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
  • 少林真传伤科秘方

    少林真传伤科秘方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 无相思尘论

    无相思尘论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 物不迁正量论

    物不迁正量论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 唯心集

    唯心集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 百花弹词

    百花弹词

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 斗帝乾坤

    斗帝乾坤

    无上的斗帝,如斯的战斗。战即是战,斗即是斗。神奇萧寒,主宰万千,统领世界,开辟一条新的神话。
  • 洪荒天子轩辕绝第三卷

    洪荒天子轩辕绝第三卷

    盘古涅槃,圣主未现,诸神扰乱世界,导致洪荒分裂,从而引出神魔五帝重现,咒封苍穹一切,史称——“万神劫”。洪荒中毒虫遍地,异兽出没,危机无处不在,这便是始前的死亡之地。然而人类以天生生存的本能存于天地间,而他们之中的强者则在这片生机与死亡并存的土地上谱写出不老的神话。
  • 诸天雷祖

    诸天雷祖

    山脚下的少年,为了复仇而前进!当然,这是假的……
  • 玄真灵应宝签

    玄真灵应宝签

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 牧鉴

    牧鉴

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 重生,前妻

    重生,前妻

    “依艾艾,今天就算是把你身上的血抽光,也要救活她!”小三流产,她陪着他守在手术室外面,当小三手术大出血时,他不顾她腿上的烫伤,把她压在抽血室的病床上,她如他所愿,用自己的血救活了小三,而这个小三正是自己的亲妹妹!当年的流产也是妹妹亲手所为,她被迫离婚,遭遇一连串的车祸,谋杀,家破人亡,而这一切都与他脱不了关系!他把她的尸体送进了火葬房!阴差阳错,她却获得了重生,………………………………………………………………………三年后,她不惜一切手段夺走妹妹的一切,高调的出现在前夫面前!闪亮的高跟鞋踩在了他的衣角上,她用镶着钻石的鞋尖鄙夷的挑起他的下巴:“周森,只要你跟现任太太离婚,我可以给你三千万,救你的公司。”她的嘴角划过噬血的笑容,她发誓定要让曾经伤害过她的人血债血还,这------只是个开始!复仇的旋斗中,她却成了一颗棋子被送到一个陌生男人的床上,他宠她入骨,疼她入血。她无可救药的沦陷在他的情爱里。残酷的真相却一个个接踵而至,背叛,谋杀,真相,爱到尽头,才发现她只是一个影子!当一切争斗过后,他们是不是还有勇气爱下去?
  • 宇天独行

    宇天独行

    “师尊,在外行走,有何方面需要小心?”沐浩阳问道。“正邪不两立,玄魔无一行。正邪之论无需必然插手,玄魔相争尽是不死不休,我夕元宗便为玄宗。”“何以定义正,玄,邪,魔?”沐浩阳问。“正道标榜天地正宗,玄门匿行逍遥无量,邪修行事随心所欲,魔教横行毒害苍生。”“可是弟子有时更喜欢横行无忌,怎么办。”“只要不被干掉,该怎么办怎么办。”老头一脸风轻云淡的说道。
  • 寒雪时节又逢君

    寒雪时节又逢君

    神魔两界第一次大战位于人间天雪山。两界之气相撞,人间飘雪十年。她,神皇之女在寒洞中遇见了气息奄奄的他,妖魔之子。“公主殿下,此人不可救。”“本公主定救活他。”千年后重游故地,绝美灵动的她看到英俊冷傲的他被寒气所伤,危在旦夕。“是你?”少年见到来者,眼眸里掠过惊诧。他们倾心相遇,却痛心相随。万年后他在天雪村找到了轮回的她。“水若,此生我再不负你。”
  • EXO终生情源

    EXO终生情源

    我是一名“普通”的行星饭。身份吗,,,吴亦凡的妹妹?还是黑帮老大?还是鹿晗的爱人?一切都不得而知。注:樱子很久没更了,主要是因为写不出来,再一个是没有时间。请原谅哈。
  • 诛天魔神录

    诛天魔神录

    应预言出世,顺天道出生。本是受命于天道,却因天地不仁以万物为刍狗,逆天道而行,入魔道,灭天道,少年不败热血!