Abstract

The paradox of value is a classic puzzle in economics. It wonders why necessities are cheap while luxury goods are useless but expensive. Often Adam Smith is cited as the “inventor” of the paradox. Few economists seem to realise that it was voiced by numerous writers before. This article focuses on the Church Fathers, and discusses the role and interpretation of the paradox in their works. It argues that although these “theologians” did not take the analysis of the paradox much further than their philosophical predecessors, they elaborated on the subjectivity of value and price, thus contributing to the genesis of the economic theory of value.

中文翻译：

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教父教导中的价值悖论

摘要

价值悖论是经济学中的一个经典难题。它想知道为什么必需品便宜，而奢侈品没用但很贵。亚当·斯密经常被引用为悖论的“发明者”。似乎很少有经济学家意识到它之前曾由众多作家表达过。本文以教父为中心，讨论悖论在他们作品中的作用和解释。它认为，尽管这些“神学家”并没有比他们的哲学前辈更深入地分析悖论，但他们对价值和价格的主观性进行了阐述，从而为价值经济理论的起源做出了贡献。