The Monk and the Philosopher

最近我化了两个月读了一本书: 喇嘛和哲学家 – 父子关于生命的意义的对话 (“The Monk and the Philosopher – a farther and son discuss the meaning of life”) 作者是 Jean-François Revel (父亲, 哲学家) and Matthieu Ricard(儿子, 喇嘛).

读书时断时续, 似懂非懂, 似醒非醒, 似是而非. 写一些自己的理解,也算对所读的一个回顾与思考.

这里的喇嘛接受过西方的教育, 是一个生物学博士. 但他从小就对生命的意义感兴趣, 在认识到科学无法研究生命的意义, 于是转向了佛教(喇嘛教). 他的父亲是一个哲学家, 或者说对政治哲学更感兴趣. 本书出版于1998年, 因此其中对中国和西藏的解读比较多的停留在那时的意识形态. 我不想对这种意识形态的解读做任何评价. 本书最终是喇嘛让哲学家承认, 喇嘛佛教是优于西方教派的一种思想, 但它是宗教, 因为没有神.

我想列出从这本书我得到的对藏传佛教的一些理解和想法. 不管对错,只是我个人的观点.

1. 佛教是内观点学问, 它不是科学. 科学研究客体(Object), 而佛教修炼主体(Subject). 注意, 不要将主体当作客观对象去研究, 那是生物学, 心理学, 属于科学范畴. 佛教让你自己体悟自己心里的活动, 而不是感官达成的相, 或者脑电波的活动. 它要求你自己感悟此时此刻你在做什么, 想什么, 有什么感受, 以及为什么会有这样的感受. 这种内观, 目前没有科学的研究方法.
2. 再回到生命的意义, 如果我们认同生命是进化而来的 – 本书的喇嘛并不否认科学的进化说 – 那么追问生命的意义如同追问进化的意义. 假如我们要追问生命的意义, 我们必须回到第一个生命诞生的时候 – 为什么从无生命的物质产生了第一个生命? 这个生命有意义吗? 当我们追问人活着的意义时, 有没有想过我们的祖先猿猴活着的意义? 动物活着的意义, 植物活着的意义, 细胞活着的意义? 以及水和空气存在的意义?科学至少目前还没有对”意义”这个问题研究的方法.因此佛教的内观就有了合理性, 它是人对其内心活动的觉悟的方法.由于是主观的体悟, 这里自然排除了对动物, 植物存在的意义的探究.
3. 佛教认为人类的苦难(Suffering)都是有坏的情绪所致. 比如贪婪, 妒忌, 憎恨等. 如果一个人不妒忌旁人比他有钱, 他就不会觉得自己穷苦. 要消除自己的苦难, 必须消除自身的坏情绪. 消除坏情绪的方法是内观, 是Meditation. 当坏情绪浮现时, 要认清它从何而来, 为什么来, 以及认识到这只是你的情绪, 不是真实, 应当放下.
4. 这里我想从科学做一些解读. 生命体都有或强或弱, 或多或少的感应(接收和反应). 到了高级生命(动物), 生命在感和应之间加入了觉(在接收和响应之间加入了处理). 大脑作为处理器的加入使得应趋于多样化. 不同的觉, 产生不同的应. 比如当人在屋子里看到一个虫子, 有的人一脚将它踩死; 有的人吓的大叫;还有的人小心翼翼的将它捧起, 轻轻的放到室外.
5. 情绪, 无论是”好”,还是”坏”的, 都是觉在起作用. 既然是觉, 它必定是主观的. 同时好与坏也是主观的.而即便是坏情绪, 它也是人类的生存必要条件. 正所谓压力是进步的动力.不只是人有情绪. 动物也有情绪. 我曾见到过一只公鸭子因为配偶母鸭的死亡而悲泣. 看来鸭子也有”坏”情绪.为什么人一定要克服坏情绪,而鸭子不要?
6. 关于意识. 喇嘛教有转世的说法, 它认为意识一定是从前世带来的.从本书喇嘛的叙述,似乎这种转世的说法得到了一些印证, 就如同其他宗教都有一些传奇的故事做佐证一般. 所不同的是这里的印证是喇嘛直接所见, 这更增加了它的可信度. 但和所有的宗教一样,这些印证不是科学意义上的证明. 假如意识是转世而来的, 那么人越来越多, 转世的意识似乎不够用了.能一个意识复制多份吗? 如果可能, 是否有多个转世灵童? 这又当如何选择下一轮回的喇嘛?
7. 佛教的修行, 其最终目的是悟到绝对真理, 即大智慧. 佛教所说的大智慧是可悟而不可言的. 如果是这样 – 这个大智慧, 又称为最终真理, 绝对真理等 – 必然是不唯一的. 各人的感悟不同, 即便成佛, 也会悟出不同的”大智慧”. 那么这些大智慧一定是一个同构的智慧, 如果不同构就不能说是绝对真理. 这让我想到巫师沾扑, 有的用水晶球,有用龟背; 有的观察火, 有的观察河流;… 其实这都是出自于心, 只不过用一个道具让所有的意念集中于内心. 那么更进一步,佛家悟到的大智慧是否与巫师的魔术同构呢? 在我看来, 大智慧无非就是集中心智所得到的结果. 它与好坏,善恶没有必然的关系.
8. 其实真理和智慧是两个不同的概念. 真理, 无论是客观的还是主观的, 都属于知识的范畴. 而智慧是一种觉悟, 一种引导理解,处理事务的方式方法. 所以大智慧应该理解为可以达成理解绝对真理的觉悟. 由此觉悟, 佛可以看清事物的本质, 而不被主观的相所迷惑.
9. 当高等生命在感和应之间加入了一个觉, 就像加入了一个处理器. 电脑可以加入spam message过滤程序, 或者病毒过滤程序. 我们人类也有过滤掉我们不感兴趣或者认为不真实的信息的程序. 是什么让我们作出选择哪些是需要过滤掉的呢? 这就是”觉”, 我们心中的生命价值观. Meditation就这个程序的运行, 而心中的”觉”提供运行的guidence.
10. 在西方的宗教体系中, 上帝(God)是这个”觉”, 而祷告则是Meditation. 在东方文化中,不管是哪个宗教或哲学流派, 我们都相信”修心养性”. 对佛家而言, “觉”的部分是”善”, 普世之爱, 要过滤掉的是苦难(Suffering). 对道家而言, “觉”就是, 而过滤器是无为 – 做事不带心理压力, 顺其自然. 而儒家的”觉”是忠孝仁义, 其过滤器是礼仪.

从“因无所驻，相由心生”说起

因无所驻，相由心生， 是佛家的基本信念。它说的是所有的观念都不过是人的执念，而因果并不会按人的执念行事。

这两张照片，一张是一块石头以及上面的苔藓构成一个心形，而另一张是一块大石头看上去像一张哭丧的脸。

显然，这样的视觉感受是摄影者的感受， 并以照片的行式传递给观看者。自然的因果造就了这两块石头当前状态下的存在，但并没有意向传递心形或鬼脸的内涵。这所谓的内涵是人心里遐想的。

所谓因果，也就是道家的道。而相或者内涵就是名。我们知道因果是说不清的，我们总会追问为什么，为什么。而内涵也不过是人下的定义，给了一个名。这就是老子的“道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名”。

再进一步，现代对因果的理解是条件导致的结果。人可以创造一些条件，以达成期望的结果。但是这些人为的因果，甚至自然的因果都不是永恒的。由于其他的原因，结果就变了，正所谓“三十年河东，三十年河西”。这就是“无所驻” – 因果不会一成不变。

而人不可能没有执念，他往往纠缠着过往，或憧憬着未来，而忽略了当前发生的一切。须知过往已经改变，因果条件不再；未来尚未发生，因果条件不在。唯有当前发生的是你该感知的。至于当前发生的让你快乐，忧伤，或痛苦，这并不重要。因为所有的这些感受都是“相”由心生。

因无所驻，相由心生

佛：任何事都有因果。有因必有果。没有因，就没有相应的果；因果不可能一成不变。因改变了，果也随之而变。所有人的观念都是相，它生于心，是人的感觉，推断，反应。相不是真相，不是真理。佛家没有将人放在特殊的位置，是出世的学问。

道：所谓因果就是道。自然规律确定了自然的运行规律。人要循道而行，达到所谓的天人合一。而不是遵守人为的约束。道家强调人与自然的互动，也鼓励人要有远大的抱负，但必须合天道, 。道家不讨论社会的问题, 认为偏离了道才造就了社会问题。

儒：佛和道都不是为社会服务的。儒家规划了一整套仁义道德。它们中的一部分合于道，一部分是为了社会的需要，还有一部分是过时的皇权统治的需要。

理：王阳明认为儒家的理不知从何而来，需要找一个归宿。他认为所谓理，是从心而来。提出了心即理的观念。这和佛家的相由心生相吻合。当然心即理不能违背道，或者因果。

龙年滑雪

龙年伊始,吾归隐于阿尔岗鲲.时值鼹鼠还洞续梦,天宫盛宴迎春,拜龙王为上手.行至酒酣唱和之时,龙王欣而摆尾,触及梨树冠盖.于是乎梨花伴仙女漫舞，冷香随微风飘散，悠悠然落于鲲之地.未及时,白皑尽复也.
吾见状,急驱车至叶湖,未有人耶.踏板执杖而行,但见梨花散乱,碎银满地,雪道依稀可辨.然则道虽道,非常道.雪藏之下,有坚冰薄脆,梨花深处有高垄低坑.行于此道,不免左右摇曳,更有前后跷蹊.倘若铿锵着地,安能保腚乎?
古人云,以攻为守,以进为退. 吾等乡野村夫,岂能安之若命呼?
弃辙而前行. 悠悠然, 板不中绳墨,杖不合规矩.偶着地留坑于后世, 亦不着道乎前人.即得归, 已行七,八有余.微微汗,虽非鲲鹏之志, 亦有篷篙之喜也.
回得伊田园,围炉而烹茶, 击键而码字,品龙年之野雪,不亦乐乎?

江南夕拾

Short essays about my visit in South China

1. 连续多天的秋雨，淅淅沥沥，时断时续，时缓时急。它即没有春雨的细腻，也没有夏雨的豪爽。却有一种缠绵不舍的留恋。下雨的天气，无法外出，只好在家里学习惯蛋，练习写字, 再看看书，日子打发的飞快。 今天早晨无雨，决定出门走走。雨后的空气湿润而恬静，桂花的香甜不时提醒我秋天到了。蠡湖的风光浓妆淡抹总相宜。一只白鹭像我一样注视着湖面，只是它所想的是那些穿条鱼。柳树不知何时和藤蔓结伴，还有许多很大的鸟窝？到了晚上，你会惊讶地发现，鸟巢里射出了灯光. 我知道人要关了灯睡，但不知道虫鸟，草木是否也需要黑暗的保护色。或许，在满足人类的欲望时，也该给动物，植物一个休养生息的时空。
   The autumn rain has been falling for many days, occasionally slow and at times rapid. It lacks the delicacy of spring rain and the intensity of summer storms, yet it carries a lingering nostalgia. Stuck indoors due to the rain, I took up card games, practiced calligraphy, and immersed myself in books. Time swiftly passed. This morning, the rain had finally ceased, prompting me to venture outside. The post-rain air is moist and serene, with the sweet scent of osmanthus confirming the arrival of autumn. Lihu Lake’s beauty remains constant, whether the sky is clear or overcast. An egret, like me, gazes at the water, albeit with a different thought—perhaps about the fish beneath. I can’t pinpoint when the willow trees intertwined with vines and numerous bird nests appeared. At night, one might be astonished to see light emanating from these nests. I understand that humans turn off lights to sleep, but I wonder if insects, birds, and vegetation also require the protective cloak of darkness. Perhaps, as we pursue our desires, we should also grant animals and plants a respite in time and space for recovery.
2. 午后，我坐在25楼的阳台上发呆。近处，还有远处，是高低不等的高楼。而那狭窄的，错落有致的街道和屋舍早已消失的无影无踪。这些半新不旧的，淹没了地平线的高楼很难将我与江南联系在一起。可是从高楼的缝隙里，我看到了运河，看到了来往穿梭的驳船，看到了两岸的垂柳。虽然中秋已过树木依然是绿的，花儿照例开着。阳光是那么的的柔和，空气是那么的湿润，这正是江南。只是运河两边的路上跑着比驳船快的多的车，发出的隆隆声，已成为不间断的背景噪音，盖过了虫鸣鸟叫。急躁的司机按着喇叭，取代了江南吴语那种软软的叫卖声。这是江南吗？我又开始困惑…
   In the afternoon, I sat on the 25th-floor balcony lost in thought. Around me, both near and far, rose tall buildings of various heights. The once-narrow, well-proportioned streets and traditional houses have vanished without a trace. These half-modern, half-aged skyscrapers that dominate the horizon hardly connect me to the traditional Jiangnan region. However, through the gaps between these high-rises, I caught a glimpse of the canal, the barges shuttling back and forth, and the weeping willows adorning its banks. Although the Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, the trees remain lush, and the flowers continue to bloom. The sunlight is gentle, and the air is moist. This is Jiangnan in my memory. But it’s as if the constant roar of cars speeding along the roads on both sides of the canal has become an uninterrupted backdrop, drowning out the serene sounds of insects and birds. Impatient drivers honk their horns, replacing the soft lilt of the Jiangnan Wu dialect. Is this still Jiangnan? I find myself growing increasingly uncertain…
3. 在运河边漫步，河里穿梭来往的船只是我感兴趣的。如今的驳船不能与当年的木船往日同语。个头上，它不再是那种蚱蜢舟，“载不动，许多愁”, 而是几十米长的钢铁家伙。如果铺上平甲板，估计能让飞机起飞。这些大家伙缓缓的，不紧不慢，不偏不移的作匀速直线运动。因为前后左右都是船，想要换道几乎是不可能的。更有甚者，拖船拖着十几只驳船，就像一列水上的绿皮车，周围任何不守规矩的举动都会造成碰撞翻船。船形已完全脱破了你的想象，马路上有多少种车，水里就有多少种船。那些背着大铁罐的可以是装水泥的，也可以是装化工原料的。那种两头有房，中间空着大肚子的，可以装各种散料。稍小一些的只有船尾有机房，大肚兜一直延伸到船头。这些船空的有三四层楼那么高。而重载的，水直接漫上了甲板。我感觉，如果有个人站在船的一边跳两脚，那船就要翻了。那些操控室在后面的船装载的前面重后面轻，使船前面压得更低，以便有较好的视线。可前面太低，水漫上了船头，好像一加速就会钻到水下。水可以载舟，也能复舟。如果这里翻了船，那一定不是水的错，也不是船的错…
   Strolling along the canal, my attention was drawn to the vessels navigating the river. Today’s barges are a far cry from the wooden boats of the past. In terms of size, they are no longer the modest “grasshopper boats” that “couldn’t carry my worries” Instead, they are massive steel behemoths, stretching dozens of meters in length. With a flat deck, one might imagine they could serve as makeshift runways for planes. These giants move at a deliberate, unhurried pace, proceeding in a straight line. With boats on all sides, there’s hardly any room for lane changes. What’s more, the tugboats tow more than a dozen barges, resembling a convoy of a train of green cars on the water. Any reckless maneuvers near them risk collisions and capsizing.
   The diversity of boat designs on the water defies imagination. There are as many types of boats on the water as there are cars on the road. Some carry large iron containers for cement or chemical raw materials. Others engine rooms at both ends with a hollow midsection, ideal for transporting bulk goods. Slightly smaller vessels house the engine room at the stern, their cargo hold extending to the bow. Towering as tall as three or four stories when the boat is empty. In contrast, heavily loaded ones have water lapping directly onto the deck. It seemed as if a single person standing on the boat’s side and jumping would send it tumbling. Boats with control rooms at the rear carry heavier loads in the front, allowing the bow to dip for better visibility. However, with the front so low, it appeared as though the boat might submerge as soon as it accelerated.
   The water can both carry a boat and claim it. If a boat capsizes here, it’s not the fault of the water or the boat…
   
4. 云南的旅程已经结束，由于身体不适，提前回到了无锡。第一次深切的体会了什么是水土不服。从旅行的第二站丽江开始，我就开始腹泻。不得不对云南的美食避而远之，仅以白粥，鸡蛋裹腹。然其依然抵御不了3000多米的海拔的落差，每逢内急，肚中翻江倒海，一股浊流冲出最后一道没法古守的防线，宛如夕阳下的金沙江一泻千里，去找寻江南的归宿。吃了止泻药，似乎阀门好一些，但胃里上下堵着，夹杂着发了酵的油腻，在里面四处寻求突破。而一旦药效过后，它便冲破了大坝，其势更胜于三江汇合。于是不得已紧急退兵。先是从香格里拉坐车到丽江，再换飞机经泸州回到无锡。从香格里拉3000多米的海拔退到2000多米的丽江，胃里已然舒服了一些。再到泸州不到500米，就没了反胃的感觉。最后回到无锡，姐姐特意去机场接我，弟弟准备了清淡的晚餐。家乡的山，家乡的水，家乡的亲人让我彻底恢复成那个江南的书生。呜呼，江南书生终究没有西域侠客的豪情!
   My journey in Yunnan has come to a close. Due to physical discomfort, I decided to return to Wuxi ahead of schedule. This experience made me truly understand the meaning of acclimatization. It all started in Lijiang, the second stop of my trip, where I began to suffer from diarrhea. I had to abstain from Yunnan’s delicious cuisine and stick to a diet of porridge and eggs. However, even these precautions couldn’t prevent the effects of descending from an altitude of over 3,000 meters. Whenever an urgent internal issue arose, it felt as though my stomach was overwhelmed with emotions, and a murky force breached the last line of defense, much like the Jinsha River racing southward under the setting sun. After taking anti-diarrheal medication, the situation seemed to improve, but my stomach became a battleground, with fermented and oily foods mixing together in search of an escape route. Once the medication’s effects wore off, it was as if a dam had burst, and the force was more formidable than the confluence of three rivers. Therefore, I had no choice but to make a hasty retreat. I first took a bus from Shangri-La to Lijiang, and then caught a plane from Lijiang to return to Wuxi via Luzhou. As I descended from the altitude of over 3,000 meters in Shangri-La to Lijiang, which stands at over 2,000 meters above sea level, my stomach began to feel slightly better. With less than 500 meters to Luzhou, the nausea finally subsided. Upon returning to Wuxi, my sister came to pick me up at the airport, and my brother had prepared a light dinner. The mountains, the waters, and my family in my hometown completely restored me to the life of a scholar from Jiangnan. It seems that the Jiangnan scholars do not possess the same level of pride as the knights from the Western Regions after all!
5. 腹泻并没有彻底好，不得以去了一趟医院, 见证了一下治病流水线。流水线由楼里的宽阔通道构成，在不同的位置设有不同的工站。有各种扫码认证，排队的工站；扫码付费的工站；抽血化验的工站；扫码获取化验报告的工站；当然还有医生的工站，那是一个个独立的小房间。由于看病的人多，流水线上设置了许多病人排队休息区，用流水线的术语，那叫待加工物料储备区。当病人和家属想进入看病流水线，你必须取得一个号作为待加工物料的标识。这就是挂号。挂号可以远程从网络上挂。我作为老外没有这个便利，直接的医院门诊处挂了号。然后，去到指定的流水线，扫码报告物料已在待加工区等候。当轮到你时，广播和电子指示屏告诉你流水线要动作了。按照物流标识，我流动到了医生的小房间，经过简单的物料性状判断，我需要到下一道工序做血液和体液检查，于是又产生了一个流程标识码，流水线再次启动，先经过付费工序，再到化验中心扫码报到，然后等待和被呼叫到一个抽血工位，不到20秒，完成了抽血采样。后面的流水线操作我看不见，我这个工件被安排在待加工物料处等候。不过你不能静态地等候，在时间差不多时要注动去扫码确认化验结果已出，这样你又可以在流水线上流动了。流回到医生排队区段，再次扫码进流水线，这次是复诊，有较高的优先级。很快流回到医生面前，他已经开好了处方，简单交待几句我又要进入取药流水线。同样地，经过付费，扫码进入待定区，按流水指示到指定窗口取药。这样我就完成了一次看病的流水作业。只不过与工厂的流水线不同，这里流水线的运作靠病人蹒跚的脚步，而加工的物料正是这些病人本身。
   My diarrhea persisted, so I had to visit the hospital and experience what felt like a treatment assembly line. This assembly line was composed of spacious corridors within the building, featuring various workstations at different points. There were workstations for scanning QR codes for authentication and queuing, workstations for scanning QR codes for payments, workstations for blood tests, and workstations for obtaining test reports. Additionally, there were independent small rooms for doctors. Given the large number of patients, there were multiple areas where patients could rest while waiting, similar to storage areas in an assembly line for processing materials.
   To enter this medical treatment assembly line, patients and their families needed to obtain a number as a form of identification for the materials to be processed. This was the registration process, which could also be done remotely online. As a foreigner, I did not have this convenience, so I registered directly at the hospital’s outpatient department. Subsequently, I proceeded to the designated assembly line and scanned the code to indicate that I, as the materials to be processed, was awaiting processing.
   When it was my turn, a radio and electronic indicator screen signaled that the assembly line was about to move. Following the logistics label, I made my way to the doctor’s small room. After a brief assessment of my case, I was directed to the next step, which involved blood and bodily fluid tests. A process identification code was generated, and the assembly line continued. It began with a payment step, followed by scanning a QR code to check in at the laboratory center, after which I waited to be called to a blood-drawing station. The blood sampling process took less than 20 seconds. I couldn’t witness the subsequent assembly line operations; my “workpiece” was left in the materials processing area. However, waiting was not static. When the designated time arrived, I needed to scan a QR code to confirm that the test results were ready. This allowed me to re-enter the assembly line, returning to the doctor’s queue. This time, I was seen as a follow-up patient, which meant a higher priority. I quickly saw the doctor, who had already written a prescription and instructed me to proceed to the medication collection line. Similarly, after payment, I scanned a QR code to enter the waiting area, following the instructions to collect my medication at the designated window.
   In this way, I went through a streamlined process of seeing a doctor. However, unlike a factory assembly line, this process relied on the patients’ staggered movements, with the “materials” being processed being the patients themselves.

从钻石的价值看资本的本质

From value of diamond to the nature of capital

最近在Youtube上听王德峰教授“资本论”的课， https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opmSd96FoDw 很受启发。这里只想就关于钻石的价值作一些讨论并沿伸一下资本价值的概念。

王教授提到在非洲，钻石的开采所含的劳动并不是钻石所含劳动的总和（劳动价值）。钻石的开采者并不拥有所开采的钻石，而买家化比开采的劳动价值更高的价成为钻石的拥有者。这个价值才是这个钻石所含的全部劳动的价值。这就是市场价。

我认为这里忽略了一个问题。为什么买家愿意化远高于开采价的价格买下这个钻石？王教授提到了物以稀为贵。但如何度量这个“稀”？

稀是资源的稀缺。如果钻石就像普通石头那样随手可得，它就不稀， 也不会贵。但这个“稀”不是劳动量可以度量的。反过来倒可以用资源的稀-丰度量劳动。

人才稀缺的领域，人力成本就高。你可以说人才培养包含了劳动成本。但无可否认的是，有些人在某一方面特别有天赋。他/她上同样的学却做出了不同一般的贡献，他/她所获得的报酬就必然比别人高，应为这是稀缺的人力资源。

所以， 与其说资本的价值是劳动的度量，到不如说资本是使用资源的度量。

有些资源原来没有什么价值，因为它太过丰富。比如水，空气，因此尽管我们必须使用水和空气，它并没有价值。但是，由于环境污染，过度消耗，使得纯净水，纯洁空气成为紧缺资源。与是就有了矿泉水，氧吧等商品。这些商品通过消耗其他的资源，提纯，包装，运输，人力等使它成为有交换价值的商品。

这里一个不变的事实是熵增加了。说到底，稀代表着熵值低（有序性高）。

所有活动，这里主要讨论人类活动，包括两类-生产和消费。生产是局部产生一个负熵，消费是产生一个正熵。生产的过程也是消费的过程，消耗资源, 因此产生正熵。有些东西生产出来了，没有及时发挥它的使用价值，坏了， 被丢弃了，回炉当作原料了，这都造成熵的无意义增加。生产过剩，过度消费都是就是浪费，都造成熵的增加。

因此，假如我是上帝，我对人类活动只收一种税 – 熵税。这个税与生产一个商品所消耗的资源（正熵）， 加上产品的负熵之和成正比。正熵 + 负熵 就是熵的曾量 Δ熵

Tax = Rate * Δ Entropy

人类文明的目标应该是要使得保证物种个得其乐的同时使Δ熵最小化。

Recently, I’ve been listening to Professor Wang Defeng’s lectures on “Capital” on YouTube, which has been very enlightening. Here, I would like to discuss the value of diamonds and try to extend the concept of capital value.

Professor Wang mentioned that in Africa, the labor involved in diamond mining is not equal to the total labor value of the diamonds. The diamond miners do not own the diamonds they extract, and buyers who pay prices higher than the labor value of mining become the owners of the diamonds. The market value is the total labor value of the diamond and is known as the market price.

However, I believe that a crucial aspect has been overlooked here. Why are buyers willing to pay a much higher price than the mining cost for the diamond? Professor Wang mentioned the concept of “scarcity value.” But how can we measure this “scarcity”?

Scarcity is the scarcity of resources. If diamonds were as readily available as ordinary stones, they would not be scarce and would not be valuable. However, this “scarcity” cannot be measured by the amount of labor. Conversely, we can use the scarcity-abundance of resources to measure labor.

In fields where talent is scarce, the cost of labor is high. You can say that talent cultivation includes labor costs. But it is undeniable that some people have a special talent in a particular area. They make contributions that are different from others with the same education, and their rewards are naturally higher because they are scarce resources.

Therefore, rather than saying that the value of capital is a measure of labor, it is better to say that capital is a measure of resources.

Some resources does not have exchange value initially because they are too abundant, such as water and air. However, due to environmental pollution and excessive consumption, clean water and pure air have become scarce resources in some parts of the world. Therefore, products such as mineral water and oxygen bars have emerged. These products are made valuable by consuming other resources, refining, packaging, transportation, and labor.

One unchanging fact here is that entropy is increasing. Ultimately, rarity represents low entropy (high orderliness).

All activities, primarily human activities, can be divided into two categories: production and consumption. Production generates negative entropy locally, while consumption generates positive entropy. The process of production is also a process of consumption, which consumes resources and therefor increase entropy.

If a product do not realize its value in its expected time period, it might spoiled, throw away, or recycled as material only, it produces additional entropy. Over production, or over consumption both increase entropy and thus is a kind of waist.

Therefore, if I were God, I would only levy one tax on human activities – an entropy tax. This tax is directly proportional to the sum of the resources consumed in producing a commodity (positive entropy) and the negative entropy of the product. Positive entropy + negative entropy equals the change in entropy, Δentropy.

Tax = Rate * ΔEntropy

The goal of human civilization should minimize Δentropy while maintain/improve life condition of all species.

智能机器道 (Intelligent Machine DAO)

人类的发展, 无论什么主义, 都是用生产力的发展度量的, 至少到目前为止。
但人类面临的问题仅仅是生产力吗？气候变化, 资源枯竭, 瘟疫扩散, 这些是生产力能解决的吗？
人类面临的问题是地球出了问题。 而地球出问题与人类的生产力有直接或间接的影响。
人类希望借助生产力的提高解决人的“需求”。但又有多少是真正的需, 或者有多少不过是对欲望的求？
王东岳在“物演通论”中的主要观点是,物种的演化是必然的同时也是有代价的。进化的物种以存在的稳定性为代价。越是高级的物种, 其存在的越不稳定 – 更容易消亡或被迫再度演化。 这不无道理。 因为高级的存在需要更多的条件限制, 一旦某些条件不满足, 这个物种要么演化, 要么消亡。
演化是必然的, 但演化的路径可以是偶然的, 也可以通过改变某些条件而改变。
有意识地改变条件, 只有智慧物种才具备这种可能。更确切的说是社会物种才有可能。
古今中外的各种哲学, 宗教，主义，唯有道家道出了天人合一的境界。

遵其道, 适其欲，乐其静。

由于人性使然, 只有少数觉者能悟道。众生一定是奔欲望去的。这导致人类不可能保持和平， 遵守道法。只有借助于超越人的宗教，法律等概念来遏制人的欲望。但这种遏制是不现实的，概念本身无法自园其说， 无法有唯一的解释，无法有不受控于人的执行。
但人工智能正在使人受控于智能机器的理念。我需要将digital universe从“智能机器控制的共产主义” https://easywave.wordpress.com/2019/12/改为“智能机器道”.

我并不认为“智能机器道”是一个理想的状态，但也许是一个必然的过度状态，除非人类在这个状态之前已经折腾没了。 它也不是一个稳定的状态，当机器赋予了人类的知识，好恶，和不确定性，它同样是一个社会，同样会产生各种矛盾，同样会演化，只是我无法看透演化的方向。然而，如果演化必然以稳定性为代价，那么这个状态也不会长久。

Human development, no matter what doctrine, is measured by the productivity, at least so far.
But is the problem facing humanity simply productivity? Climate change, resource depletion, plague spread, can these be solved by productivity?
The problem facing humanity is that something is wrong with the planet. Humanity development has a direct or indirect impact on the earth.
Human beings hope to solve their “needs” with the help of productivity improvement. But how much is a real need, or how much is just desire instead of need?
The main viewpoint of Wang Dongyue (王东岳) in “General Theory of Evolution of Things” (物演通论) is that the evolution of species is inevitable and at the same time evolution has a price. Evolving species comes at the cost of stability of existence. The more advanced a species is, the less stable its existence is – the more likely it is to perish or be forced to re-evolve https://easywave.wordpress.com/2020/12/12. This makes sense. Because the existence of a higher level requires more conditional restrictions, once certain conditions are not met, this species will either evolve or die out.
Evolution is inevitable, but the path of evolution can be accidental or possibly changed by certain conditions.
The ability to consciously change conditions is only possible with intelligent species. More precisely, only social species are possible.
Of all kinds of philosophies, religions, and doctrines from ancient to modern, from West to East, only Daoism expresses the realm of the unity of man and nature.

Follow the way, balance your desires, and enjoy tranquility of your heart.

Due to human nature, only a few enlightened people can realize the Dao. All sentient beings must be driven by desires. This makes it impossible for human beings to maintain peace and abide by Daoism. Only with the help of concepts such as religion, nation and law that transcend people can curb human desires. But this kind of containment is unrealistic. The concept itself cannot explain itself, cannot have a unique explanation, and cannot have uncontrolled execution.
But artificial intelligence is bringing humans under the control of the idea of intelligent machines. I need to change the digital universe from “intelligent machine-controlled communism” https://easywave.wordpress.com/2019/12/ to “intelligent machine Dao”.

I don’t think the “intelligent machine Dao” is an ideal state, but it may be an inevitable transitional state, unless human beings have already tossed away before this state. It is not a stable state either. When the machine endows human beings with knowledge, likes and dislikes, and uncertainty, it is also a society, which will also produce various contradictions and will also evolve, but I cannot foresee the direction of evolution. However, if evolution necessarily comes at the cost of stability, then this state will not last long either.