The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics
Philosophy
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics
Economics; Philosophy
The military stage corresponded with the theological stage, belonged to
the same _régime_, had common antipathies and sympathies as well as
general interests, and could not have worked without the aid of
theological convictions to give blind confidence in military superiors.
The industrial stage corresponds with the positive stage; it is akin in
spirit, in origin, and in destination. The transitional stage, again,
corresponds with the metaphysical stage. Only on these three dualisms
which I have established can a sound historical philosophy be based.
HENRY GEORGE
Progress and Poverty
Henry George was born at Philadelphia on September 2, 1839. After
spending some years at sea, he reached California in 1858, became a
printer, and later a journalist and director of the public library
in San Francisco. In 1871 he published "Our Land Policy," and this
was afterwards developed into "Progress and Poverty: an Inquiry
into the Causes of Industrial Depressions, and of Increase of Want
with Increase of Wealth," issued in 1879. The book soon acquired a
world-wide reputation, not only from the eloquence and beauty of
its diction, but from the author's novel theory of land taxation.
In 1880 George removed to New York, published a book on the Irish
land question, and for some years afterwards undertook a succession
of missionary journeys to Great Britain, Australia, and New
Zealand, the result of which was the foundation of the English Land
Reform Union, the Scottish Land Restoration League, and the
legislative adoption by the different Australasian colonies of his
scheme of the taxation of land values. Among other economic works
he issued were "Protection or Free Trade," "The Condition of
Labour," and "A Perplexed Philosopher." George died on October 29,
1897.
_I.--Wages, Capital, and Wealth-Distribution_
The past century has been marked by a prodigious increase in
wealth-producing power. It was naturally expected that labour-saving
inventions would make real poverty a thing of the past. Disappointment,
however, after disappointment has followed. Discovery upon discovery,
invention after invention, have neither lessened the toil of those who
most need respite nor brought plenty to the poor. The association of
poverty with progress is the great enigma of our time.
I propose to attempt to solve by the methods of political economy the
great problem; to seek the law which associates poverty with progress
and increases want with advancing wealth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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