# The Acquisitive Society — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Acquisitive Society by R. H. Tawney.

- [Introductory](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/introductory.md): The chapter argues that English society, characterized by a practical but theoretically incurious disposition, must now reconsider its social and industrial institutions by appealing to fundamental principles. It critiqu
- [Rights and Functions](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/rights-and-functions.md): This chapter contrasts the French and English approaches to rights and property, arguing that while France abolished feudal property rights in the name of natural rights, England retained absolute property rights under t
- [The Acquisitive Society](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/the-acquisitive-society.md): This chapter critiques the foundational doctrine of modern economic civilization, which prioritizes individual rights to property and self-interest over social functions and obligations. It argues that society is organiz
- [The Nemesis of Industrialism](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/the-nemesis-of-industrialism.md): This chapter argues that the dominant principle of industrialism—the pursuit of wealth as an end in itself—has led to a society where rewards are divorced from service, creating a class of idle rentiers and degrading the
- [Property and Creative Work](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/property-and-creative-work.md): This chapter examines the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate forms of private property, arguing that property is moral only when it is functional—used as a condition of activity and service rather than idlen
- [The Functional Society](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/the-functional-society.md): This chapter argues that industry and property should be organized according to the principle of function, where the purpose of economic activity is to provide the material foundation for a good social life. It criticize
- [Industry as a Profession](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/industry-as-a-profession.md): This chapter argues that industry should be reorganized as a profession, where the primary criterion is service rather than pecuniary gain. It critiques the current system where property owners hold rights without perfor
- [The "Vicious Circle"](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/the-vicious-circle.md): This chapter critiques the argument that workers' demands for higher wages and shorter hours are incompatible with the need for cheap goods and efficient production, labeling it a 'vicious circle' fallacy. Tawney argues 
- [The Condition of Efficiency](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/the-condition-of-efficiency.md): This chapter argues that the existing capitalist industrial order is inefficient because it fails to enlist the cooperation and professional pride of workers. It contends that the passivity of workers has been destroyed 
- [The Position of the Brain Worker](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/the-position-of-the-brain-worker.md): This chapter argues that converting industry into a profession will transform the role of management, making brain workers equal participants in a function-based system. It critiques the current subordination of intellec
- [Porro Unum Necessarium](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/porro-unum-necessarium.md): This chapter outlines the reorganization of society on the basis of function rather than rights, emphasizing that proprietary rights should be maintained only when accompanied by service, that producers should have a dir
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters/endnotes.md): This chapter provides endnotes and references for the main text, including citations from the Coal Industry Commission and data on managers' salaries in the coal industry.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/chapters