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rarely obtained any detailed analysis or classification whatever. 
The most recent and elaborate attempt is probably that of Syme 
(Industrial Science^ p. 106). He divides them into (I.) Egoistic, 
or wants and desires for food, drink, rest, &c. ; (II.) Hemeistic, 
having for their object the gratification of the social emotions, such 
as affection, esteem, love, hate, &c. ; (HI.) Allostic, having reference 
to actions, and having for their object justice. 
In the vast majority of works, however, no such analysis is 
attempted ; some generalisation of these varied wants and desires 
is, however, needed ; this is obtained by boldly uniting them under 
the term self-interest or egoism — this done, it is evident that self- 
interest is the mainspring of all economic action, and the basis of 
orthodox economics is complete. A principle capable of endless 
deductive applications is obtained, and if any unbelief as to the 
exhaustiveness of the generalisation arises, the wide prevalence of 
egoism in the individual and in the community is readily appealed 
to, and the sceptic held up to derision as a sentimentalist. With 
all respect, however, to these systems, a new analysis leading to 
somewhat different conclusions must now be briefly attempted. 
§ 41. Statement of Psychological Principles. — In discussing the 
biological principles of economics, we considered men as organisms 
(a) having certain functions applicable to the maintenance and 
evolution of self and others, or to the contrary ; and (f) with certain 
wants, ^.e., requiring certain adaptations to the environment, again 
either in the direction of evolution or of degeneration. We find 
psychological principles parallel to these. Man is characterised by 
the enormous specialisation of his nervous system, and psychology 
though in the past mainly restricted to an imaginary account of an 
independent entity, of mind “ as a thinking being in vacuo f really 
deals with the subjective side of the functional aspects of the 
nervous system. Behind the muscular contractions by which all 
economic action productive or consumptive alike are performed, are 
cerebral stimuli inspiring these, and these subjectively considered 
are wants and desires. The fundamental nature of tbe subject is 
therefore obvious. As Walker expresses it, ‘'‘the central force is 
the wants of man.” That however the wants determining produc- 
tion, &c., are not simple appetites for food, shelter, and the like, is 
evident when we remember how in the majority of products the 
