To me this says tht the capitalists' economists wanted to abolish pre-capitalist _employment_, so that people had to work for capital. JD
From: Michael Perelman>
Let me suggest a different context. During the mercantilist period --
yes, during capitalism -- the majority of the economists were very
concerned about putting everybody to work; that is, eliminating
unemployment. The reason was the people had alternatives to wage labor.
Once those alternatives disappear, the threat of unemployment rather
than direct coercion become central to disciplining labor.<
