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散文 Happiness and Wealth

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发表于 2007-6-8 15:46 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式

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Living standards have soared during the twentieth century, and
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economists expect them to continue rising in the decades ahead. Does
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that mean that we humans can look forward to increasing happiness? 0 ?+ ?- p* R" l5 w! [

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Not necessarily, warns Richard A. Easterlin, an economist at the ' \& a4 z( R: _; q5 w8 w
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University of Southern California, in his new book, Growth Triumphant:
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% G' i0 b* Q9 C( _2 E9 T7 LThe Twenty-first Century in Historical Perspective. Easterlin concedes
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that 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
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" @/ x# G0 F2 o  s3 c! Ahave not been accompanied by steady increases in people‘s self-
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assessments of their own happiness. "There has been not improvement in , j2 V: E3 @7 y3 I0 E/ s

) C; `9 E! ?, z5 O" |average happiness in the United States over almost a half century----a & }: h8 ^& h8 p

$ c5 o% k9 ]4 Pperiod in which real GDP per capita more than doubled," Easterlin
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' M) j9 l9 W2 v" a$ Ureports.
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# F$ u8 B! ]: T$ E3 F* IThe explanation for this paradox may be that people become less % e: W% m: ^( T+ w) _. \
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satisfied over time with a given level of income. In Easterlin‘s word:
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"As incomes rise, the aspiration level does too, and the effect of this & `* ^: a* }3 c7 q( m  M
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increase in aspirations is to vitiate the expected growth in happiness : T0 k- T, T: X& ]* a, w; ?- R, t
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due to higher income."
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, C1 A% @3 C* f( G$ a  e& ]4 D0 VMoney can buy happiness, Easterlin seems to be saying, but only if * h5 c  [- t0 ?6 ~( ~

( `% l5 d5 h, i1 pone‘s amounts get bigger and other people aren‘t getting more. His 6 d5 U7 i+ @4 N
7 z- v, g  b, b, a- q
analysis 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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$ Q- W# H8 x* i! T3 Z" o- ~7 K1 \5 Nbetween 1950 and 1986 in the same proportion as actual per capita ' P: G$ x- b2 s, M- p

6 \9 y3 z& o4 v. U6 D8 d/ Iincome. We feel rich if we have more than our neighbors, poor if we ' d# r  q, n% j

+ Y" M! _. ^' G) ]6 T  Mhave less, and feeling relatively well off is equated with being happy.! t, \  c5 J1 L) K# K% _
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Easterlin‘s findings, challenge psychologist Abraham Maslow‘s 8 y6 D* K/ l) `( b

0 d, ^) n/ ^0 Q0 |"hierarchy of wants" as a reliable guide to future human motivation. " L( S" D; ^4 C1 L
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Maslow suggested that as people‘s basic material wants are satisfied
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- ^7 l  i* E, g  U4 i2 |6 F1 dthey seek to achieve nonmaterial or spiritual goals. But Easterlin‘s ! n' ?1 Y; f. |1 P

: r6 v, |, e9 }) X& l7 A9 Pevidence points to the persistence of materialism.9 K! `/ X. C0 N

4 {8 P7 f/ R/ K: u$ N" u"Despite a general level of affluence never before realized in the ( M5 ?. f) |8 @8 ~) ]" T5 h1 r2 h5 C
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history of the world." Easterlin observes, "Material concerns in the
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+ y  m/ h! Z2 ~wealthiest nations today are as pressing as ever and the pursuit of
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, T) X* c1 d+ mmaterial need as intense." The evidence suggests there is no evolution
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toward higher order goals. Rather, each step upward on the ladder of
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: }$ W2 i3 w- b* seconomic development merely stimulates new economic desires that lead
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the chase ever onward. Economists are accustomed to deflating the money 6 e2 d- Q' F0 p* e+ ?. j/ n0 c
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value of national income by the average level of prices to obtain
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6 P$ I8 e/ k" v+ _# w. C& M"real" income. The process here is similar----real income is being
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deflated by rising material aspiration, in this case to yield
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essentially constant subjective economic well-being. While it would be / v* f9 |/ g2 y( d9 R: ?

! P# v# _& m  s4 R; c" S0 Fpleasant 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 2 Q% B" W, k. j" h; X' o9 Y' |
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20% more income to be perfectly happy.! C+ Y4 q% Q" r; }, ?, ]* a

2 I/ N$ o) _# G( ?5 A$ XNeeds are limited, but not greeds. Science has developed no cure for
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envy, so our wealth boosts our happiness only briefly while shrinking 7 B  m: P7 J3 G( o, y

& Z) q! U1 W) i1 n1 s3 [. a8 Gthat of our neighbors. Thus the outlook for the future is gloomy in 8 O* l) q8 I; Q0 W

  `- Z8 r, a3 {, f0 |; G, SEasterlin‘s view.
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% K- ?* h5 ]5 j2 m7 W"The future, then, to which the epoch of modern economic growth is 2 p9 M3 H7 s3 C) C. Z

0 q& m* p: {* `6 m4 H! ~, Cleading is one of never ending economic growth, a world in which ever + X% \6 D7 ^7 }( l

' b8 ^! y/ z) J4 \6 a8 Agrowing abundance is matched by ever rising aspirations, a world in 3 e: j' V6 n2 ~5 i2 i, j
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which cultural difference is leveled in the constant race to achieve
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) {+ g5 v8 g1 y$ l7 hthe goods life of material plenty, it is a world founded on belief in * \7 V# z' d! r( h( ~
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science and the power of rational inquiry and in the ultimate capacity * p- O# c4 q# F  d, Q) f+ P2 t# M9 t: P
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of humanity to shape its own destiny. The irony is that in this last 3 x) V, L/ r9 v1 h+ ~: P
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respect the lesson of history appears to be otherwise: that there is no   ~1 \* Z/ e6 }$ I% ]4 P- i
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choice. In the end, the triumph of economic growth is not a triumph of
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9 ^3 R7 z* i" i6 N' v4 yhumanity over material wants; rather, it is the triumph of material + d+ v: D; ]) J% Y' [/ S
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wants 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 15:47 | 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
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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?8 r% D9 L  N  _* M# ]
  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" s! O- w' G0 T+ y9 f8 f4 }

: k, o$ I* `" f- v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8 T) U2 F- L3 A9 Q

; o7 j- ~0 Q5 X1 _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
4 ?4 B8 V* j/ X% t0 ]1 ?% _. _' G, l. m" l; b! m% F% x6 s
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
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, ~' [) h+ m. E6 f* y8 t3 T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。”
9 `+ {+ X4 |, ]  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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) s6 D* C: s  d8 L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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" [4 T. s8 L' @  T- d" {/ {1 z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。”; [3 J0 H+ R  _! c" u
  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# r- ^% K4 o, ^2 A& t
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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5 V: K$ L; G3 r& |$ {% M

% P$ l. I8 _$ m3 \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
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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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  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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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) P/ ]+ t' F. K0 K- `  z

$ G8 a# f; [5 v3 j; s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。1 e% [+ O0 d$ m( J
  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; m" v* ^4 I/ G- z. r

* B; M$ N7 Y2 W- H; V3 Q8 |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
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* y7 |% Z* }3 F& B7 m$ f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/ }  J" ?0 R: D& _  s! l" I$ a: Y
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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( U8 ^. G; Z1 w- _
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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
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' d! L/ q8 L8 `7 ?8 V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& g/ ]7 J! r5 o( Q

$ z+ S  y5 A. [: v5 X; G% A10%----20%,就可达到无比幸福的境界。# e1 {5 T6 K* d1 E' z/ _1 }0 s
  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; g6 f' t; B, Z  W0 i. V+ ]
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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。# \9 c& x4 _2 j* l: G  \
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所以在伊斯特林看来,未来的前景不容乐观:
# ~! U4 ?3 F4 y$ D! S% F  “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
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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7 g9 E: Y. q& \, G0 T1 W

8 h' a$ [9 V6 B$ ^8 ^+ F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
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; `! K0 G4 h* U# W( W% }3 P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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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$ `# E5 F, Y0 y: R9 n5 R* @9 a

( p! N, O8 f* K8 [' I7 B; C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 17:10 | 显示全部楼层
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