In other words, Bastiat does not merely look at the immediate but at the longer effects of breaking the window. Chamans, who has calculated with so much precision how much trade would gain by the burning of Paris, from the number of houses it would be necessary to rebuild? īastiat is not addressing production – he is addressing the stock of wealth. What will you say, Moniteur Industriel – what will you say, disciples of good M. Whence we arrive at this unexpected conclusion: "Society loses the value of things which are uselessly destroyed " and we must assent to a maxim which will make the hair of protectionists stand on end – To break, to spoil, to waste, is not to encourage national labour or, more briefly, "destruction is not profit."
#Let it snow window meme windows#
Yet the facts observed by the onlookers remain true: the glazier benefits from the business at the expense of the baker, the tailor, and so on.īastiat argues that society endorses activities that are morally equivalent to the glazier hiring a boy to break windows for him: Suddenly the same act would be regarded as theft: the glazier was breaking windows to force people to hire his services.
Suppose it was discovered that the little boy was actually hired by the glazier, and paid a franc for every window he broke. Interpretations and evidence Bastiat's argument In short, he would have employed his six francs in some way, which this accident has prevented. It is not seen that if he had not had a window to replace, he would, perhaps, have replaced his old shoes, or added another book to his library.
It is not seen that as our shopkeeper has spent six francs upon one thing, he cannot spend them upon another. All this is that which is seen.īut if, on the other hand, you come to the conclusion, as is too often the case, that it is a good thing to break windows, that it causes money to circulate, and that the encouragement of industry in general will be the result of it, you will oblige me to call out, "Stop there! Your theory is confined to that which is seen it takes no account of that which is not seen."
The glazier comes, performs his task, receives his six francs, rubs his hands, and, in his heart, blesses the careless child. Suppose it cost six francs to repair the damage, and you say that the accident brings six francs to the glazier's trade – that it encourages that trade to the amount of six francs – I grant it I have not a word to say against it you reason justly. Now, this form of condolence contains an entire theory, which it will be well to show up in this simple case, seeing that it is precisely the same as that which, unhappily, regulates the greater part of our economical institutions. Everybody must live, and what would become of the glaziers if panes of glass were never broken?" Have you ever witnessed the anger of the good shopkeeper, James Goodfellow, when his careless son has happened to break a pane of glass? If you have been present at such a scene, you will most assuredly bear witness to the fact that every one of the spectators, were there even thirty of them, by common consent apparently, offered the unfortunate owner this invariable consolation – "It is an ill wind that blows nobody good. The belief that destruction is good for the economy is consequently known as the broken window fallacy or glazier's fallacy.īastiat's original parable of the broken window from "Ce qu'on voit et ce qu'on ne voit pas" (1850):
The parable seeks to show how opportunity costs, as well as the law of unintended consequences, affect economic activity in ways that are unseen or ignored. The parable of the broken window was introduced by French economist Frédéric Bastiat in his 1850 essay " That Which We See and That Which We Do Not See" (" Ce qu'on voit et ce qu'on ne voit pas") to illustrate why destruction, and the money spent to recover from destruction, is not actually a net benefit to society. When a child accidentally smashes a window, and then it has to be replaced, does this accident constitute a benefit to society, due to the economic activity of repairing and replacing the window?
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