美国人经济生活中出现的新现象说明美国社会

发展日渐完善,并且显示了生命力和创造力 。在某种意义上也是美国自由人文主义蓬勃发展的表现 。同样,许多新现象也在显示着美国的国力和强大进步的科技实力 。综合看,美国社会自由度高,创造力强,文明体制优越,国民整体生活水平高 。
美国存在的一些社会问题Part 1.Problems
Introduction
Abstract
The material in this essay is covered in a book, On the Preservation of Species [2], and numerous essays [3] including this one, which is really sort of promotional material for the book but, perhaps, too big to go into the book and not really necessary since most of this material is covered in greater detail in the book.If this essay results in someone reading the book, either because they like it or because they don’t like it, it will have served its purpose.Most of the claims made in this essay are proved in the book – at least as well as statements about human society are ever proved.
In Chapter 5 of the book [2], materialism (M) was defined to be “the belief, or any system based on the belief, that people should compete for material wealth or power and that material wealth or power may be used as a reward for achievement or good behavior or as a measure of success.Any system or belief that permits people to influence the amount of material wealth they themselves may consume or possess privately or power they may wield because of who they are (or who their parents are) or what they do or because of any aspect of their beings whatsoever must be classified as materialism even if competition is not involved.The term artificial economic contingency (AEC) is used to express the dependence of people’s economic well-being on factors other than the weather or so-called acts of God.We agreed that, since AEC and M are occurrence equivalent, i.e., they occur together or not at all, we may use either term.Elsewhere, we have used the initial M to stand for both.”[Note (11-9-97).Lately, I have reverted to the original term materialism and I have used the abbreviation M.Note (12-20-05).Earlier versions of this essay used the term competitionism (C) and decompetitionism instead of materialism (M) and dematerialism.The concept would be less obscure if all three terms (M, AEC, and C) could be used simultaneously in a new word, perhaps, such as “commatingency”.]
In private discussions with friends I have had a little difficulty getting people to understand what I mean by materialism and, especially, what a society would have to be like if it were to be free of materialism.Sometimes they think I want people to revert to barter, for example.The concept that you would not ask for anything in return for what you gave or did is really foreign to most people.Therefore, I have explained it in greater detail than I would have thought necessary.Lately (1994), I have struck upon the term artificial economic contingency to emphasize that in a natural economy, i.e., an economy without materialism and artificial economic contingency, wealth and power would be uncorrelated with anything to do with people.Thus, wealth and power would be equal – for all practical purposes.(For mathematicians, the derivative with respect to nearly everything would be zero.Of course, the derivative of wealth with respect to rainfall would not be zero, but rainfall is natural.)I hope I am not boring the reader, but this concept of economics is never taught in the schools or discussed in the media.It appears to be NEW – even though it is not.(I really think this is what the Jesus of the Gospels was trying to say, but he didn’t have the vocabulary and his audience would not have understood these words – in any language.)
Artificial economic contingency (AEC) and materialism (M) encourage people to try to make as much money as possible.This results in economic activity that consumes energy while providing a less and less satisfactory life for those who are not adept at or not interested in acquiring money.This has two undesirable effects that lead to all of the difficulties of society that are not inherent in AEC itself.The first undesirable effect is that our reserves of high-grade energy are being consumed at an alarming rate, which cannot continue indefinitely and which has attendant upon it the destruction of the environment roughly in proportion to the expenditure of energy.The second undesirable effect is that the processes by which money is accumulated create a larger and larger class of people for whom life is nearly unbearable.Some of these people will continue to perpetrate increasingly violent acts upon the segment of society that does not suffer from these circumstances and which they view as the cause of their problems and their enemy.Eventually, rich people will not be safe in their own beds.


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