The Subject and Method of the Social Economy of Stanisław Grabski

Stanisław Duda

The Subject and Method of the Social

Economy of Stanisław Grabski

Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska. Sectio H, Oeconomia 18,

221-232

A N N A L E S

U N I V E R S I T A T I S M A R I A E C U R I E - S K L O D O W S K A

L U B L I N — P O L O N I A

VOL. X V III, 12 SECTIO H 1984

K a te d r a E k o n o m ii P o lity c z n e j W y d z ia ł E k o n o m ic z n y U M C S

S t a n i s ł a w D U D A

The Subject and the M ethod of the Social Econom y of S tanisław Grabski P rzedm iot i m etoda ekonom ii społecznej S tan isław a G rabskiego

П редмет и метод общ ественной экономии Станислава Грабского

Th e g ain in g of in d e p e n d e n c e b y th e P o lish n a tio n p u t in fr o n t of th e P o lish science, b u t fir s t of all in fro n t of a ll social sciences, new task s. It w as n e c e ssa ry to w o rk o u t f irs t of all th e co n crete and re a listic d irec tio n s of th e d e v e lo p m e n t an d m ak e a choice of th e m o st s u ita b le social-econom ic m odel of th e re b o rn sta te .

T h ese v e ry prob lem s, con n ected w ith th e co n c rete ta sk s of th e p re ­ s e n t m o m e n t an d n o t w ith p u re ly th e o re tic a l co n sid eratio n s, fo rm the basic c o n te n t of rich publicism , n u m e ro u s p ro g ra m m e d esc rip tio n s, po­ lem ics and c o n tro v e rsie s in th e P o lish econom ic th o u g h t of th e tw e n ty y e a r s ’ p erio d b e tw e e n th e w ars. In th is p erio d esp ecially n o te w o rth y a re th e o p in io ns of S ta n is ła w G ra b sk i w ho, b ein g th e e m in e n t th e o re ti­ cian v e ry a c tiv e ly en g ag ed in social-econom ic an d p o litica l re alm , develo ps th e in d e p e n d e n t s ta n d p o in t in th e th e o ry of econom y.

S ta n is ła w G ra b sk i (1871— 1949) is w id ely k n o w n as a p erso n a c tiv e ly en g a g ed in p o litica l w o rk w ho u d e r w e n t sig n ifican t evo lu tion fro m socia­ lism to n a tio n a l d em ocracy. H av in g re sig n e d fro m P P S in 1901 h e b o un d h im self fo r m a n y y e a rs w ith N a tio n al D em o cratic P a r ty in th e n a m e of w h ic h h e h e ld n u m e ro u s fu n c tio n s in th e P a rlia m e n t an d in th e G o v e rn ­ m e n t in th e p e rio d of th e Iln d R ep ublic. A fte r th e M ay assa ssin a tio n on Jó z e f P iłsu d sk i in 1926 S ta n isła w G ra b sk i did n o t ta k e p a r t a c tiv e ly in p o litic a l life). In 1934 h e b ro k e u p w ith th e n a tio n a l cam p. T ill th e

222

en d of his life h e a c te d as an in d e p e n d e n t p o liticia n *. T h ro u g h o u t all his life S ta n is la w G ra b sk i co n d u c te d ac tiv e scien tific w ork. In 1910— 1939 h e w as th e P ro fe ss o r a t th e U n iv e rs ity of J a n K azim ie rz in L w ow , an d , a f te r th e Iln d .W o rld W a r (a fe r com ing b ac k fro m L o n d o n in 1945) h e w as th e P ro fe s s o r of social sy ste m s a t th e W a rsaw U n iv e rsity . T he w o rk s of S ta n is la w G ra b sk i, b asic fo r th e th e o re tic a l s ta n d p o in t in eco­ nom y, w e re c re a te d a t th e b e g in n in g an d in th e f ir s t d ec ad e of th e X X th c e n tu ry . T h ey w e re c o n c e rn e d w ith v a rio u s p ro b lem s of th e th e o ry of econom y.

S ta n is la w G ra b s k i’s c o n trib u tio n to th e m eth eo lo g ical-co g n itiv e th e o ­ r y of p o litic a l ec onom y is th e m o st s ig n ific a n t one. T h e o u tlin e d th e re th e o ry of th e socialeco n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t is w o rth n o ticin g . H e also d sv e lo p e d th e in d iv id u a l th e o ry of v a lu e s try in g to jo in th e h isto rical a n a ly sis w ith th e e le m e n ts of su b je c tiv e re aso n in g . A l l ‘th e se h isto rical tre n d s fin d la te r th e ir d e v e lo p m e n t an d s y ste m a tiz a tio n in Social E co­

n o m y p u b lish e d in th e y e a rs 1927— 1932.2

In h is th e o re tic a l tre a tis e s S ta n is la w G ra b sk i d ev elo p ed th e socio­ logical v a r ia n t of th e h isto ric a l tr e n d .3 O n th e h is to ric a l sco re he aim ed m a in ly to w a rd s th e sociological a n d p sy ch o lo g ical fo rm u la tio n of th e a ssu m p tio n s of th e h isto ric a l school. He v ig o ro u sly p o lem ized w ith th e

1 M ore d efin ite in form ation about the life and a c tiv itie s of S ta n isła w G rabski m ay be found in th e Polish B iographical D ic tio n a ry (P ols ki S ł o w n i k Biograficzny). F urtherm ore: M. K o r n a u s : S t a n i s l a w G r a b s k i {1871— 1949). „T ygodnik P o­ w sz e c h n y ” 1949, nr 28; J. C z a j k o w s k i , M. M a j c h r o w s k i : S ta n i s ł a w G r a b ­

ski. „T ygodnik P o w sz e c h n y ” 1973, nr 50; In terestin g in form ation about the life of

S ta n isła w G rabski are con tain ed in his biography w r itte n by S. G r a b s k a :

S ta n i s l x w G r a b s k i ( 7 I V 1871 — 6 V 1949). „W ięź” 1968, nr 10 (together w ith the

u nprinted fragm en t of S ta n isła w G rab sk i’s diary).

2 T hese w ork b ein g G rabski’s lifew o rk co n sists of ten v o lu m es w h ich w ere p u ­ b lish ed b y O ssolin eu m in L w ów : Vol. I. Sociological Basis of E co n o m y (Socjolo­

gic zne p o d s t a w y e kon om ii). L w ów 1927; Vol. II. The D e v e l o p m e n t of Social Econ o­ m y (R o z w ó j n au ki e k o n o m i i społecznej) . L w ó w 1927; Vol. III. Basic S ocia l Econom ic N otions {Zasadnicze p o ję c i a społeczn o -g o s p o d a rcze). L w ó w 19^7; V ol. IV. The Etate and th e C oncern (G o s p o d a r s tw o i p r z e d s ię b i o r s t w o ) . L w ó w 1927; V ol. V. The M a r ­ k e t (Rynek): L w ów 1927; Vol. VI. The C apital (Kapitał). L w ó w 1928; Vol. VII. The W o r k e r ’s R e la tio n sh ip s (S to s u n k i robotn icze). L w ów 1928; V ol. VIII. The Social Eco­ nom ic S y s t e m s (U s tr o je s p o łe c zn o -g o s p o d a rc ze ). L w ów 1929; Vol. IX. The C o n t e m ­ p o r a r y C a p it a li s m (W s p ó łc z e s n y k a p it a li z m ). L w ów 1930; Vol. X. The D e v e lo p m e n t A i m s of the C o n t e m p o r a r y C a p it a li s m (Dążenia r o z w o j o w e w s p ó łc z e s n e g o k a p i t a ­ lizmu). L w ów 1932.

3 F. T aylor con sid ers G rabski a.s ’’th e .m o s t ty p ic a l” rep resen ta tiv e of h istorical sociologism , E. T a y l o r : The H i s t o r y of th e D e v e l o p m e n t of Econom ics, Vol. II,

'The S u bject and the M ethod of the S o cia l Econom y ... 2 2 3

in d iv id u a lism of th e A u stria n school, he co n sid ered in d iv id u a l m eth o d s as th e d e riv a tiv e s of social m otives. Grabski- saw in econom y th e sp eci­ fic sociology of econom ic life.

1. THE SOCIOLOGICAL ASPEC TS OF ECONOMY

’’Social econom y is th e science a b o u t econom ic co m m u n ity life ” 4 in th is w a y S ta n isła w G ra b sk i begins his w ork. He e x p la in s c a su a lly th e fo rm a tio n an d th e d e v e lo p m e n t of th e to ta lity of social n o rm s, it m ean s o rg a n iz a tio n a l fo rm s an d n otions re g u la tin g econom ic a c tiv ity an d eco­ nom ic co m m u n ity life.

So w id e ly conceived d e fin itio n re su lts fro m th e con victio n th al ’’science of social econom y is a p a r t of social sciences. A n d a lto g e th e r w ith all th e re sp e c tiv e social sciences it sh o u ld be based on th e re s u lts of th e ex a m in a tio n s of th e to ta lity of social life i.e. sociology o r social p h ilo so p h y .” 5

E ac h econom ic re la tio n b e tw e e n people is a t th e sam e tim e legal, m o ral, political, an d n a tio n a l, th e y ca n n o t be iso lated fro m one a n o th e r T his k in d of p ro c e d u re w o u ld be u n re a listic an d a rtific ia l an d th e re fo re econom y h as sociological c h a ra c te r. A ll th e p h en o m en a of social life are closely co n n e cted w ith one a n o th e r an d th e y fo rm only v ario u s asp ects of social co m m u n itie s an d n o t se p a ra te realm s, se p a ra te sp h eres of th is social cooperatio n.

T h e social c o m m u n ity life ex ists o n ly in peo ple m u ltitu d e s . Such a m u ltitu d e coexists socially only w h e n it is jo in ed by ’’com m on goals, aim s, com m on a c tiv itie s.” 6

T h ese p h e n o m e n a e x ist only w h e n a h u m a n b eing feels, th in k s and acts as a p a r t of c e rta in co m m u n ity . G ra b sk i p ro v es th a t a h u m a n being, h o w e v er, a lth o u g h he feels, th in k s an d acts as a p a r t of c e rta in com m on e n tir e ty he does n o t feel a t th e sam e tim e an in d iv id u a l d iffe re n t from o th e r people. So a h u m a n bein g is a t th e sam e tim e an in d iv id u a l h a ­ v in g a fe e lin g of his in d iv id u a lity an d a p a r t of th e co m m u n ity w hose aim s a n d ta sk s d ire c t his a c tiv ities. A h u m a n b ein g lives a t th e sam e tim e h is p riv a te life an d th e life of th e com m u n ity .

G ra b sk i co n sid ered th e so ciety a n d th e n a tio n as a h isto ric a l fo rm a ­ tio n sh a p e d b y com m on h isto ry . A ll th e in d iv id u a l goals an d aim s m u s t be su b je c te d to it. A ssu m in g th a t e v e ry c o m m u n ity of liv in g in d iv id u a l is fo rm e d in o rd e r to m a in ta in species he su g g ests th a t th e sy stem of

4 S. G rabski: The Socia l E co n o m y (Ekonom ia społeczna). Vol. I, L w ów l927', p. 1. 5 Ibid., p. 13.

£24 S. D uda

n o tio n s c re a tin g th e co n c ep tio n of th e s u p e rio rity of co m m u n ity o v er an in d iv id u a l an d com m on goals o v e r in d iv id u a l ones is c re a te d in th e m in d of e v e ry h u m a n bein g. T h e m o ra l n o tio n s w h ic h b ecom e th e com ­ p u lso ry fo rm s of c o m m u n ity life ” . . . th e fo rm s ex istin g in th e conscious­ ness of an in d iv id u a l b u t being p u rp o s e fu l b ecause of th e p e rm a n e n c e o f th e e x iste n c e of co llec tiv e c o m m u n itie s ” a r e c re a te d in su ch a cli­ m a te .7

S u ch a sta n d p o in t p ro m p te d G ra b sk i to aim a t econom ic stu d ies th e p o s tu la te of an a ly sin g th e social goals; it m e a n s e x a m in in g an d e x p la i­ n in g th e re a so n s of o b je c tiv e ly c re a tin g p u rp o s e fu l fo rm s of social eco­ n o m ic co o p eratio n . T he fu lfillin g of th e d e m a n d s an d d esire s of an in d i­ v id u a l an d th e w h o le so ciety ta k e s place w ith in su ch fo rm s.

In G ra b s k i’s n o tio n th e social a c tiv ity m e a n s th e p la n n e d a c tiv ity aim in g a t th e a c h ie v in g th e p o ssib ly g re a te s t effec ts b y m ean s of th e slig h te st effo rt. T h e p u rp o s e of th is a c tiv ity is p ro v id in g p eop le w ith m a te ria l m ean s in o rd e r to s u p p ly th e m w ith v ario u s, n o t o n ly m a te ria l m ean s. He e sp e c ia lly s tre s se s th a t th e a im of th e econom ic a c tiv ity is ”n o t p ro v id in g peop le fo r m a te r ia l n e e d s ” b u t ’’s u p p ly in g w ith m a te ­ ria l m ean s fo r p ro v id in g n e e d s.” 8 T his a c tiv ity p ro v id es th e m ean s fo r th e re a liz a tio n of th e aim s re s u ltin g fro m th e to ta lity of th e social— c u l­ tu r a l life of people.

G ra b sk i w a n ts to ta k e in to c o n sid e ra tio n also th e sociological asp ects a p a r t fro m th e p ra x io lo g ic a l ones. T he m a in aim w hich, in his u d e rs ta n - ding, sh o u ld be ac co m p lish e d by social eco no m y w o u ld be a n a ly z in g of th e d e v e lo p m e n t of o b je c tiv e ly co n d itio n ed fo rm s of econom ic co o p e ra­ tio n b e tw e e n p eo p le of a g iv en c o m m u n ity in th e s p h e re of s u p p ly in g o n ese lf w ith m a te r ia l m e a n s b ein g in lim ite d q u a n tity a n d se rv in g to p ro v id e fo r v a rio u s needs. ’’T he science of social econom y h as, th u s, th e aim to in v e s tig a te a n d e x p la in c a su a lly th e c re a tio n a n d th e d e v e lo p m e n t as w ell as th e m u tu a l co n n e ctio n s of o b je c tiv e ly p u rp o s e fu l fo rm s of eco­ n o m ic co o p e ratio n fo rm in g one o rg a n iz a tio n a l social sy s te m su p p ly in g in d iv id u a ls a n d c o m m u n itie s w ith th e m e a n s of p ro v id in g fo r th e ir civ i­ lizatio n n e e d s .” 9

S pecial in te re s ts of G ra b s k i a re in c ite d b y in s titu tio n a l fra m e s of eco­ n o m ic life. E conom ic re la tio n s a re c re a te d u n d e r th e in flu e n c e of aim s an d goals a m o n g w h ic h s triv in g fo r rich e s is th e s tro n g e s t one.

P o in tin g th a t econom y in v e s tig a te s c o m m u n ity life in econom ic asp e cts G ra b s k i stre sse s th a t th is life h a s also o th e r m u tu a lly co n n ected sides, n a m e ly m o ra l an d le g a l ones. E conom ic a c tiv ity in its fo rm is

7 Ibid., p. 32. 8 Ibid., p. 35.

'The S ubject and the M ethod of th e S o cia l E conom y _{2 2 5}

jo in t in se p e ra b ly w ith th e to ta lity of h u m a n .re la tio n sh ip s, w ith th e w ho le leg al, m o ral an d e th n ic a l o rg a n iz a tio n of so ciety .10 E x p re ssin g th u s in its fo rm p la n n e d p ro c e d u re aim in g a t achieving possibly g re a te s t re s u lt by m ean s of th e slig h te s t e ffo rt sociological fo rm tak es econom ic form .

In his conclusion G ra b sk i d e m an d s social econom y to fa v o u r f irs t of all o rg a n iz a tio n a l sy ste m of h isto ric a lly co n ditio ned p u rp o s e fu l fo rm s w h ic h h av e th e aim to p ro v id e in d iv id u a ls as w ell as co m m u n itie s w ith m a te r ia l m ean s se rv in g civilizatio n. ’’T he aim of so cial-eco no m ic life is p ro v id in g its e lf w ith m a te ria l m ean s of o u r civilizatio n life: m oral, e th n ic a l, an d le g a l”. 11

2. THE POSITIO N OF G R A BSK I IN RESPECT TO THE PROBLEM S OF D ISPU TE ABO UT METHOD

T he th e o re tic a l w o rk s of S ta n isla w G rab sk i, c re a te d a t th e b eg in n in g of th e X X th c e n tu r y an d c o n s titu tin g th e sig n ific a n t c o n trib u tio n to th e econom ic science h av e th e c h a ra c te ristic s of th e ir perio d. G ra b s k i’s th o u g h t w as c re a te d and it d ev elo p ed itse lf u n d e r th e in flu e n c e of th re e m a in tre n d s of th e E u ro p e an econom ic th o u g h t a t th e tu r n of th e X lX th c e n tu ry : th e s u b je c tiv e econom ics h isto rical a n d socialistic tre n d . The d is tin c t re v isio n istic tre n d d ev elo p ed itse lf on th e te r r ito r y of G e rm a n y a n d A u stria . A ll th ese tre n d s le ft th e ir tr a its in th e opinions of th e y o u n g a t th a t tim e w r ite r w ho, s tu d y in g in B e rlin an d n e x t in P a ris an d S w itz e rla n d , w as b o u n d w ith socialistic m o v em en t. The y o u n g e r G e rm a n h isto ric a l school an d co n d u cted b y it w ith th e A u s tria n school ’’d isp u te a b o u t m e th o d ” h a d th e g re a te s t in flu en c e on th e th e o re tic a l p o sitio n of G rab sk i.

C lassical econo m y as w e ll as th e su b je c tiv e one w e re of op inion th a t c e rta in o b jectiv e econom ic law s of g e n e ra l v a lid ity g ov ern th e econom ic sy stem . T he h is to ric a l school w as stro n g ly a g a in st th is opinion. T h e r e ­ p re s e n ta tiv e s of th is school th o u g h t th a t su ch law s do n o t ex ist b ecau se o th e r specific, n a tio n a l law s g o v ern th e d ev e lo p m e n t of each c o u n try . T he ta sk of econ om y is th u s s e a rc h in g fo r th e se specific, n a tio n a l law s of social econom ic d ev e lo p m e n t. Econom ic law s, p o s tu la te d h is to ria n s

-10 L. G uzicki and S. Ż uraw icki w rite that in the handling of the subject of eco ­ nom y G rabski is close not on ly to Sp an n but also to V eb len or S ch a fle (L. G u- z i c k i , S. Ż u r a w i c k i : The H isto ry of the Polish Social-E conom ic T hought

1914— 1945. (H istoria p o ls k ie j m y ś l i sp o ł e c z n o -e k o n o m ic z n e j 1914— 1945). W arszaw a

1974, p. 13).

11 S. Grabski: The Social E conom y. V ol. III, p. 15.

2â6

-eco n o m ists, s h o u ld be co n sid ered v e ry co n c re te ly , in co n n ectio n w ith d e fin e d co n d itio n ed of tim e an d place. T h ese law s are alw a y s re la tiv e , n e v e r ab so lu te. O n ly the' law s of n a tu r e a re a b so lu te b u t th e law s of th e d ev e lo p m e n t of societies c a n n o t be tr e a te d as ’’th e law s of n a t u r e ” b e ­ cause th e re a re no g e n e ra l re g u la ritie s in a h u m a n society. P o litical econo m y c a n n o t be, th u s, tre a te d as th e o re tic a l science b u t th e h is to ri­ cal one.

C o n sid e rin g th e m a tte r g e n e ra lly th e re p re s e n ta tiv e s of h isto ricism b la m e d th e o re tic a l eco n o m y fo r excessiv e d e v e lo p m e n t of a b s tra c t a n a ­ ly sis a n d c o n d u c tin g it by d e d u c tiv e m eth o d . T h e y opposed v u lg a r em p i- rism , th e d e s c rip tio n jo in e d w ith e le m e n ts of classificatio n , an d th e m e th o d of in d u c tio n to v u lg a r efn pirism . 12

T h e basic d iv e rg e n c e b e tw e e n m e th eo lo g ical p o s tu la te s of th e A u s tria n school (p sychological) an d th e y o u n g e r h is to ric a l school led to th e a lre a d y m e n tio n e d ’’d isp u te a b o u t m e th o d ” , s ta rte d in 1873— 1884. T he le a d in g r e p re s e n ta tiv e s of b o th schools: K. M en g er an d G. S c h m o lle r w e re th e p a r tn e r s in th is d isp u te . T h e d is p u te c o n c ern e d th e essence

of p o litic a l ec onom y as scien ce a n d th e basic a ssu m p tio n s of

th e in v e s tig a tiv e m eth o d . K. M en g er d efen d s th e th e o re tic a l, a b s tra c t an d d e d u c tiv e c h a ra c te r of econom y. H e th in k s th a t th e ta sk of science is fo rm u la tin g g e n e ra l law s w h ic h can be u se d to all th e econom ic sy stem s. T he s ta r tin g p o in t of th e o re tic a l eco no m y are p sy ch ic c h a ra c te ­ ristic s of an in d iv id u a l as a co n su m er. T h ese c h a ra c te ris tic s h av e com ­ m on an d tim e le ss v alu e.

G. S ch m o lle r gives ev id en ce of th e w e ak p o in ts of su ch a concep tion of p o litica l econom y. H e p o in ts to th e h is to ric a l c h a n g e a b ility of econo­ m ic life an d econom ic law s. C o n tra ry to th e e x tre m e in d iv id u a lism of th e A u s tria n school h e stre s se s th e im p o rta n c e of th e social p o in t of v iew u p o n th e econom ic p h e n o m e n a an d processes.

F o rm u la tin g th e se v a lid c ritic a l re m a rk s S c h m o lle r cou ld n o t, h o w e­ v e r, p re s e n t th e r ig h t p o in t of view . T h e n e g a tio n of th e p re s e n te d M en ­ g e r w a y of u d e r s ta n d in g of econom ic law s w as le a d in g S c h m o lle r to th e n e g a tio n of th e p o ssib ility of fo rm u la tin g g e n e ra l law s g o v e rn in g econo­ m y. T h e p o s tu la te of ta k in g in to c o n sid e ra tio n th e h is to ric a l c h a n g e a b ili­ ty of econom ic p h e n o m e n a w as e x p re ss e d in v u lg a r e m p irism — th e d e sc rip tio n of h is to ry of econom ic life. A p a rt fro m th a t aim in g fo r t r e a ­ tin g ec onom y as one of th e e le m e n ts of social life led to th e loss of essen

-12 T he dispute about the p rev a len ce of in d u ction or deduction is, as it is know n, aim less. In the sc ie n tific reason in g the both w ays are n ecessary to cognizancp. O. L a n g e : The P olitical E con om y, Vol. I (Ekonom ia p o lity c z n a , t. I). W arszaw a 1967, p. 179.

The S u bject and the M ethod of the S o cia l E conom y 227

tia l c h a ra c te ristic s of econom ic re la tio n s an d d e le tin g th e d e m a rc a tio n lin e b e tw e e n econom y an d o th e r social scien ces.13

T his d isp u te a b o u t m e th o d la ste d fo r q u ite a long tim e n o t passing» g e n e ra lly , o v er G e rm a n y because th e in flu en c es of th e h isto ric a l school w e re sm aller. A fte r som e tim e th e d isp u te w e ak en e d becau se S ch m o lle r p a r tly ch a n g ed his view . H e p a r tly accep ted th e n o m eth ical c h a ra c te r of econom y n o t re sig n in g a t th e sam e tim e fro m b ro a d ly d ev elo p ed h isto ric a l m e th o d .14

G ra b sk i is of th e opinion th a t th e h isto ric a l in v e stig a tio n s of th e social-econom ic p h e n o m e n a do n o t ex clu d e p recise an alisis of th e ir g en e­ ra l essence or th e ir m u tu a l re la tio n sh ip and its in h e re n t re g u la rity . T he h isto ric a l tre n d , lim ite d to th e d esc rip tio n , classificatio n, and c o m p a ra ­ tiv e an a ly sis of p h e n o m e n a can n o t, s im ila rly to p o sitiv ism in p h ilo ­ sophy, give th e m eth o d in th e p re cise m ean in g of th is w o rd i.e. th e th e o ry of le a rn in g th e p h en o m en a , th e e x p la in in g th e n e c e ssity of th e ir ex isten c e in a given fo rm . The w o rk s of th is tre n d i.e. collectin g an d a c ritic a l s tu d y of th e 'fa c tu a l m a te ria l are, of course, u s e fu l an d n e c essa­ ry fo r f u th e r d e v e lo p m e n t of econom y.

O n th e o th e r h a n d th e fa u lt of th e ’’p recise school” is, in th e opi­ n io n of G ra b sk i, fre e cofining of th e sp h eres of its in v e stig a tio n s. It an a ly se s th e p h en o m en a ty p ic a l fo r a given p erio d of econom ic d ev e­ lo p m en t, w ith o u t' th e co nnection w ith th e ir h isto ric a l ev olutio n. It tre a ts an econom ic e n tity as au to n o m ical, liv in g o u tsid e so ciety an d e n te rin g o n ly o ccasion ally an d a t its ow n d esc retio n th e c o n ta c t w ith o th e r a u to n o m ical e n titie s .15

T he d istin c tiv e n e ss of th e m ethod olog ical po sitio n of G ra b sk i is seen on th is b ac k g ro u n d . He opposes ’’th e n aive re a lism ” of th e h isto ric a l school w hich, d ea lin g o nly w ith q u a n ta tiv e re la tio n s of goods an d serv ice b e tw e e n each o th e r, m ade d ire c tly th e c o n te n t of n otions, i.e. c h a ra c te ri­ stics a ttr ib u te d to econom ic goods, th e su b je c t of its in v e stig a tio n s an d tre a te d th e m as objective, ex istin g in d e p e n d e n tly of h u m a n consciousness fa c ts of th e o u tsid e w orld . T he sense of th e m o tto th a t econom ic law s

13 The sy n th etica l inform ation about the dispute about m ethod can be found in: J. G ó r s k i , W. S i e r p i ń s k i The H i s t o r y of th e U n ivers a l Economic Thought

1970— 1950 (H istoria p o w s z e c h n e j m y ś li e k o n o m ic z n e j 1870— 1950). W arszaw a 187*2,

p. 123— 124.

14 S. G r a b s k i : Z ur E rk en n tn isleh re der v o lk s w i r t s c h a f t li c h e n Erscheinun­

gen. L ipsk 1900. This paper is cited by G. Sch m oller [in:] G rundis s d e r allg e m e in e n V o lk s w i r ts c h a f ts le h r e Vol. II, Lipsk 1904, p. 193. S ch m oller’s w ork m akes the

sy n th esis of the output of the younger h istorical school and it is g en era lly co n sid ­ ered as the peak of a ch iev em en ts of the Germain historism ; ( T a y l o r , The H is t o ­

ry..., Historia..., p. 23).

15 S. G r a b s k i : Z u r Erkenntnislehre..., p. 103.

2 2 8 S. D uda

sh o u ld act a t th e ir ow n lies in th is co nception because th e y a re th e co n sequence of th e e te r n a l o rd e r of th e w orld. It w as n e a r h ence to th e n e g a tio n of th e re a l m e a n in g of tim e a n d place con dition s. T he h isto ric a l school, as th e re a c tio n a g a in s t su ch ’’a b so lu tis m ” , stre sse s th e d ire c t d ep e n d e n c e of econom ic p h e n o m e n a u p o n co n d itio n s of place an d tim e th e co n se q u en ce of w h ic h is th e ir ch a n g in g c h a ra c te r w h ic h co n d itio n s re la tiv e im p o rta n c e of econom ic law s. T h e c ritiq u e of th is school d e p e n ­ ded, h o w e v e r, o n ly on th e h is to ric a l in v e s tig a tio n of fin a l con clu sion s of classical econom y. It d id n o t consist, as G ra b sk i stre sse s, of ep isto - m o gical fo rm u la tin g of th e re la tio n of social econom ic p h e n o m e n a to th e in d iv id u a l as a s u b j e c t .16.

3. T H E T H E O R E T IC A L C H A R A C T E R O F S O C IA L E C O N O M Y

G ra b sk i did n o t tr e a t th e p ro b lem s of th e m e th e o lo g y of social eco­ n o m y as a r t fo r a r t ’s sa k e b u t w as co n v in ced th a t a m e th o d an d a th e o ry of le a r n in g ec ono m y u n d e rg o e v o lu tio n d e p e n d in g of fa c tu a l ch a n g es of th e p ro b le m s of eco n o m y .17 R eal life se t f o r th th e p ro b lem of th e to ta lity of a social e sta te . T ra d itio n a lly it w as d e fin e d in th e h isto ric a l as ’’th e e n tir e ty of in d iv id u a l a n d c o rp o ra tio n a l e sta te s e x i­ stin g in th e s ta te in th e m u tu a l h ie ra rc h a l r e la tio n ” .18

S ta n is ła w G ra b s k i stre s s e s th a t s y n th e tic a l n o tio n of social e s ta te c a n n o t be c re a te d of e q u ip o n d e ra n t a n d a rb o re a l in d iv id u a l estate s. O b ser­ ved s e p a ra te ly as w e ll as am o n g o th e rs in d iv id u a l e sta te s re v e a l alw ay s o n ly a m an ag in g m a n as a r e p re s e n ta tiv e of in d iv id u a l n ee d s an d aim s. T h e social c h a ra c te r of th e social e s ta te p o in ts o u t to th e fa c t th a t it is n o t th e e x te n d e d or co m p lex in d iv id u a l e sta te , it is n o t th e o rg an ized a c tiv ity b u t th e o rg a n iz a tio n of re la tio n s b e tw e e n p eo p le d ev elo p ed in th e process of m an ag in g . It is th u s n o t o n ly th e p ro d u c t of econom ic a c tiv ity b u t th e assu m p tio n , th e co n d itio n of th is a c tiv ity . A s a re s u lt S ta n is ła w G ra b s k i d efin e s th e social e s ta te as a to ta lity of p ro p e r, m u tu a lly co n d itio n e d re la tio n s of id e n tity , c o o rd in a tio n a n d su b o rd in a ­ tio n of peo ple a n d th e ir g rou ps. T hese re la tio n s a re of p sy ch ic n a tu r e an d th e y e x ist b e tw e e n in d iv id u a ls in co n n e ctio n w ith th e ir e stim a tio n

16 A b o u t th e G r a b s k i’s s ta n d p o in t lo o k on also: M . St. K a r p i ń s k i : The N e w F o rm of th e D isp u te a b o u t th e M eth o d of Econom ics (N o w a postać sporu o m e t o d ę ek onom iki). L w ó w 1937, a n d b y th e s a m e a u th o r: The H istoric al R u d i ­ m e n t s of th e S y s t e m of th e S ocia l E c o n o m y b y prof. S ta n i s ł a w G r a b sk i (H isto­ ry c z n e p o d s t a w y s y s t e m u e k o n o m i i społecznej) , „P rzegląd p r a w a i a d m i n i s t r a c j i ”,

R. 62, L w ó w 1937.

17 S. G r a b s k i : The Essen ce of th e Valu e as th e Socia l-E conom ic P h e n o m e ­ non (Istota w a r to ś c i ja k o z j a w i s k a sp o łeczn o -g o s p o d a rczeg o ). K r a k ó w 1904, p. 37.

The S u bject and the M ethod of the S ocial Econom y _{2 2 9}

of econom ic goods as m a te ria l m ean s of fu lfillin g g e n e ra l in d iv id u a l n e e d s.19

Social econom y is th e science a b o u t c u ltu re , th e ’’science of s p irit” conclu d es G rab sk i. T he social e s ta te is th u s th e to ta lity of s p iritu a l p h e n o m e n a an d th e ir re la tio n s.

On th e basis of social e sta te u n d e rsto o d in th is w a y G ra b sk i solves th e p ro b le m of re la tio n in w h ich th e in d iv id u a l e n tity is to th e social e n tity of s p iritu a l life of an in d iv id u a l w h a t is im p o rta n t fo r th e h isto ­ ric a l m eth o d . T his so lu tio n depen d s on in tro d u c in g social sciences as a s u b je c t a n d th e u n d e rs ta n d in g o b je c tiv e ly p u rp o se fu l fo rm s of cons­ ciousness co n n e cted w ith m u tu a l re la tio n s b e tw e e n people.

A n in d iv id u a l is no t o n ly a su b je c t b u t also th e o b ject of society.

He is u n d e r th e in flu e n c e of th e so ciety b u t as th e e n tity

in itself it also in flu en c es th e society in a c e rta in w ay. B ecause

of th is re aso n people re alize th a t social p h en o m en a ex ist ou tsid e

th e m as o b jectiv e s ta te s w h ich in flu en c e th e m an d people, on th e o th e r h a n d , in flu e n c e th e se social p h e n o m en a on th e p rin c ip le of specific m u tu a l lin k ag e. T he co n te n ts of th e s ta te s of h u m a n consciousness h av e a re p e rc u ssio n on th e ouside life. As a re s u lt of th is th e y a re fo rm u la te d n o t as th e ty p ic a l fo r th e m fo rm of p sychic re la tio n s b u t as th e processes of th e o uside w o rld w h ic h can be le a rn e d on th e basis of im p ressio n s re c e p te d fro m th e m and w h ich sta n d o u tsid e a h u m a n bein g b u t a re con­ n e c te d w ith him . T hese im p ressio n s can be fo rm u la te d e ith e r as a t t r i ­ b u te s of th e o u tsid e or as th e re s u lts of th e in flu en c e on th e e n v iro n ­ m e n t o r as th e ru le s o u tsid e an in d iv id u a lity , th e ru le s of his ac tiv ities. T his is th u s th e esse n tia l co n te n t of th e ca te g o ry of social p h e n o m e n a .20 T he sim p le st an d th e m ost d e te rm in a n t fo rm of th ese p h e n o m en a i.e. re la tio n s b e tw e e n people an d th e ir g roups consists in th is th a t m a n a ­ ging people e stim a te th e ir e sta te s in th e sam e w a y i.e. fro m th e p osition of th e sam e social n eed s fe lt as th e ir own. T hese p h en o m en a a re th u s co n n e cted w ith th e c e rta in re la tio n of id e n tity (id e n tity of th e e s tim a te s on th e social scale). T he m a n ife sta tio n s of th ese re la tio n s a re th e p ro d u c t ta k in g place in h u m a n consciousness o b jectiv izatio n of econom ic ju d g e ­ m e n ts w h ich m a n ife sts itse lf in th e fa ct th a t th e re s u lts of ju d g e m e n t h av e th e ir re p e rc u ssio n o u tsid e an in d iv id u a l an d are re c e p te d as th e im m a n e n t p ro p e rtie s of goods an d service. T he co n sequ ence of th is is th e c o o rd in a tio n of th ese im p ressio n s in to th e fo rm of d efin e d n o tio n s w h ich can be n a m e d as ’’th e basic econom ic n o tio n s” b ecause th e y con­ s titu te th e basis fo r all o th e r econom ic re la tio n sh ip s. ’’T he m o st basic

19 S. G r a b s k i : The Socia l Eco nomy. Vol. I. p. 46<—47.

20 There is so -ca lled ’’form ula of u n d erstan d in g” in S ta n isla w G rabski’s s y s ­ tem , Zur E rk en n tn isleh re, p. 126,

230 S. D uda

social fo rm s of econom ic c o e x iste n ce b e tw e e n people a re th u s basic n o tio n s of econom ic goodness, econom ic v a lu e , p ro p e rty a n d rich e s com ­ m o n ly ac k n o w led g ed by th e m a in in ju n c tio n s of all o u r econom ic a c ti­ v itie s, e stim a te s an d p u rp o s e s.” 21

T h e s ta rtin g p o in t of th e co n sid e ra tio n s o v er th e m e th o d of social eco n o m y m u s t be th e a n a ly s is of th e a ttitu d e of an in d iv id u a l to w ard s social p h en o m en a , th e so lu tio n of th e a n tin o m y of an in d iv id u a l as a s u b je c t an d o b ject of society. T his se a rc h fo r so lu tio n in S ta n isla w G ra b s k i’s sy ste m is th e n o tio n of o b je c tiv e ly p u rp o se fu l form s.

A h u m a n b ein g lives th u s at th e sam e tim e th e social an d p riv a te life.

A ll th e econom ic a c tiv itie s u n d e r ta k e n b ecause of p e rso n a l re aso n s aim a t th e goodness a n d th e p e rm a n e n c e of th e c o m m u n ity to w h ic h h e belo n g s. T he m o tiv e s of a c tiv itie s a re in d iv id u a l b u t a c tin g in d iv id u a ls e s ta b lish th e ir a ttitu d e s to o th e rs in social form s. ’’T he fo rm of m u tu a l re la tio n s h ip b e tw e e n people is social, th e ir c o n te n t is in d iv id u a l.” 22

H isto ric a l ca te g o rie s a re th e basic econom ic n o tio n s in th e sy ste m of social ec on om y of S ta n is la w G ra b sk i an d th e y sh a p e th em selv es d iffe re n tly in ea ch h is to ric a l epoch. T h e e x p la n a tio n of th e ir m u tu a l r e ­ g u la r ity c a n n o t be ra tio n a l b u t g e n e tic (as it h as b ee n co n ditio ned th ro u g h o u t th e ages). T he co m p lete u n d e rs ta n d in g is p ossible o n ly by jo in in g th e ’’e m p iric a l” an d ’’c a su a l” e x p la n a tio n , stre sse s S ta n isla w G ra b sk i. ’’S tr ic tly (...) in d u c tiv e ly o n ly th e c o n te m p o ra ry social—eco­ no m ic life can be e x a m in e d a n d ev en th is n o t to ta lly becau se it can n o t b e ex a m in e d w ith th e p ro p e r co n n ectio n w ith th e p a st fro m w h ich it can be dev elo p ed . In o rd e r to r e c re a te th is p a s t w e m u s t u se in d u c tiv e a n d d e d u c tiv e a n a ly s is of th e m o n u m e n ts w h ich re m a in e d .” 2,3

W e can see c le a rly fro m in th is w a y o u tlin e d fra m e s of th e h isto ric a l m e th o d w o rk e d o u t b y G ra b sk i how m u c h sh o u ld h av e b een c o rre c te d a n d specified in th e so -c alle d h isto ric a l m e th o d fro m t h e end of th e X lX th c e n tu ry . In o rd e r to do th is G ra b sk i d ev elo p s fo r it ag a in th e b ro a d u n d e r s ta n d in g b a c k g ro u n d b y e s ta b lis h in g th e n o tio n s of social econo­ m ic p h e n o m e n a , th e ir ca te g o ries an d fa c to rs as w e ll as th e th e o ry of social e state . T he co n c ep tio n of th e d u a l con scio usness of an in d iv id u a l as th e s u b je c t a n d o b je c t h a s h e re th e c e n tr a l ro le. A s a co n seq u en ce of p re s e n tin g S ta n is la w G ra b s k i’s sy ste m w e m u s t s tre s s n o t th is w h a t jo in s h im w ith th e h is to ric a l school b u t fir s t of all w h a t d iffe re n tia te s h im fro m th is school. T he m eth o d o lo g ic al s ta n d p o in t of th e social econom y of S ta n is la w G ra b sk i is th e w h o ly in d iv id u a l w o rk .

21 G r a b s k i : The E c o n o m y (Ekonomia). Vol. I ll, p. 16. 22 Ibid,, Vol. I, p. 18.

P rzedm iot i m etoda ₂₃₁

S T R E S Z C Z E N I E

A rtykuł przedstaw ia w ogólnym zarysie poglądy S tan isław a G rabskiego na p rzedm iot i m etodę ekonom ii politycznej! S tan isław Grabski (1871— 1949) b ył czo­ ło w y m ekonom istą a jed n ocześn ie znanym działaczem p olitycznym już w latach p oprzedzających I w ojn ę św iatow ą, a następnie w okresie II R zeczypospolitej.

W teorii ekonom ii S. G rabski rozw ijał socjologiczną odm ianę kierunku h isto ­ rycznego. W ekonom ii (nazyw anej ekonom ią społeczną) w id ział G rabski sw o istą so ­ cjologię życia gospodarczego. D efin iu je ekonom ię społeczną jako naukę o gospodar­ czym w sp ółżyciu ludzi. Jest ona częścią nauk społecznych i w raz ze w szy stk im i in ­ n ym i szczegółow ym i naukam i sp ołeczn ym i pow inna opierać się na w yn ik ach b a­ dań socjologii, jako nauki ujm ującej całok ształt życia społecznego.

Istotne zn aczenie m ają rozw ażania S. G rabskiego dotyczące m etody ekonom ii społecznej. N a jw ięk szy w p ły w na teoretyczne stan ow isk o G rabskiego w ekonom ii m iała n iem iecka szkoła historyczna i toczony przez nią „spór o m etod ę” z a u stria ­ cką szkołą psychologiczną. Spór dotyczył istoty ekonom ii politycznej jako nauki i p o d sta w o w y ch założeń m etody badaw czej. K. M enger (szkoła austriacka) bronił teoretycznego, abstrak cyjn ego i dedukcyjnego charakteru ekonom ii. Jego oponent, G. Schm oller, w yk azu jąc słabe strony takiej koncepcji ekonom ii p olityczn ej, docho­ dzi do zaprzeczenia m ożności sform ułow ania ogólnych praw rządzących gospodarką

C zęściow a zm iana stan ow isk a G. Schm ollera (uznał on m ożliw ość istn ien ia w ek on om ii tzw . praw okresow ych) w iąże się ze stan ow isk iem S. G rabskiego w tej k w estii, który w w yd an ej w rozpraw ie w języku n iem ieck im zabierając głos w sp o­ rze, w yk azał m ożność n om otetyczności ekonom ii bez rezygnacji z szeroko rozu m ia­ nej m etod y historycznej.

Р Е З Ю М Е Статья представляет в общ их ч ер т ах взгляды Станислава Грабского на предм ет и метод политической экономии. Станислав Грабский (1871 — 1949) был вы даю щ имся экономистом и одноврем енно видным политическим деятелем у ж е в годы п ер ед первой мировой войной, а затем в б у р ж у а зн о й П ольш е. В теории экономии С. Грабский развивал социологическую разновидность и с­ торического направления. В экономии (называемой общ ественной экономией) он видел своего рода социологию хозяйственной ж и зн и . Учёный определяет об­ щ ественную экономию как науку о хозяйственном общ еж итии лю дей. Она является составной частью комплекса общ ественны х наук и вместе со всеми другими частцыми общ ественными науками дол ж н о опираться на результаты исследований социологии как науки, рассматриваю щ ей общ ественную ж и зн ь в целом. С ущ ественное знач ение имеют размы ш ления. С. Грабского о методе общ е­ ственной экономии. Н аи более заметно влияние на теоретическую позицию С. Грабского, ок азан ное немецкой исторической ш колой и ее спором о методе о австрийской психологической ш колой. Спор касался сути политической эко­ номии как науки и основны х предпосы лок исследовательского метода. К. М ен- гер (австрийская ш кола) ратовал за теоретический, абстрактный и дед у к т и в ­ ный характер экономии. Его оппонент, Г. Ш моллер, обнаруж ивая уязвим ы е стороны такой концепции политической экономии, приходит в конце к отри­ цанию возм ож ности сф орм улировать общ ие законы хозяйственной ж изни.

232 П редм ет и метод.. Ч астичн ое и зм ен ен и е м нения Г. Ш м оллера (при знани е возм ож н ости су щ ест ­ вования в экономии так н азы ваем ы х врем енны х законов) связано с позицией С. Грабского в названном воп росе. В и здан н ой на немецком я зы к е в 1900 году- работе С. Грабский, относясь к предм ету спора, док азал возм ож н ость ном оло- гического хар ак т ер а экономии б е з отк аза от исторического м етода в ш ироком смысле.