Sophism of the broken pane

See also: broken Pane

The sophism of the broken pane was stated by the economist Frederic Bastiat in his test: what one sees and what one does not see published in 1850, in order to illustrate the concept of Opportunity cost, in particular the importance of the hidden costs of any economic decision.

Presentation

the broken pane is the title of chapter I of what one sees and what one does not see . Bastiat starts from a history, that of the son of “Jacques Bonhomme” who breaks a square of pane, and reaction of the idlers: “With something misfortune is good. Such accidents make go industry. It is necessary that everyone lives. What would become the glaziers, if panes were never broken? ”

Bastiat recognizes that the cost of repair of the pane (six francs of the time) profits well directly with industry metal framing (“what is seen”), but he is opposed to the conclusion that he results a benefit for very whole industry from it, because that neglects the other uses which could have been made of these six francs (“what is not seen”). For example, if the pane had not been broken, Jacques Bonhomme could have devoted the same money to the purchase of a pair of shoes, and “would have had all at the same time the pleasure of a pair of shoes and that of a pane. ”

He concludes from it that “the company loses the value of the unnecessarily destroyed objects”, which he summarizes by: “destruction is not profit. ”

Applications

This sophism usually meets, for example:
  • “the wars, the storms, make increase the GDP”;
  • “the consumption of drugs makes increase the GDP”.
In all the cases, one shows a visible activity, as if the total activity increased by as much, whereas it undoubtedly drops in addition.

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