[2012.08.18]On the origin of specie 货币起源.doc

[2012.08.18]On the origin of specie?货币起源 本帖最后由 migmig 于 2012-12-21 14:19 编辑?Free exchange自由贸易On the origin of specie货币的起源Theories on where money comes from say something about where the dollar and euro will go运用货币起源理论分析美元与欧元将向何处去Aug 18th 2012 | from the print editionMONEY is perhaps the most basic building-block in economics.?It helps states collect taxes to fund public goods.?It allows producers to specialise and reap gains from trade.?It is clear what it does, but its origins are a mystery.?Some argue that money has its roots in the power of the state.?Others claim the origin of money is a purely private matter: it would exist even if governments did not.?This debate is long-running but it informs some of the most pressing monetary questions of today.货币也许是经济中最基础的构造单元，它帮助国家收集税收、资助公共产品，允许生产者将贸易专门化并获得所得。很清楚，货币的作用是明显的，但它的起源却是个谜。某些人认为：货币起源于国家权力，而另外一些人则宣称货币纯粹来源于私事，这是因为国家尚未建立之时，货币已然存在。货币起源问题的讨论已经很久了，时至今日也揭示了一些最紧迫的货币问题。Money fulfils three main functions.?First, it must be a medium of exchange, easily traded for goods and services.?Second, it must be a store of value, so that it can be saved and used for consumption in the future.?Third, it must be a unit of account, a useful measuring-stick.?Lots of things can do these jobs.?Tea, salt and cattle have all been used as money. In Britain’s prisons, inmates currently favour shower-gel capsules or rosary beads.货币主要有三种用途：首先它是一种交换媒介，使商品和服务的交换变得容易；其次它本身具有收藏价值，可以将来用于收藏和消费。第三它是一种记账单位，一种有用的测定方式，可以完成很多工作。茶叶、盐和牲畜的贸易都使用钱。在英国监狱，囚犯更偏好于沐浴露胶囊和天主教玫瑰念珠。The use of money stretches back millennia.?Electrum, an alloy of gold and silver, was used to make coins in Lydia (now western Turkey) in around 650BC.?The first paper money circulated in China in around 1000AD.?The Aztecs used cocoa beans as cash until the 12th century.?The puzzle is how people agreed what to use.货币的使用要回溯到千年以前，公元前650年左右，吕底亚（现在的土耳其西部）用一种金和银合成的琥珀金制作硬币，公元1000年左右，最早的纸币已在中国流通。直到12世纪，阿芝特克人仍用可可豆作为现金。令人疑惑的是人们是怎么同意这样使用货币的？Karl Menger, an Austrian economist, se