----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- I would like to point to a tendency in 19th-century's intellectual and cultural life that eased the acceptance of neo-mercantilism. The 19th century favored eclecticism. To quote an American thinker, Orestes Brownson, from 1836, "We must be eclectics, excluding no element of humanity, but accepting and melting all into one vast system... We must take broad and liberal views, expect truth and find it in all schools, in all creeds, in all ages, and in all countries". Eclecticism, especially visible (literally) in 19th-century architecture, influenced economics as well. As Wilhelm Roscher wrote, "All the peoples of whom we can learn anything must be studied..." Variability of economic situation across Europe and the world became the economists' main theme. The economics of the Enlightenment was now viewed as too absolute and dogmatic. The eclectic climate wasn't particularly good for laissez-faire (as a universal doctrine) but was quite all right for neo-mercantilism (as a policy suiting particular countries). Yuri Tulupenko ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]