An Inquiry Into The Principles Of The Distribution Of Wealth Most Conducive To Human Happiness - Softcover

William Thompson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461916177 ISBN 13: 9780461916171

Publisher: HardPress, 2021

Synopsis

An Inquiry Into The Principles Of The Distribution Of Wealth Most Conducive To Human Happiness by William Thompson presents a 19th-century reformist program that seeks to ground wealth distribution in natural laws derived from human organization and production, with the aim of maximizing happiness for the greatest number. The book argues that wealth is produced by labor and that labor is the universal measure of value; distribution should secure the greatest possible happiness for producers, based on equal opportunity and secure use of outputs. It defends three core elements: free labor, security in the use of its products, and voluntary exchanges, while allowing inequality only to the extent that it supports security and production. The text moves from a theoretical framework to practical illustrations, including a thought-experiment about a colony of 1,000 workers, and outlines a radical reform program: mutual cooperation communities with common ownership, abolition of private capitalists, and universal education to diffuse knowledge. It discusses gender equality, population ethics, and the gradual diffusion of knowledge through education, writings, and public discussion. The aim is a peaceful, noncoercive reorganization of society toward equal security and cooperative production that yields widespread happiness and social welfare.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461916177
• ISBN 13: 9780461916171
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 508