The Theory of Evolution 31 



gained a wider fame, yet it is in reality Ricardo 

 who stated the economics of capitalism with 

 the clearest vision. He, too, affected a human- 

 itarian outlook, yet he did not allow this out- 

 look to interfere with the machinelike logic 

 with which he depicted the struggle of the 

 market as the soul of the new social organi- 

 zation. Whether or not he believed there was 

 any higher ideal vouchsafed to the soul of man 

 than the pursuit of power in the form of prop- 

 erty, the result of his analysis of capitalism 

 was to set it up as an embodiment of justice 

 demanding the homage of all men. Though 

 his economics have been amended somewhat 

 in their descriptive aspect, and amended mark- 

 edly in their social implications, yet they still 

 stand as the classic exposition of capitalism. 



Here we see pictured society as an aggre- 

 gate of warring economic units, each free and 

 equal unit engaged in the complexity of pur- 

 suits that make up the modern industrial 

 process, and each intent on getting the most 

 for himself. In the market the opposing forces 

 of individual economic aggression are meas- 

 ured, and each unit gets all the returns he can 

 for his land, capital, or labor. In the conflict 

 of bargaining, the contestant armed with prop- 



