The Current

A currently popular philosophy is summed up in the phrase, “Don't worry, just go with the flow.” This book was written by a leading member of the German Reichstag (parliament), Wilhelm von Kardorff, who discovered that “the flow,” both of his own personal assumptions and of the universally taught doctrines of German economic philosophy and government policy were dead wrong and leading towards a waterfall of complete destruction and impoverishment of his nation. With this book, he launched a successful campaign to redirect the flow (or current) with the introduction of “American System” economic policies into Germany. This book (originally entitled Gegen den Strom! Eine Kritik der Handelspolitik des Deutschen Reichs an der Hand Carey'schen forshungen) was first published in Berlin in 1875. By May of 1879, von Kardorff's campaign resulted in German Chancellor Bismarck's adoption of a new economic program, which he announced in a presentation before the Reichstag. To a large degree Bismarck based his new program on this book and von Kardorff's accompanying educational/political exertions. The flow, or current, was redirected along the lines of the Henry C. Carey-Abraham Lincoln American System policies and Germany became one of the leading scientific-agricultural-industrial nations of the world. By pointing out errors of judgment and axiomatic assumption, this book made history--as it shall do now again. In both science and politics, progress is impossible without a willingness to reexamine assumptions and axioms. A bright future awaits us if we but put aside our conceits. We must go Against the Current!