The Place of Science in Modern Civilisation, and Other EssaysVeblen, Thorstein
Philosophy
The Place of Science in Modern Civilisation, and Other Essays
Veblen, Thorstein
Economics; Science
On comparing the utilitarian doctrine of value with earlier theories,
then, the case stands somewhat as follows. The Physiocrats and Adam
Smith contemplate value as a measure of the productive force that
realises itself in the valuable article. With the Physiocrats this
productive force is the "anabolism" of Nature (to resort to a
physiological term): with Adam Smith it is chiefly human labor directed
to heightening the serviceability of the materials with which it is
occupied. Production causes value in either case. The post-Bentham
economics contemplates value as a measure of, or as measured by, the
irksomeness of the effort involved in procuring the valuable goods. As
Mr. E. C. K. Gonner has admirably pointed out,[28] Ricardo--and the
like holds true of classical economics generally--makes cost the
foundation of value, not its cause. This resting of value on cost takes
place through a valuation. Any one who will read Adam Smith's
theoretical exposition to as good purpose as Mr. Gonner has read Ricardo
will scarcely fail to find that the converse is true in Adam Smith's
case. But the causal relation of cost to value holds only as regards
"natural" or "real" value in Adam Smith's doctrine. As regards market
price, Adam Smith's theory does not differ greatly from that of Ricardo
on this head. He does not overlook the valuation process by which market
price is adjusted and the course of investment is guided, and his
discussion of this process runs in terms that should be acceptable to
any hedonist.
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