ClippingKK

北宋末年的蔡京、蔡下这些人，从政治脉络来说都属于新党，用过去的话说，都属于“改革派”。当然，彼时讲的改革派是指强化国家垄断的改革派，不是像现在我们讲的要搞市场经济的改革派

their density in New South Wales was insufficient for the creation of an economy based on their exploitation. There was no Latin American option in Australia. The guards thus embarked on a path that would ultimately lead to institutions that were even more inclusive than those back in Britain. Convicts were given a set of tasks to do, and if they had extra time, they could work for themselves and sell what they produced.

因为法家制度虽然成功使得秦国崛起，并且成为天下最强的大国，可是秦国大国崛起后，真是使秦国人民站起来，再也不能坐下了，他们必须不停地干活。国家的强大是需要和国民的尊严并存的，而且我们可以讲，在现代应该既追求国民的尊严，也追求国家的强大

. The people in Southeast Asia stopped trading, turned inward, and became more absolutist. In the next two centuries, they would be in no position to take advantage of the innovations that would spring up in the Industrial Revolution. And ultimately their retreat from trade would not save them from Europeans; by the end of the eighteenth century, nearly all were part of European colonial empires.

Books also undermine the power of those who control oral knowledge, since they make that knowledge readily available to anyone who can master literacy. This threatened to undermine the existing status quo, where knowledge was controlled by elites. The Ottoman sultans and religious establishment feared the creative destruction that would result. Their solution was to forbid printing.

所谓的酷吏、所谓的法吏，不是以伦理为中心的，不是道德挂帅的，但必须强调，他们的治理不是以法律为准绳，也不是提倡在法律面前人人平等的。所谓酷吏，实际上是一种权力中心主义的法家政治观，强调的是对权力的垄断。这种对权力的垄断与强调道德其实都属于人治，但是酷吏对法治的破坏作用——确切地说是对建设法治的阻碍作用，应该说要比伦理型的儒家人治更甚一筹。 我们清楚现代意义上讲的法治是什么。其实现代意义上的法治，说穿了就是以人权为基础的一种法律秩序，每一个人都有他的合法权利，应该得到保障。法律就是为了保障人权的，因此，法律对社会上的每一个人都构成约束，之所以约束就是因为害怕有人侵犯别人的权利。那么谁最有可能侵犯别人的权利呢？就是那些有权有势的人。法治首先要限制谁？首先是要限制政府，限制有权胡作非为的人。至于限制老百姓，那是次要的事

老子那个时代，还可以说你们何必那么积极进取，变化那么快干吗？现在小国寡民不是很好吗？他讲的“无为”其实是针对秦制。然而到了庄周时代，已经没有小国寡民了，恰恰相反，那时“霸道”已经成了一个基本的现实，强者为王，弱者为食，弱肉强食的秩序横行。这时候庄周和事老般地说，算了吧，算了吧，其实我们不必去争什么，这样顺着走，就挺不错。这时候他讲的“无为”，其实背后已经没有了西周式小国寡民的理念，顺其自然已经日益变成顺从秦制，变成不讲是非的犬儒主义

但中国的“重农抑商”恰恰相反，“重农”就是要管制农业，农民只能种地，不让农民经商。所以大家不要以为“重农”就是重视农民利益，就一定对农民有好处。民众早就知道这个道理，叫“一管就死”“管一行死一行”。我国历史中经常有一种现象，就是朝廷不“重农”，农民的日子相对来讲还比较好过，朝廷越重农，农民越倒霉。因为朝廷越重农，就把农民管得越死，就会整天折腾农民，指定必须种什么、不能种什么、如何种田，把种田人搞得非常狼狈