Reform succeeded only where conscience aligned with self-interest

Evidence

Social welfare programs, and labor reform programs, were successful, in the main, if conscience and passion could join forces with strong self-​interest. An efficient civil service, well-​drafted laws, and enforcement money were also essential, of course. Despite fierce opposition, there was an impressive amount of protective labor legislation—​on child labor, women workers, factory safety, and the hours of work—​by 1900. The growth was, however, quite uneven. The heavily industrialized—​and unionized—​states of the North and Middle West led the way. The South lagged badly behind. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 3200

Categorization

• APHORISMS: ‘Conscience and passion joining forces with strong self-interest’ is a durable general condition for successful social legislation worth returning to.
• XREF: connects to: Nonconformist reformers subordinate self-preservation to their moral principles; Calculated self-interest was reframed as a moral duty by collaborators — Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust, 397; Power concedes to antiracist change only via self-interest or costly disruption — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning: The…, 1257 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Power concedes to antiracist change only via self-interest or costly disruption #corroborates (0.85) — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 1257
• Calculated self-interest was reframed as a moral duty by collaborators #exemplifies (0.82) — Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust, 397
• Nonconformist reformers subordinate self-preservation to their moral principles #qualifies (0.80)