We shall never have a science of economics unless we learn to discern the operation of law even among the most perplexing complications and apparent interruptions. William Stanley Jevons More Quotes by William Stanley Jevons More Quotes From William Stanley Jevons There is no such thing as absolute cost of labour; it is all a matter of comparison. Every one gets the most which he can for his exertions; some can get little or nothing, because they have not sufficient strength, knowledge or ingenuity; others get much, because they have, comparatively speaking, a monopoly of certain powers. William Stanley Jevons cost matter littles we often observe that there is abundance of capital to be had at low rates of interest, while there are also large numbers of artisans starving for want of employment. William Stanley Jevons employment want numbers Many persons entertain a prejudice against mathematical language, arising out of a confusion between the ideas of a mathematical science and an exact science. ...in reality, there is no such thing as an exact science. William Stanley Jevons confusion reality ideas The wind, as a direct motive power, is wholly inapplicable to a system of machine labour, for during a calm season the whole business of the country would be thrown out of gear. Before the era of steam-engines, windmills were tried for draining mines; but though they were powerful machines, they were very irregular, so that in a long tract of calm weather the mines were drowned, and all the workmen thrown idle. William Stanley Jevons powerful wind country It is clear that Economics, if it is to be a science at all, must be a mathematical science ... simply because it deals with quantities... As the complete theory of almost every other science involves the use of calculus, so we cannot have a true theory of Economics without its aid. William Stanley Jevons statistics use education Repeated reflection and inquiry have led me to the somewhat novel opinion, that value depends entirely upon utility. William Stanley Jevons inquiry opinion reflection The child which overbalances itself in learning to walk is experimenting on the law of gravity. William Stanley Jevons learning science children Charles Babbage proposed to make an automaton chess-player which should register mechanically the number of games lost and gained in consequence of every sort of move. Thus, the longer the automaton went on playing game, the more experienced it would become by the accumulation of experimental results. Such a machine precisely represents the acquirement of experience by our nervous organization. William Stanley Jevons player science moving I am convinced that it is impossible to expound the methods of induction in a sound manner, without resting them upon the theory of probability. Perfect knowledge alone can give certainty, and in nature perfect knowledge would be infinite knowledge, which is clearly beyond our capacities. We have, therefore, to content ourselves with partial knowledge - knowledge mingled with ignorance, producing doubt. William Stanley Jevons ignorance science knowledge Whoever wishes to acquire a deep acquaintance with Nature must observe that there are analogies which connect whole branches of science in a parallel manner, and enable us to infer of one class of phenomena what we know of another. It has thus happened on several occasions that the discovery of an unsuspected analogy between two branches of knowledge has been the starting point for a rapid course of discovery. William Stanley Jevons discovery science knowledge All classes of society are trade unionists at heart, and differ chiefly in the boldness, ability, and secrecy with which they pursue their respective interests. William Stanley Jevons secrecy heart class Labour once spent has no influence on the future value of any article; it isgone and lost for ever. In commerce bygones are forever bygones; and we are alwaysstarting clearat each moment, judging the values of things with a view to future utility. William Stanley Jevons judging views forever It isrequisite from time to time to remind one generation of the experience which led a former generation to important legislative actions. William Stanley Jevons generations important action I feel quite unable to adopt the opinion that the moment goods pass into the possession of the consumer they cease altogether to have the attributes of capital. William Stanley Jevons attributes opinion moments I consider that interest is determined by the increment of produce which it enables a labourer to obtain, and is altogether independent of the total return which he receives for this labour. William Stanley Jevons determined independent return The whole result of continued labour is not often consumed and enjoyed in a moment; the result generally lasts for a certain length of time. We must then conceive the capital as being progressively uninvested. William Stanley Jevons length lasts moments A spade may be made of any size, and if the same number of strokes be made in the hour, the requisite exertion will vary nearly as the cube of the length of the blade. William Stanley Jevons cubes may numbers Over-production is not possible in all branches of industry at once, but it is possible in some as compared to others. William Stanley Jevons industry productions branches In any case I hold that there must arise a science of the development of economic forms and relations. William Stanley Jevons economic form development One of the most important axioms is, that as the quantity of any commodity, for instance, plain food, which a man has to consume, increases, so the utility or benefit derived from the last portion used decreases in degree. The decrease in enjoyment between the beginning and the end of a meal may be taken as an example. William Stanley Jevons important taken men
