Philosophy 08

“[W]e take possession of the countries of all peoples in all three other parts of the world without hesitation; […] if they […] resist, we exterminate them completely; […] we do all this without anyone in Europe being aware that we are thereby committing terrible injustices.”

Quote translated after: Johann Heinrich Gottlob Justi (1762): Vergleichungen der europäischen mit den asiatischen und andern vermeintlich barbarischen Regierungen, Berlin. Picture: praebook – The World biographical encyclopedia.

Johann Heinrich Gottlob Justi (1717-1771) was an economist, cameralist and lawyer.

Justi dealt with issues of law, economics, politics and philosophy in numerous writings. The quote comes from a text in which he compares European governments with other - supposedly barbaric - governments. In contrast to many of his contemporaries, Justi particularly criticizes the European self-image of being better developed than other peoples of the world. That this is not the case, that Europeans themselves are crude, can be seen in the actions of the European peoples. The aim of his book is to change the self-image of the European peoples. Justi thus takes a progressive position for his time.

*Ulrich Adam (2006): The Political Economy of J.H.G. Justi. Oxford: Peter Lang. *Erik S. Reinert (2009): Johann Heinrich Gottlob von Justi - The Life and Times of an Economist Adventurer, in: Jürgen Georg Backhaus (ed.), The Beginnings of Political Economy. Wiesbaden: Springer, p. 33-74.

1762