Podcast Episode Details

HENRY FORD’S TODAY & TOMORROW 2: Henry Ford’s Blueprint for Success - Part 2 (13-24)

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(00:00:00) 13. WAGES, HOURS, AND THE WAGE MOTIVE
(00:21:19) 14. THE MEANING OF POWER
(00:48:07) 15. EDUCATION FOR LIFE
(01:03:56) 16. CURING OR PREVENTING
(01:16:46) 17. MAKING A RAILROAD PAY
(01:37:48) 18. THE AIR
(01:47:32) 19. FARM PROBLEMS ARE FARM PROBLEMS
(02:04:53) 20. FINDING THE BALANCE IN LIFE
(02:20:55) 21. WHAT IS MONEY FOR?
(02:44:38) 22. APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES TO ANY BUSINESS
(02:57:36) 23. THE WEALTH OF NATIONS
(03:23:39) 24. WHY NOT

Henry Ford’s Today and Tomorrow (1926) – Part 2 (Chpts. 13–24) 

Henry Ford’s Today and Tomorrow remains one of the most influential industrial manifestos of the twentieth century—a blend of practical genius and social philosophy that unites efficiency, morality, and human betterment. In the book’s second part (Chapters 13–24), Ford moves beyond machinery and factory organization to explore the broader social, economic, and moral principles that govern progress. He argues that the same discipline that revolutionized manufacturing—eliminating waste, respecting natural laws, and aligning labor with purpose—applies to every area of life. Industry, education, agriculture, and finance, he says, can all be organized with intelligence and fairness to create a balanced and prosperous society. 

13. WAGES, HOURS, AND THE WAGE MOTIVE
Ford opens this section by redefining the relationship between wages and productivity. He rejects the idea that higher wages mean lower profits, showing instead that fair pay strengthens both business and society. His 1914 decision to introduce the $5-a-day wage doubled the prevailing rate and sparked widespread skepticism—yet it produced the opposite of what critics predicted: increased efficiency, loyalty, and morale. He also disputes the notion that shorter hours reduce output. Properly organized work, he says, should be intense but not exhausting, built on purpose and system rather than endless labor. The true wage motive is service, not greed: the worker earns more by giving more value, and the employer prospers because his people are happy and productive. This “square deal” forms the basis of enduring industrial and national success. 

14. THE MEANING OF POWER
Ford redefines “power” as the ability to serve and produce, not to dominate. Mechanical and human power alike have meaning only when directed toward constructive ends. Once feared as a destroyer of jobs, industrial power has become a liberator, freeing humanity from drudgery. He distinguishes power over others—which leads to tyranny—from power with others, which fosters cooperation and abundance. Civilization’s challenge, Ford writes, is to channel physical and social power in the service of humanity. Power without wisdom wastes resources; power without morality destroys. Only when guided by service can power advance civilization. 

15. EDUCATION FOR LIFE
Education, Ford argues, must prepare people for living, not merely fill their heads with facts. He criticizes schools that separate knowledge from practice, producing students who are “book-smart” yet helpless with real problems. True education, he says, combines head, hand, and heart, uniting practical skill, intellect, and character. Schools should teach not only academic subjects but also industry, mechanics, agriculture, and cooperation, preparing capable citizens rather than detached scholars. Work itself should be viewed as continuous education. The highest form of learning, Ford concludes, is discovering how to live usefully and joyfully. 

16. CURING OR PREVENTING
Drawing from his manufacturing experience, Ford contrasts the “curative” mindset—fixing failures after they occur—with the “preventive” one—designing systems that avoid them altogether. Prevention, he says, is the highest form of efficiency. Just as it is cheaper to prevent machine breakdowns than to repair them, it is wiser for

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Published on 1 week ago