登陆注册
20296900000015

第15章

The Value of Goods Originally only the human has importance for man. Thought for one's self, interest in one's self, comes by nature. Towards things, on the other hand, man is originally indifferent, and his interest in them only awakens in so far as he finds them connected with human interests and destinies. This takes various forms; such as pity, when the lower animals are seen to suffer just as man does, or religious or poetic emotion, when observation of the living in nature awakens suspicion of the connection of all life, or, finally, economic valuation, when things are conceived of as instruments to and conditions of human well-being. This is the coldest form that our interest takes, as it regards things simply as means to human ends; it is, however, at the same time, the most far-reaching, as it embraces most things, and claims not only existence, but property.

Our natural indifference towards things is nevertheless so great that it requires a special compulsion, a peremptory challenge, to make us look upon them as objects of importance, objects possessing value. Nor does the mere observation that things are "of use" to us, and that the use has for us importance or value exert this compulsion. Where we employ goods for our own uses, but where at the same time these goods are at our disposal in absolutely assured superfluity, we use them, but concern ourselves no more about them than about the sands of the sea.

Whether they increase or decrease -- always supposing that the superfluity remains -- we merely think, "What does it matter? we have always enough and more than enough of them!" In Paradise nothing would have value but satisfactions -- neither things nor goods. Because there one could have everything, one would not be dependent on anything.

On the other hand, where there is not an assured superfluity, interest awakens in the train of self-seeking calculation, and communicates itself to such goods as we notice ourselves using and not caring to lose. Men in general thus lay their account with things, as the egoist with persons. And here we are not speaking only of cases of real need, of extremest want, where the little that one has is guarded with an Argus eye; nor of objects of great scarceness or rarity, such as a work of art which is quite unique, and whose loss it would be impossible to replace.

We refer also to cases where people are fairly prosperous, but nevertheless require to economise; and even to cases of extreme wealth -- always supposing it is not assured natural superfluity -- where, in many respects, a man has everything, but where, all the same, the "everything" requires continual guarding, administration, and renewal. In these circumstances there is not a single change in a man's possessions which is entirely indifferent. Every addition brings some addition of enjoyment;every loss, even the slightest, disturbs, makes some gap, and breaks the expected line of enjoyments. Happiness and sorrow are dependent on our possessions; the destinies of goods mean the destinies of men. There is an intimate association of ideas between human interests and goods. Goods, indifferent in themselves, receive value from that value which their employments have.

Goods which are to be had in an assured and natural superfluity are called Free goods; all others are Economic goods.

Thus only economic goods can possess value. The value of goods, according to Menger's definition, is "the importance which concrete goods, or quantities of goods, receive for us from the fact that we are conscious of being dependent on our disposal over them for the satisfaction of our wants."It should be noticed that no part of free goods receives value; neither that part which is superfluous, and cannot therefore be used, nor yet that part which is used. Of the water which flows abundantly from some spring, neither that portion which fills the jar, nor that which overflows has value. The value of goods, although it has its origin in use, does not all the same reflect the utility: there are cases in which great use is obtained, where nevertheless no value -- i.e. no value of goods -- is created. The theorist, therefore, who would explain value must not content himself with explaining the change in amounts of utility; he must go further and examine those laws by which amounts of utility are changed into amounts of value. It may be suspected -- and we shall find this suspicion confirmed in what follows -- that value, owing in many cases so little of its origin to utility, is, even where it has so originated, equally far from always containing the full amount of utility.

If the use of a good in the individual case be so far removed from its general usefulness, its value, if our suspicion is indeed confirmed, must be even further removed from that general usefulness -- and here is opened up to us a second point of view from which we may explain and make intelligible the contradictions which experience points out between value and usefulness.

同类推荐
  • 随园食单

    随园食单

    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。
  • 福建通志台湾府

    福建通志台湾府

    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。
  • 彰化节孝册

    彰化节孝册

    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。
  • 圣迦柅忿怒金刚童子菩萨成就仪轨经之二

    圣迦柅忿怒金刚童子菩萨成就仪轨经之二

    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。
  • 甚希有经

    甚希有经

    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。
热门推荐
  • 超级大农民

    超级大农民

    良田八千亩,美女好几位,闲暇时带着美女种点地,搞个农村大公社,做个超级大农民。城里的白富美想追我,会种地吗?啥?你是城里人就牛逼?那你有地吗?且看小农民如何逆袭,农民翻身把歌唱…………
  • 八福客栈

    八福客栈

    她是一个四处给人帮工的女佣。她是一个不被任何教会组织认可的志愿传教者。1930年,28岁的她只身来到中国内陆山区小县城——山西省阳城县。在那里她度过了一生中最美好、最值得回忆的岁月。她加入了中国籍,成为地道的山西农妇。在中国人民的抗日战争中,她无私无畏地救助战争伤员、帮助流离失所的难民、收养无家可归的孤儿。她还利用自己的身份,刺探日军情报;她也利用自己对山区地形的熟悉,帮助中国军民狠狠地打击闯入家园的日本侵略者。她曾护送一百多个孤儿历尽艰辛,翻越杳无人迹的大山,从日本鬼子的占领区,成功抵达抗战后方。她的事迹经《时代》周刊广为传播,被认为是影响美国人看待中国抗日战争的重要人物之一。
  • 猪狗伴我闯天下

    猪狗伴我闯天下

    上古沉睡的圣器选定有缘人,只有通过重重考验才能让圣器重放光辉。坚毅的少年得到身边一猪一狗的陪伴,闯绝地,下火狱,抽丝剥茧揭破绝世大阴谋.
  • 风简战国策

    风简战国策

    西陵峡古战场,因为一场三国混战而闻名,无数英雄豪杰埋葬于此。毕业旅行,被意外卷入远古的战争,做了时空的旅人,两个世界如此截然不同,却又诸般相似,是我大梦不觉,或只是谁的一个游戏?我的家在哪里,回家的路在何方?更可怕的是,我,是谁?自此,我不断地遗失自我、寻找自我,这是一段谁推动的历史,被镌刻成了我们战袍上的花?无法不去做的,如命运般不可违抗的,那就是命运了吧,我想,我明白自己的使命了。我的人生要有目的,我的目的要单纯。请观赏,恶之花缓缓绽放……“风”系列传二《战国策》
  • 未染清冷

    未染清冷

    他,傅清冷,是S团里的杀手D,却在执行任务时意外失忆,成为了一名刑警;她,蔚蒅,是一名女警,乐观如她、美貌如她、机敏如她……这样的她遇上了冷酷无情的他...“有我在,你怕什么?”“我怕你吃了我。”“……”傅清冷对一向思维跳跃很快的蔚蒅哭笑不得...是啊,正因为有你在,我才什么都不怕,我的清冷,你总能令我很安心,我不会再离开你了。
  • 减肥方法大PK

    减肥方法大PK

    饮食合理的话,吃的也挺饱,而且也不会让你长那么多肥肉;如果吃得不合理,自己觉得好像也没吃多少,但是可能也瘦不下去。里边学问很大,现在大家都在说减肥,但是用的减肥方法也是五花八门各式各样,哪些方法最科学有效呢?哪些方法不可取呢?本书将为大家一一讲解。
  • 伊利尔丹

    伊利尔丹

    一开始的时候,星河只是一个向往魔法的小孩。但最终,他却成为了都灵帝国最后辉煌岁月的见证者。PS:如你们所见,这本书很扑街,所以我也就直白的说了:1.本书采用伪POV方法书写,虽然有名义上的主角,但内容上是偏向于群像剧的;2.这里没有那些很畅快地打脸升级的剧情,甚至大部分爽文应有的爽点都没有,因为我功力不到家,写不出什么很爽的内容;3.作者调查的时候我看大家对便当率都放得挺开的,所以你们懂的。最后,我能保证的就是会写完,并且不去烂尾。
  • Alonzo Fitz and Other Stories

    Alonzo Fitz and Other Stories

    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。
  • 腹黑郡主太妖娆

    腹黑郡主太妖娆

    拥有凤命的她,腹黑,妖娆,皎洁,却被众人追杀抢夺白发红眸的他,冷酷,沉默,强大,却被世人当做妖怪拥有众人追随,却抵不过她的回眸一笑......
  • 反叛

    反叛

    从小在孤儿院长大的13岁少女珊,无意中发现自己拥有超能力——意念,末世爆发前被科学狂人吴博士抓去当试验品,与她同去的人中94%的人变异失败,成为了变异丧尸。博士的助手剑决定放走珊,珊被感动,带着剑一起走了,可是,故乡的热土已经被变异的丧尸占据,自己遭到军队的通缉追捕,她到底要何去何从?