《国富论》拆解手册5：第四章 论货币的起源及其效用.docx

PAGE PAGE 1 《国富论》拆解手册5：第四章 论货币的起源及其效用 作者： 能行学社 《国富论》用了三章的篇幅，论述了分工的起源、效用及制约因素。为整本书奠定了一个宏大的基础。认了一切商业活动，皆源于分工。所谓一生二，二生三，三生万物。经济学也如此，有了分工这个“一”，就会产生一系列的互动因素。 接下来的第四、五、六章，都是论述“货币”(Money）这个至关重要的概念。如果说“分工”是经济学的骨架，那么，货币就是经济学的血液。 现在，我们开始拆解第四章：货币的起源及其效用（OF THE ORIGIN AND USE OF MONEY）。 4：1 When the division of labour has been once thoroughly established, it is but a very small part of a mans wants which the produce of his own labour can supply. He supplies the far greater part of them by exchanging that surplus part of the produce of his own labour, which is over and above his own consumption, for such parts of the produce of other mens labour as he has occasion for.?Every man thus lives by exchanging, or becomes, in some measure, a merchant, and the society itself grows to be what is properly a?commercial society.分工一经完全确立，一个人自己劳动的生产物，便只能满足自己欲望的极小部分。他的大部分欲望，须用自己消费不了的剩余劳动生产物，交换自己所需要的别人劳动生产物的剩余部分来满足。于是，一切人都要依赖交换而生活，或者说，在一定程度上，一切人都成为商人，而社会本身，严格地说，也成为商业社会。 这一段的立论，沿用了前面几章的基本论点。人生而本弱，有交换的本能，会使用分工的生产物交换别人劳动生产物的剩余(exchange surplus) ，用来养活自己，发展自己。久而久之，就会产生一个“商业社会”(commercial society)，在这个社会里面，一定程度上人人都是商人（merchant）。 4：2 But when the division of labour first began to take place, this power of exchanging must frequently have been very much clogged and embarrassed in its operations. One man, we shall suppose, has more of a certain commodity than he himself has occasion for, while another has less. The former, consequently, would be glad to dispose of; and the latter to purchase, a part of this superfluity. But if this latter should chance to have nothing that the former stands in need of, no exchange can be made between them. The butcher has more meat in his shop than he himself can consume, and the brewer and the baker would each of them be willing to purchase a part of it. But they have nothing to offer in exchange, except the different productions of their respective trades, and the butcher is already provided with all the bread and beer which he has immediate occasion for. No ex