Q: What are the basic assumptions made in this document?

In the document “The Philosophy of Manufactures” written by Andrew Ure, he gives us the perspective of the new middle class during the Industrial Revolution in England. One thing that can be assumed from the document is that having factories move towards machinery means that it is not as strenuous on the factory workers. This assumption can be made when Ure states: “every member of the loom is so adjusted, that the driving force leaves the attendant nearly nothing at all to do, certainly no muscular fatigue to sustain”. Since objects that were once all made by hand are now being made by machines, it is less work and not as fatiguing compared to making each of the bits by hand and putting it together by hand. Now it is all done by machines so the job of the worker has now transferred over from a taxing skill to now working with machinery that helps them create the product.

Another assumption that can be made is that the advances from the industrial revolution are more economical. This is partially due to workers being traded out for machines and the workers no longer being hired for skill but to work the machines. This assumption comes from the statement that ”The constant aim and effect of scientific improvement in manufactures are philanthropic”. When the factory owner is no longer paying for the skill of the worker and is now paying for the machines to do the hard work and hiring people to work the machines, the wages can be cut lower. Even though the wages are cut lower, the factory owners still make that same profit or more because the product is being produced faster.

It can also be assumed that this is better for the economy because the products are being produced faster than they are being bought more frequently which is putting money back into the system quicker. This is based on the fact that products are becoming more common which means that they are becoming more affordable so more people are able to purchase these products.

An assumption that can be made from this document is that women and children will be used more in the workforce than before. This can be assumed because the factory owners want to spend as little as possible on workers and women and children are the cheapest form of labor. The goal of the factory workers is ”the constant aim and tendency of every improvement in machinery to supersede human labor altogether, or to diminish its cost”. Having women and children in the workforce will allow for even more profit for the factory owners since they are cutting back on what they are spending compared to the profit that they are making.

Another thing that is assumed from this document is that the Industrial Revolution benefits all. This assumption is made in the last paragraph. It describes that even though the factory jobs are being replaced by machines, other jobs will be more in demand. Over all, this document assumes that the Industrial Revolution is beneficial to all of the people due to the way it is changing the way of the working system.