thinking like an economist翻译.docVIP

Every field of study has its own language and its own way of thinking. Mathematicians talk about axioms, integrals, and vector spaces. Psychologists talk about ego, id, and cognitive dissonance. Lawyers talk about venue, torts, and promissory estoppel. 每个研究领域都有它自己的语言和思考方式。数学家谈论定理、积分以及向量空间。心理学家谈论自我、本能、以及认知的不一致性。律师谈论犯罪地点、侵权行为以及约定的禁止翻供。 Economics is no different. Supply, demand, elasticity, comparative advantage, consumer surplus, deadweight loss—these terms are part of the economist’s language. In the coming chapters, you will encounter many new terms and some familiar words that economists use in specialized ways. At first, this new language may seem needlessly arcane. But, as you will see, its value lies in its ability to provide you a new and useful way of thinking about the world in which you live. 经济学家也一样。供给、需求、弹性、比较优势、消费剩余、最低损耗，这些术语是经济学语言的一部分。在接下来的章节里，你会遇到很多新术语以及一些熟悉的词汇，这些术语和词汇被经济学家们用在经济这一领域。起初，这些新的语言可能看起来不必要的神秘，但是，你会看到，他的价值在于他能提供给你一种新的和有用的思考方式，让你思考你生活的世界。 The single most important purpose of this book is to help you learn the economist’s way of thinking. Of course, just as you cannot become a mathematician, psychologist, or lawyer overnight, learning to think like an economist will take some time. Yet with a combination of theory, case studies, and examples of economics in the news, this book will give you ample opportunity to develop and practice this skill. 这本书唯一的最重要的目的就是帮助你学习经济学家的思考方式。当然，就像你不能一夜就成为数学家、心理学家或者律师一样，学会像经济学家一样思考会花费一定的时间。然而，在理论、案例研究、以及经济新闻的案例的结合下，这本书将会给你充分的机会来发展和练习这种能力。 Before delving into the substance and details of economics, it is helpful to have an overview of how economists approach the world. This chapter, therefore, discusses the field’s methodology. What is distinctive about how economists confront a question? What does it mean to think like an economist? 在探究经济学的实质和细节前，对经济学家们如何看待世界进行预览是非常有益的。因此，这一章讨论了这一领域的方法论。经济学家解决问题有何独特之处？像经济学家一样思考是什么意思？ THE ECONOMIST AS SCIENTIST作为科学家的经济学家 Economists try to address their subject with a scientist’s ob