The economics of Herbert Spencer by Owen William C

Author:Owen, William C. [from old catalog]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spencer, Herbert, 1820-1903, Socialism, Social ethics
Publisher: New York, The Humboldt publishing co
Published: 1891-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

nition of others' claims, and, whether it be in the earliest and rudest stage where the cooperation is merely for defense, or in the more developed stage of industrial cooperation, it is obvious that the prevalence of antagonisms among members of the union impedes the activities carried on by each. Hence, each profits egoistically from the growth of an altruism which leads each to aid in preventing or diminishing the violence of others.

So, again, the undue egoism which displays itself in breaches of contract produces incessant friction, and the altruism which teaches that honesty is the best policy becomes the accepted rule. And, further, it is clearly seen that personal welfare is promoted by making certain sacrifices for social welfare, since defective governmental arrangements carry loss to every individual. '' So that on such altruistic actions as are implied, firstly in being just, secondly in seeing justice done between others, and thirdly in upholding and improving the agencies by which justice is administered, depend, in large measure, the egoistic satisfactions of each.

"But the identification of personal advantage with the advantage of fellow-citizens is much wider than this. In various other ways the well-being of each rises and falls with the well-being of all.

"A weak man left to provide for his own wants suffers by getting smaller amounts of food and other necessaries than he might get were he stronger. In a community formed of weak men, who divide their labors and exchange the products, all suffer evils from the weakness of their fellows. The quantity of each kind of product is made deficient by the deficiency of laboring power, and the share each gets for such share of his own product as he can afford to give is relatively small. Just as the maintenance

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