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A man named Adam Smith is considered the father of American capitalism.
亞當·斯密被稱為美國資本主義之父。
He wrote about his ideas in a famous book called The Wealth of Nations.
他把他的思想寫進了他的名著《國富論》中。
He believed that a capitalist system is run by an invisible hand.
他認為資本主義制度是靠“看不見的手”運轉的。
The invisible hand is the idea that there is no need for government interference in the economy because the self-interest of individuals will serve the greater good (or the maximum benefits for everyone in society).
“看不見的手”的思想是政府不必干預經(jīng)濟，因為個人私利會使社會大眾獲得最大利益。
To understand this idea, imagine that a store near your home sells a piece of candy for $20.
要理解該思想，設想你家附近的商店的一塊糖果賣20美元。
You think that this price is too high, but it is the only place to buy candy, so if you want candy, you have to pay the $20.
你覺得這個價格過高，但能買糖果的地方僅此一家，所以如果你想吃糖果，就得支付20美元。
However, if the store across the street begins selling the same piece of candy for $1, you will act in your own self-interest and buy the less expensive candy.
但如果街對面的商店的同樣一塊糖果賣1美元，你受私利驅使會買更便宜的糖果。
The more expensive store will be forced to lower its candy prices to compete with the cheaper store, or else it won't sell any candy and won't make any profit.
糖果價格高的商店將被迫降低糖果價格來與糖果更便宜的商店競爭，否則它的糖果將賣不出去，也就不能獲利。
In this situation, everyone involved has acted out of self-interest, and the final result is a lower price for candy.
在這種情形下，每個參與者都出于私利，最終的結果是糖果的價格更低。
The lower prices will serve the greater good of everyone in the neighborhood, because everyone can buy more candy.
低價也使附近居民獲益，因為他們能買到更多的糖果。
This is the basic principle (or explanation) behind the invisible hand and the United States' market economy.
這就是“看不見的手”和美國市場經(jīng)濟的基本原理。
譯文為可可英語翻譯，未經(jīng)授權請勿轉載！
