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散文 Happiness and Wealth

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发表于 2007-6-8 14:46 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式

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Living standards have soared during the twentieth century, and 2 e- }* y! m& ]: D& `
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economists expect them to continue rising in the decades ahead. Does
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- K3 \% U7 @  q( o. jthat mean that we humans can look forward to increasing happiness?
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Not necessarily, warns Richard A. Easterlin, an economist at the ) U3 y& T7 a! }) l) [
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University of Southern California, in his new book, Growth Triumphant:
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* F' i) T9 {$ s* zThe Twenty-first Century in Historical Perspective. Easterlin concedes $ O5 R) q) _2 }& W$ F; K/ {: Z3 T

. I2 ]! x5 S$ Q9 Gthat richer people are more likely to report themselves as being happy
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than poorer people are. But steady improvements in the American economy 1 Y+ g$ }+ S$ i$ g% z
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have not been accompanied by steady increases in people‘s self-
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! S% q; X2 X: B7 `# D7 Aassessments of their own happiness. "There has been not improvement in ( }, b& B3 p4 y- @6 w/ X- W% n" R

6 d% x" m, h+ `. k5 B& G. I* Yaverage happiness in the United States over almost a half century----a
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period in which real GDP per capita more than doubled," Easterlin 8 s" C+ _9 {( w3 h1 V2 v$ A
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reports.
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The explanation for this paradox may be that people become less
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satisfied over time with a given level of income. In Easterlin‘s word:
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' |- m/ ~0 B( [9 o! |& ?3 x+ {- n"As incomes rise, the aspiration level does too, and the effect of this * {- z2 ~5 H8 ~; `1 l
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increase in aspirations is to vitiate the expected growth in happiness 3 o0 ]& m9 D( B. e( A2 L

- `4 {; t+ e& ?) c  m( ~due to higher income." # I) t6 E, G, M
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Money can buy happiness, Easterlin seems to be saying, but only if 3 S; X* ~$ A: l! X7 m
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one‘s amounts get bigger and other people aren‘t getting more. His
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: c$ f( ^  w; g. F1 vanalysis helps to explain sociologist Lee Rainwater‘s finding that
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Americans‘ perception of the income "necessary to get along" rose
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- m& O- t2 b0 O/ u& A" R( wbetween 1950 and 1986 in the same proportion as actual per capita
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income. We feel rich if we have more than our neighbors, poor if we * ]* H/ \' z+ P8 }' Y

$ A2 G3 e$ \3 n" Shave less, and feeling relatively well off is equated with being happy.4 z. Z4 Q3 e  F  \
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Easterlin‘s findings, challenge psychologist Abraham Maslow‘s
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( R; z2 U+ k2 d# ?$ R* c; x* X"hierarchy of wants" as a reliable guide to future human motivation. , ?4 M& \1 W( ~2 J

2 c! L8 c) i6 N2 V* OMaslow suggested that as people‘s basic material wants are satisfied
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8 {' m" T3 t8 J9 |they seek to achieve nonmaterial or spiritual goals. But Easterlin‘s
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evidence points to the persistence of materialism.
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"Despite a general level of affluence never before realized in the ! n) g8 c$ m7 f2 b7 p" w# u9 R2 ~  X
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history of the world." Easterlin observes, "Material concerns in the
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: _: J/ r8 l* }4 H2 |2 rwealthiest nations today are as pressing as ever and the pursuit of
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9 \( }/ T+ E' ?1 A3 M* Amaterial need as intense." The evidence suggests there is no evolution 1 M- f" f0 T3 q# C! F% S
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toward higher order goals. Rather, each step upward on the ladder of & a1 l, Q6 j+ u: u
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economic development merely stimulates new economic desires that lead 9 P) U6 q8 ]; g' f0 z

5 ~1 r0 s9 z5 K( q" o+ E1 kthe chase ever onward. Economists are accustomed to deflating the money ! G7 |8 G4 c* t8 a# d

" T; G4 L9 _( x9 h# O/ ~2 Xvalue of national income by the average level of prices to obtain 6 K  |7 O) V6 h, T: M7 [( @6 r0 I6 ?* f
# n8 t- |5 \$ h# ^0 [
"real" income. The process here is similar----real income is being & R5 K7 i& U+ u, ^# y' h8 U0 Y- Y

6 f  H. l' x! W5 C' Mdeflated by rising material aspiration, in this case to yield
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essentially constant subjective economic well-being. While it would be
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pleasant to envisage a world free from the pressure of material want, a
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more realistic projection, based on the evidence, is of a world in
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which generation after generation thinks it needs only another 10% to 9 d; W& G  N0 Q+ l0 j7 E

( g# Y# Y' D. e8 ~4 M# y20% more income to be perfectly happy.. x6 p; \& G: s" S2 z
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Needs are limited, but not greeds. Science has developed no cure for # B6 s2 q4 Y+ N2 X9 Z) t- V; b

# @, @6 |1 ~# y$ f9 d- H0 X- K' c. e- genvy, so our wealth boosts our happiness only briefly while shrinking 1 u. p) [3 U, ^5 m# `3 t$ W

7 {9 m' t8 l* g. W4 F4 Z; othat of our neighbors. Thus the outlook for the future is gloomy in * u& i% Y& ]+ D1 A% r5 z/ I

9 L9 m7 T% k& R0 O! w0 V3 \Easterlin‘s view.
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"The future, then, to which the epoch of modern economic growth is % D: x  j7 L' y# a

( {  u) a; [0 Lleading is one of never ending economic growth, a world in which ever . i$ p! ~1 b: p
+ j9 g6 e7 L4 [7 H, e
growing abundance is matched by ever rising aspirations, a world in 8 j$ A) j7 q; a& k! {" d( s4 t

: x; m" ~. m: w$ C3 N7 ?which cultural difference is leveled in the constant race to achieve
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! u: L* g4 v) s! D  Tthe goods life of material plenty, it is a world founded on belief in
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science and the power of rational inquiry and in the ultimate capacity   I' b! g& e; v& b: E4 s

, M0 _. ^% I6 W6 I; t) ]+ ^4 ?of humanity to shape its own destiny. The irony is that in this last - R0 [! _) c7 D0 S/ G  h
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respect the lesson of history appears to be otherwise: that there is no 8 h& V" b5 [1 ^" v) s' n9 H
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choice. In the end, the triumph of economic growth is not a triumph of
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humanity over material wants; rather, it is the triumph of material
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& J$ ?) c1 [) p/ l% Wwants over humanity."

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Die von den Nutzern eingestellten Information und Meinungen sind nicht eigene Informationen und Meinungen der DOLC GmbH.
 楼主| 发表于 2007-6-8 14:47 | 显示全部楼层

中文翻译

人们的生活水平在20世纪飞速提高,经济学家预计在未来的几十年里,人们3 t) [' [# {* ?5 k/ G' p7 p' J
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的生活水平还会进一步提高。这是否意味着我们人类的日子有望越过越幸福呢?  Q$ \2 x+ j, m. ^; s$ a
  未必如此,南加州大学一位经济学家理查德?A?伊斯特林在其新书《增长的胜
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3 J" F0 ^3 Z' K9 G* F# ?4 l) c利:从历史的视角展望21世纪》中如是告诫世人。他承认,一般来说,富人比穷0 Z3 ?& i, h% ?0 c- o
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人更有可能称自己是幸福的。然而,美国人对幸福感的自我评价并未伴随着美国
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( D- a3 b/ ^7 }8 |0 ?经济稳步发展而有所提高。伊斯特林指出:“过去近半个世纪中,美国的实际人6 k# r$ n7 ^2 U/ p
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均国内生产总值增加了2倍多,而人们并未感到比以往更幸福。”5 A- i+ w6 Z) b8 K$ e, ~" r
  对于这种自相矛盾的现象也许可作如下解释,随着时间的推移,人们对一定
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/ l: H! Y! B  S+ r的收入会越来越不满。用伊斯特林的话来说:“收入增加了,人们的期望值也相
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9 |1 t, W" a) [# f1 [应提高了,期望值的提高会抵消收入提高所带来的预期有所增加的幸福感。”
) S# m: x/ L1 {3 u; Y  伊斯特林似乎在说,金钱可以买来幸福,但这只有在自己金钱不断增多,而
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别人收入不变的情况才会如此。他的分析有助于人们理解社会学家李?雷恩沃特的
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3 |) _2 U. s- N0 S' _调查结果----从1950年到1986年,在美国持收入“必须维持基本生活”观念的人6 b! d' j5 `( e1 ~/ t% R" q
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随着实际人均收入的增加而同比增长。如果收入比邻居多,我们就会感到自己富, `6 r5 O; y5 x, L0 @5 K4 I# A) P* H
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有;反之,则觉得自己贫穷。由此可见,人们把幸福感与相对富裕程度等同起来
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/ Y% F; _6 L8 D' j; b/ _! f, ], i5 ]% }: M" {
  伊斯特林的调查结果向心理理学家亚伯拉罕?马斯洛的“需要等级体系”理论
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# ]% `" p  R4 z, D% d8 \提出了挑战,该理论为人类未来的动机提供了可靠指南。马斯洛认为:一旦人们
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的基本物质需求得到满足后,就会转而追求更高层次的精神需求。但伊斯特林的
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论证却指出人类的物欲永无止境。
+ a5 u6 }; U8 U3 d  伊斯特林还评述到:“尽管人类历史上从未实现过普遍水平的富裕,但今日2 w9 e  U, c$ A3 P( Z) [! B9 Z0 n: w
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最富有的那些国家对物质的关注还是那么迫切,对物质需要的追求还是那样的强  A1 X% u, j( v& O, j& o

0 [) x/ _! v- ?% h" x% c1 o烈。”这表明人类并未朝更高层次的精神目标进展。更确切地说,经济发展每上1 Z& E; F8 ]/ {; _  F. p4 X

0 N9 |8 \: ~9 b& E! N% w一个台阶只会刺激新的经济需求,进而促进经济持续向前发展。经济学家通常用4 @; r+ |! M4 @% B1 Y5 T

9 g; ~0 n7 l" G- D国民收入的货币价值减去平均物价上涨额度来计算“实际”收入。同样,人们日% L0 t$ c8 W/ p9 E, }4 s/ Z
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益增长的物质欲望,在此主要是持续不断对经济富裕的主观要求,削减了实际收
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入。虽然设想一个没有物欲压力的世界是件惬意的事,但一个基于事实的更为现
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实的想法是设想在这样一个世界里,世世代代的人们都认为只要将收入再提高" v1 G% q, b' k. J5 h% v; ?/ [9 u
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10%----20%,就可达到无比幸福的境界。
8 H" ]  d1 G  I4 z3 ?. n  需求是有极限的,而贪欲却无止境。科学再进步也尚未研制出治疗嫉妒的良
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药,因此只有当我们的财富让邻居相形见绌的时候,我们才会感到片刻的幸福。: h3 m$ }. |0 H& n+ _# E

1 H) k5 N  M* @, c2 S所以在伊斯特林看来,未来的前景不容乐观:* T! M$ m& q6 o  P
  “当今经济发展的趋势告诉我们,未来经济会不断发展、永不停歇,未来世/ R' S- o( N  d1 B

$ M0 V) t. G3 U  ?- X- E% x界会是一个财富不断增长而欲望节节上升的世界;一个为达到富裕不断角逐而导; S9 w- l- U4 a6 w4 F

1 C4 N  ]3 D' A8 q2 t7 t) E致文化差异尽失的世界;一个建立在信仰科学和智力并相信人类有最大的能力塑* s7 ~  s. O; H- C
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造自己命运的世界。具有讽刺意味的是,在最后一点上,历史的经验教训似乎告
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- X+ S5 `4 L) g$ W3 Y3 v7 s! T( [诉我们事物的发展并非如此:人类别无选择,并不能掌握自己的命运。最后,经
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济发展的结果不是人性战胜物欲,而是物欲战胜人性。”
Die von den Nutzern eingestellten Information und Meinungen sind nicht eigene Informationen und Meinungen der DOLC GmbH.
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发表于 2007-6-16 16:10 | 显示全部楼层
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