A Preface to Politics — CHAPTER III

1. 1. Politicians and business leaders are not deliberately malicious; they are often aimless, lacking meaningful intention.
2. 2. The real political life of a country lies outside official government, in social movements like unions and trusts.
3. 3. Business should be transformed into a creative craft, like medicine, to civilize class conflict.
4. 4. Men steal because they lack a creative purpose; honest workmanship naturally prevents dishonesty.
5. 5. Congress is ignorant of the real forces in the nation, such as unions, trusts, and women's problems.
6. 6. A political invention is only important if it is woven into a social movement; otherwise it is a pipe-dream.
7. 7. The lasting value of Darwin is not his conclusions but the new direction he gave to science—a way of approaching problems.
8. 8. Graham Wallas turned political science back to the study of human nature, making man the center of investigation.
9. 9. The debate over socialism hinges on psychological questions about the property instinct, not abstract economics.
10. 10. The focus of politics is shifting from mechanical adherence to abstract principles to fitting institutions to human wants.
11. 11. Psychology is not yet advanced enough for comprehensive political application, but it holds promise.