有闲阶级论·摘录 74 · 托斯丹·凡勃伦

It is to be added that a large share of those features of consumable goods which figure in popular apprehension as marks of serviceability, and to which reference is here had as elements of conspicuous waste, commend themselves to the consumer also on other grounds than that of expensiveness alone. They usually give evidence of skill and effective workmanship, even if they do not contribute to the substantial serviceability of the goods; and it is no doubt largely on some such ground that any particular mark of honorific serviceability first comes into vogue and afterward maintains its footing as a normal constituent element of the worth of an article. A display of efficient workmanship is pleasing simply as such, even where its remoter, for the time unconsidered, outcome is futile. There is a gratification of the artistic sense in the contemplation of skillful work. But it is also to be added that no such evidence of skillful workmanship, or of ingenious and effective adaptation of means to an end, will, in the long run, enjoy the approbation of the modern civilized consumer unless it has the sanction of the Canon of conspicuous waste.

出处： https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/833
定位：Excerpt 74 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录

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商品上那些被大众当成“好用标志”的特征，很多其实是显眼浪费，但它们不只靠贵来打动人。它们常展示出精湛手艺和巧妙用心，哪怕对实际功能没帮助，也让人看着舒服。人们欣赏熟练工艺本身，就像看高手做事一样愉悦。不过，这种工艺展示若想长期被现代消费者认可，最终还得通过“显眼浪费”这一关：它必须同时显得值钱、有派头，否则光有技巧也站不住脚。

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凡勃伦继续分析消费品的“荣誉性”特征，指出审美与炫耀如何交织。

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你欣赏一件物品时，是被它的手艺打动，还是被它暗示的价格和身份打动？

公版作品；原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg，仅摘录段落并附全书链接。

健康 · 张潮《幽梦影》

手不能執管，其苦更甚於啞。并頭聯句，交頸論文，宮中應制，歷使屬國，皆極人間樂事。《水滸傳》詰蔣門神云：「爲何不姓李。」此語殊妙。蓋姓實有佳有劣：如華、如柳、如、如蘇、如喬，皆極風韻；若夫毛也、賴也、焦也、牛也，則皆塵於目而棘於耳也。花之宜於目而復宜於鼻香，梅也、菊也、蘭也、水仙也、珠蘭也、蓮也。止宜於鼻者，櫞也、桂也、瑞香也、梔子也、茉莉也、木香也、玫瑰也、臘梅也。餘則皆宜於目者也。花與葉俱可觀者，秋海棠爲最，荷次之。海棠、酴醾、虞美…

眼睛不识字，比盲更闷；手不能执笔，比哑更苦。并头联句、交颈论文、宫中应制、出使属国，都是人间极乐事。《水浒传》问蒋门神“为何不姓李”，这话妙，因为姓确有佳劣：华、柳、苏、乔极风韵；毛、赖、焦、牛则刺眼刺耳。花既宜目又宜鼻的：梅、菊、兰、水仙、珠兰、莲；只宜鼻的：橼、桂、瑞香、栀子、茉莉、木香、玫瑰、腊梅；其余宜目。花叶俱可观：秋海棠最，荷次之，海棠、酴醾、虞美人、水仙又次；叶胜花的只有雁来红、美人蕉；花叶都不足观的是紫薇、辛夷。高谈山林的人常不喜谈市朝事，若如此，就该连《史》《汉》都不读，因为那些书写的都是古时市朝。

事业 · 保罗·格雷厄姆《《天才的车票理论》》

The other solution is to let yourself be interested in lots of different things. You don't decrease your upside if you switch between equally genuine interests based on which seems to be working so far. But there is a…

另一个解决办法是让自己对许多不同事物感兴趣。如果你在同样真诚的兴趣之间切换，根据哪个目前看起来有进展，这不会减少你的上行空间。但这里也有危险：如果你同时做太多不同项目，可能对任何一个都不够深入。公交车票理论一个有趣之处是，它可能有助于解释为什么不同类型的人擅长不同工作。兴趣的分布比能力不均匀得多。如果做大事只需要天赋，而天赋分布均匀，你就得发明复杂的理论来解释各领域真正做出大事的人为何分布如此偏斜。

投资 · 亚当·斯密《国富论》

But though it may be impossible to determine, with any degree of precision, what are or were the average profits of stock, either in the present or in ancient times, some notion may be formed of them from the interest…

要精确算出平均利润几乎不可能，但可以用利息率来大致推测。道理是：用钱能赚得多的地方，人们通常也愿意为借钱付更高的利息；用钱赚得少的地方，利息也低。因此，一个国家的市场利息率变动，往往反映普通利润率的同向变动——利息降，利润多半也降；利息升，利润多半也升。观察利息走势，可以帮我们粗略判断利润的变化。这不是精确测量，而是一个可操作的参照指标。

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