送交者: 霍林河 于 October 01, 2008 21:27:35:
这些日子在讨论美国目前的金融危机的根源时，有些人把它归罪与自由资本主义的原罪，
但是纵观人类过于几百年的历史，崇尚集体利益的社会主义显然输给了建立在人类个体自
由的资本主义。很有意思的是，今天在地铁上看到了John Stuart Mill的著名著作《论自
由》（On Liberty）中的一句话，大体意思是人人利己最终受惠者是整个社会，可是说这
是美国个人主义社会伦理的哲学基础：
“The only freedom deserving the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our
own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede
their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health,
whether bodily, or mental and spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by
suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling
each to live as seems good to the rest.”
把利己主义原则用在社会经济理论上，解说的最明了的是亚当•斯密，以下这段话处于亚
当•斯密的另外一个名著《道德情操理论》，前几天温家宝总理在接受CNN采访时谈到了这
本书，他说亚当•斯密在这篇著作中提到了市场经济除了他在另外一篇名著《国富论》中说
的看不见的手之外，还应该利用政府监督这个另外（看得见的）一只手，应该限制社会财
富集中在少数人手里。但是有趣的是，在这本书中，亚当•斯密提出了主导个人在社会中利
己行为的也是一只“看不见的手”。 我不知道温总理的政府监督理论是否可以从这篇著作
中得出，温总理以这本书的理论为基础说明社会财富不应该过度集中在少数人手中，似乎
也比较牵强。但是共和党一贯主张的为倾向于为富人多减税的理念却可以说是以这个理论
为基础的。这篇著作的出版时间远远早于《国富论》。
“The rich only select from the heap what is most precious and agreeable. They
consume little more than the poor; and in spite of their natural selfishness
and rapacity, though they mean only their own conveniency, though the sole end
which they propose from the labours of all the thousands whom they employ be
the gratification of their own vain and insatiable desires, they divide with
the poor the produce of all their improvements. They are led by an invisible
hand to make nearly the same distribution of the necessaries of life which
would have been made had the earth been divided into equal portions among all
its inhabitants; and thus, without intending it, without knowing it, advance
the interest of the society, and afford means to the multiplication of the
species. When providence divided the earth among a few lordly masters, it
neither forgot nor abandoned those who seemed to have been left out in the
partition. These last, too, enjoy their share of all that it produces. In what
constitutes the real happiness of human life, they are in no respect inferior
to those who would seem to be much above them. In ease of body and peace of
mind, all the different ranks of life are nearly upon a level, and the beggar,
who suns himself by the side of the highway, possesses that security which
kings are fighting for”