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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 9 c, {; c* p0 O
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economists expect them to continue rising in the decades ahead. Does * U/ a' S5 @$ [/ Q9 O
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that mean that we humans can look forward to increasing happiness? $ }" N0 q' r8 n( k. K

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Not necessarily, warns Richard A. Easterlin, an economist at the ' w: f' K( k0 h# d$ U/ j4 _+ L" L
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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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) x3 s. d8 h$ A/ g9 k& ]- N/ |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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6 r0 [* q& S3 Fhave not been accompanied by steady increases in people‘s self-4 Q1 w6 O- t% F  G% k/ A" ~) f# j

2 g  H: W; F6 ?! o4 y+ c; xassessments of their own happiness. "There has been not improvement in , V; X9 S0 ]% D: N2 e( }. g
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average happiness in the United States over almost a half century----a
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& ~% u$ t2 h! zperiod in which real GDP per capita more than doubled," Easterlin
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reports.. I9 |8 y) s* G
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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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"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 4 X6 ^' k2 g- S1 L' i

' _8 o: |0 P! M/ Fdue to higher income." , C  j- _0 x# H6 H: x
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Money 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 3 _' F; r" Z7 O. v

  n2 ]* v5 K3 R- F! Q" Z* canalysis 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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+ |8 W/ I* K" z* e  ~between 1950 and 1986 in the same proportion as actual per capita
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5 E. ?0 `" j5 z  I) |( |9 Vincome. We feel rich if we have more than our neighbors, poor if we
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/ t9 }7 }! _& s: O2 {! s- Xhave less, and feeling relatively well off is equated with being happy.
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/ V% e' R) T3 `. o3 W1 _  lEasterlin‘s findings, challenge psychologist Abraham Maslow‘s , b1 B6 {+ K" s! G8 j/ ]) S' U7 I1 o' r
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"hierarchy of wants" as a reliable guide to future human motivation.
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5 C. f0 K2 N: l5 @% M4 g9 d, Z! \Maslow suggested that as people‘s basic material wants are satisfied
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they seek to achieve nonmaterial or spiritual goals. But Easterlin‘s
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  C8 `: |4 P3 M+ kevidence points to the persistence of materialism.
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"Despite a general level of affluence never before realized in the 7 r! l( C5 w% H" |) H: j1 G
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history of the world." Easterlin observes, "Material concerns in the
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wealthiest nations today are as pressing as ever and the pursuit of , a( K! }: l/ c$ M4 J8 L
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material need as intense." The evidence suggests there is no evolution + K' p: C$ J7 q. @# }

3 B' F2 w. ]' G4 }( n8 q8 p: Xtoward higher order goals. Rather, each step upward on the ladder of
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economic development merely stimulates new economic desires that lead
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the chase ever onward. Economists are accustomed to deflating the money 9 C' b$ G9 o7 O4 P4 K* O! ~8 c

0 ~' J6 y- H% N7 ~5 m3 h- W3 jvalue of national income by the average level of prices to obtain
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$ V9 L4 O2 R) D# Y+ Z"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 % U. y, V# M3 l) u

+ C! k8 \  K: D+ H; l3 z& D! A* [% G: ]essentially constant subjective economic well-being. While it would be 6 W& d. V" U! @3 B0 J  W

4 a$ }6 t8 b, F! u+ |pleasant to envisage a world free from the pressure of material want, a * S5 [4 g. \; E4 R) p% 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 $ z- l  N5 ?/ J

; d5 I0 N! ~6 [6 s8 h# N- H$ j# b20% more income to be perfectly happy.
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) G  K" t" y# l1 E/ U# ]Needs are limited, but not greeds. Science has developed no cure for % Q9 J% W2 r0 Q! A8 ]

1 e8 y" ~* ~) i& ]6 Q- ]& }, Penvy, so our wealth boosts our happiness only briefly while shrinking   m2 \& U; i/ U
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that of our neighbors. Thus the outlook for the future is gloomy in
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6 g. O0 ^" b, i9 w2 A& {, BEasterlin‘s view.0 ~2 f/ A7 O& J) {! d5 S

  U. J' U2 `) a/ @2 O1 a5 ]* D"The future, then, to which the epoch of modern economic growth is
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, X! E3 f' K8 z3 Sleading is one of never ending economic growth, a world in which ever
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7 |# g3 {% s1 H) q' Dgrowing abundance is matched by ever rising aspirations, a world in
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1 J% d! W. b; Q8 S( I7 pwhich cultural difference is leveled in the constant race to achieve & b8 M8 x) c4 G- t3 @. F/ L

) O; s/ N9 Y0 q, Ythe goods life of material plenty, it is a world founded on belief in ( m# R; j9 d( p  p2 K$ N

4 @* m) W- d: O7 O7 e! t% W% w5 dscience and the power of rational inquiry and in the ultimate capacity 6 k( a' \! K( n8 B" Y! a
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of humanity to shape its own destiny. The irony is that in this last
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respect the lesson of history appears to be otherwise: that there is no
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6 [) n' b$ l; L; l5 j+ F7 V2 dchoice. In the end, the triumph of economic growth is not a triumph of 4 [  ?+ W% e' n% ~- O  F
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humanity over material wants; rather, it is the triumph of material . T6 I/ G8 |; N& [' c
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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. K1 i' F& d# B0 z. z: {

$ i# b: z! s3 Q; R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?
) u/ f& y2 B+ }/ J7 X# p- Y4 D  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9 Q9 q2 |9 Q* Q! ]. {
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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+ u% X# q: n5 t9 ~7 I
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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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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
( k  L& c& N) M  T# Q) Z+ o0 I6 D; {8 a% b5 g2 P3 Y
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。”  P* E0 i6 U& z, o
  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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% M+ J* N. ?9 I) A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 P4 x) M5 @$ P- q; \, ~9 ~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。”" E: O( p" {! s+ _! F! j
  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) o  Y1 @/ k$ H9 ~+ {/ e

" N# D1 i+ m+ k* S& _' I" y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! t8 f0 U( u' b$ s

$ v% j: z9 ]( z! X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
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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9 G+ p* ]6 U7 R- {2 @4 T$ b
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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) P# i* r- l2 R6 ]3 Z

3 }4 K- D, ~, w: ?) @- ^7 E4 q7 S$ r5 [/ i. S% Y" k  x7 \! V
  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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  t3 e* t. y9 m; @5 v8 m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  D/ D' u, E4 k/ d

- d" u1 n7 f) K2 y" r0 H  C* K/ T6 D. w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。  |' p+ y, `% x) F: o
  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
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5 M" Q* a3 J/ u) h( T* y% \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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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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% o% g) H" [3 M% S+ \* a/ |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7 b7 ~! K4 B( Q
: [# O: H$ n1 I! K
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/ [& r/ |( _4 Q) r$ w
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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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) ?3 l' p1 S& G- I9 W. V8 a- s/ q  P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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4 n! a: f2 u1 k- [8 Z- F( }" b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" Z" |3 p: z, |* V$ v
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10%----20%,就可达到无比幸福的境界。) F/ R! I; |' t, u7 i
  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& W" c$ \3 c, ~2 z6 W5 {5 V

% Q, _# ]! x! C6 h, h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。! _& B) _9 _9 {2 m; }2 D4 ^! U

3 c8 z: `6 W' z# B4 F% T所以在伊斯特林看来,未来的前景不容乐观:
  z- L$ g2 j- Y$ I4 x  “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& O/ V- h. }& o" a

; E4 P. F# y% {5 g( J8 A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
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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* N* h) K; ?# p
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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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) g% Q) z& W6 r, q- Q0 E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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# l5 K# S: @, g) |  N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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