2018年经济学人 自由交流:利益交易无需考虑“道德问题”?(2)

 

Though studies show that telling people that payment encourages organ donations increases support for legalising payments, other examples work in the opposite way.

尽管研究表明，告诉人们付款鼓励器官捐赠增加了对合法化支付的支持，但其他例子却恰恰相反。

Giving women information about the health and safety benefits of legalising prostitution seems to reduce support for legalisation—perhaps because women worry about the consequences of applying a cost-benefit approach to areas relating to their status within society.

向妇女提供有关合法卖淫的健康和安全利益的信息似乎减少了对合法化的支持——这也许是因为妇女担心在与社会地位有关的领域运用成本收益分析法的后果。

Do the right thing

做正确的事

Not all economists¹ avoid ethical² considerations entirely³.

并非所有的经济学家都完全不考虑道德问题。

Jean Tirole, another Nobel prizewinner, devoted⁴ a chapter of his recent book, “Economics for the Common Good”, to “the moral limits of the market”, for example.

例如，另一位诺贝尔奖得主让·梯若尔在其最近出版的著作《公共利益的经济学》中，用了一个章节来描述“市场的道德界限”。

He says economists should respect society’s need to set its own goals, then help devise the most efficient ways to attain⁵ them.

他说，经济学家应该尊重社会需要设定自己的目标，然后帮助设计最有效的方法来实现目标。

But, as Beatrice Cherrier of the Institute for New Economic Thinking argued in an essay addressing Mr Roth’s lecture, these questions are fundamental to economics.

但是，正如新经济思想研究所的碧翠丝·切里尔在一篇发表于罗斯先生讲座的文章中所指出的那样，这些问题是经济学的基础。

The hard sciences deal much better with the ethical implications of their work, she says.

她说，硬科学及其工作的伦理含义处理得更好。

And moral concerns affect human behaviour in economically important ways, as Mr Roth found to his frustration⁶.

正如罗斯先生发现的那样，道德问题在经济上影响着人类的行为。

To be useful, economists need to learn to understand and evaluate moral arguments rather than dismiss them.

要想发挥作用，经济学家需要学会理解和评价道德论点，而不是摒弃它们。

Many economists will find that a dismal⁷ prospect⁸.

许多经济学家将会发现这是一个令人沮丧的前景。

Calculations of social utility are tidier, and the profession has fallen out of the habit of moral reasoning.

社会公用事业的计算变得更加复杂，职业已经脱离了道德推理的习惯。

But those who wish to say what society should be doing cannot dodge⁹ questions of values.

但那些想说社会应该做什么的人不应避开价值观的问题。

1 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

3 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

4 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

5 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

6 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

7 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

8 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

9 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。