A series of essays sets out core principles of political economy, defending the legitimacy and perpetuity of capital and interest while responding to contemporary socialist critiques. It emphasizes the importance of considering both immediate and secondary consequences of economic actions, illustrated by thought experiments such as the broken-window example. Other pieces analyze taxation, public works, credit, machinery, trade restrictions, money, law, and the roles of frugality and luxury in production and consumption. The prose pairs clear examples with moral and logical argument to show that effects unseen by casual observation are crucial to sound economic policy.