I.

ABUNDANCE AND SCARCITY.

Which is better for humanity and for society: abundance or scarcity?

"What!" you might exclaim, "can that even be a question? Has anyone ever claimed, or is it even possible to argue, that scarcity is the foundation of human well-being?"

Yes, this has been claimed, and it is defended every day. I do not hesitate to say that the theory of scarcity is by far the most popular one. It is the staple of conversation, newspapers, books, and political speeches original: "tribune"; the platform from which a speaker addresses an assembly, referring here to parliamentary debates.. As strange as it may seem, it is certain that Political Economy The 19th-century term for the study of how societies manage resources and trade; what we now call economics. will have fulfilled its practical mission once it has established beyond doubt and widely spread this very simple truth: "The wealth of humanity consists in the abundance of commodities."

Do we not hear it said every day, "The foreigner is about to flood us with their products"? If so, then people fear abundance.

Did not M. Saint-Cricq Pierre de Saint-Cricq (1772–1854) was a French politician and a prominent advocate for protectionist trade policies. exclaim, "Production is excessive"? He, too, feared abundance.

Do workers break machines? If they do, they fear an excess of production—they fear abundance.

Has not M. Bugeaud Thomas Robert Bugeaud (1784–1849) was a French Marshal and politician who argued that high food prices were necessary to ensure the prosperity of farmers. spoken these words: "Let bread be expensive, and farmers will get rich"? Now, bread can only be expensive if it is scarce. Therefore, M. Bugeaud praises scarcity.

Does not M. d'Argout Antoine Maurice Apollinaire d'Argout (1782–1858) was a French statesman who served as Governor of the Bank of France. argue against the sugar industry based on its very productivity? Does he not say, "Beetroot has no future, and its cultivation cannot be expanded, because a few acres devoted to its cultivation in each..."