投资 · 西方古典
托马斯·马尔萨斯：人口论·摘录 144
托马斯·马尔萨斯《人口论》· An Essay on the Principle of Population · 投资
The form and structure of society which Mr Godwin describes is as essentially distinct from any forms of society which have hitherto prevailed in the world as a being that can live without food or sleep is from a man. By improving society in its present form, we are making no more advances towards such a state of things as he pictures than we should make approaches towards a line, with regard to which we were walking parallel. The question, therefore, is whether, by looking to such a form of society as our polar star, we are likely to advance or retard the improvement of the human species? Mr Godwin appears to me to have decided this question against himself in his essay on 'Avarice and Profusion' in the Enquirer.
出处：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4239
定位：Excerpt 144 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录
白话
葛德文描绘的社会形态，和历史上任何社会都截然不同，就像不用吃饭睡觉的生物和真人完全不同一样。我们改进现有社会，并不会朝他那理想国靠近，就像沿着平行线走永远碰不到另一条线。所以关键问题是：把这种社会当北极星来追求，究竟会促进还是阻碍人类进步？马尔萨斯认为葛德文自己在《贪婪与挥霍》一文里已经否定了这个答案。
上下文
马尔萨斯在1798年《人口论》中反驳葛德文的乌托邦构想，指出其社会蓝图脱离人性与现实条件。
今日一问
你追求的理想目标，是能一步步靠近的，还是永远平行的幻影？
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