468 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION F. 



The following Paper was then read : — 



A Positive Method of Economic Inquiry. By Ewart Scott Grogan. 



The evolutionary stages of all inquisitive method may be differentiated as 

 belonging either to the Anthropocentric era or to the Heliocentric era of human 

 thought. Contention that economic ' orthodoxy ' is a survival of the Anthropo- 

 centric era, and that definite emergence into the Heliocentric era of economic 

 inquiry requires a positive method. Positive method requires a qualitatively 

 constant nucleus of relation and a qualitatively constant nexus of relation. 

 Destructive criticism of economic ' orthodoxy ' with ' value ' as its nucleus and 

 'labour' as its nexus of economic relation. Constructive problem of a positive 

 method. A possible task, because subject-matter of inquiry is exclusively 

 physical, though extreme complexity restricts useful sphere of inquiry to broad 

 generalisations. 



Constructive problem involves : — 



1. Analytical determination of the required nucleus and nexus of economic 



relation: 'Food-energy' the nexus of economic relation; ' Sun- front- 

 age ' the nucleus of economic relation. 



2. Synthetical determination of economic law : The dominant economic 



law ; ' the well-being of a community varies inversely with the propor- 

 tion of its energies absorbed in its essential food-production and in 

 greater proportion.' A derivative economic law; 'the well-being of 

 a community varies with the extent of land which it effectively con- 

 trols by actual occupation or by access through free exchange and in 

 greater proportion.' 



