a capitalist economy more humane and more meaningful.

如何讓資本主義經濟更人性化、更有意義

He was born in Scotland in Kirkcaldy – a small manufacturing town – near Edinburgh

生於蘇格蘭的寇克卡迪，愛丁堡附近的製造業小城鎮

in 1723.

他出生於1723年

He was a hard working student and very close to his mother.

他是個認真的學生，且與母親關係非常親近

He then became an academic philosopher, wrote a major book about the importance of sympathy

而後成為學術哲學家，有許多著作談及同情心的重要、

and lectured on logic and aesthetics.

以及論述邏輯和美學

He was also one of the greatest thinkers in the history of economics – in part because

他也是經濟學史上最偉大的思想家之一

his concerns went far beyond the economic. He wanted to understand the money system because

其中一部分的原因，是他的關懷超越了純經濟。 他想對貨幣體系有所理解，更深的關懷是出於

his underlying ambition was to make nations and people happier. Smith remains an invaluable

更大的野心 -- 想讓國家、人民更快樂。亞當斯密的

guide to four ideas:

四個想法，至今仍是極有價值的指引：

When one considers the modern world of work,

1. 專業化。談到現代社會的工作，

two facts stand out: - modern economies produce unprecedented amounts

有兩個事實特別突出：現代經濟產出了前所未有的財富

of wealth. - many ordinary people find work rather boring

以及許多平凡人覺得工作是無聊的 --

and (a key complaint): meaning-less.

最主要的抱怨是 -- 工作很沒意義。

The two phenomena are in fact intimately related, as Adam Smith was the first to understand

這兩個現象其實高度相關 -- 亞當斯密是第一個發覺的，

through his theory of specialisation.

透過他關於「專業化」的理論

He observed that in modern businesses, tasks formerly done by one person in a single day

他觀察現代商業發現，過去由單一個人一整天完成的事

could far more profitably be split into many tasks carried out by multiple people over

如果分成很多細項、由許多人當作職涯完成，會更有利

whole careers. Smith hailed this as a momentous development: he predicted that national economies

亞當斯密認為這是個重大的進步，並預測國家經濟

would become hugely richer the more specialised their workforces became.

會隨著分工專業化的程度越高、而越富有

One sign our world is now so rich, Smith could tell us, is that every time we meet a stranger,

標誌了我們現代社會如此富裕的，依據亞當斯密的說法

we’re unlikely to understand what they do. The mania for incomprehensible job titles

正是我們每次遇到陌生人都不太能理解他們的工作。 那些令人難以理解的工作職稱

– Logistics Supply Manager, Packaging Coordinator, Communications and Learning Officer – prove

例如：物流供應經理、包裝協調員、通訊與學習專員

the economic logic of Smith’s insight.

應證了亞當斯密經濟邏輯的洞見

But there is one huge problem with specialisation: meaning. When businesses are small and their

但專業化帶來一個大問題：工作意義。當工作變得細微

processes contained, a sense of helping others is readily available.

且僅限部分流程，幾乎無法感覺到正在幫助他人

But when everything is industrialised, one ends up as a tiny cog in a gigantic machine

當一切都工業化，人變得像巨大機器裡的小螺絲釘

whose overall logic is liable to be absent from the minds of people lower down in the

對在組織底層工作的人而言，整體的邏輯幾乎不存在

organisation. A company with 150,000 employees distributed across four continents, making

一間有15萬名員工、遍布四大洲的公司，

things that take five years from conception to delivery, will struggle to maintain any

從概念發想到運送產品需經過五年時間，很難維持任何

sense of purpose and cohesion. So Smith discerned that bosses of the specialised

目的感和一致性。因此，亞當斯密指出

corporations of modernity therefore have an extra responsibility to their workers:

現代專業化分工的公司，老闆對員工有個額外的責任：

to remind them of the purpose, role and ultimate dignity of their labour.

提醒他們的勞動力的最終目標、角色、尊嚴

Smith’s age saw the development of what

2. 在亞當斯密那個年代，就預見了

we’d now call consumer capitalism.

「消費資本主義」

Manufacturers began turning out luxury goods for a broadening middle class.

製造商開始將奢侈品帶給更廣大的中產階級

Some commentators were appalled. The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wished to ban ‘luxury’

有些評論者對此感到驚駭。哲學家盧梭，就希望

from his native Geneva. He was a particular fan of ancient Sparta and argued that his

他的家鄉日內瓦能禁止奢侈品。他特別崇尚古典斯巴達

city should copy its austere, martial lifestyle.

認為日內瓦應該學習斯巴達的簡樸和軍事生活

Disagreeing violently, Smith pointed out to the Swiss philosopher that luxury consumerism

亞當斯密強烈反對盧梭的論點，指出奢侈品消費

in fact had a very serious role to play in a good society – it generated the surplus

其實在良好的社會中扮演了重要的角色 -- 創造剩餘價值

wealth that allowed societies to look after their weakest members. Consumer societies,

讓社會得以照顧弱勢者的福利。

despite their frivolity, didn’t let young children and the old starve, for they could

消費社會雖然浮誇，但卻讓小孩和老人免於飢餓，

afford hospitals and poor relief.

因為能夠負擔醫療、救助窮困

So Smith defended consumer capitalism on the basis that it did more good for the poor than

因此亞當斯密認為，消費資本主義對窮人更有好處，

societies devoted to high ideals. That said, Smith held out some fascinating hopes for

相較於一個崇尚理想的社會。 換言之，亞當斯密對資本主義的未來寄予厚望

the future of capitalism. He didn’t want it to stay stuck at the frivolous level forever.

他並不希望資本主義永遠停留在浮誇的層次

He observed that humans have many ‘higher’ needs that currently lie outside of capitalist

他觀察到人類有許多在現今資本主義之外更高級的需求

enterprise: among these, our need for education, for self-understanding, for beautiful cities

其中，我們渴望情感教育、認識自我、美麗的城市、

and for rewarding social lives.

有回報的社群生活

The hope for the future is that we’ll learn to generate sizeable profits from helping

資本主義社會的願景，是我們能學著以真正重要、

people in truly important, ambitious ways. Properly developed, capitalism shoudln’t just

有野心的方式幫助人們，並由此獲得不錯的利潤。 若能良好發展，資本主義不應該只是

service our basic material needs while exciting us to buy frivolous things. It should make

透過購買浮誇的東西來滿足我們的基本物質需求

money from goods and services that deliver true fulfiflment.

而應該透過真正有意義的產品和服務來賺錢

Then as now, the great question was how to

3. 如今，這是個重要的問題：

get the rich to behave well towards the rest of society. The Christian answer to this was:

如何讓富人恰當地對待社會上其他人? 基督教式的回答是

make them feel guilty.

讓他們有罪惡感

Meanwhile, the radical, left-wing answer was then and is now: raise taxes. But Smith disagreed

而激進左翼的答案是：增稅。但亞當斯密兩者都不認同

with both approaches: the hearts of the rich were likely to remain cold and high taxes

因為即使這麼做，富人的內心依然冷漠，

would simply lead the rich to flee the country.

而增稅只會讓富人搬離這個國家

He proposed that, contrary to what one might expect, it isn’t money the rich really care

他認為 -- 與一般觀念相反 -- 富人真正在意的不是金錢，

about. It is honour and respect. The rich accumulate money not because they are materially

而是榮譽和尊重。富人不是因為貪於物質而累積財富，

greedy, but primarily in order to be liked and approved of.

而主要是因為想得到喜愛和認同

So rather than taxing the rich, governments should understand the vanity at the heart

因此，與其增加富人稅，政府應該理解富人內心的虛榮

of the rich and their motivations.

以及動機

They should therefore give the rich plenty of honour and status – in return for doing

政府應該頒發榮譽和地位給富人，以此獎勵

all the good things that these narcissists wouldn’t normally bother with, like funding

那些自戀者通常不太在意的善行，例如

schools and hospitals and paying their workers well. As Smith put it,

資助學校和醫院、給員工較好的薪資。如亞當斯密所說

“The great secret of education is to direct vanity to proper objects.”

「教育最大的秘密，是把虛榮心導向正確的事物。」

Big corporations feel very evil to us now, the natural targets of blame for low-paying

4. 教導消費者。如今我們總感覺大企業很邪惡， 我們指責他們給予低薪、

jobs, environmental abuse and sickening ingredients.

破壞環境、汙染原物料

But Adam Smith knew there was an unexpected, and more important, element responsible for

但亞當斯密認知到，有個出人預料、更需要為這些惡行

these ills: our taste. It’s not companies that primarily degrade the world. It is our

負起責任的元素：我們的品味。 讓這世界格調降低的主要不是企業，

appetites, which they merely serve.

而是我們的品味 -- 企業僅是依循這個標準。

As a result, the reform of capitalism hinges on an odd-sounding, but critical task: the

因此若要重整資本主義，有個聽來奇怪但重要的關鍵：

education of the consumer. We need to be taught to want better quality things and pay a proper

教導消費者。我們需要被教導去渴望更有品質的物品、

price for them, one that reflects the true burden on workers and the environment.

並為此付出適當的價錢 -- 以反映勞工和環境的真實成本

A good capitalist society doesn’t just offer customers choice, it also teaches people to

良好的資本主義社會不只提供消費者許多選擇，還應該

exercise this choice in judicious ways. Capitalism can, Smith suggests, be saved by elevating

教導人們如何明智地運用選擇權。亞當斯密認為，

the quality of consumer demand.

提升消費者需求的品質，能夠拯救資本主義

The economic state of the world can seem at

這世界的經濟狀態一度看似非常糟、

once so wrong and yet so complicated, we end up collapsing into despair and passivity.

而且非常複雜，讓我們陷入絕望和被動

Adam Smith is on hand to lend us confidence and hope. His work is full of ideas about

而亞當斯密為我們提供了信心和希望，他的核心關懷是

how human values can be reconciled with the needs of businesses. He deserves our ongoing

重新調和人性價值與商業需求。他值得被持續關注，

attention because he was interested in an issue that has become a leading priority of

因為他有興趣的議題，如今已是這時代最主要的問題：

our own times: how to create an economy that is at once profitable and civilised.

如何建立一個既能營利、又文明的經濟體。