投资 · 西方古典
托马斯·马尔萨斯:人口论·摘录 62
托马斯·马尔萨斯《人口论》· An Essay on the Principle of Population · 投资
It should be remembered always that there is an essential difference between food and those wrought commodities, the raw materials of which are in great plenty. A demand for these last will not fail to create them in as great a quantity as they are wanted. The demand for food has by no means the same creative power. In a country where all the fertile spots have been seized, high offers are necessary to encourage the farmer to lay his dressing on land from which he cannot expect a profitable return for some years. And before the prospect of advantage is sufficiently great to encourage this sort of agricultural enterprise, and while the new produce is rising, great distresses may be suffered from the want of it. The demand for an increased quantity of subsistence is, with few exceptions, constant everywhere, yet we see how slowly it is answered in all those countries that have been long occupied.
出处:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4239
定位:Excerpt 62 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录
白话
马尔萨斯强调,食物与工业品有本质区别:工业品的原料充足,需求能创造供给;但食物需求没有这种创造力。在肥沃土地已被占满的国家,必须出高价才能鼓励农民在几年内无利可图的土地上施肥。在预期收益足够大、新产出出现之前,人们可能因缺粮而遭受巨大困苦。对食物的需求几乎处处持续存在,但在开发已久的国家,供给增长却非常缓慢。
上下文
马尔萨斯《人口论》核心论点:食物增长受土地报酬递减限制,赶不上人口增长。
今日一问
我们是否常误以为只要需要,粮食就能像工业品一样迅速增产?
公版作品;原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg,仅摘录段落并附全书链接。
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