先秦重農思想之研究

On What May be Called ＂Agriculturism＂ in China in the Pre-Ch'in Period

宋叙五(SUNG SHEE-WU)

《中國文化研究所學報》 7卷1期 (1974/12) Pp. 231-258

https://doi.org/10.29708/JCS.CUHK.197412_7(1).0020

並列摘要

During the Pre-Ch'in period in China, an era in which various schools of thought and several branches of learning arose and were flourishing with unprecedented richness, numerous studies of economic phenomena also emerged and began to develop into something systematic, but there is a common characteristic among those economic speculations, which may be dubbed ＂Agriculturism.＂ This paper is a study of the Agriculturism of the Pre-Ch'in period. The method used is comparative-a comparative analysis of the Pre-Ch'in Agriculturism and the economic thought of the mid-18th century French Physiocrats. I believe that from the comparative study the similarities and differences between the two schools of thought can be discerned, i.e., the characteristics of each will be brought into relief. Moreover, the comparative method enables us to differentiate in a certain theory the general concepts as a product of a certain stage in the course of economic development from the special concepts formed under the influence of special conditions existing in a particular society. Furthermore, in the comparative study, not only the relationship between the development of the economy of the society and the corresponding economic thought is revealed, but the fact that economic growth is enhanced by correct economic thought and is obstructed by incorrect economic thought is also ascertained. This paper is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 is the Introduction, which comprises a brief description of the approach adopted in this study and an account of the social economic background from which the two types of economic thought evolved. Chapter 2 is an introduction to the Pre-Ch'in Agriculturism. It is divided into four sections; section 1 is a brief account of the view of the Pre-Ch'in scholars on the origin of wealth: section 2, the favourable position of agriculture among the various forms of production; section 3, agriculture as the principal means to prosperity for the state and its people; section 4, agriculture is more beneficial than other forms of production. Chapter 3 provides a brief account of the main ideas of the French Physiocrats as a basis for the comparative study with the Pre-Ch'in Agriculturism. It is divided into three sections: section 1, the theory of natural order; section 2, the theory of net products; section 3, circulation of social wealth. In Chapter 4 a comparative study of the Pre-Ch'in Agriculturism and the theory of the French Physiocrats is made. It is divided into six sections: section 1, their respective views on the origin of wealth; section 2, their notions on production; section 3, attitude towards commerce; section 4, design for rates and taxes; sections 5, attitude towards grain prices; section 6, design of farming unit. In Chapter 5 the development and subsequent change of the two types of economic thought is discussed separately.