Functional socialism

40 FUNCTIONAL SOCIALISM

We need not further labour the distinction between the artificial life engendered in a community steeped in financial methods and valuations and the normal life which function predicates. Yet, whilst we all understand the language—or the jargon—of finance, how many of us understand the meaning of function? Or the profound importance of function in economic reorganization? Not only profound, but urgent; for unless we learn to eschew the false doctrines of a perverted finance and work faithfully for a new order built on a sane and functional economy, who can guarantee a stable order of society even in the next generation ?

Now, in this connection, what do we mean by function? The dictionary defines it as “activity proper to anything, mode of action by which it fulfils its purpose”. It has, of course, certain minor ceremonial meanings. For our immediate purpose, it is the activity, the mode of action, best calculated to do our national work. This means, or otherwise it is meaningless, that nothing must stand in the way, impede or frustrate the activities that fulfil our national purpose. By inference, that the minor interests, finance or profiteering, must be put in their appropriate grades, must serve function and not dominate it. As the argument proceeds, we shall probably read into function a meaning and significance undreamt of in the philosophy of the Oxford Dictionary; but taking the definition at its face value, it is to be noted that function is a thing and not a person; is a process of creation or achievement.