C. E. Ayres – författare

Those who despair of our age will find in this stimulating book heartening answers to their questions about the fate of Western civilization and indications of the course humanity should follow if it is to save itself and the world. The course is not new. According to Ayres, it is the same course that humanity has taken from the dawn of history, but with too many detours in pursuit of false values. It is the course that has brought us to the point of civilization where we now stand-the course of developing knowledge and expanding truth, of our increasing ability to exploit nature for our own welfare. From the earliest stick tool-through the invention of the wheel, the Industrial Revolution, and the marvelous scientific and technological developments of the space age-science and technology, knowledge and skill, have enabled humankind to create for itself an increasingly better life. But with this development has come a sense of conflict between our secular culture and our traditional values, a conflict requiring a reevaluation of values. This reevaluation is the subject of Ayres' book. His theme is that the abiding values are those relating to the common human experience shared by all peoples, those values deriving from the quest for knowledge, from the never-ending struggle to harness the forces of nature to human use. They are measured in terms of a standard of value that has the same meaning for all people. And they have their validity in the cause-and-effect relationship basic to all human reasoning and to the oneness and interrelatedness of all life. Toward a Reasonable Society is a defense of industrial culture. It is a creative work, drawing upon numerous areas of knowledge-ethics, sociology, economics, anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, biology, music, the graphic arts, mathematics, the physical sciences-to show the uniformities and the unchangeables in the oneness of human life. It is an attack upon nostalgia and a defense of current arts, crafts, knowledge, wisdom, and individual character. It is an inspiring definition of freedom, equality, security, abundance, and other values of a democratic society. In being all these things it assumes a point of view that looks toward the future. And it is exciting reading. The author's closely reasoned discourse leads with inevitable progress from one chapter to the next, with something like the suspense of a detective story. Each chapter is an intellectual episode leaving the reader with an eagerness to see what the next development will be. The concreteness of the numerous examples enhances the clarity of the prose. The compelling note is optimism for the future in further development of the industrial society that has achieved the most successful way of life humankind has ever known.

Institutional economics, as explored in this collection of lectures, represents a distinctly American contribution to economic theory. Rooted in pragmatism and influenced by sociological jurisprudence, institutional economics diverges from classical economic theory by emphasizing the interplay of non-economic factors and the need for rigorous, data-driven analysis of economic phenomena. The approach prioritizes a comprehensive understanding of the facts and disregards traditional disciplinary boundaries to address issues such as labor and industrial relations. This methodology has profoundly shaped contemporary practices in analyzing and resolving industrial relations problems, as highlighted by the contributions of eminent economists featured in this volume.This book examines the pioneering work of Thorstein Veblen, John R. Commons, and Wesley C. Mitchell, who are widely recognized as the founders of institutional economics. The lectures, delivered by leading scholars including Joseph Dorfman, C. E. Ayres, and Simon Kuznets, honor the legacy of these thinkers while offering insights into the ongoing relevance of institutional economics. The contributors illuminate how these early economists laid the groundwork for addressing critical social and economic issues, influencing figures such as Edwin E. Witte and Sumner Slichter. By emphasizing practical application and interdisciplinary thinking, the book underscores the enduring impact of institutional economics on both theory and practice.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1963.