What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (1883) by William Graham Sumner delivers a sharp, uncompromising critique of the growing 19th-century demand that “the rich,” “the successful,” or “society” must solve every social problem for the less fortunate—demands Sumner sees as the foundation of new class tyranny. He defines the state not as a benevolent genius but simply “all of us,” meaning its actions are never abstract compassion but concrete coercion: using the force or wealth of everyone to benefit some. True liberty, for Sumner, is the concrete guarantee that each person can use their own powers exclusively for their own welfare; the state’s narrow job is to secure peace, order, and the chance to pursue happiness—not to guarantee equal comfort or results. He famously illustrates the hidden cost of well-intentioned schemes with his A-B-C-D formula: reformers A and B decide what industrious, self-supporting C (the Forgotten Man) must do for dependent D, plundering C’s earnings and opportunities to subsidize D while ignoring C entirely. Sumner contrasts medieval society built on status (fixed hierarchy, personal favor) with modern freedom built on contract (voluntary, equal exchange), arguing only the latter respects individual dignity and maximizes opportunity. He defends capital accumulation and large fortunes as essential engines of civilization—created by rare organizational genius and self-denial—not plunder, and warns that attempts to enforce equal outcomes are rooted in envy, ultimately punishing the productive and eroding moral responsibility. Sumner’s enduring challenge: the next time you hear a call for collective solutions enforced by the state, ask—who is C, the Forgotten Man paying the price, and are we willing to sacrifice liberty and self-reliance to pretend we can make everyone equally comfortable?
