Giuseppe Fiamingo

“ The conception of political economy held by the school of Ferrara, opposed itself in Italy more than elsewhere to the rise of sociology. Undoubtedly that which more than anything else has contributed to the uncertainty which exists in regard to sociology, and has led some to deny it altogether, is the existence of the various sciences which, having a generic name, call themselves political and social sciences. Now, in Italy this state of things was aggravated. As our economists conceived their science it already occupied the field which sociology would cover. ”

“ When Spencer defined sociology as "the science of society," he in reality left the science without a definition. It is not enough that he attempts to justify this definition by adding, "No other name sufficiently comprehensive exists," because as a matter of fact he is never careful to say just what he means by "society." His definition, in itself generic, becomes more so by his use of a term with a very elastic signification. In reality he makes a great mistake by neglecting a question of capital importance to sociology, that is, the evolution of social phenomena themselves. ”

“ Comte, who in spite of the criticisms of his sociological system remains the father of sociology, has written: "The necessity of taking the ensemble of biology as the point of departure for sociology is evident. . . . The subordination of social science to biology is so incontestable that no one any longer dares to dispute it." This principle, always with due limitations, inspires the theories of Espinas, of Perrier, of Fouillée, of Schäffle, of Lilienfeld, of Sergi, etc., the three latter of whom have pushed the conclusion of this principle a little too far. ”

“ In this work so much light is shed upon the organism of society, and human nature, and it is so full of civic wisdom, and the whole is expressed in language so brilliant, and at the same time so scientific, that one does not know whether to admire more the philosopher or the jurist, the biologist or the sociologist, the moralist or the litterateur. ”

“ If we may represent social life by a diamond with many facets, these special social sciences examine and study each a single facet, while sociology comprehends all sides in its view, that is, it is comprehensive. In other words, Mill expected sociology to illustrate the social organism in its complexity, leaving to the special social sciences the task of studying the single aspects and particular functions in the characteristics which distinguish them, and in the special laws which control them. ”

“ If society should become useless to individuals it could not exist. It is necessary, therefore to inquire by what individual laws, biological and anthropological, the individual has been brought to form society, and to bring about all the successive transformations it has undergone, principally by the various adaptations of the individual to his natural environment. Now, while it is true that the method of sociology is biological, it must be said that Spencer has not defined what he means by sociology. ”

“ Now, there was a time in Italy during which almost all economic science was comprehended under the school of Ferrara. "Francesco Ferrara," writes one of his admirers, "ruled almost alone during the first three quarters of this century in the history of Italian economy, and combated scornfully the successive invasions of foreign doctrines which entered triumphantly into our country, brought in by some of our economists, to dethrone and to destroy our national theories." ”

“ Against this system M. Cousin protested in a session of the Academy of Moral Sciences, held in Paris forty-three years ago. "I believe," said Cousin, "that there is a positive science based on material facts which bears the name of political economy, but if you wish to include in it the art of good conduct; if you call wealth everything which has a moral value; if all this moral wealth, produced by whatever kind of labor, belongs to political economy, you must then include morals, jurisprudence, logic, philosophy, and all social phenomena will fall under its dominion . ”

“ Political economy, as we have already stated, was understood as a comprehensive and general social science, upon which all the other special social sciences should be based. This economic science, however, lacked many of the requisites essential for transforming it into a true sociology. In fact, Ferrara never occupied himself with a general coordination of political economy and the other sciences. Moreover, at the time of his greatest activity, biology and psychology had yet to complete their great advances, and there was yet to come the epoch of the theories of Darwin and Spencer. ”

“ We have had, then, in Italy some economists who, while unable to develop sociology, have, at the same time been the greatest obstacle to the rise of this science through the medium of special investigators, by absorbing, as these economists did, a great part of the field over which the new science was to extend itself. ”

“ It is not strange, then, to find an Italian sociologist falling into the same error, and ending by asserting that sociology is ethnography. This is indeed the position of Professor Enrico Morselli, favorably known in Italy by his works, sociological, biological and anthropological, and who is a faithful follower of Spencer. ”

“ After all this, however, Ferrara assigns to political economy, "The investigation of the sentiments of the heart, the faculties of the mind and the movements of the body which urge man to change voluntarily the form of the external world. It examines whether these changes constitute a creation from nothing, and shows how the mutations of today become a support for those of tomorrow, and are themselves based on those of today. ”

“ Apotheosis has been pushed so far as the erection of a monument to his memory in Campo dei Fiori in Rome, in the same square and in the same Rome which, formerly papal—and even today the seat of the pope—had seen him burned. ”

“ From this passage it is easy to understand how the whole tree of knowledge in ancient philosophy, instead of being represented by a hierarchy of the sciences, was represented by only one, namely, political economy. ”

“ Although Schäffle has not found many followers in Italy, it cannot be denied that his work has exercised a strong influence on many students. Some exaggerated the theories of Schäffle; for instance, Colajanni, who in a chapter on Socialism, proposed to demonstrate the following thesis: "Human, society is an organism among whose parts or organs, in order that there may be life, harmony and not strife must exist." ”

“ In Italy sociological studies began by reflecting almost solely the popular social movement which, however, was not then very conspicuous among us. It therefore happened that sociologv was confused with socialism, as was done to a certain extent by Colajanni, who followed the example of the French author, Gautier. Jacobi, one of the first to accept the theories of Darwin, delivered a lecture on the conception of evolution, in which he tried to show the perfect accord which exists between the theories of Darwin and those of Carl Marx. ”

“ Novicow himself, even on the first page of his splendid work, Les luttes entre sociétés humaines et leur phases successives, writes: "All that is not based on the natural sciences is founded upon the sand. We have thought it necessary, therefore, to base our conclusions upon the contributions of chemistry and biology." ”

“ For Vico the human race is the genus homo, a single genus, not on account of its arising from a single or multiple original stock, but on account of a common and identical nature. This is the scientific part of the great Darwinian epic, that is, the communis natura between the lower animals and man ”

“ Pietro Siciliani points out how a first vital germ of the conception of the human race as an organism, studied and explained in the same manner that one studies and explains any organic compound, thanks to the increased acquaintance with life, may be found not only in the Scienza Nuova, but also in the Latin works of Vico, especially in chapter twelve of De Constantia Philologiae. ”

“ This comparison naturally can only be essentially materialistic, hence, for the economist all pleasure enters into the field of material satisfaction, that is, of political economy. Thus all the other social facts, from law to morals, come to have an economic basis. ”

“ You give to the words wealth, product, and value new significations, or you create a false political economy." And Chevalier showed at the same time how "political economy in disregarding its proper limits has already become unpopular and has fallen under suspicion." ”

“ In Italy it is accepted by Johanni, by Nitti and by Flamingo. Assuming the truth of this theory, Loria attempts to show the utility, even the necessity of founding a sociology based on political economy.
F. S. Nitti is well known by his critical exposition of Catholic Socialism, and by a volume on the social problem of population. In the latter work Nitti, in spite of himself, is simply a follower of Spencer; nevertheless he shows a large bibliographical knowledge. Nitti has also written many other works on sociology of less importance than those mentioned. ”