登陆注册
5198600000015

第15章

"Nature works for us gratuitously; and when she supplies us with articles in such abundance, that no labour is required toprocure them, those articles, however useful they may be, have not exchangeable value: but no sooner does the labour ofman become necessary to procure us the enjoyments of any commodity, than that commodity acquires a value; either a priceis paid for it in money, or other things are given in exchange for it.Light, air, and water are the free and bountiful gifts ofnature, but if a man constructs a lamp, we must pay for the light it diffuses; if we are indebted to his labour.for a ventilator,or even a fan, we pay for the air they procure us; and when water is conveyed through pipes into our houses, raised bypumps, or brought to us in any manner by the art of man, a price is paid for it.

"Utility may therefore be considered as the sole cause of value in use, whilst value in exchange may be produced by anycircumstance which renders the possession of' an object so difficult of attainment, and at the same time so desirable, thatmen are willing to give something in exchange for it.Thus not only utility but beauty, curiosity, fashion, rarity, and manyother qualities may create exchangeable value; and it is to this value that, in political economy, we chiefly confine ourattention."Demand and Supply Price, that is Market Price, as has been said, depends upon Demand and Supply.In what manner, by what law does it sodepend? if the supply increase, in what proportion will the price fall? If the supply diminish, in what proportion will the pricerise?

With a view to answer this question commodities have been divided into three classes.

(1) Those of which the supply cannot be increased at allancient statues, pictures, special wines, as Johannisburg.

In these the price depends entirely on the demand.As an example we may take what Mr M ill quotes, p.523.

This topic is happily illustrated by Mr De Quincey.`Walk into almost any possible shop, buy the first article you see; whatwill determine its price? In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, simply the element Ddifficulty of attainment.The otherelement, U, or intrinsic utility, will be perfectly inoperative.Let the thing (measured by its uses) be, for your purposes, worthten guineas, so that you would rather give ten guineas than lose it; yet, if the difficulty of producing it be only worth oneguinea, one guinea is the price which it will bear.But still not the less, though U is inoperative, can U be supposed absent?

By no possibility; for if it had been absent, assuredly you would not have bought the article even at the lowest price.U actsupon you, though it does not act upon the price.On the other hand, in the hundredth case, we will suppose thecircumstances reversed: you are on Lake Superior in a steam-boat, making your way to an unsettled region 8oo miles a headof civilization, and consciously with no chance at all of purchasing any luxury whatsoever, little luxury or big luxury, for thespace of ten years to come.One fellow passenger, whom you will part with before sunset, has a powerful musical-snuffbox:

同类推荐
  • 大方广佛华严经中卷卷大意略叙

    大方广佛华严经中卷卷大意略叙

    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。
  • 狮子吼

    狮子吼

    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。
  • 全唐诗补编

    全唐诗补编

    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。
  • 佛说须摩提经

    佛说须摩提经

    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。
  • 三国志

    三国志

    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
  • John Jacob Astor

    John Jacob Astor

    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。
  • 彼岸镇

    彼岸镇

    一个被阴谋所利用是实习编辑……多年以后,唐七七再回想起彼岸镇的往事时,忍不住不停的问自己,假如没有这趟荒谬的旅行,结果会不会就不一样?可是,人生终有遗憾,有关这样的所有假设,从本质上来讲,都是伪命题。这世上终究没有如果,只有结果和后果……
  • 货币论(全两册)

    货币论(全两册)

    通货膨胀永远是、而且在任何地方都只是一种货币现象。
  • Told After Supper

    Told After Supper

    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。
  • 电影版原著:死神来了

    电影版原著:死神来了

    《死神来了》是一本撼动20世纪欧美文坛的绝世之作,它开启了美国 推理小说的黄金时代,也是世界众多推理小说读者心中永恒的经典和不朽 的传奇。而《死神来了》作者斯迪姆·席普·凡迪恩的作品也成为当时好 莱坞编剧争相进行改编的热门作品,曾经主演过这些作品的布鲁克斯、鲍 威尔也因此声名大噪。
  • 江湖仙剑录

    江湖仙剑录

    这是剑的江湖,亘古岁月,千万名剑,每个人都有一把属于自己的剑。人世间,名剑千万把,唯有情之一剑最伤人。长安剑仙李太白不入天门,隐居峨眉,只为引蛇出洞,一报长安百花之仇。两百年前,有个叫李子的剑仙,与人对敌,只出一剑,从未败过,与地狱三剑一战,隐居峨眉,做个守墓人。峨眉山上李平安,扛着一把青梅剑闯荡江湖,望着地狱如火,他轻轻笑道:地狱也不过如此。
  • 唐诗鉴赏(传世经典鉴赏丛书)

    唐诗鉴赏(传世经典鉴赏丛书)

    人生不相见,动如参与商。人生代代无穷已,江月年年望相似。天生我材必有用,千金散尽还复来。东边日出西边雨,道是无晴还有晴。同是天涯沦落人,相逢何必曾相识。此情可待成追忆,只是当时已惘然。沉舟侧畔千帆过,病树前头万木春。身无彩风双飞翼,心有灵犀一点通。近乡情更怯,不敢问来人。念天地之悠悠,独怆然而涕。
  • 卓越女性:女性未来生存与处世的10大卓越追求

    卓越女性:女性未来生存与处世的10大卓越追求

    在当今中外的政坛、商业、学术、文化、教育等各行各业中都有许多出类拔萃的新女性,如杨澜、靳羽西、巩俐、撒切尔夫人、赖斯、菲奥里纳……她们表现出非凡的才能、智慧、功绩、举止、美丽等,谱写了新女性的新篇章,充分展现了现代女性的无限风采和魅力。
  • 威尼斯之死

    威尼斯之死

    《威尼斯之死》书里说,太阳使理智和记忆混乱迷失,使人的灵魂因为纯粹的快乐和执着眷恋它所照射的最美丽的物体而忘乎所以,迷失方向:是的,它只有借助于某个物体,才有可能达到更高的境界。爱神模仿数学家,为了把抽象的概念传授给迟钝的孩子,必须借助于具体的模型;上帝也采用这种方式,为了向我们展示其伟大,利用年轻人的形体和肤色,使概念上的东西可视化,引起人们对美的反思,使我们在看到后既满怀忧伤,又燃起希望之火。
  • 职高气扬:出人头地的35个升迁决窍

    职高气扬:出人头地的35个升迁决窍

    本书阐述了35个关于职位升迁的诀窍。包括“信念——我一定坐上那把金椅子”、“谋划——万事俱备待东风”、“关系——有人气就有官运”等6部分内容。