The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith
The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith
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发展史：从西方起源到全球信仰
DOI：
10.1080/08039410.2014.861122
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发表时间：
2014
影响因子：
0.7
通讯作者：
Hira Amin
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Hira Amin
几乎每个人都被发展的光环所诱惑。谁不想让地球上的每个人都拥有更美好的未来呢？里斯特在他那本清晰透彻的书中，从古希腊人到今天的理论家，穿越了发展的道路。当他带领我们经历不同的阶段时，他坚定地将读者置于当时流行的心理思维模式中。因此，这本书按时间顺序但又同步。1996年首次以法语出版，目前的卷是第三个英文版本-本身证明了这本书的持续相关性和对发展领域的学者和实践者的启发。在以前的版本中，里斯特声称发展已经死亡，但在第三版中，他已经缓和了这一立场，现在声称精简版本仍然存在，应该继续下去。在整本书中，里斯特的目的是挑战读者的发展概念，并强调隐藏在报告和理论折痕中的隐藏预设。他平衡了不可避免地存在于发展和极端贫困主题中的情感和残酷的事实，这震惊了读者，使他们质疑核心信念。他强调，发展的可取性、必要性甚至有用性并不是既定的事实。幸福与经济增长没有内在联系；这是一个在以前的文明中找不到的新理念，是历史的产物。Rist(2008年，第215页)不断强调，“过去没有任何迹象表明，有一天每个社会都会将其集体历史视为增加商品数量的持续努力，并将这种增长作为政府的原则”。第一章从发展的定义开始，让读者参与讨论，而不是直接说明发展的定义。他不回避每个关心发展的人心中的问题，并同情这些感受，如发展和结束极端贫困的道德迫切性。他从亚里士多德开始，追随奥古斯丁和启蒙运动哲学家的微小但关键的变化。里斯特坚定地将发展的诞生归因于西方的知识分子传统。整本书的一个关键主题是那些相信发展幻觉的人与宗教原教旨主义的并列。因为今天的现代社会定义了
Almost everyone is seduced by the aura of development. Who would not want a better future for everyone on the planet? Rist, in his brilliantly lucid book, traverses through the path of development, starting from the Ancient Greeks to present-day theorists. While he takes us through the different stages he firmly places the reader in the psychological mind-set prevalent at that moment in time. Hence the book is chronological yet synchronic.First published in 1996 in French, the present volume is the third English edition–itself a proof of the book’s sustained relevance and inspiration for both academics and practitioners within the development field. In previous editions, Rist claimed that development was dead, yet in this third edition he has moderated this stance, now claiming a slimmed down version still remains and should be pursued. Throughout the book, Rist aims to challenge the reader’s conception of development and highlight hidden presuppositions tucked away in the creases of reports and theories. He balances the emotion that inevitably exists within the topic of development and extreme poverty with brute facts, which shocks the reader into questioning central beliefs. He underscores that the desirability, necessity and even usefulness of development is not an established fact. Well-being is not intrinsically linked to economic growth; this is a new idea not found in previous civilisations and is a product of history. Rist (2008, p. 215) continuously emphasises that ‘there was nothing in the past to suggest that one day every society would see its collective history as a constant effort to increase the quantity of goods and to make such growth the principle of government’. Chapter 1 begins with the definition of development and engages the reader into a discussion rather than stating the definition outright. He does not avoid the questions on the mind of every person concerned with development and empathises with these feelings, such as the moral imperativeness of development and putting an end to extreme poverty. He begins with Aristotle and follows the small yet pivotal changes by Augustine and the Enlightenment philosophers. Rist firmly situates the birth of development in the Western intellectual tradition. A key theme throughout the book is the juxtaposition of those that believe in the development illusion with religious fundamentalism. Since todays’ modern society defines