ABSTRACT
It may well be, of course, that the intellectual and moral atmosphere of one phase may be intrinsically better adapted to clear and effective thinking than that of another. The more impersonal character of modern great industry, and the high ‘rationality’ which pervades its mechanical processes, have undoubtedly had an effect in making economic science colder and more exact in some departments of its thinking. But for the moment we are only concerned to note how the prevalent conditions of work and living give their special tone and character to the social sciences. This influence largely proceeds by way of metaphor.
