Show ECON ECONOMICS CS AND SOCIAL L IMPROVE IMPROVE- VE- VE MENT In the Po Popular ular Science for December Mr Arthur Kitson exposes the fallacies of modern economists He can can be said to h have ve succeeded only to that extent that all profound thinkers must succeed who jealous for the triumph triumph triumph tri tri- of truth attack whatever seems to them to be false must succeed even though their arguments be as fallacious as those which they attack This article is strong and well written put hut we may safely say that Mr Kitson has left his position as much open to adverse adverse adverse ad ad- verse criticism as any of those theories which he attacks He begins by declaring declaring declaring ing that economics is not an exact science and hence is governed by no unexceptionable unexceptionable unexceptionable laws We vVe concede this but Mr 1 Kitson proceeds to attack the first principles principles prin prin- ci les of each particular school in a way which would be very effective did he not in so doing lay down an entirely new set of first principles which is contrary to his hypothesis that economics is not an exact science hence can have no unexceptionable unexceptionable unexceptionable first principles We vVe will examine examine examine ex ex- amine only one of the arguments advanced advanced ad ad- as it will be sufficient to show the truth of what we have stated Mr Kitson attempts to show that Henry Georges George's statement that the wage- wage earners produce the fund out of which their wages are paid is untrue He says in effect that a very very large percentage of the enterprises carried on in any community community community com com- during any given time are and he draws the extraordinary conclusion that in a large number numer of cases wage-earners wage receive their wages wage from a fund which labor has not created This is fallacy number one and will willbe willbe willbe be recognized as such by anyone not devoid devoid devoid de de- void of reason Is it possible so intelli intelli- I gent a writer as Mr Kitson did not think to inquire from whence came this fund from which the laborer is paid But let letus letus letus us look a little further He has not overlooked overlooked overlooked over over- looked this phase of the question If for or he says and quotes Huxley to prove that that labor is created and sustained by capital He says that all up stored-up energy is is capital whether ex existing sting as brain and muscle or in the form of iron and brass and steel With this last statement we agree and agreeing must disagree with the statement in support of which it is s made For iron and brass and steel either exist in such forms as would be useless without the application o of brain and muscular cular cu- cu lar energy or they are in forms which are the direct result of the application of such energy so following Mr 1 Kitson's reasoning to its legitimate end we have all capital reduced to muscle and brain Admitting this is the laborer ever paid from a fund which some laborer or laborers have not created If so he is paid in muscular or brain energy i. i e. e i in labor or woi work k which ever we choose t to call it as by a well known law of physics the exertion or application of energy appears appears ap ap- pears as work Again according to Mr Kitson if a afew afew few men by means of their superior brain brai power that power that is i their reserve capital capital are ai able to divert to themselves a large po potion portion portion por- por tion of the products of this same capital capita as well as of that poss possessed by others other there is no economic reason why 1 lie he should not do so But is there not Li Lius Let Letus Letus us see Capital is up stored-up en energy It ma mabe may be in the form of muscular or brain brai power Very well Suppose the man many who have not been able to acquire a an equal proportion with the few of th the products of capital exert their own reserve reserve re reo serve of capital capital in in the form of brain brai brainpower brainpower power also also to to overthrow the systems and protections established by the few and appropriate their savings The conclusion is Granting Granting Granting Grant Grant- ing that the ultimate source of capital is energy and that its effect appears as work there is the most vital reason why whymen whymen whymen men should not divert to themselves more than their legitimate share of the converted converted con- con capital Those who have been less successful financially have their re reserve reserve reserve re- re serve force of capital muscle capital muscle and brain brain brain- that irresistible power that power that dark undercurrent undercurrent undercurrent under under- current of civilization which produced the French revolution and has always played so important a part in human af af- fairs Further Mr Kitson attempts to show that a reconciliation between the higher and the lower classes classes it it would be absurd absurd absurd ab ab- surd to use the terms capital and labor labor following the definitions given above cannot above cannot ve-cannot cannot b be facilitated by t the e application application cation cahon of the the science SCIence of economics economIcs but must be referred to mens men's sense of right light and justice The economist might reasonably reasonably reasonably reason reason- ably ask What is the aim of any and science f if it is not to ascertain the underlying 6 l principles g governing verning certain phenomena Is it not every mans man's sense sense of right and andr r justice directly proportional to his knowledge o of what hat constitutes right o and justice We vVe are not attempting to sustain Mr Georges George's theories theories theories-in in fact we believe them to be not at all free from error error- t but it is evident that Mr Kitson has fallen into the same fatal error into which so many students of social questions have havel haveE l E fallen up to the present time time that that of ref referring re- re r f ferring all vital questions to the moral I r sense of tl the e conti controlling oiling members of society society society so so- forgetting that this very moral sense is dependent upon p p and past environment and that the improvement of environing conditions depends wholly on the growth of intelligence It is this very moral sense unguided by intelligence that has produced most of the of-the the bitter feelings between classes in in- a all i ages It was this that prompted Marcus Aurelius to persecute the early Christians it was the moral sense of the Christians of the middle ages that caused them to burn to death hundreds of thousands of innocent fellow beings in France and Spain and England and the extent of this barbarism in each of the three countries countries countries coun coun- tries was inversely to the average intelligence of the people That no one really believes in this so- so called mor moral ll sense as existing independent of intelligence is evident when we remember remember remember re re- member that no one but the anarchist ever proposed to leave anything to the moral sense of humanity at large laige The moral sense to be depended upon is that of the rich the cultured ed the intelligent Therefore we hold that the only way to in insure insure insure in- in sure the safety of society is to educate all its members or rather to allow them to educate themselves Our systems are imperfect because our intelligence is limited Freedom for all equality all equality of opportunities will opportunities will be attained when a majority see the necessity of it not be before before fore |