Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 10.djvu/308

 296 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

should bring out another real difference between degrees of approach toward this end.

In his Grundriss der allgemeinen Volkswirtschaftslehre,* Book II, chap, vii, Professor Schmoller draws the outlines of a description of modern forms of industrial enterprise. His sub- titles are as follows : " The Conception of Industrial Enterprise (Unternehmung);" "Its Starting-Points, Trade, Labor, Com- munity, Family ; " " The Development of Rural Economic Enter- prise; " " Hand Labor; " " Movements in the Direction of Larger Enterprises and Organizations in Community and Corporate Form up to 1800;" "Domestic Industry (das Verlagssystem) ;" " Modern Enterprise, Wholesale Business, the Factory ; " "The Social Problem of Large Business; " " Public Stock Companies; " " The Newer Economic Associations ; " " The Combinations of Traders and Promoters, Syndicates, Rings, and Trusts ; " " Con- clusion, Bird's-eye View of the Social Constitution of Industry, Particularly of Capitalistic Enterprise."

Instead of selecting our illustration from economic topics which are extremely fractional, as it would be easy to do, we pre- fer to take specimens of a sort more representative of recent ten- dencies. In the above titles we have references to economic phenomena of highly developed and complex types. Correlation of most intricate nature is implied in all such analyses. Can there be any room in the premises for any scientific interest distinct from and in addition to the economic interest? The answer depends entirely upon the extension which the economists claim or allow for their interest. As in the case of the historians, the subject-matter may be so defined as to merge the economic interest at last completely with that of the sociologist. 9 On the other hand,

Third edition, Leipzig, 1900.

For a striking illustration of the tendency among recent economists to see these things essentially as the sociologists see them, vide SOMBART, Der moderne Kapitalismus, Vol. I, Introduction, pp. xxv flf. Professor Sombart is not directly discussing the relationship which we have in mind. His argument virtually amounts to a special application of the general principle which we are formulating, i. e., to know any economic relationship fully, its connections have to be traced with the whole process of human activities. Thus : " Was namlich von dem Wirtschaftsthcoretikcr der Zukunft verlangt werden wird, sind wieder langc