Pareto on Policy by Warren J. Samuels

Author:Warren J. Samuels [Samuels, Warren J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781351500838
Google: ekMrDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 35635121
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 1974-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

2. Dynamics of Psychic States

Belief is a function of the residues (which manifest sentiments, together comprising psychic states). Conduct, apparently and ostensibly a function of belief, is not so at all; it is itself a function of the residues. As indicated in Part One, the great thrust of the Treatise is the cardinal and ubiquitous importance of the residues (sentiments). Social equilibrium and policy are a function of psychology or psychic states, psychology and psychic states being the independent, and society the dependent, variable. Pareto devotes hundreds and hundreds of pages to a forceful refutation of over-intellectualization, to criticism of over-emphasizing argument per se (Sec. 1765, and passim). Arguments were, to Pareto, essentially rationalizing derivations, and their importance to the social scientist lies less in any logico-experimental truth value they may have and more in their service as pointers to underlying sentiments. In any social situation the phenomena are, pro tanto, comprised of variable derivations and the constant element, the residues.

But if the residues are given, how is it possible that the derivations work on the residues? Put somewhat differently, since, according to Pareto, the derivations reflect the sentiments, how is it possible that the derivations may manipulate the sentiments? On the surface, at least, the independence of the residues seems to conflict with the character of the manipulative society and the functioning of the derivations. The difficulty is compounded by the absence of a thorough and integrated statement on the subject in the Treatise. One forceful but incomplete expression competes with another.

There are many instances in the Treatise wherein Pareto minimized the malleability of the residues and thereby minimized — explicitly or implicitly — the impact of the derivations. When he began to theorize about the significance of pseudo-scientific theories, for example, he differentiated between the “substantial” part, “the expression of certain sentiments, ” — the residues, and the “contingent” part, — the explanatory derivations (Sec. 798). Pareto’s typical comments ran to the effect that derivations “as we already know, do not, on the whole, exert any great influence” (Sec. 1753). He wrote “of the error of assigning too great an importance to derivations as regards determining the social equilibrium” and of reasoning “as though they functioned by themselves independently of residues” (Sec. 1965). Frequently going out of his way to minimize the impact of derivations on sentiments (Sees. 1841-1843), at one point he wrote that “Many people enjoy reading the pessimistic poems of Leopardi just as they enjoy listening to a well-written tragedy. But neither poem nor tragedy has much influence on their conduct” (Sec. 1999). Thus the influence of derivations upon major elements was said to be the “least important” of all chains of influence (Sec. 2206). Shortly thereafter Pareto maintained that the effectiveness of certain derivations “depends largely upon the pre-existing sentiments that they express, and only to a slight extent upon sentiments that they create” (Sec. 2191).

But what is the importance of the derivations with respect to the residues? What is their influence? What of

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