The eugenics roots of minimum wage laws. Excerpt from…
““The eugenics roots of minimum wage laws. Excerpt from *Principles of Economics*(1911) by Frank Taussig: "We have not reached the stage where we can proceed to chloroform them once and for all; but at least they can be segregated, shut up in refuges and asylums, and prevented from propagating their kind… What are the possibilities of employing at the prescribed wages all the healthy able-bodied who apply? The persons affected by such legislation would be those in the lowest economic and social group. The wages at which they can find employment depend on the prices at which their product will sell in the market; or in the technical language of modern economics, on the marginal utility of their services. All those whose additional product would so depress prices that the minimum could no longer be paid by employers would have to go without employment. It might be practicable to prevent employers from paying any one less than the minimum; though the power of law must be very strong indeed, and very rigidly exercised, in order to prevent the making of bargains which are welcome to both bargainers.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Early economic arguments linked minimum wage to eugenics, revealing how policy can be used to marginalize vulnerable groups.
In simple terms: Historical wage policies were discriminatory.
Key Takeaway
Critically evaluate wage laws.
Themes
Economics
Policy
Eugenics
Labor
Social justice
Mood
critical
serious
Type
analytical
historical
When to use this quote
- Policy debates
- Academic research
- Advocacy work
Key Concepts
Historical analysis
Moral economics
Labor rights
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we prevent discriminatory policies?
- What ethical frameworks guide wage legislation?
A Different Perspective
Modern interpretations differ from original intent.