首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
Happiness is fashionable these days. Yet should we accept the common view that the new "science" of happiness has cemented the s
Happiness is fashionable these days. Yet should we accept the common view that the new "science" of happiness has cemented the s
admin
2012-07-06
36
问题
Happiness is fashionable these days. Yet should we accept the common view that the new "science" of happiness has cemented the superiority of Scandinavian social democracy over Anglo-Saxon liberalism? The answer is: No.
Richard Layard of the London School of Economics produced an elegant and influential exposition of the new doctrine two years ago. What is Professor Layard arguing? First, happiness is the sole goal of human activity. Second, happiness is measurable. Third, we know what makes people happy and unhappy. Finally, policy should aim at achieving the greatest happiness.
One can address the broad conclusions of this analysis. Its most important negative conclusion is that, beyond a certain threshold, extra wealth does not make us any happier. In any society, richer people tend to be happier than poorer ones, but the proportion of people saying they are very happy does not seem to rise over time. The explanation for this is partly that relative position matters and partly that we become used to prosperity. The positive conclusion is that we know what does make us happy: good family relationships; a sound financial situation, work, a trustworthy community, freedom from chronic pain and mental illness, and personal liberty.
Consider these points more closely. First, the analysis does do not show that generous welfare states do better than less generous ones. Second, the results do not merely show that a rising gross national product may fail to raise happiness. They also show that increases in the size of the welfare state have also failed to increase reported happiness.
What is under challenge, then, is modernity itself, not a competitive market economy a-lone. Prof Layard makes that clear in his comments on the decline of community and the family and the rise of individualism and crime.
However, Layard’s conclusions are: tame the rat race by taxing excessive effort. He argues that higher income is a route to higher status. But higher status for some is always lower status for others. So this is what economists call an "externality". The externality should be taxed, just like any other form of "pollution".
One answer to that is that effort is already taxed quite heavily in western societies. An-other is that if monetary status is discouraged, people will seek status on other and often more damaging dimensions, power being a particularly dangerous example. Yet another answer is that it is far from obvious why differences in status become increasingly disturbing as income differentials increase. The fact that someone is one’s boss or has a more prestigious position in society is a big enough difference on its own. Finally, is it not evident that the search for status also has positive externalities — innovations of all kinds, for example?
I also see little here to undermine core principles of classical liberalism: people should be largely free to make their own choices, mindful of their obligations to other; and the state should focus on remedying harms, while avoiding adding to them. But governments cannot make us happy. Happiness is something we have to pursue. [506 words]
The best title for this text may be______.
选项
A、Taxation Is Not the Route to Happiness
B、A New Science of Happiness
C、Wealth Itself Cannot Make Us Happy
D、The Fallacy of Classical Liberalism
答案
A
解析
本题考查文章主旨。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/80p4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Whichofthefollowingisclosestinmeaningtothesentence"Itwasshootingblind..,tolookforevidenceoflife..."Whatdo
Cultureisthesumtotalofallthetraditions,customs,beliefs,andwaysoflifeofagivengroupofhumanbeings.Inthis(1)
Inthetwodecadesbetween1929and1949,sculptureintheUnitedStatessustainedwhatwasprobablythegreatestexpansionins
Inthetwodecadesbetween1929and1949,sculptureintheUnitedStatessustainedwhatwasprobablythegreatestexpansionins
Yourfatherisseriouslyill,andyouwanttogobackhome.Writeanotetothesecretaryanditshouldinclude:1)thecaus
TheprofessortalkedtoAmericanandBrazilianstudentsaboutlatenessinbothaninformalandaformalsituation:lunchwitha
Mostofuswouldliketobeboth(1)_____andcreative.WhywasThomasEdisonabletoinventsomanythings?Washesimplymore
Youaregoingtoreadalistofheadingsandatextaboutnetworketiquette.Choosethemostsuitableheadingfromthelistfor
(46)Theclassicdifficultyfeltwithdemocracyarisesfromthefactthatdemocracycanneverexpressthewillofthewholepeopl
随机试题
A.肝素B.枸橼酸钠C.EDTA-K2D.草酸铵E.双草酸盐适用于全血细胞分析的抗凝剂为
背景资料A、B两座相同的仓库项目,总建筑面积7000m2。施工时分A、B分区,项目经理下分设两名栋号经理,每人负责一个分区,每个分区又安排了一名专职安全员。项目经理认为,由栋号经理负责每个栋号的安全生产,自己可以不管理安全事项。A区地下一层结构施工时,业
劳务报酬所得属于同一事项连续取得收入的,以( )内取得的收入为一次。
纳税人接受贷款服务向贷款方支付的与该笔贷款直接相关的投融资顾问费、手续费、咨询费等费用,其进项税额可以按规定从销项税额中抵扣。()
技术差距论
随着日本侵华战争的继续,日本逐渐形成了以华治华的政策,其原则是()。
海明威曾说,他每完成一部分创作之后,他就奖励自己一杯咖啡,然后继续写作,这在班杜拉看来,属于
Agoodtitleforthispassageis______.Newton’stheoryofgravitywascorrectedbyEinstein’stheorybecauseof______.
Theideaofpublicworksprojectsasadevicetopreventorcontroldepressionwasdesignedasameansofcreatingjobopportuni
Manhattantrigonometry(三解法)teacherTerryWebbertakeshisstudentstotheEastRivereveryyearandhasthemmeasurethedista
最新回复
(
0
)