登陆注册
19590100000034

第34章

At the beginning of this Book it was argued that the economist must forego the aid of a complete set of technical terms.He must make the terms in common use serve his purpose in the expression of precise thought, by the aid of qualifying adjectives or other indications in the context.If he arbitrarily assigns a rigid exact use to a word which has several more or less vague uses in the market place, he confuses business men, and he is in some danger of committing himself to untenable positions.The selection of a normal use for such terms as Income and Capital must therefore be tested by actually working with it.(8*)NOTES:

1.This and similar facts have led some people to suppose not only that some parts of the modern analysis of distribution and exchange are inapplicable to a primitive community; which is true: but also that there are no important parts of it that are applicable; which is not true.This is a striking instance of the dangers that arise from allowing ourselves to become the servants of words, avoiding the hard work that is required for discovering unity of substance under lying variety of form.

2.See a report of a Committee of the British Association, 1878, on the Income Tax.

3.Professor Clark has made the suggestion to distinguish between Pure Capital and Capital Goods: the former is to correspond to a waterfall which remains stationary; while Capital Goods are the particular things which enter and leave the business, as particular drops pass through the waterfall.He would of course connect interest with pure capital, not with capital goods.

4.See above II, iii, sec.1.

5.Adam Smith's distinction between fixed and circulating capital turned on the question whether the goods "yield a profit without changing masters" or not.Ricardo made it turn on whether they are "of slow consumption or require to be frequently reproduced";but he truly remarks that this is "a division not essential, and in which the line of demarcation cannot be accurately drawn."Mill's modification is generally accepted by modern economists.

6.Compare above II.i, sec.3.

7.Just as for practical purposes it is better not to encumber ourselves with specifying the "income" of benefit which a man derives from the labour of brushing his hat in the morning, so it is better to ignore the element of capital vested in his brush.

But no such consideration arises in a merely abstract discussion:

and therefore the logical simplicity of Jevons' dictum that commodities in the hands of consumers are capital has some advantages and no disadvantages for mathematical versions of economic doctrines.

8.A short forecast of some of this work may be given here.It will be seen how Capital needs to be considered in regard both to the embodied aggregate of the benefits derivable from its use, and to the embodied aggregate of the costs of the efforts and of the saving needed for its production: and it will be shown how these two aggregates tend to balance.Thus in V, IV, which may be taken as in some sense a continuation of the present chapter, they will be seen balancing directly in the forecasts of an individual Robinson Crusoe; and for the greater part at least in terms of money in the forecasts of a modern business man.In either case both sides of the account must be referred to the same date of time; those that come after that date being "discounted" back to it; and those that come before being "accumulated" up to it.

A similar balancing in regard to the benefits and the costs of capital at large will be found to be a chief corner stone of social economy: although it is true that in consequence of the unequal distribution of wealth, accounts cannot be made up from the social point of view with that clearness of outline that is attainable in the case of an individual, whether a Robinson Crusoe, or a modern business man.In every part of our discussion of the causes that govern the accumulation and the application of productive resources, it will appear that there is no universal rule that the use of roundabout methods of production is more efficient than direct methods; that there are some conditions under which the investment of effort in obtaining machinery and in making costly provision against future wants is economical in the long run, and others in which it is not: and that capital is accumulated in proportion to the prospectiveness of man on the one hand, and on the other to the absorption of capital by those roundabout methods, which are sufficiently productive to remunerate their adoption.See especially IV, VII, sec, 8; V, IV, VI, I, sec.8; and VI, VI, sec.1.

The broader forces, that govern the production of capital in general and its contribution to the national income, are discussed in IV, VII, IX XI: the imperfect adjustments of the money measures of benefits and costs to their real volume are discussed chieJy in III, III-V; IV, VII; and VI, III VIII; the resulting share in the total product of labour and capital, aided by natural resources, which goes to capital, is discussed chieJy in

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 中华近世通鉴(全集)

    中华近世通鉴(全集)

    本卷通鉴内容包括政治、军事、经济、外交、思想、文化诸方面;这些内容,按时序予以记载,述而不评,并根据需要,以一事为由头,详书一段史事。
  • 重生于大宋初年

    重生于大宋初年

    八零后的矿务局安监科长杨奕因矿难来到了宋朝初年。宋太祖赵匡胤猝死在即,赵光义蠢蠢欲动,深宫内侍狼狈为奸,朝廷重臣纷争迭起,禁军之中暗流涌动……阴差阳错间来到这个世界的杨奕,为了亲人,为了朋友和他心爱的女人,当然也为了让大宋百姓过上幸福快乐的生活,左右逢源地开始了他五彩斑斓的人生。文官武将的水火不容,觊觎皇位的骨肉相残,燕山大漠的荡气回肠;收小弟、发大财、抱美女的快乐人生;和陈抟老祖谈经论道,和大宋君臣指点江山,对贪官污吏的拔刀见血,对心爱女人的万般柔情,一个个精彩的故事纷至沓来。
  • 神珠记

    神珠记

    简介:一个身患寒毒的凄苦少年,苦苦挣扎求医十六年,最后却被告知只剩下不足两年的寿命。为了挽救自己的生命踏入修行之道,因为一颗神奇的珠子,却展开了一段属于自己的仙侠传奇,在波澜壮阔的神奇世界中,逐步迈向巅峰,叱诧风云,演绎一段史诗神话。------------------------------------------------------新书、新人更需要支持,希望大家看到星星一点点地成长起来。推荐、收藏多多支持。一般情况下,一日两更,5000至6000字.星星群号:25406249。
  • 灵意体

    灵意体

    末日的都市,万物的本性人生究竟还有意思吗?
  • 病毒之灾

    病毒之灾

    一种名为“hellvirus”的病毒出现并席卷了这个世界,全球顿时陷入了黑暗,曾经辉煌在一瞬间便陷入了濒临灭亡。“只要病毒仍然存在于世,世界就必定不会安息。”--2028年法国总统--洛扎特。这就是现在世界的规则:弱者将被淘汰,强者就将生存,要想活下来只有战斗或者逃亡。这本小说讲的并不是所谓的生化病毒,故事里的角色也并不是汹涌、嗜血成魔的丧尸,恐怖的并不是这些,而是人心深处的恐怖......(本故事纯属虚构,本文中所出现的全部为真实地点,但是本作并无任何想要涉及政治的意思。18岁以下的孩子最好不要看。)
  • 农民代表

    农民代表

    本书是一部贴近现实生活,反映农村民主政治建设生活的作品,它以苍桑镇桃花村民选举出的县人民代表徐俊芝,为故事主线,描绘了新时期农村的现实生活。
  • 半日浮生

    半日浮生

    当骄傲变成一种回忆的悲伤,当岁月悄然滑过我们肆无忌惮的掌心,纯粹的温暖也变成了一种悼念过去的方式。我们无法忍受背叛,但爱情总是令人慌张,我们只能变得患得患失。一群年轻人在青春里带着喜悦和疼痛在成长,曾经的友情成了指间沙云中雾,轰轰烈烈的爱情在岁月里无声无息的变化着,女主人公张楚跟前男友庄生的感情纠葛,苦大情深,悲悲戚戚中掺着张楚跟谢小歌朦朦胧胧的关系,还有唐小凡,卓琳,春儿,灵晓她们一起走过日子,一群看似如胶似漆的好姐妹被感情冲昏头脑后开始反目成仇,在利益面前开始有人卑躬屈膝,有的人变得面目全非。失去只是为了下一次得到的时候不妥协。我们在生活里跌跌撞撞,只是为了知道我们的青春到底是在为谁奋斗?
  • 天下风月

    天下风月

    身为罗刹阁的顶尖杀手,世人只道她武功卓绝、冷酷无情,却也只有三两知己才知她语笑嫣然、心软间救下多少性命。一直自诩“人生自是有情痴,此恨无关她风月”,最后还是在不经意间中了招...“我说过,我只救自己想救的人。”“要我救他?以身相许还可以考虑一下…”“你这般女子,一生遇上一个就够了。”“我只救得了别人,救不了自己…”一句句,原来竟就是这样入了心,动了情?那风华绝代的身影,原来早已刻入脑海。原来原来,她早已不能置身事外…
  • 许你一世为爱冠冕

    许你一世为爱冠冕

    当了一天新娘的她原本以为日子就这样慢慢过去,第二天丈夫出国,于是她干脆隐去总裁夫人的身份,安安静静的做一个小白领,谁知道……“你走就走吧还回来干什么?!”他眯着眼睛不怀好意地笑了笑:“回来看看我的江山美人。”好吧好吧,算你赢了。可是突然出现的五个家族是怎么回事?她身上的鸽子血是怎么回事?隐藏的继承人又是怎么回事?!
  • 尔本善良

    尔本善良

    当黑暗降临,被诅咒的流魂早已铁石心肠,血液里流淌着冷酷无情,夜幕中上演着最丑陋的罪恶,纵然世界如此不堪,却永远存在最美的地方......——爱与杀戮都不需要理由我本善良(不可以同名,所以题目写成了“尔”)