"John Locke et al" [Reflections on Book Theory of Business Enterprise Thorstein Veblin, Chap. 4B - Business Principles #2 - Chapter 4B]
It’s Locke (etal) who hold up property
As central to the future we now see;
The base is labor from the handcraft scene,
“I make it – so it’s mine” is what has been.It’s still that way where handcraft still prevails,
But life’s moved on – and industry entails
Joint labor split one million times or more,
To make the goods and service we adore.Some special pleading said, “God made all things
So all is His, and stewardship’s our biz;
But this dropped off by nineteenth century,
And “God’s no longer in the life we see”.Up ’till that time medieval thought prevailed;
Then power, status, suzerainty was paled
By handicraft and trade – “I made, I own
So I can sell” – so money’s now the tone –Of life – it gives us liberty from kin,
Who, money-free, allow us to be in
The flow of life – now we can venture forth,
Spend and be spent in human intercourse.From fifteenth to the eighteenth century
This change took place in Europe, but we see
Machines have yet to enter in that mix;
But “Buy and sell” was now a base for this.He doesn’t mention how Bubonic plague
Impacted life, broke bonds which kinship made –
One third of Europe died – “Cash” helped adjust
The movement needed through that era tough.Thanks Lord for this.
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