[575] The first mistake is the definition of the economic^a. What is that? Economy means building a house, originally. It is derived from οἶκος, house. So economy means the whole structure in which man builds its house on earth. This of course is limited, in the language^b which we now use, to those productions which are basic for human existence, to fill the needs which arise in human life. All this is economy. Now if you say that this economy is the basis, and that the arts and the philosophies^c and the religions are only the expression of this basis, then you must ask yourselves: let's look a little bit more intimately at this basis. What IS the economy? Then you discover it is not only WORK done, but it is also work done with special technical possibilities. Now these technical possibilities come out of the autonomous development of sciences---and technical sciences. They cannot be derived from that which SHALL be derived from them. This is simply a vicious circle. If economy INCLUDES already the realm of the scientific and technical development, then this development cannot be derived from it. But the same is true in other respects: the problem of want. What does one WANT to have? The Medieval Church wanted something ELSE than the American suburban man of today. They are two completely different societies, with respect to WANT. If you DERIVE culture from WANT, then you must see that the KIND of want is already a PRODUCT of culture. So it is again a vicious circle to derive the culture from want, if want is already an EXPRESSION of a special culture.