The Socialism of to-day

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 835096955

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-28834

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Laveleye, Émile de

Title:: The Socialism of to-day

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Field & Tuer

Year of publication:: 1884

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (XLIV, 331 S.)

Collection:: Economics Books

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2/0 THE SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. ultimate aim, which is social progress, can be better attained with such assistance than by individual efforts, whether it be a question of the improvement of harbours, the facilitation of means of transport, the development of education, the en couragement of the arts and sciences, or the promotion of any other object of general utility. The intervention of the State ought not to be always rejected, as the rigid Economists wish, nor always admitted, as certain Socialists demand; each case ought to be separately examined, having regard to the wants to be satisfied and the resources of private energy. Only it is a mistake to suppose that the rôle of the State will be curtailed as civilization advances. It is of a different kind to-day from what it was under the patriarchal or despotic régime, but it is ever extending according as new paths open out to human activity, and as the appreciation of what is lawful and what is not becomes clearer. This opinion has also been expounded in France with great force by M. Dupont-White, in his book L'Individu et /’État. The Katheder-Socialisten also blame orthodox Economists for confining themselves too exclusively to questions touching the production of wealth, and for having neglected those concerning its distribution and consumption. They assert that the strict Economists have looked upon man as a mere productive force, without sufficiently considering his destiny and his obligations as a moral and intelligent being. According to them, thanks to the wonders wrought by science, industry could already produce enough for all, if all labour were usefully employed, and if so many human efforts were not wasted in satisfying spurious and even vicious desires. The great problem of our times, what is called the social question, is primarily a question of distribution. The labouring classes wish to better their lot and to obtain a larger share of the wealth created by the joint operation of capital and labour. The important point to discover is, within what limits and under what conditions this is possible. In view of the evils which disturb and threaten the social order, three systems have been proposed: first, a return to the past

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