescarcelyapprehendedthefullmeaningofthehistoricalmethod,whichheerroneouslycontrasted

  withthe\"theoretical,\"andapparentlysupposedtobeconcernedonlywithverifyingandillustratingcertainabstractdoctrines

  restingonindependentbases。Hence,whilsthedeclaredhimselfinfavourof\"thoroughreformandreconstruction,\"he

  soughttopreservetheapriorimodeofproceedingalongsideof,andconcurrentlywith,thehistorical。Politicaleconomy,in

  fact,hethoughtwasbreakingupandfallingintoseveral,probablyintomany,differentbranchesofinquiry,prominent

  amongstwhichwouldbethe\"theory\"asithaddescendedfromhisbestpredecessors,especiallythoseoftheFrenchschool,

  whilstanotherwouldbethe\"historicalstudy,\"asitwasfollowedinEnglandbyJones,Rogers,andothers,andasithad

  beenproclaimedingeneralprinciplebyhiscontemporaryCliffeLeslie。Thiswasoneofthoseeclecticviewswhichhaveno

  permanentvalidity,butareusefulinfacilitatingatransition。Thetwomethodswilldoubtlessforatimecoexist,butthe

  historicalwillinevitablysupplantitsrival。WhatJevonsmeantasthe\"theory\"hewishedtotreatbymathematicalmethods

  (seehisTheoryofPoliticalEconomy,1871;2ded。,1879)。Thisprojecthad,aswehaveseen,beenentertainedandpartially

  carriedintoeffectbyothersbeforehim,thoughheundulymultipliesthenumberofsuchearlieressayswhen,forexample,he

  mentionsRicardoandJ。S。Millaswritingmathematicallybecausetheysometimesillustratedthemeaningoftheir

  propositionsbydealingwithdefinitearithmeticalquantities。Suchillustrations,ofwhichaspecimenissuppliedbyMill’s

  treatmentofthesubjectofinternationaltrade,havereallynothingtodowiththeuseofmathematicsasaninstrumentfor

  economicresearch,orevenfortheco—ordinationofeconomictruths。Wehavealready,inspeakingofCournot,explained

  why,asitseemstous,theapplicationofmathematicsinthehighersensetoeconomicsmustnecessarilyfail,andwedonot

  thinkthatitsucceededinJevons’shands。Hisconceptionof\"finalutility\"isingenious。Butitisnomorethanamodeof

  presentingthenotionofpriceinthecaseofcommoditieshomogeneousinqualityandadmittingofincreasebyinfinitestimal

  additions;andtheexpectationofbeingablebymeansofittosubjecteconomicdoctrinetoamathematicalmethodwillbe

  foundillusory。Heoffers(16)astheresultofahundredpagesofmathematicalreasoningwhathecallsa\"curious

  conclusion,\"(17)inwhich\"thekeystoneofthewholetheoryofexchangeandoftheprincipalproblemsofeconomicslies。\"

  Thisisthepropositionthat\"theratioofexchangeofanytwocommoditieswillbethereciprocaloftheratioofthefinal

  degreesofutilityofthequantitiesofcommodityavailableforconsumptionaftertheexchangeiscompleted。\"Nowaslongas

  weremainintheregionofthemetaphysicalentitiestermedutilities,thistheoremisunverifiableandindeedunintelligible,

  becausewehavenomeansofestimatingquantitativelythementalimpressionoffinal,oranyother,utility。Butwhenwe

  translateitintothelanguageofreallife,measuringthe\"utility\"ofanythingtoamanbywhathewillgiveforit,the

  propositionisatonceseentobeatruism。WhatJevonscalls\"finalutility\"beingsimplythepriceperunitofquantity,the

  theoremstatesthat,inanactofexchange,theproductofthequantityofthecommoditygivenbyitspriceperunitof

  quantity(estimatedinathirdarticle)isthesameasthecorrespondingproductforthecommodityreceivedatruthso

  obviousastorequirenoapplicationofthehighermathematicstodiscoverit。Ifwecannotlookforresultsmoresubstantial

  thanthis,thereisnotmuchencouragementtopursuesuchresearches,whichwillinfactneverbeanythingmorethan

  academicplaythings,andwhichinvolvetheveryrealevilofrestoringthe\"metaphysicalideasandexpressionspreviously

  discarded。ThereputationofJevonsasanacuteandvigorousthinker,inspiredwithnoblepopularsympathies,issufficiently

  established。Buttheattempttorepresenthim,inspiteofhimself,asafollowerandcontinuatorofRicardo,andasoneofthe

  principalauthorsofthedevelopmentofeconomictheory(meaningby\"theory\"theoldaprioridoctrine)canonlylowerhim

  inestimationbyplacinghisservicesongroundswhichwillnotbearcriticism。Hisnamewillsurvivemconnection,notwith

  newtheoreticalconstructions,butwithhistreatmentofpracticalproblems,hisfreshandlivelyexpositions,and,aswehave

  shown,hisenergetictendencytoarenovationofeconomicmethod。

  ArnoldToynbee(18521883),wholeftbehindhimabeautifulmemory,filledashewaswiththeloveoftruthandanardent

  andactivezealforthepublicgood,wasauthorofsomefragmentaryorunfinishedpieces,whichyetwelldeserveattention

  bothfortheirintrinsicmeritandasindicatingthepresentdriftofallthehighestnatures,especiallyamongstouryounger

  men,inthetreatmentofeconomicquestions。(18)Hehadabeliefintheorganizingpowerofdemocracywhichitisnoteasyto

  share,andsomestrangeideasduetoyouthfulenthusiasm,suchas,forexample,thatMazziniis\"thetrueteacherofour

  age;\"andhefluctuatesconsiderablyinhisopinionoftheRicardianpoliticaleconomy,inoneplacedeclaringittobea

  detected\"intellectualimposture,\"whilstelsewhere,apparentlyundertheinfluenceofBagehot,hespeaksofitashavingbeen

  inrecenttimes\"onlycorrected,re—stated,andputintotheproperrelationtothescienceoflife,\"meaningapparently,bythis

  last,generalsociology。Hesaw,however,thatourgreathelpinthefuturemustcome,asmuchhadalreadycome,fromthe

  historicalmethod,towhichinhisownresearcheshegavepreponderantweight。Itstruecharacter,too,heunderstoodbetter

  thanmanyevenofthosewhohavecommendedit;forheperceivedthatitnotmerelyexplainstheactionofspeciallocalor

  temporaryconditionsoreconomicphenomena,butseeks,bycomparingthestagesofsocialdevelopmentindifferent

  countriesandtimes,to\"discoverlawsofuniversalapplication。\"If,aswearetold,thereexistsatOxfordarisinggroupof

  menwhooccupyapositioninregardtoeconomicthoughtsubstantiallyidenticalwiththatofToynbee,thefactisoneof

  goodomenforthefutureofthescience。

  AMERICA

  Foralongtime,aswehavealreadyobserved,littlewasdonebyAmericainthefieldofEconomics。Themostobvious

  explanationofthisfact,whichholdswithrespecttophilosophicalstudiesgenerally,istheabsorptionoftheenergiesofthe

  nationinpracticalpursuits。FurtherreasonsaresuggestedintwoinstructiveEssaysonebyProfessorCharlesF。Dunbarin

  theNorthAmericanReview,1876,theotherbyCliffeLeslieintheFortnightlyReviewforOctober1880。

  WehavealreadyreferredtotheReportonManufacturesbyAlexanderHamilton;andthememorialdrawnupbyAlbert

  Gallatin(1832),andpresentedtoCongressfromthePhiladelphiaConventioninfavourofTariffreform,deservestobe

  mentionedasanablestatementoftheargumentsagainstprotection。ThreeeditionsoftheWealthofNationsappearedin

  America,in1789,1811,and1818,andRicardo’sprincipalworkwasreprintedtherein1819。ThetreatisesofDaniel

  Raymond(1820),ThomasCooper(1826),WillardPhillips(1828),FrancisWayland(1837),andHenryVethake(1838)

  madeknowntheprinciplesarrivedatbyAdamSmithandsomeofhissuccessors。Rae,aScotchmansettledinCanada,

  published(1834)abookentitledNewPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,whichhasbeenhighlypraisedbyJ。S。Mill(bk。i。

  chap。ii),especiallyforitstreatmentofthecauseswhichdeterminetheaccumulationofcapital。Theprincipalworkswhich

  afterwardsappeareddowntothetimeoftheCivilWarwereFrancisBowen’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,1856,

  afterwardsentitledAmericanPoliticalEconomy,1870;JohnBascom’sPoliticalEconomy,1859;andStephenColwell’sWaysandMeansofPayment,1859。IntheperiodincludingandfollowingthewarappearedAmasaWalker’sScienceof

  Wealth,1866;i8thed。,1883,andA。L。Perry’sElementsofPoliticalEconomy,1866。A。WalkerandPerryarefree—traders;

  PerryisadiscipleofBastiat。OfCareywehavealreadyspokenatsomelength;hisAmericanfollowersareE。PeshineSmith

  (AManualofPoliticalEconomy,1853),WilliamElder(QuestionsoftheDay,1871),andRobertE。Thompson(Social

  Science,1875)。ThenameofnoAmericaneconomiststandshigherthanthatofGeneralFrancisAWalker(sonofAmasa

  Walker),authorofspecialworksontheWagesQuestion(1876)andonMoney(1878),aswellasofanexcellentgeneral

  treatiseonPoliticalEconomy(1883;2ded。1887)。EarlyworksonAmericaneconomichistoryarethoseofA。S。Bolles,

  entitledIndustrialHistoryoftheUnitedStates(1878),andFinancialHistoryoftheUnitedStates,17741885,publishedin

  1879andlateryears。

  ThedeeperandmorecomprehensivestudyofthesubjectwhichhasoflateyearsprevailedinAmerica,addedtoinfluences

  fromabroad,hasgivenrise,therealso,toadivisionofeconomistsintotwoschoolsanoldandanewsimilartothose

  whichwehavefoundconfrontingeachotherelsewhere。AmeetingwasheldatSaratogainSeptember1885,atwhicha

  societywasfounded,calledtheAmericanEconomicAssociation。Theobjectofthismovementwastoopposetheideathat

  thefieldofeconomicresearchwasclosed,andtopromotealargerandmorefruitfulstudyofeconomicquestions。Thesame

  spiritledtotheestablishmentoftheQuarterlyJournalofEconomics,publishedatBostonforHarvardUniversity。Thefirst

  articleinthisJournalwasbyC。F。Dunbar,whosereviewofaCenturyofAmericanPoliticalEconomywehavealready

  noticed;andinthisarticlehesetout,intheinterestofconciliation,thetendenciesofthetwoschools。

  Thisdivisionofopinionwasmanifestedinastrikingwaybyadiscussiononthemethodandfundamentalprinciplesof

  Economics,whichwasconductedinthepagesoftheperiodicalentitledScience,andhassincebeenreproducedinaseparate

  form(ScienceEconomicDiscussion,NewYork,1886)。Inthiscontroversytheviewsofthenewschoolwereexpounded

  andadvocatedwithgreatability。Thetruenatureofeconomicmethod,therelativitybothofeconomicinstitutionsandof

  economicthought,arisingfromtheirdependenceonvaryingsocialconditions,thecloseconnectionofeconomicdoctrine

  withcontemporaryjurisprudence,thenecessityofkeepingeconomicsinharmonywithsocialethics,andtheimportanceofa

  studyofconsumption(deniedbyJ。S。Millandothers)wereallexhibitedwithremarkableclearnessandforce。(19)Thereis

  everyreasontobelievewithLesliethatAmericawilltakeanactivepartbothinbringingtolighttheeconomicproblemsof

  thefutureandinworkingouttheirsolution。

  NOTES:

  1。Itwouldbeagraveerrortosupposethatthesubjectionofsocialphenomenatonaturallawsaffordsanyencouragement

  toaspiritoffatalisticquietism。Onthecontrary,itistheexistenceofsuchlawsthatisthenecessarybasisofallsystematic

  actionfortheimprovementeitherofourconditionorofournature,asmaybeseenbyconsideringtheparallelcaseof

  hygienicandthereapeuticagencies。And,sincethedifferentordersofphenomenaaremoremodifiableinproportiontotheir

  greatercomplexity,thesocialfieldadmitsofmoreextensiveandefficacioushumaninterventionthantheinorganicorvital

  domain。InrelationtothedynamicalsideofSociology,whilstthedirectionandessentialcharacteroftheevolutionare

  predetermined,itsrateandsecondaryfeaturesarecapableofmodification。

  2。Hehadalreadyin1822statedhisfundamentalprinciplesinanepusculewhichisreproducedintheAppendixtohisPolitiquePositive。

  3。UndertheinfluenceoftheseviewsofComte,J。S。MillattemptedinBookIV。ofhisPoliticalEconomyatreatmentof

  EconomicDynamics;butthatappearstousoneoftheleastsatisfactoryportionsofhiswork。

  4。ThisphraseologywasprobablyborrowedfromthecontroversyonthemethodofjurisprudencebetweenThibautonthe

  onehandandSavignyandtheschoolofHugoontheother。

  5。Itwillineachcasebenecessarytoexaminewhethertheactioncanbestbetakenbythecentral,orbythelocal,

  government。

  6。ThisshouldberememberedbyreadersofM。Leroy—Beaulieu’sworkonCollectivism(1884),inwhichbetreatsSchäffleas

  theprincipaltheoreticrepresentativeofthatformofsocialism。

  7。Bythepresentwriter;beinganAddresstotheSectionofEconomicScienceandStatisticsoftheBritishAssociationatits

  meetinginDublinin1878。

  8。GuidetotheStudyofPoliticalEconomy,1880。SeealsotheBibliographicalmatterinhisPrimiElementidiE。P。,vol。i,

  8thed。,1888。

  9。SeehisSaggidiEconomiaPolitica。1881

  10。TheremarkablebookMoneyandMorals,byJohnLalor,1852。waswrittenpartlyundertheinfluenceofCarlyle。There

  isagoodmonographentitledJohnRuskin’s,Economist,byP。Geddes,1884。

  11。SeeherAutobiogaphy。2ded。,vol。ii,p。244。

  12。AvigorousattackonthereceivedsystemwasmadebyDavidSymeinhisOutlinesofanIndustrialScience,1876。

  13。Jones,whosewritingswereapparentlyunknowntoBagehot,had。aswehaveseen,insomedegreeanticipatedhiminhis

  exposition。

  14。MrRogershassincecontinuedthiswork,andhasalsopublishedTheFirstNineYearsoftheBankofEngland,1887。

  15。ThatservicewasduetoF。D。Lange(RefutationoftheWage—FundTheoryofModernPoliticalEconomy,1866)。

  Leslie’streatmentofthesubjectwascontainedinanarticleofFraser’sMagazineforJuly1868。reprintedasanappendixto

  hisLand—SystemsandIndustrialEconomyofIreland。England,andContinentalCountries,1870。

  16。TheoryofPoliticalEconomy。2ded。,p。103。

  17。FortnightlyReviewforNovember1876,p。617。

  18。SeehisLecturesonTheIndustrialRevolutioninEngland,withMemoirbytheMasterofBalliol,1884;2ded。,1887。

  19。ThecontributorsonthesideofthenewschoolwereDr。EdwinR。A。Seligman,ProfessorE。J。James,Professor

  RichardT。Ely,HenryC。Adams,RichmondMayoSmith,andSimonN。Patten。Therepresentativesoftheoldschoolwere

  ProfessorSimonNewcomb,F。W。Taussig,andArthurT。Hadley。

  CHAPTERVII

  CONCLUSION

  Letusbrieflyconsiderinconclusion,bythelightoftheprecedinghistoricalsurvey,whatappeartobethestepsinthe

  directionofarenovationofeconomicsciencewhicharenowatoncepracticableandurgent。

  I。Economicinvestigationhashithertofallenforthemostpartintothehandsoflawyersandmenofletters,notintothoseof

  agenuinelyscientificclass。Norhaveitscultivatorsingeneralhadthatsoundpreparationinthesciencesofinorganicand

  vitalnaturewhichisnecessarywhetherassupplyingbasesofdoctrineorasfurnishinglessonsofmethod。Theireducation

  hasusuallybeenofametaphysicalkindHencepoliticaleconomyhasretainedmuchoftheformandspiritwhichbelongedto

  itintheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies,insteadofadvancingwiththetimes,andassumingatrulypositivecharacter。It

  ishomogeneouswiththeschoollogic,withtheabstractunhistoricaljurisprudence,withtheaprioriethicsandpolitics,and

  othersimilarantiquatedsystemsofthought;anditwillbefoundthatthosewhoinsistmoststronglyonthemaintenanceof

  itstraditionalcharacterhavederivedtheirhabitualmentalpabulumfromthoseregionsofobsoletespeculation。Wecanthus

  understandtheattitudeoftruemenofsciencetowardsthisbranchofstudy,whichtheyregardwithill—disguisedcontempt,

  andtowhoseprofessorstheyeitherrefuseorveryreluctantlyconcedeaplaceintheirbrotherhood。

  Theradicalviceofthisunscientificcharacterofpoliticaleconomyseemstolieinthetooindividualandsubjectiveaspect

  underwhichithasbeentreated。Wealthhavingbeenconceivedaswhatsatisfiesdesires,thedefinitelydeterminablequalities

  possessedbysomeobjectsofsupplyingphysicalenergy,andimprovingthephysiologicalconstitution,areleftoutof

  account。Everythingisgaugedbythestandardofsubjectivenotionsanddesires。Alldesiresareviewedasequallylegitimate,

  andallthatsatisfiesourdesiresasequallywealth。Valuebeingregardedastheresultofapurelymentalappreciation,the

  socialvalueofthingsinthesenseoftheirobjectiveutility,whichisoftenscientificallymeasurable,ispassedover,andratio

  ofexchangeisexclusivelyconsidered。Thetruthis,thatatthebottomofalleconomicinvestigationmustlietheideaofthe

  destinationofwealthforthemaintenanceandevolutionofasociety。And,ifweoverlookthis,oureconomicswillbecomea

  playoflogicoramanualforthemarket,ratherthanacontributiontosocialscience;whilstwearinganairofcompleteness,

  theywillbeintruthone—sidedandsuperficial。EconomicscienceissomethingfarlargerthantheCatallacticstowhichsome

  havewishedtoreduceitAspecialmeritofthephysiocratsseemstohavelainintheirvagueperceptionofthecloserelation

  oftheirstudytothatofexternalnature;and,sofar,wemustrecurtotheirpointofview,basingoureconomicsonphysics

  andbiologyasdevelopedinourowntime。(1)Further,thesciencemustbeclearedofallthetheologico—metaphysicalelements

  ortendencieswhichstillencumberanddeformit。Teleologyandoptimismontheonehand,andthejargonof\"natural

  liberty\"and\"indefeasiblerights\"ontheother,mustbefinallyabandoned。

  Norcanweassumeasuniversalpremises,fromwhicheconomictruthscanbedeductivelyderived,theconvenientformulas

  whichhavebeenhabituallyemployed,suchashatallmendesirewealthanddislikeexertion。Thesevaguepropositions,

  whichprofesstoanticipateandsupersedesocialexperience,andwhichnecessarilyintroducetheabsolutewhererelativity

  shouldreign,mustbelaidaside。Thelawsofwealth(toreverseaphraseofBuckle’s)mustbeinferredfromthefactsof

  wealth,notfromthepostulateofhumanselfishness。Wemustbendourselvestoaseriouslirectstudyofthewayinwhich

  societyhasactuallyaddresseditselfandnowaddressesitselftoitsownconservationandevolutionthroughthesupplyofits

  materialwants。Whatorgansithasdevelopedforthispurpose,howtheyoperate,howtheyareaffectedbythemediumin

  whichtheyactandbythecoexistentorgansdirectedtootherendshowintheirturntheyreactonthoselatter,howtheyand

  theirfunctionsareprogressivelymodifiedinprocessoftinetheseproblems,whetherstaticalordynamical,areallquestions

  offact,ascapableofbeingstudiedthroughobservationandhistoryasthenatureandprogressofhumanlanguageor

  religion,oranyothergroupofsocialphenomena。Suchstudywillofcourserequireacontinued\"reflectiveanalysis\"ofthe

  resultsofobservation;and,whilsteliminatingallprematureassumptions,weshalluseascertainectruthsrespectinghuman

  natureasguidesintheinquiryandaidstowardstheinterpretationoffacts。Andtheemploymentofdeliberatelyinstituted

  hypotheseswillbelegitimate,butonlyasanoccasionallogicalartifice。

  II。EconomicsmustbeconstantlyregardedasformingonlyonedepartmentofthelargerscienceofSociology,invital

  connectionwithitsotherdepartments,andwiththemoralsynthesiswhichisthecrownofthewholeintellectualsystem。We

  havealreadysufficientlyexplainedthephilosophicalgroundsfortheconclusionthattheeconomicphenomenaofsociety

  cannotbeisolated,exceptprovisionally,fromtherest,that,infact,alltheprimarysocialelementsshouldbehabitually

  regardedwithrespecttotheirmutualdependenceandreciprocalactions。Especiallymustwekeepinviewthehighmoral

  issuestowhichtheeconomicmovementissubservient,andintheabsenceofwhichitcouldneverinanygreatdegreeattract

  theinterestorfixtheattentioneitherofeminentthinkersorofright—mindedmen。Theindividualpointofviewwillhaveto

  besubordinatedtothesocial;eachagentwillhavetoberegardedasanorganofthesocietytowhichhebelongsandofthe

  largersocietyoftherace。Theconsiderationofinterests,asGeorgeEliothaswellsaid,mustgiveplacetothatoffunctions。

  Theolddoctrineofright,whichlayatthebasisofthesystemof\"naturalliberty,\"hasdoneitstemporarywork;adoctrine

  ofdutywillhavetobesubstituted,fixingonpositivegroundsthenatureofthesocialco—operationofeachclassandeach

  memberofthecommunity,andtheruleswhichmustregulateitsjustandbeneficialexercise。

  Turningnowfromthequestionofthetheoreticconstitutionofeconomics,andviewingthesciencewithrespecttoits

  influenceonpublicpolicy,weneednotatthepresentdaywastewordsinrepudiatingtheideathat\"non—government\"inthe

  economicsphereisthenormalorderofthings。Thelaisser—fairedoctrine,comingdowntousfromthesystemofnatural

  liberty,waslongthegreatwatchwordofeconomicorthodoxy。IthadaspecialacceptanceandpersistenceinEnglandin

  consequenceofthepoliticalstrugglefortherepealofthecornlaws,whichmadeeconomicdiscussioninthiscountryturn

  almostaltogetheronfreetradeastateofthingswhichwascontinuedbytheefforttoprocureamodificationofthe

  protectivepolicyofforeignnations。Butithasnowforsometimelostthesacrosanctcharacterwithwhichitwasformerly

  invested。Thisisaresultnotsomuchofscientificthoughtasofthepressureofpracticalneedsacausewhichhasmodified

  thesuccessiveformsofeconomicopinionmorethantheoristsarewillingtoacknowledge。Socialexigencieswillforcethe

  handsofstatesmen,whatevertheirattachmenttoabstractformulas;andpoliticianshavepracticallyturnedtheirbacksonlaisserfaire。TheStatehaswithexcellenteffectproceededaconsiderablewayinthedirectionofcontrolling,forendsof

  socialequityorpublicutility,theoperationsofindividualinterest。Theeconomiststhemselveshaveforthemostpartbeen

  convertedonthequestion;amongsttheoristsHerbertSpencerfoundhimselfalmostavoxclamantisindesertoinprotesting

  againstwhathecalledthenewslavery\"ofGovernmentalinterference。Hewillprotestinvain,sofarasheseeksto

  rehabilitatetheoldabsolutedoctrineoftheeconomicpassivityoftheState。Butitiscertainlypossiblethatevenbyvirtueof

  theforceofthereactionagainstthatdoctrinetheremaybeanexcessiveorprecipitatetendencyintheoppositedirection。

  WiththecourseofproductionorexchangeconsideredinitselftherewillprobablybeinEnglandlittledispositiontomeddle。

  Butthedangersandinconvenienceswhicharisefromtheunsettledconditionoftheworldoflabourwilldoubtlessfromtime

  totimehere,aselsewhere,prompttoprematureattemptsatregulation。Apart,however,fromtheremovalofevilswhich

  threatenthehealthoftheworkersorthepublicpeace,andfromtemporarypalliativestoeaseoffsocialpressure,theright

  policyoftheStateinthisspherewillforthepresentbeoneofabstention。Itisindeedcertainthatindustrialsocietywillnot

  permanentlyremainwithoutasystematicorganization。Themereconflictofprivateinterestswillneverproducea

  well—orderedcommonwealthoflabour。FreiheitistkeineLessung。Freedomisforsociety,asfortheindividual,the

  necessaryconditionprecedentofthesolutionofpracticalproblems,bothasallowingnaturalforcestodevelopthemselves

  andasexhibitingtheirspontaneoustendencies;butitisnotinitselfthesolution。Whilst,however,anorganizationofthe

  industrialworldmaywithcertaintybeexpectedtoariseinprocessoftime,itwouldbeagreaterrortoattempttoimprovise

  one。Wearenowinaperiodoftransition。Ourrulingpowershavestillanequivocalcharacter;theyarenotinrealharmony

  withindustriallife,andareinallrespectsimperfectlyimbuedwiththemodernspirit。Besidestheconditionsoftheneworder

  arenotyetsufficientlyunderstood。Theinstitutionsofthefuturemustbefoundedonsentimentsandhabits,andthesemust

  betheslowgrowthofthoughtandexperience。Thesolution,indeed,mustbeatalltimeslargelyamoralone;itisthe

  spiritualratherthanthetemporalpowerthatisthenaturalagencyforredressingormitigatingmostoftheevilsassociated

  withindustriallife。(2)Infact,ifthereisatendencyandwemayadmitthatsuchatendencyisrealorimminenttopushthe

  Statetowardsanextensionofthenormallimitsofitsactionforthemaintenanceofsocialequity,thisisdoubtlessinsome

  measureduetothefactthatthegrowingdissidenceonreligiousquestionsinthemostadvancedcommunitieshasweakened

  theauthorityoftheChurches,anddeprivedtheirinfluenceofsocialuniversality。Whatisnowmosturgentisnotlegislative

  interferenceonanylargescalewiththeindustrialrelations,buttheformation,inboththehigherandlowerregionsofthe

  industrialworld,ofprofoundconvictionsastosocialduties,andsomemoreeffectivemodethanatpresentexistsof

  diffusing,maintaining,andapplyingthoseconvictions。Thisisasubjectintowhichwecannotenterhere。Butitmayatleast

  besaidthattheonlypartiesincontemporarypubliclifewhichseemrightlytoconceiveoradequatelytoappreciatethe

  necessitiesofthesituationarethosethataim,ontheonehand,attherestorationoftheoldspiritualpower,or,ontheother,

  attheformationofanewone。AndthisleadstotheconclusionthatthereisonesortofGovernmentalinterferencewhichthe

  advocatesoflaisserfairehavenotalwaysdiscountenanced,andwhichyet,morethananyother,tendstopreventthe

  gradualandpeacefulriseofanewindustrialandsocialsystem,namely,theinterferencewithspirituallibertybysettingup

  officialtypesofphilosophicaldoctrine,andimposingrestrictionsontheexpressionanddiscussionofopinions。

  Itwillbeseenthatourprincipalconclusionrespectingeconomicactionharmoniseswiththatrelatingtothetheoreticstudy

  ofeconomicphenomena。For,asweheldthatthelattercouldnotbesuccessfullypursuedexceptasadulysubordinated

  branchofthewiderscienceofSociology,soinpracticalhumanaffairswebelievethatnopartialsynthesisispossible,but

  thataneconomicreorganizationofsocietyimpliesauniversalrenovation,intellectualandmoralnolessthanmaterial。The

  industrialreformationforwhichwesternEuropegroansandtravails,andtheadventofwhichisindicatedbysomany

  symptoms(thoughitwillcomeonlyasthefruitoffaithfulandsustainedeffort),willbenoisolatedfact,butwillformpartof

  anappliedartoflife,modifyingourwholeenvironment,affectingourwholeculture,andregulatingourwholeconductina

  word,directingallourresourcestotheonegreatendoftheconservationanddevelopmentofHumanity。

  NOTES:

  1。ThisaspectofthesubjecthasbeenablytreatedinpaperscontributedtotheProceedingsoftheRoyalSocietyof

  Edinburghonseveraloccasion,duringandsince1881byMr。P。Geddes,wellknownasabiologist。

  2。Theneglectofthisconsideration,andtheconsequentundueexaltationofStateaction,which,thoughquitelegitimate,is

  altogetherinsufficient,appearstobetheprincipaldangertowhichthecontemporaryGermanschoolofeconomistsis

  exposed。WhenSchmollersays,\"TheStateisthegrandestexistingethicalinstitutionfortheeducationofthehumanrace,\"

  hetransferstoitthefunctionsoftheChurch。TheeducationalactionoftheStatemustbe,inthemain,onlyindirect。

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