Module 2 Essay: Law, Government & Petition
Blaze K. Munoz
Department of Entrepreneurship, Oklahoma State University
EEE – 2083 Entrepreneurship & Society
Professor Trost
February 6, 2023
Abstract
It blows my mind that in The Bastiat Collection, written in 1850, the author, Bastiat Frederic, talks about topics such as: law, government, and petition, which are all still hot topics in the year 2023. Almost 200 years apart and what the author talks about still applies to modern times. Within the 1,000-page novel, Bastiat Frederic goes into detail about three specific categories. The law pertaining man, God, and life. The definition of government and who it helps and hurts. And lastly, petition, pertaining to anything with artificial light.
The law
Laws of Life, Men, & Society
Bastiat Frederic starts off the law article by explaining the origin of “The Law”. The law was created by God, given to man. This gift given to mankind concerns the physical, intellectual and moral aspect of life. He later goes on to define and man by their “existence, faculties, assimilation – in other words, personality, liberty, property – this is a man” (Bastiat, 1850, p. 50). I would have to agree. There is not much more further in a man than his personality, freedom, and his possessions. Most may think that the laws came first before everything else; however, liberty and property came first and the law was created by man. When I read that, it is a dead giveaway that not all laws are ethically/morally correct, because no man is perfect. Frederic defines law as a collective organization of the individual right to lawful defense. Now I am no genius, but it sounds like it is implying that we as humans have to defend ourselves due to a law, which was created by man. I do not know about you but sounds ironic to me. Nevertheless, man has been given his right to defend him, his freedom and property. I believe this is where our earthly love for materialistic things came into play. We identify as our properties because we defend them by law. Frederic (1850, p. 52) goes on to say that a man’s only enjoyment and purpose in life is in search of objects, which is where the origin of property derived from. Further along in this article, the author touches on the topic of plunder. The origin of plunder is the origin of property but of someone else’s property. Taking a fellow man’s property and seizing it is the origin of plunder. Over time, personal independence was a result form slavery, liberty by oppression and property by plunder. Which we all saw coming from a mile away. Once a man has everything for them, they must take others so help satisfy their hunger. This is only natural. Men rise against the injustice.
The Government
The Truth
The truth is there is no true definition of the word “government”. After reading this section of the Bastiat Collection, I gathered that the Government is a group of people who take and give. More so take, rather than give. Everyone has their own beliefs about the Government. It is corrupt, its money hungry people running the world, they keep us safe, they are here to help etc., no matter what people think, the government will never please everyone at once. When there are two sides to anything, it makes it hard to satisfy both parties. Due to this, the government is overturned by the people. I agree with Bastiat Frederic when he stated “I will venture to say that I fear we are in the respect the dupes of one of the strangest illusions that have ever taken possession of the human mind” (Bastiat, 1850, p. 98). Why I agree is because the government will never be 100% for the people and the people will never be 100% for the government. In addition, the government are just people who put “laws” in place to keep their status above everyone else. In other words, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Coincidentally, this goes hand in hand with plunder. Plunder comes in the form of wars, taxes, frauds, restrictions etc. created by the government. They give you this false hope that the wars are for our freedom, the taxes for education, restrictions for our safety, when in reality it is their form of plunder. This is why I wish the government never existed. It was the origin of separation. Separation of humans. Due to this separation, no one wants to be in the wrong. “It is the original inclination that exists in all men to divide the lot of life into two parts, throwing the trouble upon others, and keeping the satisfaction for themselves” (Bastiat, 1850, p. 98).
Petition of the manufacturers
Economy
Throughout this section of the collection, the author goes into detail about his current economy and the conflict between natural and artificial light. During this time period, almost every substance had some effect on light. Oxen, sheep, oil, manure, wale fat, coal, iron, and obviously including the sun. Bastiat seeks to ban all natural light; however, it is impossible to ban the sun from shining. Frederic goes on to structure a petition which illustrates the absurdity of a national government blocking or taxing the importations of foreign goods in order to protect domestic industry from unfair foreign competition. “Remember that hitherto you have always repelled foreign products, because they approximate more nearly than home products the character of gratuitous gifts. To comply with the exactions of other monopolists, you have only half a motive… in other words, it would be to heap absurdity upon absurdity” (Bastiat, 1850, p.230). I would have to agree with his stance. I find it absurd as well to reject foreign goods because they are foreign. Can you imagine if this was the case in today’s time? Especially since I feel like most of our materials and production comes from other countries. We have materials that could help benefit other countries and vis versa. There is no point in gatekeeping because helping others will only have positive results.
Reference Page
Bastiat, Claude Frederic. “THE BASTIAT COLLECTION.” The Bastiat Collection, 1850.
Hey @bkm, I think your blog provided a thorough overview of some of the different sections in "The Bastiat Collection". I really enjoyed that you highlighted the author's ideas on law, government, and petition and provides their own insights and opinions on the topics. I also think you accurately summarized Bastiat's thoughts on the origin of law, the definition of man and property, and the role of government as a group of people who take and give.
The language you used in the review is clear and concise, making it easy to follow Bastiat’s thought process. Your blog provides a good balance of summarizing Bastiat's ideas and your own thoughts, giving me a well-rounded understanding of the book. You also cite specific page numbers from the book to support their claims, adding credibility to their review, I appreciate it. One thing I have to disagree with is your stance on government, I, like you, don’t trust the government all too much. However, I will say we need to hope that we are not getting screwed as much as we may think. The government provides much more than we think and I would just like to believe that we aren’t being led astray.“In addition, the government are just people who put “laws” in place to keep their status above everyone else. In other words, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”You & Bastiat agree that government is a source of illusion, with its actions and decisions often serving to benefit the ruling class rather than the general public. You also mention the concept of plunder, referring to the ways in which the government enacts wars, taxes, and restrictions that often harm the common people rather than help them. I’d like to be able to trust the captain of this ol ship so that we all don’t sink but I can understand your mistrust. This is an odd stance to take and I can’t quite figure out why I feel this way. The only explanation is I’ve got faith, that if I put faith into the world, it’ll come back to me.
Overall, this is a well written and insightful essay that provides a good understanding of the content of "The Bastiat Collection". You did a great job of summarizing Bastiat's ideas and providing your own thoughts and opinions, making the review informative and engaging.
I agree that this is a frivolous example of a government's overreach in restricting the importation of goods and services in a domestic economy. To increase costs to the consumer solely to allow a business to profit more with less competition clearly indicates a government's desire to protect the interests of an industry, rather than the interests of its citizens as a whole. I think Bastiat clearly showed the ridiculous nature of the government's ideology at the time through this petition.
I agree with your thoughts in this section: Bastiat, throughout his writings, expressed discontent with the government's predilection for supporting the upper class and corporations, rather than the working class that keeps any country functioning. This is not a sustainable model, because eventually, as you mentioned above, the working class will rise up and revolt against a government that does not have their interests in mind.
I may have misunderstood Bastiat at this point, but I do disagree with your statement. I believe that Bastiat was saying that the law serves a purpose wherein it protects one's own properties and possessions from the plunder of another citizen, but that purpose disappears when the cost of protection is a 'legal plunder' committed by the government itself. When the law exists only to protect each individuals possessions, it is a 'good' law, but when the law continues to exact a tax, restriction, or other form of 'plunder' from the individual, it has extended too far.