Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
e s s ay
on the
as it affects
with remarks
m. condorcet,
london:
church-yard
1798.
pr efac e.
7 June, 1798.
con t en t s.
C H A P. I.
Quetion tatedLittle propect of a determination
of it, f rom the enmity of the opposing parties
The principal argument againt the perfectibil-
ity of man and of ociety has never been fairly
anweredNature of the diff iculty arising
f rom populationOutline of the principal ar-
gument of the Eay. p. 1.
C H A P. I I.
The different ratio in which population and food
increaeThe neceary effects of thee different
ratios of increaeOcillation produced by them
in the condition of the lower claes of ociety
Reaons why this ocillation has not been
o much oberved as might be expectedThree
propositions on which the general argument
of the Eay depends The different tates in
which mankind have been known to exit
propoed to be examined with reference to thee
three propositions. p. 18.
ii contents.
C H A P. I I I.
The avage or hunter tate hortly reviewedThe
hepherd tate, or the tribes of barbarians that
overran the Roman EmpireThe uperiority of
the power of population to the means of ubsi-
tencethe caue of the great tide of Northern
Emigration. p. 38.
C H A P. IV.
State of civilized nations Probability that Eu-
rope is much more populous now than in the
time of Julius CaearBet criterion of popula-
tionProbable error of Hume in one the cri-
terions that he propoes as asiting in an e-
timate of populationSlow increae of popula-
tion at preent in mot of the tates of Europe
The two principal checks to populationThe
f irt, or preventive check examined with regard
to England. p. 52.
C H A P. V.
The econd, or positive check to population exam-
ined, in EnglandThe true caue why the im-
mene um collected in England for the poor
does not better their conditionThe powerful
tendency of the poor laws to defeat their own
purpoePalliative of the ditrees of the poor
contents. iii
C H A P. V I.
New colonies Reaons for their rapid increae
North American Colonies Extraordinary in-
tance of increae in the back ettlements Ra-
pidity with which even old tates recover the
ravages of war, petilence, famine, or the con-
vulsions of nature. p. 99.
C H A P. V I I.
A probable caue of epidemics Extracts f rom Mr.
Suemilchs tables Periodical returns of sick-
ly eaons to be expected in certain caes
Proportion of births to burials for hort pe-
riods in any country an inadequate criterion
of the real average increae of population
Bet criterion of a permanent increae of pop-
ulationGreat f rugality of living one of the
caues of the famines of China and Indotan
Evil tendency of one of the claues in Mr
Pitts Poor BillOnly one proper way of en-
couraging populationCaues of the Happines
iv contents.
C H A P. V I I I.
Mr. WallaceError of upposing that the diff icul-
ty arising f rom population is at a great di-
tanceMr. Condorcets ketch of the progres of
the human mindPeriod when the ocillation,
mentioned by Mr. Condorcet, ought to be ap-
plied to the human race. p. 139.
C H A P. IX .
Mr. Condorcets conjecture concerning the organic
perfectibility of man, and the indef inite pro-
longation of human lifeFallacy of the argu-
ment, which infers an unlimited progres f rom
a partial improvement, the limit of which can-
not be acertained, illutrated in the breeding of
animals, and the cultivation of plants. p. 152.
C H A P. X .
Mr. Godwins ytem of equalityError of at-
tributing all the vices of mankind to human in-
titutions Mr. Godwins f irt anwer to the
diff iculty arising f rom population totally in-
contents. v
C H A P. X I.
Mr. Godwins conjecture concerning the future ex-
tinction of the pasion between the exes Lit-
tle apparent grounds for uch a conjecturePa-
sion of love not inconsitent either with reaon
or virtue. p. 207.
C H A P. X I I.
Mr. Godwins conjecture concerning the indef inite
prolongation of human lifeImproper inference
drawn f rom the effects of mental timulants on
the human f rame, illutrated in various in-
tances Conjectures not founded on any in-
dications in the pat not to be considered as
philoophical conjectures Mr. Godwins and
Mr. Condorcets conjecture repecting the ap-
proach of man towards immortality on earth,
a curious intance of the inconsitency of cepti-
cim. p. 216.
vi contents.
C H A P. X I I I.
Error of Mr. Godwin is considering man too much
in the light of a being merely rationalIn the
compound being, man, the pasions will always
act as diturbing forces in the decisions of the
undertandingReaonings of Mr. Godwin on
the ubject of coercionSome truths of a nature
not to be communicated f rom one man to an-
other. p. 248.
C H A P. X IV.
Mr. Godwins f ive propositions repecting political
truth, on which his whole work hinges, not
etablihedReaons we have for upposing,
f rom the ditres occasioned by the principle of
population, that the vices and moral weaknes
of man can never be wholly eradicatedPer-
fectibility, in the ene in which Mr. Godwin
ues the term, not applicable to manNature of
the real perfectibility of man illutrated. p. 262.
C H A P. X V.
Models too perfect may ometimes rather impede
than promote improvementMr. Godwins
eay on avarice and profusionImposibility of
dividing the neceary labour of a ociety ami-
cably among allInvectives againt labour may
contents. vii
C H A P. X V I.
Probable error of Dr Adam Smith in repreenting
every increae of the revenue or tock of a ociety
as an increae in the funds for the maintenance
of labourIntances where an increae of
wealth can have no tendency to better the con-
dition of the labouring poorEngland has in-
creaed in riches without a proportional increae
in the funds for the maintenance of labour
The tate of the poor in China would not be im-
proved by an increae of wealth f rom manufac-
tures. p. 301.
C H A P. X V I I.
Quetion of the proper def inition of the wealth of
a tateReaon given by the French conomits
for considering all manufacturers as unproduc-
tive labourers, not the true reaonThe labour
of artif icers and manufacturers uff iciently pro-
ductive to individuals, though not to the tate
A remarkable paage in Dr. Prices two vol-
umes of Obervations Error of Dr. Price in
v iii contents.
C H A P. X V I I I .
The contant preure of ditres on man, f rom the
principle of population, eems to direct our hopes
to the futureState of trial inconsitent with
our ideas of the foreknowledge of GodThe
world, probably, a mighty proces for awaken-
ing matter into mindTheory of the formation
of mindExcitements f rom the wants of the
bodyExcitements f rom the operation of gen-
eral laws Excitements f rom the diff iculties
of life arising f rom the principle of population.
p. 346.
C H A P. X IX .
The orrows of life neceary to often and humanize
the heartThe excitement of ocial ympathy of-
ten produce characters of a higher order than the
mere poeors of talents Moral evil probably
neceary to the production of moral excellence
Excitements f rom intellectual wants continual-
ly kept up by the inf inite variety of nature, and
contents. ix
e s s ay
on the
chapter i.
It is an acknowledged truth in
philoophy that a jut theory will al-
ways be confirmed by experiment. Yet
o much f riction, and o many minute
circumtances occur in practice, which
it is next to imposible for the mot
enlarged and penetrating mind to
foreee, that on few ubjects can any
7 an essay on the
CHAP T ER I I.
CHAP T ER I I I.
C H A P T E R I V.
C H A P T E R V.
CHAP T ER VI.
CHAP T ER VI I.
Duchy of Pomerania
Proportion
Proportion
Mar- of Births
Annual average Birth Burial of Births to
riage to Mar-
Burials
riage
6 yrs to 1702 6540 4647 1810 36 to 10 140 to 100
6 yrs to 1708 7455 4208 1875 39 to 10 177 to 100
6 yrs to 1726 8432 5627 2131 39 to 10 150 to 100
6 yrs to 1756 12767 9281 2957 43 to 10 137 to 100
Neumark of Brandenburgh.
Proportion
Proportion
Mar- of Births
Annual average Birth Burial of Births to
riage to Mar-
Burials
riage
116
Dukedom of Magdeburgh
Proportion
Proportion
Mar- of Births
Annual average Birth Burial of Births to
riage to Mar-
Burials
riage
5 yrs to 1702 6431 4103 1681 38 to 10 156 to 100
5 yrs to 1717 7590 5335 2076 36 to 10 142 to 100
5 yrs to 1756 8850 8069 2193 40 to 10 109 to 100
CHAP T ER VI I I.
He then adds,
CHAP T ER IX.
CHAP T ER X.
* B. 8. C. 3. P. 340
18 9 an essay on the
CHAP T ER XI.
* B. I. C. 5. P. 73.
principle of population. 212
CHAP T ER XI I.
CHAP T ER XI I I.
* B I. C. 5. P. 89.
25 1 an essay on the
C H A P T E R X I V.
C H A P T E R X V.
CHAP T ER XVI.
CHAP T ER XVI I.
CHAP T ER XVI I I.
CHAP T ER XIX.
F I N I S .