Definitions HQ

Speculation (n.) gives ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠natural fruits back to you with a supernatural significance — grown out of the ether of your brain rather than the material earth.

Speculation (n.) falls ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠into the most unnatural bondage to its object precisely when it tries by sophistry to free itself from that dependence, and is then forced to treat the object's most accidental features as absolutely necessary.

Speculation (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the last drop of theology — which is why the fight against speculative theology drove Feuerbach on to fight speculative philosophy.

Speculation (n.) breaks ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠out in paroxysms, withdrawing masses of capital from one line of business with extraordinary rapidity and flinging them just as suddenly into another.

Speculation (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠with credit swindles, share swindles and crises, the adventurous path forced on small capitals too weak to survive the falling profit rate.

Speculation (n.) and ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠trade are so nearly allied that no one can say where one ends and the other begins; whatever gives facilities to trade gives facilities to speculation.

Speculation (n.) risks ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠social property, not the speculator's own.