Page:David Atkins - The Economics of Freedom (1924).pdf/173

 arts, from architecture to dancing, are the kinetic outflow of prime impulse, moulded by its medium, and amplified by order which is no more than the artist’s recognition and intelligent utilization of his medium.

As far as humankind is concerned, it has all been said, and said finally: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God (not my God) with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” Here is impulse! But this impulse can only come to flower as value under one condition: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” This is order and should be the basis of law.

In spite of the very suggestive evasions of the loyal political-economists,—“cost,” “utility,” “importance,” etc.,—they were far too politic to face the revolutionary truth. Value may be much less than cost, if man is the measure of things: we need only survey our farms and sweat-shops to realize this. Yet, on the whole it is plain that value is something more than cost; for society makes headway against the tide. “Utility” and “importance” are intimations only. There is no reason, in this country, at any rate, why economic value cannot now be frankly discussed. What is the use; and what is the importance?

Having failed to define value, it has always been a little difficult to measure it, though an honest attempt at measurement would have aided definition. Our failure to get at the heart of the matter, even by the less imaginative method of measuring, has been due to our complete disregard of the prime negative factor of value—the cost of order. Let us see where the scientific consideration of this factor will lead us.

We are now dealing with value, not with desirability. Desirability, whether æsthetic, social or utilitarian, though often referred to by the sentimentalist as value, is nothing more than a vague reference to demand. Demand, as shown more fully elsewhere, is one of the two reciprocal determinants of value, and is co-important with supply, which is the other; but both demand and supply are wholly without scientific or economic meaning, unless joined by a comprehensive medium, so