248 ADAPTATION AND PROGRESS 



the initial fact of economic scarcity and the consequent antag- 

 onism of interests among men. This reveals, as nothing else can, 

 the underlying unity of all the social sciences . . . and it shows 

 very clearly that the unifying principle is an economic one." x 



Passing to a consideration of methods of escape from the dif- 

 ficulties imposed upon us by economic scarcity, the simple life 

 is found insufficient if linked with uncontrolled passion, and 

 insufficient, too, and for the same reason, industrialism, due to 

 the fact pointed out by Malthus that population tends to in- 

 crease faster than the means of subsistence. 



Only one way of escape seems open. " Even under the con- 

 ditions of economic scarcity there would be no antagonism of 

 interests between man and man if human nature were to undergo 

 a change by which altruism were to replace egoism." z 



As a practical working program of meliorism our author 

 suggests: (i) improvement hi methods of production; (2) simpler 

 life, especially on the part of the wealthier class; (3) an increas- 

 ing sense of the responsibilities of parenthood, especially among 

 those classes who can least afford to spawn; and (4) a more wide- 

 spread spirit of altruism. " In spite of all these methods, how- 

 ever, there will still be antagonistic interests to be adjudicated. 

 The state must therefore continue to administer justice." 3 



This doctrine of economic scarcity is closely connected with the 

 laws of diminishing returns and proportionality, which Professor 

 Carver has elaborated as has no other economist. 4 



These laws have profound bearing on all labor problems, for 

 they are due, fundamentally, to the fact that there are too many 

 unskilled laborers in proportion to the amount of land, capital and 

 organizing ability involved. If capitalists are getting too large 

 reward, says Professor Carver, it is because they are too few in 

 proportion to the other factors in production. One way, then, to 

 increase the wages of the lowest economic class is to increase the 

 number of capitalists. Another way is to decrease the number of 

 unskilled laborers. The reason wages are higher in one occupa- 



1 Essays in Social Justice, p. 50. 2 Ibid., p. 51. 3 Ibid., pp. 52, 53. 

 4 Distribution of Wealth, chs. II and IV. Cf. Marshall's Principles of Eco- 

 nomics (1910), p. 169; also Efficiency Society Transactions, i, no. 63. 



