Ricardo à Malthus, 15 août
44. Eléments, 2» éd. 1824. — Chap. III, sect. ii : les pages 94-99 sont sgoutées à la li^ éd. ; les pp. 98-99 ont été modifiées et développées dans la 3^ éd. (pp. 198 sqq.) — Stuart Mill, répliquant, en janvier Itt&ydansb «Revue de Westminster», iTartiele du Quarterly Review^ para eo janvier 1824 (no LX, art. i^), dans lequel Malthus avait opposé sa doctrine à la doctrine de Ricardo, essaie d^atténuer Timpoptance de cette innovatioB logique, « simple question de nomenclature », et de faire observer que la doctrine de Ricardo, par rapport à laquelle elle constitue une déviation insignifiante, est identique, sur ce point, à celle de Malthus. c What. . . ia this great question upon which we are to believe that the whole sdence dépends? simply, as we hâve already observed, a question of nomenclature : the question whether thèse facts, about which ail are agreed, shall be contained in one expression or another ; whether this effect of time, and this effect of fixed capital^ arc ultimately resolvable into labour, and are included in the simple expression that value dépends upon quantity of labour, or not : a question of pure curiosity, and of no practical use whatever. Yet this is the question upon which our pseudo-Malthusian prétends to believe, that the whole of the peculiar doctrines of the « new school » dépend. — (En note) : It is remarkable that on this question of nomenclature Mr. Ricardo actually agreed tvith Mr. Malthus : he did not indeed adopt the < measure of value », but he believed that thoae modifications of the principle that value dépends upon quantity of labour, on which Mr. Malthus lays so much stress, were not included in the proposition, but required to be annexed to it by a qualifying clause. Some other
^Pp. 75-7©) NOTES* 407
politlcal economûts iodeed, paxticukrly Mr. MaeCuUoch and Mr. Mill, thiok differently ; aad in their opinion we oorselves conciir : not, bowe^er, to weary oor readers by discussing a question of no practLcal use, 'we shall content onraelves with rejferring them ta the latter part oithe ckapter on cxchangeable vaine, in the second édition of Mr. MilTs Elément» (pw 2S0). — Mais c*eat Mallhua qui a raison de eonâdérer comme grave et aignificatiff et Stnart Mill qui a tort de vouloir Ikire considérer comme négligeable,, c% développement nouveau de la théorie de Ricavdo.
4&. Goïleeted Writings^ voL IX^ pp. 3&^ : « MaltlMM ott the measBre of value s, Londoa Mla^asine, 1823i. QÎL'eaieniib^i par «esare de la valemr ? IndiléreiDoaeni « tbat which détermines value m rektioB to the prindpmm esfcndt and that virhich deflennines vsh» in rdation t&tbe prtncipiiMià œgnoscendi,,, Let us... translate mectsure of value înto tkaé wkkk détermines value ; and, in this shape, we shall detect the ambiguit^r of which I complain. For I say that the word detei-miaes may be taken subjectively for what détermines X in relation to our knowîedge, or objectively for what détermines X in relation to itself. Thus, if I were to csk « whfti detemifNd tlw- Icngtli ot the raec-cosise? » aaé the anamer were « The ea»venieBee of th* apeetalora, wko conié not hoYe seen the horae» »t a greater dSaImMe », or, « The choioe of tbe sahKviiera », — Chen a \s piain tfM by tke word • d^enained >, I waa uoéetslood to mean • detemincé «bjectively », i. e. m relation U> tbe OLiateice of the «hied; in elher words, what cauaed the race^sevrse to be this lemftii rafber tban aeeCher length. B«t, if the answer wcie « An aetaaL admeasmreBent », it weuld then he plein ihaC by Ihe word < delcmiiBed », 1 hed heen nnderstood to nean « delermined sitbjeetiveiy », L e. in relation to oor knofviedge — what ascertained it? Now, in tbe ol^fective acneo ef the phrase c déterminer of valiie », tbe uMasure of value wiM mean the frmmà of value; hi the svhjeetiiw aense, ti wiH nean tke crié&nomofvaitte, — Y. aaasii Diahgueê of tkiree templan on polUieml econamtf, ehiefkf m I tialiiin à> the pHndple» of Mr. Biatrda(Lonàon Magaznm, mars, avril et ■ai 1824, en particulier te diafogoe Y ; Celleeted WntingSy voL IX, pf . 9â 8<iq.). — Cf. le sujet de discussion proposé sm PMAoaà Soonomf Chib le 5 jMivier 1824 : in whet cfoe» tbe dvcumetance whkb determfaMsr Excfaaagtable Yalue differ frem the Heasve oi it?
46. EkmentSj ehap. III, seet. m. La fin de la section, à partir de lia p. 109, est une addition dé fit 2" édition.
47. Ricardo à IfacCulloch, 21 août 1823 i... Is it not clear, that as soon as we are in possession of the knowîedge of the cîrcumstances.whfch détermine the value of commodities, we are enabled to say what isnecessary to give us an invariable measure of value ?
48. A criliaU cUsiertaUou on the naturey measure»^ and causes of Value; chiefly in référence to the v^ritings of Mr. Ricardo and bis foUowers . by the author of Easays on the formation and publication of opinion.
408 NOTES. (Pp. 77-78)
LondoD, 1825. — Pp. XI-XII : It bas been anfortunate, perfaaps, for Mr Ricardo*s ultimate réputation, and certainly for the science which he cultiTated, Ihat his admirers bave extolled bim beyond tbe sobriety of truth. — Pp. xyi-XVlI : His ideas are often imperieclly developed, and his reasoning appears elliptical and disjointed ; defects, indeed, wbich bave possibly elevated rather tban lowered bis standing in gênerai estimation... His langnage is uncommonly précise and perspicnons, and the construction of bis periods is simple and compact... Tbe defect bad a deeper source, and is to be traced, as tbe follo^ing pages wiU show, to an original perplexity and confusion in some fundamental ideas, from which he was never able to eztricate bimself . Althougb Mr. Ricardo possessed remarkable logical powers, he seems to bave been less gifled ifith analytical subtilty.
