Suicide
by Emile Durkheim
Durkheim focuses on the ‘non-contractual elements in contract’ – trust, integrity and moral obligations – as the prime source of social cohesion in economic relations. Elementary sociology but ignored by, or unknown to economists, for whom Durkheim should be compulsory reading. Feral bankers are a far greater threat to civil peace than feral children.
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This is a seminal work by the founder of sociology. Durkheim explored how rates of suicide tended to increase as forces for social cohesion decreased. Societies that champion the pursuit of “infinite aspirations” and “egoism” increase suicide rates. Conversely, in societies where a premium is put on social solidarity, suicide rates tend to be low or to fall. Societies tend to exhibit lower suicide rates when they are at war, thanks to the social solidarity in engenders. There is much talk about whether the current health crisis is having a comparable effect and whether that will endure, or prove transformative. Will it?
