金融英语考试之金融阅读辅导之亚当·斯密

金融英语考试之金融阅读辅导之亚当·斯密

Adam Smith is a Scottish political economist and moral philosopher， whose writings had a， profound influence on economic thought. His Wealth of Nations was one of the most influential books in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The book appeared in 1776， its full title being An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Publication in the same year as the American Declaration of Independence was significant. Both the Declaration and the book struck powerful blows against the mercantilist system’s government-imposed restrictions on trade. Smith argued that true a wealth of a country is its output of real goods and services， not its stock of gold or silver， the role of money being to facilitate the production and exchange of goods. Gold， according to Smith， was fundamentally useless to a nation， however useful it might be for an individual.

Smith’s laissez-faire economics dominated thought and practice in the Western world for a century and more. He opposed the mercantilists’ programs of government control. According to Smith， an “invisible hand” was at work， operating in such a way that even though each person was attempting to maximize his own individual welfare， the net result of his attempts to do so would be the maximization of the welfare of the entire society. This “invisible hand” was none other than the market itself. Smith’s work therefore was a powerful argument for laissez-faire and the free enterprise system. He wrote a remarkably complete economic treatise， the principal systematic treatment of economic thought to that time. He also founded a new school of British economic thought： the classical school. Thomas Robert Malthus， David Ricardo， and John Stuart Mill were the other principal members. He dealt in detail with such matters as tile advantages of specialization， the importance of increasing market size， the determination of prices， wages， and profits， and so forth. He took an optimistic view of economic development， because he felt the growth of population would increase market size and thereby stimulate the growth of efficiency by means of specialization. After nearly two centuries， Adam Smith remains a towering figure in the history of economic thought.

［参考译文］

亚当·斯密是苏格兰政治经济学家和伦理学家，他的著作在经济思想中产生过深远影响。他的《国民财富》是十八世纪末叶最有影响的著作之一。这部著作子1776年问世，它的全名是《国民财富本源考》

（又译《原富》、《国富论》——编者），它和美国《独立宣言》在同一年内出版，这件事意味深长。《宣言》和这部著作都曾对重商主义制度在贸易上实行政府限制进行过强烈抵制。

斯密主张，一个国家的真正“财富”是它所提供的实际商品与劳务，而不是它的黄金和白银的储备，货币的作用在于方便商品的生产和交换。斯密认为，黄金对于个人可能有用，但对于一个国家就根本没有用处。

金融英语考试之金融阅读辅导之亚当·斯密

Adam Smith is a Scottish political economist and moral philosopher， whose writings had a， profound influence on economic thought. His Wealth of Nations was one of the most influential books in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The book appeared in 1776， its full title being An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Publication in the same year as the American Declaration of Independence was significant. Both the Declaration and the book struck powerful blows against the mercantilist system’s government-imposed restrictions on trade. Smith argued that true a wealth of a country is its output of real goods and services， not its stock of gold or silver， the role of money being to facilitate the production and exchange of goods. Gold， according to Smith， was fundamentally useless to a nation， however useful it might be for an individual.

Smith’s laissez-faire economics dominated thought and practice in the Western world for a century and more. He opposed the mercantilists’ programs of government control. According to Smith， an “invisible hand” was at work， operating in such a way that even though each person was attempting to maximize his own individual welfare， the net result of his attempts to do so would be the maximization of the welfare of the entire society. This “invisible hand” was none other than the market itself. Smith’s work therefore was a powerful argument for laissez-faire and the free enterprise system. He wrote a remarkably complete economic treatise， the principal systematic treatment of economic thought to that time. He also founded a new school of British economic thought： the classical school. Thomas Robert Malthus， David Ricardo， and John Stuart Mill were the other principal members. He dealt in detail with such matters as tile advantages of specialization， the importance of increasing market size， the determination of prices， wages， and profits， and so forth. He took an optimistic view of economic development， because he felt the growth of population would increase market size and thereby stimulate the growth of efficiency by means of specialization. After nearly two centuries， Adam Smith remains a towering figure in the history of economic thought.

［参考译文］

亚当·斯密是苏格兰政治经济学家和伦理学家，他的著作在经济思想中产生过深远影响。他的《国民财富》是十八世纪末叶最有影响的著作之一。这部著作子1776年问世，它的全名是《国民财富本源考》

（又译《原富》、《国富论》——编者），它和美国《独立宣言》在同一年内出版，这件事意味深长。《宣言》和这部著作都曾对重商主义制度在贸易上实行政府限制进行过强烈抵制。

斯密主张，一个国家的真正“财富”是它所提供的实际商品与劳务，而不是它的黄金和白银的储备，货币的作用在于方便商品的生产和交换。斯密认为，黄金对于个人可能有用，但对于一个国家就根本没有用处。

斯密的自由放任经济学在西方世界的理论和实践中占统治地位长达一个世纪以上。他反对重商主义派的政府控制纲领。斯密认为，有一只“无形之手”在进行工作，其活动方式为人人都在努力谋求个人的最大福利，但是他们这样奋斗的辱终结果却是最大限库地为全社会造福。这只“无形之手”不是别的，正是市场本身。斯密的著作因而成为自由放任政策和自由经营制度的一个强有力的理论根据。

斯密写过一篇精辟的经济概论，对当时的经济思想作了扼要的系统论述。他还创立了一个英国经济思想的新学派：古典学派。托马斯·罗伯特·马尔萨斯、大卫·李嘉图和约翰·斯图尔特·穆勒也是这个学派的主要成员。他详尽地研究了诸如专业化效益、扩大市场规模的重要性以及价格、工资和利润的确定方法等等问题。他对经济发展持乐观主义观点，因为他认为人口的增长将会扩大市场规模，从而会通过专业化来刺激效率的增长。流量计

差不多两个世纪了，亚当·斯密在经济思想史中仍然是一位声望很高的人物。

斯密的自由放任经济学在西方世界的理论和实践中占统治地位长达一个世纪以上。他反对重商主义派的政府控制纲领。斯密认为，有一只“无形之手”在进行工作，其活动方式为人人都在努力谋求个人的最大福利，但是他们这样奋斗的辱终结果却是最大限库地为全社会造福。这只“无形之手”不是别的，正是市场本身。斯密的著作因而成为自由放任政策和自由经营制度的一个强有力的理论根据。

斯密写过一篇精辟的经济概论，对当时的经济思想作了扼要的系统论述。他还创立了一个英国经济思想的新学派：古典学派。托马斯·罗伯特·马尔萨斯、大卫·李嘉图和约翰·斯图尔特·穆勒也是这个学派的主要成员。他详尽地研究了诸如专业化效益、扩大市场规模的重要性以及价格、工资和利润的确定方法等等问题。他对经济发展持乐观主义观点，因为他认为人口的增长将会扩大市场规模，从而会通过专业化来刺激效率的增长。

差不多两个世纪了，亚当·斯密在经济思想史中仍然是一位声望很高的人物。