In this age of pursuit and desire, wealth seems to be everywhere: money, real estate, luxury goods, high-tech products… But when we take a step back and think, what exactly is wealth? What is its essence? Is humanity’s definition of wealth reasonable? Why does wealth growth always seem to come hand in hand with social inequality, resource waste, and economic crises?
This article aims to reexamine the essence of wealth, expose the absurd logic behind modern economic prosperity, and explore how to define and distribute true wealth.
1. The Traditional Definition of Wealth: Market Value
From an economic perspective, wealth is typically defined as goods or services that can be traded in the market and have a price. If something has a price, it is considered wealth; if no one is willing to pay for it, it is regarded as worthless. Therefore, wealth fundamentally depends on demand-driven value. If there is no demand or no possibility of exchange, it cannot be recognized as “wealth.”
Examples:
- A scrap of paper, if someone is willing to pay a high price for it, becomes wealth.
- A beautifully crafted painting, if no one is willing to buy it, may be considered worthless in economic terms.
This definition reflects the logic of a market economy: price determines wealth, and price depends on market demand and what consumers are willing to pay.
2. The Logic of Modern Economics: High Profits and the Imagination Economy
In modern society, the so-called “economic growth” or “wealth growth” is essentially driven by the expansion of high-profit industries. However, the essence of these high-profit industries is not to create real demand but to drive high prices through imagination.
(1) The Source of High Profits: The Imagination Economy
- The price of high-profit goods is not determined by cost or actual utility but by new technology,monopoly, branding, scarcity, and emotional value.
- A pair of limited-edition sneakers may be priced at thousands of dollars due to scarcity, even though the production cost is only a fraction of that. This high markup stems from the consumer’s imagination.
- A smartphone with slightly better camera clarity can sell for hundreds more because it symbolizes “technological progress.” How much the improved clarity is worth depends entirely on what consumers are willing to pay.
(2) The Core Logic of the Imagination Economy
- Price is determined by perception: Consumers are willing to pay a premium for the feeling of being “better” or “more unique,” and this perception drives high profits.
- Money drives wealth growth: High-profit industries require more money circulating in the market to sustain their inflated prices. The increase in money supply creates an illusion of “economic prosperity.”
3. The Absurdity Behind This Logic
(1) Prices Detached from Actual Value
- A ton of grain may be worth less than a luxury watch, yet grain sustains thousands of lives while the watch’s primary function is to tell time.
- A lifesaving drug might cost only a few dollars, but a virtual game skin could sell for hundreds.
This pricing system fails to reflect the true contribution of goods to societal well-being. Instead, it is centered on human subjective perception and brand influence, creating resource misallocation and social inequality.
(2) Wealth Concentration and Exploitation
- High-profit industries continuously accumulate capital through markups, concentrating wealth in the hands of a few corporations and investors while ordinary people bear the cost.
- When consumers pay for these markups, they are, in essence, transferring their hard-earned labor value to capital owners, further exacerbating inequality.
(3) The Inevitability of Economic Crises
- Inflation and debt: The growth of money supply accompanies debt expansion, initially manifesting as price increases (inflation) and later, as declining purchasing power and mounting debt, transitions into deflation.
- The collapse of consensus: When consumers no longer accept the markups created by imagination, or when the brands of high-profit industries lose their appeal, the entire economic system collapses like a house of cards. What sustains asset prices? It is collective belief, and belief is fundamentally rooted in imagination.
4. What Is True Wealth?
The modern economic definition of wealth is often an illusory bubble. True wealth, aside from the products and services that meet our basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter, also includes:
(1) Meeting Real Needs
- Natural Wealth: Clean air, water, fertile soil, and healthy ecosystems are foundational to human survival.
- Social Wealth: Fair institutions, stable social order, and mutual trust are pillars of societal prosperity.
- Cultural and Knowledge Wealth: Technology, cultural heritage, and artistic creation are core assets of human spiritual development.
(2) Advancing Societal Well-being
- True wealth should directly enhance human quality of life, rather than fabricate false prosperity or unnecessary consumption.
(3) Sustainability and Fairness
- Wealth should be created and distributed sustainably, ensuring intergenerational sharing of resources and fostering societal harmony.
5. Toward True Prosperity: The Combenism Perspective on Wealth
Combenism offers a groundbreaking perspective on wealth, enabling us to escape the trap of capital-driven consumption and return to an authentic life.
(1) Redirecting Profits to Society
- High-profit industries’ earnings are redistributed through the Combenistic Entity, supporting education, healthcare, housing, and other foundational needs. This corrects resource misallocation and improves the efficiency of wealth redistribution.
(2) Promoting Rational Consumption
- Educating consumers to distinguish between real needs and artificial desires, reducing blind pursuit of high-profit goods.
- Advocating for moderate consumption, encouraging fulfillment from simpler, more meaningful lives.
(3) Optimizing Resource Allocation
- Steering resources toward essential industries such as food, housing, and healthcare to ensure long-term societal stability and development.
6. Conclusion: Redefining Wealth, Returning to Happiness
Wealth should not be a tool for a select few to accumulate capital but a means to serve the collective well-being of society. By redefining wealth, we can break free from the illusory logic of economic growth, focus on genuine needs, and create a fairer, more sustainable future.
Perhaps it is time to ask ourselves: Does the wealth we pursue truly meet our needs, or has it made us captives of capital? True prosperity is not built on the house of cards of imagination but is rooted in the authentic happiness of every individual.
究竟什么是财富？
在这个充满追求与欲望的时代，财富似乎无处不在：金钱、房产、奢侈品、高科技产品……然而，当我们进一步思考，究竟什么才是财富？它的本质是什么？人类社会对财富的定义是否合理？财富的增长又为何总伴随着社会不平等、资源浪费和经济危机？
这篇文章将带你重新审视财富的本质，揭示现代经济繁荣背后的荒谬逻辑，并探索如何定义和分配真正的财富。
1. 传统的财富定义：市场交易的价格
从经济学的角度看，财富通常被定义为可以被市场交易、具有价格的商品或服务。只要有价格，就被视为财富；如果无人愿意出价，则被视为垃圾。因此，财富的本质是被需求驱动的价值。如果没有需求，或者无法进行交换，则可以认为尚未具备被认定为“财富”的条件。
例如：
- 一张废纸，如果有人愿意以高价购买，那么它就是财富。
- 一幅精美的油画，若无人愿意为它付钱，从经济学意义上就可能被认为是垃圾，毫无财富价值。
这种定义反映了市场经济的逻辑：价格决定财富，而价格取决于市场需求和消费者愿意支付的金额。
2. 现代经济的逻辑：高利润与想象力经济
现代社会中，我们常说的“经济增长”或者“财富增长”，实际本质上依赖于高利润行业的推动。而这些高利润行业背后的本质，并非创造真实需求，而是通过想象力驱动的高价格。
(1) 高利润的来源：想象力经济
- 高利润商品的价格不是由成本或实际使用价值决定，而是依赖于新科技、新技术、垄断、品牌、稀缺性和情感附加值等。
- 一双限量球鞋可能因稀缺性被赋予上千美元的价格，而其制造成本不过几十美元。这些高溢价来源于人们的想象和心理感受。
- 一部拍照更清晰的手机，因“技术进步”的象征而溢价数百美元。这个“更清晰”的价值来源，实际是消费者愿意支付的心理价格。
(2) 想象力经济的核心逻辑
- 价格由感觉决定： 消费者愿意为“更好”“更独特”的感觉支付高价，这种感觉的溢价构成了高利润。
- 货币驱动财富增长： 高利润行业需要更多货币流通来支撑虚高的价格，而货币的增加带来了虚假的“经济繁荣”。
3. 这种逻辑背后的荒谬
(1) 价格脱离实际价值
- 一吨粮食的价格可能低于一块奢侈品手表，但粮食是数千人赖以生存的必需品，而手表的功能可能仅仅是显示时间。
- 一支救命药可能只值几十美元，但一款虚拟游戏皮肤却可能售出数百美元。
这种价格体系并未反映商品对社会福祉的真实贡献，而是以人类的主观感知和品牌塑造为核心，制造了资源的错配和社会的不平等。
(2) 财富的集中与掠夺
- 高利润行业通过溢价不断积累资本，这些资本集中于少数企业和投资者手中，普通人却为此支付高昂成本。
- 消费者在为这些溢价买单时，实际上是在将自己的劳动果实转移给资本方，进一步加剧了财富的集中和社会不平等。
(3) 经济危机的必然性
- 通胀与债务： 货币的增长伴随着债务的扩张，最初表现为价格上涨（通胀），随后因消费能力下降和债务累积而进入通缩。
- 共识崩塌： 当消费者不再愿意为想象力溢价支付，或高利润行业的品牌失去吸引力时，整个经济体系如空中楼阁般崩塌。支撑资产价格的共识，其实不过是人的想象力。
4. 什么才是真正的财富？
现代经济定义的财富更多是一种虚幻的泡沫，而真正的财富除了满足我们生存生活需要的产品和服务，还包括以下内容：
(1) 满足真实需求
- 自然财富： 清洁空气、水源、肥沃土壤、健康生态系统，是人类生存的基础性财富。
- 社会财富： 公平的制度、稳定的社会秩序、互信的人际关系，是社会繁荣的支柱。
- 文化与知识财富： 技术、文化遗产、艺术创造，是人类精神发展的核心资产。
(2) 推动社会福祉
- 真正的财富应直接提升人类的生活质量，而不是制造虚假的繁荣或不必要的消费。
(3) 可持续与公平
- 财富应以可持续的方式创造和分配，确保资源的代际共享和社会的共同繁荣。
5. 走向真正的繁荣：共益主义的财富观
共益主义提出了一种全新的财富理念，帮助我们跳脱被资本绑架的命运，回归真实的生活。
(1) 利润回归社会
- 高利润行业的收益通过共益机制回归社会，用于支持教育、医疗、住房等基础领域，纠正资源错配问题，提高财富再分配的效率。
(2) 引导理性消费
- 教育消费者辨别真实需求与伪需求，减少对高利润商品的盲目追逐。
- 倡导适度消费，让人们从简单的生活中获得满足。
(3) 优化资源分配
- 推动资源更多流向基础行业（如粮食、住房、医疗），确保社会的长期稳定与发展。
6. 结语：重新定义财富，回归幸福生活
财富不应是少数人积累资本的工具，而是服务于全社会的共同福祉。通过重新定义财富，我们可以摆脱虚幻的经济增长逻辑，回归真实需求，创造更加公平、可持续的未来。
或许是时候让我们思考：我们所追逐的“财富”，到底是满足了我们的需求，还是让我们沦为了资本的奴隶？真正的繁荣，绝非建立在想象力的空中楼阁上，而是扎根于每个人的幸福生活之中。