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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 & l; B, b- b' Q* \

) @% `" a- Y2 ?& `that mean that we humans can look forward to increasing happiness?   {7 q$ [; l1 Q8 \( X9 d4 f
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Not necessarily, warns Richard A. Easterlin, an economist at the 7 G. m. q  F: B; z2 p5 S% b6 h

- n' O8 E* m' d; R2 |  ^University of Southern California, in his new book, Growth Triumphant:
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The Twenty-first Century in Historical Perspective. Easterlin concedes
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2 ]$ j& F: A* {9 Gthat richer people are more likely to report themselves as being happy / m/ a# h4 v' ?  s

  ^0 @' b2 g1 othan poorer people are. But steady improvements in the American economy / M+ G) J: }# A
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have not been accompanied by steady increases in people‘s self-  n7 Q/ k4 }$ y- b# e% z5 [

+ i" L. e$ s! t6 J" Jassessments of their own happiness. "There has been not improvement in ( ~7 g" `5 N- n. J9 E3 F3 }

; r  B1 ?3 n3 T4 Y! o' o( I7 ~; Iaverage happiness in the United States over almost a half century----a
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" C% I0 b7 @; T! d* xperiod in which real GDP per capita more than doubled," Easterlin
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reports.
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1 o, U0 V! J* m1 k9 PThe explanation for this paradox may be that people become less 2 L5 [, L* a& C9 X# w/ G# o' l

. r4 u+ x+ q4 l* z% a! Ysatisfied over time with a given level of income. In Easterlin‘s word: ( J2 `6 A6 {3 H. H; w
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"As incomes rise, the aspiration level does too, and the effect of this
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increase in aspirations is to vitiate the expected growth in happiness
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% Q- D$ H0 S& }due to higher income."
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4 ]- K) a! Y6 t* a+ w# M7 q4 KMoney can buy happiness, Easterlin seems to be saying, but only if
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one‘s amounts get bigger and other people aren‘t getting more. His
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0 Y! {& y6 k4 A! X8 sanalysis helps to explain sociologist Lee Rainwater‘s finding that
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6 y: b) h( u/ W9 f# kAmericans‘ perception of the income "necessary to get along" rose
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between 1950 and 1986 in the same proportion as actual per capita 9 s9 j- V% f, k, l% g- Z; n

% h( r  O4 B: G  r$ [' |income. We feel rich if we have more than our neighbors, poor if we 1 Q% \0 h+ W! ?
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have less, and feeling relatively well off is equated with being happy.
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* G: ]; {0 B: Y5 x! EEasterlin‘s findings, challenge psychologist Abraham Maslow‘s
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"hierarchy of wants" as a reliable guide to future human motivation. 4 k3 r# `2 d1 c( O

7 n- Q) J2 H! @' O# MMaslow suggested that as people‘s basic material wants are satisfied 9 e" Y) t+ r, M! r; K
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they seek to achieve nonmaterial or spiritual goals. But Easterlin‘s 5 \  M. M  v/ ?8 R( m: a6 |
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evidence points to the persistence of materialism.
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$ l, C9 s# \* ^# c& f1 v3 `"Despite a general level of affluence never before realized in the # k9 ]# k9 s6 w% t/ `

$ }- ~- E' c' d/ A! ^history of the world." Easterlin observes, "Material concerns in the 5 r! c/ e0 ~$ G4 F$ W- O" E/ g( Y7 l

9 p% s/ s# v! f! ywealthiest nations today are as pressing as ever and the pursuit of
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material 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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economic development merely stimulates new economic desires that lead 9 C8 r9 |$ |! h4 F9 L5 `
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the chase ever onward. Economists are accustomed to deflating the money ' c# ~/ w6 W+ p  G+ C4 D
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value of national income by the average level of prices to obtain
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"real" income. The process here is similar----real income is being 5 S6 C% Q5 o* }* q$ K

& O; I$ Q) k) N" Sdeflated by rising material aspiration, in this case to yield ) i7 C9 [4 {5 E8 r
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essentially constant subjective economic well-being. While it would be
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/ J7 Q( {  M7 i& P$ R7 |! b! x* Cpleasant to envisage a world free from the pressure of material want, a ; l+ I; r% T5 }, t' y, q

( {  Y1 U1 P% ]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 ( G( y* O& O( H* ]: i9 f

8 S6 ?8 U0 Q1 a20% more income to be perfectly happy.
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Needs are limited, but not greeds. Science has developed no cure for " g$ s# k+ f  v( T

* i4 H3 I$ B: _  d# B4 G* q$ Lenvy, so our wealth boosts our happiness only briefly while shrinking
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that of our neighbors. Thus the outlook for the future is gloomy in
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* e+ m( E  g$ Y1 j8 P8 |+ DEasterlin‘s view.
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"The future, then, to which the epoch of modern economic growth is $ K" X) j" Y; V+ q
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leading is one of never ending economic growth, a world in which ever
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growing abundance is matched by ever rising aspirations, a world in , S* E9 N7 [! u0 h

7 H1 u3 ~" @) T- Rwhich cultural difference is leveled in the constant race to achieve . N7 q- m8 a5 y- I

7 Z& x  @) h& t/ L( W' Ithe goods life of material plenty, it is a world founded on belief in
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$ R) s$ ^& v6 \- F9 |1 {9 c) {science and the power of rational inquiry and in the ultimate capacity
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2 t9 P* C. W; @! T  K3 sof humanity to shape its own destiny. The irony is that in this last
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) J- d5 L3 z" z% H: z# g5 ^4 brespect the lesson of history appears to be otherwise: that there is no
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+ ^2 A; }4 b- j3 Pchoice. In the end, the triumph of economic growth is not a triumph of ! R+ v9 n5 P# a4 N& x: i- C

; z9 v+ X+ K1 b0 bhumanity over material wants; rather, it is the triumph of material
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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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# `7 A8 x7 ~% a% x; N1 L7 V$ C0 X$ B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?
5 `* V  B( f. P6 r& [- U8 |  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  u$ k5 J6 k0 j6 ~4 }( K& k

. Z- [2 C- p# [: R2 @" H0 s+ Q5 x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
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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- Y3 i2 ~: c4 y1 [; K; o) Y( }

; t; m& h2 ], H2 f# D4 h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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4 w& y- g  z5 t4 b3 z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。”8 w, z' _8 N: m4 D1 T: Z
  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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- p3 Z- _4 a( }- N$ D" J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" _+ U4 D! j; O5 j" N! ~, ^3 y

# x/ {* X) v& _! B+ l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。”
! @( J* g  |5 ]6 a( Z1 l; H1 }' f( v  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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2 e8 T( l+ G* ]  k$ O+ Q1 u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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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+ ?& e' N% _3 y: N/ V1 {$ V/ c

( @6 D  c7 c: o3 p* f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5 T$ t5 ^& {' C8 f6 C- I" l
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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' t( F% K% L$ I3 Y
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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' y/ O5 ~, Z' D' e
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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
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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- A# `4 a1 P1 O+ q4 W
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论证却指出人类的物欲永无止境。
, }* e7 U/ A  n7 x9 g7 G  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  r% X1 s! ~0 U- d8 C
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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- z7 {1 L& |! \- V
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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
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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  m1 A+ p' W5 ~# d( Q
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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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4 f/ ?  ?9 D- k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. A. L8 G0 Q& M; ~) k8 t' |' Q

8 n* S  m5 z- p* m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
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10%----20%,就可达到无比幸福的境界。: F0 [) Z0 A6 ?. K, O6 c
  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+ |0 B; z) x& t, e, h% t8 ^+ `
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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。$ ]. o4 O. R5 d

' E1 t# ?5 z* I所以在伊斯特林看来,未来的前景不容乐观:
$ x3 \' X0 l  e2 T  “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
6 w! V' C* l' g$ U+ X8 \3 W' T+ A, m* U5 q, e' ~  `; q9 ^& V% D& W9 B2 J
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) m. [' ]$ G; f* U/ g* }! P& H8 z
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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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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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" ?' `; M+ U6 t6 w8 \7 O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 17:10 | 显示全部楼层
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