==================== HES POSTING ==================== 
 
[Here is David Levy's response. The key is that classical economists were  
"dismal" (=black) because they supported black emancipation, which Carlyle  
opposed. -- RBE] 
 
"Dismal science" was used by Carlyle in a Dec 1849 article 
in *Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country* called "Occasional 
Discourse on the Negro Question." It was answered in the 
next issue (Jan 50) by J S Mill. Carlyle responded to economists 
in general in the 1st of the *Latter-Day Pamphlets*, the Feb 1850 
*Present Time*. The *Fraser's* article was expanded and republished 
with the title *Occasional Discourse on the Nigger Question* 
in 1853.  
 
The pamphlet was included in the Collected Works with the 
information that *it* had been in *Fraser's* in 1849. 
 
Thus, the OED has the date/place right with the title wrong 
because the OED reading program focused on books not periodicals. 
Other authorities give the origin as the *Present Time* because 
it is earlier than the *Nigger Question*.  
 
Stephan Darwall in conversation has parsed the "dismal science" 
as the "black science." Reading Carlyle will convince you 
that this is a brilliant parsing. There is nothing about 
Malthus in any of these Carlyle pieces. Which raises the 
obvious question ... 
 
If anyone is really interested I can provide either of two 
papers on the topic: 
 
1. How the dismal science got its name: debating racial quacks 
2. Economic texts as apocrypha 
 
The former is currently in tighter shape than the latter. They 
can come in hard copy by snail-mail or in Word Perfect for 
Windows form by e-mail. 
 
David 
 
 
David M. Levy 
Center for Study of Public Choice 
George Mason University 
Fairfax VA 22030 
703-993-2319    (fax) 703-993-2323 
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