投资 · 西方古典

托马斯·马尔萨斯:人口论·摘录 53

托马斯·马尔萨斯《人口论》· An Essay on the Principle of Population · 投资

It may at first appear strange, but I believe it is true, that I cannot by means of money raise a poor man and enable him to live much better than he did before, without proportionably depressing others in the same class. If I retrench the quantity of food consumed in my house, and give him what I have cut off, I then benefit him, without depressing any but myself and family, who, perhaps, may be well able to bear it. If I turn up a piece of uncultivated land, and give him the produce, I then benefit both him and all the members of the society, because what he before consumed is thrown into the common stock, and probably some of the new produce with it. But if I only give him money, supposing the produce of the country to remain the same, I give him a title to a larger share of that produce than formerly, which share he cannot receive without diminishing the shares of others. It is evident that this effect, in individual instances, must be so small as to be totally imperceptible; but still it must exist, as many other effects do, which, like some of the insects that people the air, elude our grosser perceptions.

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4239
定位:Excerpt 53 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

马尔萨斯说,光给钱把穷人抬得比原来好,不可能不相对压低同阶层其他人。若我少自家口粮给他,只损我和家人,尚可承受;若我开荒给他收成,则他和全社会都受益,因为他原先吃的省下进入公共储备。但若只给钱、全国产出不变,就等于给他更大份额,别人份额必减。单个例子小到看不见,却像空气中的小虫,确实存在。他主张:创造新产出比单纯转移钱更能真正帮人。

上下文

马尔萨斯《人口论》区分“转移财富”与“创造新产出”的救济效果。

今日一问

你帮人时,是给现成资源,还是帮他增加产出能力?

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