The Result 193 



of the classical economists is related to the 

 process of elimination as presented in biology. 

 And in support of these doctrines is also 

 much of current morality and religion. That 

 morality begins in poverty and disappears in 

 prosperity, and that salvation is for the poor 

 alone, are preached with vigor in many ways. 

 If the premise on which all this rests is faulty, 

 many conclusions must be summarily rejected 

 that viewed empirically seem to have a sound 

 basis. The field is then cleared in a way that 

 makes new evidence attainable, and this evi- 

 dence will have a far higher value than any 

 mere discussion of particular points could 

 have. The reader should come back to this 

 preliminary question at every point, and must 

 reject this or that mass of evidence as he 

 decides this question in the one way or the 

 other. If he decides with me that progress 

 starts with a surplus, his decision on the other 

 debatable points will also be with me. 



The economic process begins with a sur- 

 plus and ends in a return flow of goods from 

 the strong to the weak. The biologic process 

 begins also with a surplus but ends in a com- 



