投资 · 西方古典

大卫·李嘉图:政治经济学及赋税原理·摘录 315

大卫·李嘉图《政治经济学及赋税原理》· On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation · 投资

Again. "Those, therefore, who have the command of more food than they themselves can consume, are always willing to exchange the surplus, or, what is the same thing, the price of it, for gratifications of another kind. What is over and above satisfying the limited desire, is given for the amusement of those desires which cannot be satisfied, but seem to be altogether endless. The poor, in order to obtain food, exert themselves to gratify those fancies of the rich; and to obtain it more certainly, they vie with one another in the cheapness and perfection of their work. The number of workmen increases with the increasing quantity of food, or with the growing improvement and cultivation of the lands; and as the nature of their business admits of the utmost subdivisions of labours, the quantity of materials which they can work up increases in a much greater proportion than their numbers. Hence arises a demand for every sort of material which human invention can employ, either usefully or ornamentally, in building, dress, equipage, or household furniture; for the fossils and minerals contained in the bowels of the earth, the precious metals, and the precious stones."

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33310
定位:Excerpt 315 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

核心是:富人的剩余食物会换取各种享乐,穷人则通过竞争提供廉价而完美的劳动来获得食物,从而推动分工和需求。原文说,掌握超过自身消费食物的人,总愿意用剩余交换其他享受;超过满足有限欲望的部分,用于满足那些无穷无尽的欲望。穷人为了得到食物,努力满足富人的幻想,并在廉价和完美上互相竞争。随着食物增加和土地改良,工人数量增加,而工作性质允许高度分工,他们能加工的材料数量增长得比人数更快。于是对建筑材料、服饰、车马、家具、矿物、贵金属和宝石等各种材料产生需求。这揭示了消费需求如何带动生产扩张。

上下文

李嘉图引用亚当·斯密关于剩余产品与消费需求的论述,说明分工和需求如何随食物增加而扩展。

今日一问

你能否观察到一个看似奢侈的需求,如何间接为许多人提供了生计?

公版作品;原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg,仅摘录段落并附全书链接。

本文本为公版;底本与原文链接见上。 版权

← 返回原文库