J.S.ミルの利潤率低下論と「停止状態」論

抄録

In this paper, we analyze John Stuart Mill's theory of the ideal stationary state and clarify its nature in connection with the law of the falling rate of profit. The chapter 'Of Product' in Principles of Political Economy (1848) notes that in the absence of innovation, a constant population could not be maintained permanently at constant wage and profit rates because of the exhaustibility of natural resources. The chapter 'Of the Stationary State' clarifies that the richest and most prosperous countries would very soon attain the stationary state of capital and wealth, if no further improvements were made in the productive arts. Mill claimed that the law of diminishing returns and the law of population would bring a dreaded and deprecated stationary state at the end of a progressive state which was so termed by political economists. Mill, however, regarded the stationary state as a necessary state in the progress of civilization. Mill recognized the dismal stationary state would be brought about because of the unfair and incomplete system of private property. Thus, the present system of private property should be modified into a fair and complete one, which was a matter of urgency. Mill claimed that social reforms including land reforms and the introduction of joint-stock companies were an absolute necessity. He believed that further improvements in the productive arts and better distribution of property would bring the ideal condition of society, even in the stationary state. In fact, in the middle of the 19th century, unskilled labourers lapsed into poverty and moral decadence; many labourers were becoming poorer, while the wealthy owned capital and land, which raised violent conflicts between capital owners and workers. In order to settle the matter, Mill said there was a necessity for land reforms and the introduction of joint stock companies to establish a fair and better distribution system. From Mill's perspective, the ideal stationary state contains leading features; higher living standards which could develop the intellectual and moral standards of workers and cultivate their abilities of sympathy. Mill noticed that there was the law of inverse relationship between cost of labour and profit; higher real wages would encourage labourers to increase productivity, which would reduce the total cost of labour and at the same time would increase profit rates of capital. That was why Mill stressed the importance of human development of both labour and capital and why Mill recognized the significance of jointstock companies in which labourers could become skilled and develop their abilities and individual specialties in the production process. This paper emphasizes Mill's economic philosophy should be considered alongside his moral philosophy. Mill asserted that elevating the level of intellectual and moral standards among people would improve productivity and raise wage and profit rates, which could realize the ideal state of society, even in the stationary state.