Now, this form of condolence contains an entire theory, which it will be well to show up in this simple case, seeing that it is precisely the same as that which, unhappily, regulates the greater part of our economical institutions.
Suppose it cost six francs to repair the damage, and you say that the accident brings six francs to the glazier’s trade—that it encourages that trade to the amount of six francs—I grant it; you reason justly. The glazier comes, performs his task, receives his six francs, rubs his hands, and, in his heart, blesses the careless child. All this is that which is seen.
But if you come to the conclusion that it is a good thing to break windows, that it causes money to circulate, and that the encouragement of industry in general will result, you will oblige me to call out, “Stop there! Your theory is confined to that which is seen; it takes no account of that which is not seen.”
It is not seen that as our shopkeeper has spent six francs upon one thing, he cannot spend them upon another. It is not seen that if he had not had a window to replace, he would, perhaps, have replaced his old shoes, or added another book to his library. In short, he would have employed his six francs in some way.
Let us take a view of industry in general. The window being broken, the glazier’s trade is encouraged to the amount of six francs; this is that which is seen. If the window had not been broken, the shoemaker’s trade (or some other) would have been encouraged to the amount of six francs; this is that which is not seen.
And if that which is not seen is taken into consideration, it will be understood that neither industry in general, nor the sum total of national labour, is affected, whether windows are broken or not.
“Society loses the value of things which are uselessly destroyed;” and we must assent to a maxim which will make the hair of protectionists stand on end—To break, to spoil, to waste, is not to encourage national labour; or, more briefly, “destruction is not profit.”
The reader must take care to remember that there are not two persons only, but three concerned in the little scene which I have submitted to his attention.
One of them represents the consumer, reduced, by an act of destruction, to one enjoyment instead of two.
Another under the title of the glazier, shows us the producer, whose trade is encouraged by the accident.
The third is the shoemaker (or some other tradesman), whose labour suffers proportionately by the same cause.
It is this third person who is always kept in the shade, and who, personating that which is not seen, is a necessary element of the problem. It is he who shows us how absurd it is to think we see a profit in an act of destruction.
Therefore, if you will only go to the root of all the arguments which are adduced in its favour, all you will find will be the paraphrase of this vulgar saying, “What would become of the glaziers, if nobody ever broke windows?”
François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848),
from Memoirs from Beyond the Grave
There are two consequences in history; an immediate one, which is instantly recognized, and one in the distance, which is not at first perceived.
These consequences often contradict each other; the former are the results of our own limited wisdom, the latter, those of that wisdom which endures.
The providential event appears after the human event. God rises up behind men. Deny, if you will, the supreme counsel; disown its action; dispute about words; designate, by the term, force of circumstances, or reason, what the vulgar call Providence; but look to the end of an accomplished fact, and you will see that it has always produced the contrary of what was expected from it, if it was not established at first upon morality and justice.
Adam Smith (1723-1790),
from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776)
As every individual, therefore, endeavors as much as he can both to employ his capital in the support of domestic industry, and so to direct that industry that its produce may be of the greatest value; every individual necessarily labors to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can.
He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention.
Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it. By pursuing his own interest, he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good. It is an affectation, indeed, not very common among merchants, and very few words need be employed in dissuading them from it.
About the Author
Mark Andre Alexander has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Organization and Management Development. He works in Silicon Valley helping people take their next step. He’s a happy soul, a composer and musician, and likes to make people laugh.
Occasionally he publishes articles and books. He’s married to a woman who improves him just by being present, and he believes everyone is on a journey to learn how to give and receive divine love.
MarkAndreAlexander.Com
Books in the series A Lifetime of Learning
Creating Your Life (A Lifetime of Learning, Book 1)
Money and Wealth (A Lifetime of Learning, Book 2)
Sex and Romance (A Lifetime of Learning, Book 3)
Mozart and Great Music (A Lifetime of Learning, Book 4)
Forthcoming topics in the series include Shakespeare, great literature, the ancient Greeks, language, rhetoric, law, liberty, virtue, vice, education, training, science, truth, soul, and spirit.
Other books
Handbook for Advanced Souls: Eternal Reminders for the Present Moment
Public domain works edited by Mark Andre Alexander
Shakespeare’s Law and Latin by Sir George Greenwood, M.P.
The George Greenwood Collection
Hamlet and the Scottish Succession by Lilian Winstanley
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“This book is a truly powerful and important work for young and old alike. This is required reading for my two children. Mark Alexander takes a no nonsense, practical approach to empowering, equipping, and informing people to live their best lives.” Rashiid K. Coleman
“This book is helping me see that I was beating myself up. I was creating and holding on to the picture that if I was stressed I should get migraines. I was creating my own migraines. So I worked with a friend and we changed the picture. Every day I let go of the old picture and adopt the new picture of being a person free from migraines. And it’s working!“ Rose Mulvey
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“The best of the books so far. A well-written, focused, and well-argued book that will add value to anyone who takes the time to read it.” Gary Smailes, editor at BubbleCow.com.
“I was blown away. Although it's a fairly short read, Mr. Alexander has packed a huge amount of valuable and perceptive information for readers...Parents, teachers, counselors, clergymen, and basically anyone working and counseling teens and tweens will find this book an invaluable resource...filled with insightful quotes, common sense advice, and delightful prose.” Susan Elizabeth Barton - eBook Review Gal
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“Mozart’s joy is made of serenit
y, and a phrase of his music is like a calm thought; his simplicity is merely purity.
It is a crystalline thing in which all the emotions play a role, but as if already celestially transposed.”
— André Gide, Nobel Prize-winning French author
“Mozart makes you believe in God because it cannot be by chance that such a phenomenon arrives into this world and leaves such an unbounded number of unparalleled masterpieces.”
— Georg Solti, Hungarian conductor
“It is thanks to Mozart that I have devoted my life to music...Mozart is the highest, the culminating point that beauty has attained in the sphere of music. Mozart is the musical Christ.”
— Piotr Tchaikovsky, Russian composer
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The Complete Series (Coming Soon)
Money and Wealth Page 9