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The latest global economic slump underlines our reliance on growth. What happens when the economy stumbles? Financial markets crash, property values plummet, bankruptcies pile up, unemployment soars, and social pathologies multiply. Thus the resurgence of Keynesian economics. Prime the pump with billions in government funds. Pray that tax breaks and fiscal stimulus will boost investment, production, and jobs.
最近的全球經濟衰退突出表明了我們對經濟增長的依賴。當經濟停滯不前時會發 生什么事情？那時，金融市場會崩潰，房地產價格會猛跌，企業破產會層出不窮，失業率會迅速 攀升,各種社會弊病將會成倍增加。這樣一來，凱恩斯經濟學就會復興，政府將投入幾十億資金來振興經濟，并希望通過減稅和財政刺激手段來促進投資、生產和就業。
Yet the world already produces far too much stuff, a lot of it unnecessary and much of it useless. We go on churning out mountains of consumer goods because it's good for growth. As long as the economy keeps growing, things will be okay. Growth keeps people employed, investment profitable, and the endless cycle of production and consumption spinning. Increases in productivity and the restless search for profits drive the process.
然而，現在這個世界已經生產了太多的東西，其中很多是不必要的，很多甚至毫無用處。我們不斷粗制濫造大量的消費品，因為這有利于經濟増長。而只要經濟不斷增長，一切就會順暢。經濟增長使人們就業得到保障，使投資獲得盈利，使生產和消費無休止的循環得以保持。生產率的提高和對利潤永不滿足的追求推動了這一過程。
Endless accumulation and expansion is the core of capitalism.
永不停止的積累和擴張乃是資本主義的核心。
Consider this: the world economy grew more than seven-fold from 1950 to 2000. It's projected to do the same again by 2050. At current rates of growth (before the recent global meltdown), the economy was doubling every 15 years, a breathtaking number when you consider that it took all of human history to reach the $6 trillion world economy of 1950.
讓我們想想:從1950年到2000年，世界經濟增長了7倍多。到2050年，預計它會再增長7倍。按照目前的增長速度(在最近的全球金融崩潰發生之前)，經濟增長每隔15年就會翻一番。如果想想歷史發展到1950年人類才使經濟總量達到6萬億美元，你就會感嘆如今的經濟增長速度是多么的驚人。
