投资 · 西方古典
弗雷德里克·巴斯夏：经济诡辩·摘录 269
弗雷德里克·巴斯夏《经济诡辩》· Economic Sophisms · 投资
The same thing holds of the use made of the word _inundation_. This word is ordinarily used in a bad sense, for we often see our fields injured, and our harvests carried away by floods. If, however, they leave on our soil something of greater value than what they carry away, like the inundations of the Nile, we should be thankful for them, as the Egyptians are. Before we declaim, then, against the inundations of foreign products--before proceeding to restrain them by irksome and costly obstacles--we should inquire to what class they belong, and whether they ravage or fertilize. What should we think of Mehemet Ali, if, instead of raising, at great cost, bars across the Nile, to extend wider its inundations, he were to spend his money in digging a deeper channel to prevent Egypt being soiled by the foreign slime which descends upon her from the Mountains of the Moon? We display exactly the same degree of wisdom and sense, when we desire, at the cost of millions, to defend our country.... From what? From the benefits which nature has bestowed on other climates.
出处：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44145
定位：Excerpt 269 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录
白话
巴斯夏用“洪水”打比方：我们通常觉得洪水是坏事，因为它冲毁田地、卷走收成。但如果洪水像尼罗河泛滥那样，留下的肥沃淤泥比带走的更多，我们就该像埃及人一样感谢它。所以，在指责外国商品“泛滥”之前，先要问清楚：它带来的是破坏还是滋养？如果外国商品像尼罗河淤泥一样能肥沃我们的土地，那我们花大钱设障碍阻挡它，就像埃及总督不花钱引水灌溉，反而花钱挖深河道，防止“外国淤泥”弄脏埃及一样愚蠢。换句话说，贸易保护主义者花巨资抵御的，恰恰是别国气候和自然条件带给我们的好处。
上下文
巴斯夏是19世纪法国经济学家，《经济诡辩》用讽刺笔法批判贸易保护主义。这段话以尼罗河泛滥为喻，反驳对外国商品的恐惧。
今日一问
你最近是否因为“外来”的东西感到不安？它带来的好处和坏处，你分别算清楚了吗？
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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