《国富论》出版250周年

作 者：发现苏格兰

　　本周是亚当·斯密的《国富论》出版250周年，该书于1776年3月9日首次出版。This week marks the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith's 'Wealth of Nations', originally published on 9 March 1776.

　　亚当·斯密是谁？

　　Who was Adam Smith?

　　亚当·斯密出生于苏格兰柯卡尔迪。在父亲去世后，他由母亲抚养长大，并随后就读于格拉斯哥大学和牛津大学。之后他回到格拉斯哥大学任教，先后担任逻辑学教授和道德哲学教授，讲授范围涵盖自然神学、伦理学、法律学与政治经济学等。

　　Adam Smith was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. He was brought up and educated by his mother, after his father died shortly before his birth. He later attended the University of Glasgow and the University of Oxford. He returned to the University of Glasgow, firstly as Professor of Logic and then as Professor of Moral Philosophy covering subjects such as natural theology, ethics, jurisprudence and political economy.

　　亚当·斯密小巷，柯卡尔迪 [亚当·斯密遗产中心] Adam Smith Close, Kirkcaldy [Adam Smith Heritage Centre]

　　苏格兰启蒙运动

　　The Scottish Enlightenment

　　在18世纪的苏格兰启蒙运动中，亚当·斯密是核心人物之一。该时期苏格兰的思想家在理性、科学、社会与人类进步等领域提出了现代观念。这场运动汇聚了哲学家、经济学家、科学家和历史学家。这一时期的其他知名人物还包括哲学家大卫·休谟，他是亚当·斯密的挚友，两人经常通过书信交流。

　　Adam Smith was central to the Scottish Enlightenment period of the 18th century when thinkers in Scotland helped shape modern ideas about reason, science, society and human progress. It brought together philosophers, economists, scientists and historians. Other well-known figures of this period include the philosopher David Hume – a friend of Adam Smith and with whom he corresponded.

　　亚当·斯密肖像，约翰·凯所绘（1742 - 1826）[苏格兰国家美术馆] Portraitof Adam Smith by John Kay (1742 – 1826) [National Galleries of Scotland]

　　《国富论》

　　The Wealth of Nations

　　《国富论》的全名是《论国民财富的性质和原因的研究》。这部着作被公认为现代经济学的奠基之作。书中提出了划时代的观点，包括：

　　The full title of Adam Smith's most well-known text is 'An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations'. It is widely regarded as the founding text of modern economics. It introduced revolutionary ideas such as:

　　劳动分工 division of labour

　　市场在创造财富中的作用 role of markets in wealth creation

　　对经济增长、贸易、生产力的重新理解 reshaped how societies understood economic growth, trade and productivity

　　这部超过1000页、由5本书组成的巨着写作历时十年。书中所包含的许多观点都源自斯密担任格拉斯哥大学教授期间，并且也出现在他的讲稿中。

　　Written over the course of a decade, the Wealth of Nations is made up of 5 books over 1000 pages. Smith developed many of the ideas in the book during his time as a professor at the University of Glasgow and appear in his lecture notes.

[格拉斯哥大学 University of Glasgow]

　　亚当·斯密的研究核心在于探究“是什么让国家富裕”。他从 18 世纪新兴的商业社会的复杂现象中找到了规律，并乐观地认为这种社会更富裕，也更有能力满足社会的需求。社会行为与道德是他研究的核心主题，这在他的早期着作《道德情操论》中有所体现。他主张，一个国家的财富与其公民的福祉直接相关。

　　Smith's work explored what made or caused nations to be wealthy. He found order in the complexities of the emerging commercial society in the 18th century, with optimism that it was wealthier and had the potential to better address society's needs. Social behaviour and morality were central themes, as introduced in his earlier work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Smith argued that wealth of a nation was directly related to the wellbeing of its citizens.

　　2026年格拉斯哥大学将举办系列活动庆祝亚当·斯密着作《国富论》出版250周年 [格拉斯哥大学] The 250th anniversary of the publication of 'The Wealth of Nations' - Adam Smith's most famous book - is being celebrated by the University of Glasgow throughout 2026 [University of Glasgow]

　　跨越250年的影响力

　　The Legacy of The Wealth of Nations

　　亚当·斯密被誉为现代经济学之父，其思想持续影响全球。斯密的观点和思想在让人们重新思考财富及其积累方式方面具有变革性意义。斯密思想的影响横跨18世纪乃至整个历史时期，一直延续至今。例如，托马斯·杰斐逊与拿破仑都收藏了《国富论》；马克思对斯密观点进行了批判；当今的领导人在现代的政治与经济改革讨论中亦常引用他的理念。

　　Adam Smith is credited with heavily influencing the discipline which is now recognised as economics and is referred to as the founder of modern-day economics. Smith's perspectives and ideas were transformational in making people think differently about wealth and how it is accumulated. His influence stretches from the 18th century through history to the present day. For example, Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte had a copy of the book in their personal libraries; Karl Marx critiqued Smith's ideas; and current leaders refer to his ideas linked to economic and political reforms.

　　罗伯特·彭斯的《国富论》副本 [格拉斯哥大学的亚当·斯密藏品] Robert Burns' Copy of Wealth of Nations [The Adam Smith Collection, University of Glasgow]

　　苏格兰的民族诗人罗伯特·彭斯也是斯密的崇拜者。他在 1789 年 5 月 13 日写给罗伯特·格雷姆的信中写道：

　　Robert Burns, Scotland's National Poet, was also an admirer of Smith. In a letter to Robert Graham, dated 13 May, 1789, Burns wrote:

　　“马歇尔的《约克郡》以及那位非凡之人斯密的《国富论》，已足够填满我所有空闲时间。我从未想象过谁能拥有斯密先生在书中展现出的智慧的一半。”

　　'Marshall in his Yorkshire and particularly that extraordinary man, Smith in his Wealth of nations, find me leisure employment enough. I could not have given any mere man credit for half the intelligence Mr Smith discovers in his book.'

　　亚当·斯密致大卫·休谟的信 节选，1764年 [苏格兰国家图书馆] Extract of Adam Smith's Letter to David Hume, 1764 [National Library of Scotland]

　　在位于北京的苏格兰政府办公室，我们收藏着一幅1764年斯密写给休谟的信件复制品。那时，斯密刚抵达法国，他在信中提到初到法国时难以融入当地社交圈，包括休谟介绍给他的人，他写道：“相比之下，我在格拉斯哥的日子简直算得上愉悦而放纵。”他随即补充说自己已经“开始写一本书来打发时间”。

　　这被视为目前所知最早有关《国富论》的记录。我们并不确切知道斯密所说的“放纵生活”是什么意思，但他把这样一本影响深远的书描述为“用来打发时间”，这种谦逊本身就令人敬佩。

　　In our Scottish Government Office in Beijing, we have a framed copy of a letter that Adam Smith wrote to David Hume in 1764 hanging on our wall. Smith had just moved to France and wrote about the difficulties of making new acquaintances in French society including those that David Hume had recommended to him. He noted that 'the life which I led in Glasgow was a pleasurable, dissipated life in comparison' and added that he had 'begun to write a book to pass away the time'.

　　This is believed to be the earliest reference to the Wealth of Nations. We don't know what Smith meant by his 'dissipated life' but we take inspiration from his modesty that he had begun to write such an influential work as the Wealth of Nations to pass away the time!

　　[苏格兰亚当·斯密研究所 Adam Smith Institute Scotland]

　　2008年，爱丁堡亚当·斯密研究所为纪念他而树立了一座10英尺高的青铜雕像。雕像位于皇家一英里大道的古老市场旁，与好友休谟的雕像相互望见。雕像面向山下的坎诺格特，那里是斯密生活、逝世和安葬的地方，同时也面向他出生的法夫郡。

　　In 2008, the Adam Smith Institute in Edinburgh unveiled a 10-foot bronze statue in Adam Smith's honour. You can see it on the Royal Mile, positioned in an ancient marketplace and within view of his friend David Hume. If faces downhill to the Canongate where Smith lived, died and is buried; and towards the county of Fife where he was born.