Bastiat

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Here's my understanding of Bastiat's broken window scenario:

- boy breaks shopkeeper's window
- shopkeeper pays glazier to repair window

and the effects:

- the glazier has received payment in excess of his costs, making him happy the window was broken
- the shopkeeper has his window back, but is unhappy because he had to pay for it

Overall, the effect on society is a cost in the glazier's labor in materials, along with a transfer payment from shopkeeper to glazier. While the glazier is pleased the window was broken, society as a whole has been harmed by the experience.

Apparently, there was a school of thought Bastiat identified with one "M. F. Chamans" that held that such a broken window scenario would actually improve society. Chamans would see the glazier's enrichment, while failing to note that the shopkeeper's impoverishment exceeded it. Chamans went so far as to say that society might be enriched by the burning (and subsequent rebuilding) of Paris. Such a view may have had its adherents, but was never popular enough to actually result in the burning of Paris.

The parable is illustrative, but to the modern mind, the conclusion (that breaking windows is bad for society as a whole) seems fairly intuitive. I believe I agree with Bastiat here, and perhaps his point was quite insightful when it was made, but such considerations are so much a part of the modern economic perspective that I don't see any additional insight to be gleaned from Bastiat's parable.

I'm sure there are some few people out there who would indeed advocate for the breaking of windows, but I am not one of them.

The point being that the "Broken Window Fallacy" can be applied to any number of things. A further look into the fallacy comes from Henry Hazlitt in his book Economics In One Lesson. I'd suggest reading that, and you can find it for free online just by Googling it, if you're interested.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

I know what you are saying.............I get frustrated by our home forum, and came here to have intelligent discussion........but it seems like the partisans have taken over both, with little interest in having a non-partisan discussion...........no wonder I see fewer and fewer posts by BGG............he is my forum 'hero'. (You know of whom I speak)

you came in here asking an opinion on something without a link or summary of what the topic was about, and then you get all testy when people just dont start talking.

the error was on your part.

I guess it was..........I came here, sadly, thinking that there would be a higher level of conversation......I was hoping that just by starting a 'Bastiat thread that I could garmer some discussion........but its just more 'partisanship'..........sigh......all this place seems to be is just another partisan forum, with pretty loose moderators.

Sorry, I wasn't looking for a forum where I could cuss and insult..........I was looking for a forum where there was some intelligent back and forth.

I guess I will keep looking.

Yet you quickly insulted anyone who had no knowledge of Bastiat in this thread.