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A priori objections to the new theoryOn the other hand, by pushing such fear too far, some fall into the opposite mistake. ‘Your principles’ they say to the followers of the new science, ‘are not true in an absolute way, therefore your conclusions are not worthy of credit, and we do not care about them.’ We do not believe that to state that the mathematical method does not have to be subject to experience is an appropriate answer to this objection. * Physicists who study the theory of light would avoid a great deal of hard work, if they could do without having to confirm their deductions through experience.13 The theory of vibrations in ether tells us that in an anisotropic elastic environment, every plane wave gives rise to three types of vibrations parallel to the axes of the polarization ellipsoid. Experience confirms the existence of two of these types of vibrations, but the third cannot be found. No geometrician has ever entertained the thought of dominating experience with his theories. On the contrary, all have looked for ways to change the theory, in order to obtain exactly what experience provides. This is why the theory of light is still imperfect, and it would not be surprising if the time should come when the ether hypothesis were abandoned. But if this hypothesis is to survive in the world of science, it will only be by having all of its conclusions justified by experience. The right answer for those who condemn the new science a priori is to remark that such an objection could be levelled at any science. Even in mathematics, the doubt arises whether the three-dimensional space we know is the only one that exists! The principles of no science are true in an absolute way, and even if one wishes to argue about this matter, one must discuss it in general terms, but there is no reason specifically to target Political Economy. Value Object of a theory of value The real facts which we can observe are the sales of some commodities for which certain prices are paid. The object of a theory of value cannot consist in anything but explaining these facts, connecting them, and showing them as a consequence of one or a few principles. The empirical path is the one that would lead us to gather a great amount of data on the prices, to put them together, and to see if it is possible to infer any law from them. We agree that by using this method, which Mill calls chemical,14 it is not possible to achieve any truly rational law, although it is still always very useful to have such data and the empirical laws, which can be of assistance as a first step in the search for truth. The geometrical or abstract method15 does not care about those facts; it sets certain axioms on the nature of men and it infers how the phenomenon of value must follow. Not even through this path do we believe that it is possible to achieve the truth; on the contrary, we judge it more fallacious than the previous one. Considerations, I, May 1892 11
Date: 2015-12-24; view: 871
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