What to Do? Thoughts Evoked by the Census of Moscow
by Leo Tolstoy
- Pages
- about 288
- Category
- Philosophy
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5.3 h at 250 wpm
From the opening
The object of a census is scientific. A census is a sociological
investigation. And the object of the science of sociology is the
happiness of the people. This science and its methods differ sharply
from all other sciences.
Its peculiarity lies in this, that sociological investigations are not
conducted by learned men in their cabinets, observatories and
laboratories, but by two thousand people from the community. A second
peculiarity is this, that the investigations of other sciences are not
conducted on living people, but here living people are the subjects. A
third peculiarity is, that the aim of every other science is simply
knowledge, while here it is the good of the people. One man may
investigate a nebula, but for the investigation of Moscow, two thousand
persons are necessary. The object of the study of nebulae is merely that
we may know about nebulae; the object of the study of inhabitants is that
sociological laws may be deduced, and that, on the foundation of these
laws, a better life for the people may be established. It makes no
difference to the nebula whether it is studied or not, and it has waited
long, and is ready to wait a great while longer; but it is not a matter
of indifference to the inhabitants of Moscow, especially to those
unfortunates who constitute the most interesting subjects of the science
of sociology.
The census-taker enters a night lodging-house; in the basement he finds a
man dying of hunger, and he politely inquires his profession, his name,
his native place, the character of his occupation, and after a little
hesitation as to whether he is to be entered in the list as alive, he
writes him in and goes his way.
And thus will the two thousand young men proceed. This is not as it
should be.
A short sample. Read the whole book
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