Project Gutenberg 2010-03-25 Public domain in the USA. 163 McElroy, John 1846 1929 The Economic Functions of Vice Produced by David Widger (Images obtained from the Google Books Project) "The Economic Functions of Vice" by John McElroy is a sociopolitical discourse written in the early 20th century. This work examines the concept of vice and its role within society, positioning it as an inevitable force in social and biological evolution. The book reflects the author’s perspective on how vice operates in a natural selection framework, elucidating the idea that societal ills might serve as mechanisms for population control and the elimination of inferior elements within the human race. In this thought-provoking publication, McElroy argues that human beings are unique in their capacity for excess and vice, unlike other creatures that face natural predation. He posits that societal vices—such as alcoholism, crime, and immorality—serve a function akin to natural laws, helping to prune the population of those deemed unfit or inferior. McElroy offers various historical and biological examples to illustrate his points, consistently drawing parallels between the destructive effects of these vices and the principles of "survival of the fittest." Ultimately, he presents a controversial view that welcomes the idea of natural selection within human society, suggesting that vice might ironically contribute to societal health by weeding out the undesirables and allowing stronger individuals to thrive. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 56.3 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Conduct of life BJ Text Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: Psychiatry/Psychology Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Sociology 65851 2025-08-13T06:14:49.834403 text/html 62654 2021-01-26T02:31:44 text/html 4888601 2025-08-13T06:14:57.487375 application/epub+zip 4864056 2025-08-13T06:14:52.142436 application/epub+zip 92167 2025-08-13T06:14:50.596653 application/epub+zip 4958822 2025-08-13T06:15:01.499457 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 4934490 2025-08-13T06:14:54.921469 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 170844 2022-09-14T14:43:25.964143 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 51165 2025-08-13T06:14:49.361430 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 51036 2016-08-21T10:09:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 50744 2010-03-25T10:42:12 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20603 2025-08-13T06:15:01.721350 application/rdf+xml 15060 2025-08-13T06:14:51.091420 image/jpeg 3728 2025-08-13T06:14:50.845408 image/jpeg 20348 2016-08-21T10:14:48 application/octet-stream application/zip 4290457 2021-01-26T02:31:44 application/octet-stream application/zip 20247 2010-03-25T10:43:02 application/octet-stream application/zip 4498801 2025-08-13T06:14:49.983439 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia