Reviewing the Essays of Frederic Bastiat: Government, The Law, and A Petition
Introduction of Frederic Bastiat
Frederic Bastiat during the year 1848 had endeavored to write according to changes that were being made in France of his day. France had just gone through a revolution and had set about setting up the new French republic. As an onlooker to the happenings in his country, Bastiat wrote many essays correcting the faults he thought his government was making. Most notable of these essays are Government, The Law, and A Petition.
Government
“I wish someone would offer a prize – not of a hundred francs, but of a million, with crowns, medals and ribbons – for a good, simple and intelligible definition of the word ‘Government.’” Is the challenge Frederic Bastiat initiated at the beginning of his essay Government on page 95. This was not all call to all the people in the world to send in their definitions of government, but a satirical entrance into France of 1848. According to Bastiat, France had become two entities: the French government and the French people. The French government was in malleable state, especially due to the prodding from the people of France. The French people wanted a government could provide and not take. Bastiat lists a series of quotes that replicate the many requests of the Government. These requests are very similar to what is wanted of the American government. It’s worth pointing out that humanity usually boils down to satisfaction without work, which Bastiat touches on. The people of France would then scream against any taxation. French Government then would be forced into a difficult situation. Without taxes, Government cannot respond to any of the requests. Therefore, the government cannot give without taking. This is Bastiat’s theme for this essay. This idea that government can give without resources is fictious, and Bastiat calls it that. People must work for their resources, or something similar to slavery results, where one person is forced to bear the work, giving others satisfaction. This is the dark evil behind this form of government. The only two options for a government are one that takes resources to answer these requests or one that doesn’t. Bastiat didn’t go into this concept, but I do believe it has merit to grow off his original idea. This form of government is basically a charity, with one missing piece. This charity does not earn its resources, and usually these resources are not willingly given. The value of this governmental charity is skewed because many of those providing it have not deemed this charity worth their work. Instead, their work is being forced to grant satisfaction to others. In a normal charity, the giver of resources has deemed that providing is worth the value that they have already worked. I would go as far to say that my definition of this government would be the required charity at the detriment of the willing, unwilling, and those who need the charity themselves.
The Law
Legal Plunder, the result of setting up the fictitious government of Bastiat’s first essay. In the beginning parts of the essay The Law, Frederic Bastiat describes that God has given every man the right to life, liberty, and property. In this does Bastiat seriously define government, which is an entity that protects the rights of each man under the nation. It is the government’s job to enlist law to supervise and protect each citizen’s rights, seeing that none are betrayed. However, under this government, law and morality would be parallel to each other. Law would be morally correct, and all morals would be defined under law. This leads to a dangerous misconception once perversion finds its way into law. Under a nation, it is natural to assume law is right, but law cannot always equate morality when coming into conflict with mankind’s other nature. This nature is to avoid pain. As discussed in Government, this results in the desire to acquire satisfaction by avoiding work since work or labor is the biggest form of pain. With this kind of mentality, law is endangered by being corrupted by two sides: greed and philanthropy. For a greedy corruptor, law is perverted to release their pain. Bastiat’s biggest example is slavery. One man is forced to work while another many gains the profits. A law that has allowed this has plundered (stolen from) the first man and given to the second. An atrocity protected by law, legal plunder. The second one is from a different state of mind. Based on Bastiat’s description, these plunderers see those of the country with little to no property, barely living. These people’s conditions only heighten when compared to the inequality of wealth of others of the country. The heartful plunderer seeks to protect the struggling people and petitions to have the wealth of those around them to be spread. Unfortunately, Bastiat states that this also results in plundering. One person’s work is being taken from them and given to someone who has not exerted the pain to gain that work. In both these situations, law is being used to harm the rights of individuals, which is Bastiat’s definition of legal plunder. Those who want to give must first earn. It is an interesting concept and a lesson I gleamed from Bastiat’s essays so far. It is understandable to see someone with so much and wish for them to give to people with so little. This is not innately wrong, and I believe that individuals should be encouraged to give. However, no one should be forced to give. When someone is forced to give against their will, it corrupts the giving process. The one that has been given too has no concept of the value that they have been given since they did not work for it. The giver commonly forms a resentment towards the receiver since the receiver is enjoying that which is, in the giver’s mind, still theirs. Finally, the one who has conducted the exchange has gained unearned power over resources they do not own. Giving is valuable, and one should not neglect a giving heart. However, one can only truly give when they understand the value of what they are given.
Frederic Bastiat readied an example, if not satirical, for the legal plunder that had accosted France at that time.
A Petition
In A Petition, Bastiat is speaking on behalf of the light industry of France. The oil, wick, wax, candle, lamp, and anything that can be involved in producing light is represented by Bastiat. This petition implores the French government to ban a mysterious foreign light competitor, similarly to how they have tariffed and banned foreign fruit (oranges) and minerals (coal). This mysterious competitor is the sun. In the essay, Bastiat reveals his satirical purpose, but he remains poised, to demonstrate the point he wants to make. He peruses through the many industries that will flourish under this new ban. The production of oil and poppies will increase, whaling will skyrocket, and livestock will be more abundant all due to the blocking of the sun. He begins to predict the objections of the French legislators, rebutting them claiming that the sun is like other foreign competitors. Lisbon oranges are sold at half the price of Paris oranges, however Bastiat points out that since the sun is stronger in that part of the world, half of the work is being done by the sun. His main point is made by pointing out that the customer carries the brunt of the expenses of this legislation. If French industries do not have foreign competitors, then French citizens have less options meaning they will have to pay more. Though he was satirical, Bastiat was trying to highlight the importance of competition. If France decided to shut off from foreign goods, the price of French goods would rise, French industries would stop being as entrepreneurial, and the customer would suffer.