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弗雷德里克·巴斯夏:经济诡辩·摘录 54

弗雷德里克·巴斯夏《经济诡辩》· Economic Sophisms · 投资

In this, as in other cases, we shall find protectionist theorists viewing their subject from the producer's stand-point, whilst we advocate the cause of the unfortunate consumers, whose interests they studiously keep out of sight. They institute a comparison between the field of industry and the _turf_. But as regards the latter, the race is at once the _means_ and the _end_. The public feels no interest in the competition beyond the competition itself. When you start your horses, your _end_, your object, is to find out which is the swiftest runner, and I see your reason for equalizing the weights. But if your _end_, your object, were to secure the arrival of some important and urgent news at the winning-post, could you, without inconsistency, throw obstacles in the way of any one who should offer you the best means of expediting your message? This is what you do in commercial affairs. You forget the end, the object sought to be attained, which is material prosperity; you disregard it, you sacrifice it to a veritable _petitio principii_; in plain language, you are begging the question.

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44145
定位:Excerpt 54 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

巴斯夏指出,保护主义者总站在生产者角度看问题,却故意忽略消费者利益。他们拿工业竞争比作赛马:赛马时给马加负重是为了公平比出谁快,比赛本身就是目的。但商业不是赛马,商业的目的是物质繁荣,是让重要消息尽快送到。如果目的是送达,就不该给跑得快的人设障碍。保护主义者却忘了目的,把手段当目的,等于循环论证:先假定限制竞争是对的,再用它证明限制竞争必要。做法是:讨论贸易政策时,先问最终要服务谁、要达成什么,别把保护某个行业当成终极目标。

上下文

巴斯夏在《经济诡辩》中反驳保护主义。他用赛马比喻说明:竞争是手段,繁荣才是目的。

今日一问

你支持某项政策时,是在服务最终目的,还是把保护某个群体当成了目的本身?

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