John Stuart Mill on Political Economy [pp. 52-56]

MILL ON POLITICAL ECONOMY.
their conduct by an infinite variety of motives, feelings, passions,
affections, sympathies, likings, hatreds, prejudices, prepossessions,
local and national antipathies, patriotism, pugnacity, chivalry,
pride of caste. of family and race, etc., and a thousand other feelings, too subtle for detection and exposition, and too numerous
for citation.
The man who always acts upon the conviction that man is
purely and entirely a selfish animal, is already a fool, and in a
fair way to become a knave.
ART. VI.-JOIIN STUART MILL ON POLITICAL ECONOMIY.
DON'T be frightened, dear reader, for we assure you that you
know just as much about political economy as Mr. Mill, or Adam
Smith, or Say, or Ricardo, or ourselves, or any one else, who ever
wrote upon the subject. The science is neither abstruse, nor dry
and uninteresting. Every one practises it, we are sorry to say,
every day of his life; and every business man and woman understands its practical applications far better than any of its teachers.
The best political economists we ever met with, were horse
jockeys and negro market-women. They are ever ready to quote
and practice on its extremest maxims. Such as: "All's fair in
trade." "The worth of a thing is just what it will bring."
"Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindermost."
etc., etc. Concealed in Latin verbiage, and intended for ears polite, the lawyers have a like leading maxim: "Caveat emptor!'
They, too, quite unconsciously, are admirable political economists.
But there is a shorter way of getting at this pretended science
or philosophy than any of these. It is fully comprehended and
thoroughly defined, so far as it is susceptible of comprehension
or definition, in two French, or two co-relative English words.
Our lamented deceased friend, the late George Frederick Coleman, of Virginia, the best classical scholar, the most fascinating
and instructive companion, and in all respects, one of the most
intellectual men we ever knew, said to us one day: "Fitzhugh,
I have not paid enough attention to moral science, I want to study
political economy. -low shall I go about it?"
"You understand French, Coleman. Now I will teach you in
two words all that can be learned or taught on the subject.
'Laissez-faire.' That's all that's in this boasted science, but real
quackery, panacea, or charl(atanry. You keep repeating'Lais sez-faire,' or'let alone!' or'unrestricted liberty.' They all
mean the same. So does "let every one do pretty much as he
pleases." Be bold and fearless in thought. Don't revolt at the
conclusions to which you will inevitably be led. No law, no gov er.-ment, anarchy, free love, etc., etc., are unavoidable conclusions
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