Ill

Economists, like other scientists, havechosen the hypothesis from which they setout, and which they offer to beginners, becauseit is the simplest, and not because it is thenearest to the facts. Partly for this reason,but partly, I admit, because they have beenbiassed by the traditions of the subject, theyhave begun by assuming a state of affairswhere the ideal distribution of productiveresources can be brought about through in-dividuals acting independently by the methodof trial and error in such a way that thoseindividuals who move in the right directionwill destroy by competition those who movein the wrong direction. This implies thatthere must be no mercy or protection for thosewho embark their capital or their labour inthe wrong direction. It is a method ofbringing the most successful profit-makers tothe top by a ruthless struggle for survival,28