Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 394 He's trying to test me?!
They all took Samuelson's economics class.

The concept of "rational producers" is not unfamiliar, and the concepts of "instrumental rationality and value rationality" are even more familiar.

But they never expected that...
This first-year economics student was able to use a real-life example from a rubber factory to directly point out the gap between philosophy and economics!

No wonder schools require philosophy students to study economics, and economics students to study philosophy...

It turns out that these two courses are not parallel, but rather complementary!
Just as everyone was immersed in Chen Luyang's description of the "rational man" and its real-world implications, a middle-aged man sitting against the wall suddenly raised his hand.

"Chen Luyang, I would also like to ask you a question."

Hear this voice,

Most of the philosophy students in the classroom turned around at once!

Hundreds of eyes turned to the speaker, their expressions filled with shock and disbelief!

The middle-aged man continued, "What you just talked about was individual rational choice. I would like to ask—if every producer is a rational producer, won't this 'rationality' accumulate and eventually lead to overall irrationality?"

In other words: when everyone pursues local optima, will the allocation of resources in society as a whole be optimal?

Holy crap?!
Chen Luyang looked at the middle-aged man who was speaking.

That's a really insightful question!

The key point is that this guy asked a question on a macro level!

It is also a classic paradox of "individual rationality" and "collective irrationality"!
Although Chen Luyang studied economics, he hadn't even been in school for a month yet.

Samuelson was also just beginning to get a feel for it.

This guy's question is way beyond the scope of what's taught!
In an instant, Chen Luyang's gaze deepened.

If the questions from the economics department colleague and the philosophy department girl before were simply questions asked based on what they heard, expressing their own doubts...

Then this guy's problem is just him making trouble out of nothing.

...Trying to test me!?
Chen Luyang held the chalk between her fingers and said softly:
"That's an excellent question!"

He turned around and slapped six large characters onto the blackboard:
Individual optimality ≠ global optimality

……Um!!!!???

Upon seeing these seven words, some second- and third-year economics and philosophy students who had been watching the spectacle with their arms crossed suddenly narrowed their eyes and straightened up a bit.

A commotion and discussion broke out in the classroom.

"...Is this going to be about the macro-level framework?"

"He's a freshman, and he understands macro-level architecture???"

Which chapter in the book is this?

In the classroom where students were frantically copying from the book and listening to the lecture, they suddenly noticed a scene of questions and answers, with the lecturer even offering rebuttals and explanations.
Their eyes lit up immediately!
Who wouldn't enjoy watching a spectacle?

Although Chen Luyang didn't know who the older brother who asked the question was, they did!
At that very moment, Chen Luyang quickly wrote two more names on the blackboard—

Adam Smith

John Maynard Keynes

The whole audience suddenly fell silent.

"...He also knows Adam Smith and Keynes?"

The philosophy students in the classroom stared wide-eyed.

The economics students below the podium were in an uproar.

"Isn't this part of 'Western Economics'?!"

"Yes! Isn't 'The History of Capitalist Theories' a second-year course? Keynes... how did he know that?!"

Even the third-year male students sitting in the back row looked incredulous.
"We haven't even learned about Keynes yet, and he already knows this???"

In front of the blackboard,
Ignoring the whispers and murmurs among the students in the classroom, Chen Luyang spoke:

"Adam Smith said that everyone in the market pursues their own interests, and eventually an 'invisible hand' will guide these local behaviors toward the overall optimality."

"This is the core logic of a market economy."

But what about reality?

Chen Luyang asked a question in return, her eyes sweeping across the densely packed faces of the students below the stage.

"Let me use production as an example."

“Every workshop in the factory hopes to use less material and produce more. But when the whole factory does the accounting in the end, it turns out that key components are missing and products cannot be matched.”

What does this mean???

Chen Luyang raised the chalk in her hand and said, word by word:

This means:

"The rationality of one workshop is the chaos of other workshops."

"Many things that we see as 'poor organization' are, in the final analysis, just a battle of 'reason'!"

moment!

The classroom was so quiet it was as if it had been struck by lightning; you could almost hear someone breathing.

Many students who were originally leaning back in their chairs subconsciously sat up straight.

"...The rationality of one workshop is the chaos of other workshops."

This statement is like turning a thick economics textbook upside down.

Right now,

There was no noise, no discussion, and certainly no condescension or criticism from upperclassmen towards freshmen in the classroom.

Everything quieted down.

You can't even hear the sound of a pen cutting through paper.

Philosophy is never short of debate!

They had heard too many discussions about "rationality" at school, and each had written numerous papers and studies.

Never before has a vivid example of a factory dragged the logic of "rationality" into the mud of reality.

Chen Luyang turned to the side and drew a circle around the name "Keynes" with chalk.

"Keynes said that markets cannot always self-regulate, and 'individual rationality' alone is not enough."

"The economy has cycles, frictions, and errors in expectations."

"So, in times like these, who do we need?"

Chen Luyang put down the chalk, her voice steady, yet her tone becoming increasingly clear and forceful:

"We need a nation, we need institutions, we need rules—to guide, to coordinate, and to fill the gaps that individual rationality cannot cover."

So what I'm trying to say is...

"Local cleverness may not necessarily lead to overall wisdom."

"..."

"When facing systemic problems, rationality often needs to give way to overall coordination and cooperation."

"..."

"The optimal we pursue is not just individual optimality, but structural optimality built by the entire system and the entire society."

"..."

"Individuals can be rational, but the world does not function solely on rationality."

Chen Luyang looked at the older brother who had asked the question and smiled:
"Do you have any more questions, student?"

After saying this,

Most of the students in the classroom stared wide-eyed, gasped, and looked on incredulously!

Is Chen Luyang genuinely unaware or pretending not to know?
No one in the entire philosophy department dared to speak to Xiao Hui like that!

He dares to ask a question back?!

Yes. Chen Luyang was asking a question in return!

Damn it, if you're here to listen to the lecture, then listen properly. You dare to test me?
Do you think I can tolerate you?!
If you stump me today, I'll be embarrassed in front of so many people.
Should I even stay in this department anymore?
Chen Luyang was still in "battle mode," ready to "fight" with this older brother.

As a result, a familiar figure kept waving at him from the corner of the classroom.

Cui Shaojie?!

What's wrong with him?

Chen Luyang looked at Cui Shaojie with a puzzled expression.

Cui Shaojie was seen waving his hands frantically and frowning at him, his mouth making incoherent and unintelligible words.

What are you gesturing about here?
Chen Luyang looked at Cui Shaojie suspiciously, wondering what was wrong with him down there.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the "questioning brother" spoke up.

"I don't have a problem anymore."

"Big Brother" spoke gently and frankly, his tone revealing genuine appreciation.

"Go on, you're speaking very well."

This sentence was like a pebble thrown into a deep well.

The sounds in the classroom were like tiny bubbles rising from a kettle of boiling water, one after another splashing and bubbling.

Cui Shaojie, who had just been gesturing wildly, froze in his tracks.
He opened his mouth wide.

She glanced back at the guy who asked the question, then looked up at Chen Luyang on the stage, who was beaming with pride after winning the battle.

for a long time,

Cui Shaojie gave up struggling, clenched his right fist, and then his thumb popped out of his fist with a "snap".

You are awesome!
Chen Luyang, who was originally clutching the chalk ready to start a fight, saw the thumbs-up finger and happily picked up the chalk.
"Then let's continue with the production function..."

As soon as Chen Luyang said that, the students in the classroom picked up their pens again and started taking notes.

As they talked,

Suddenly, Chen Luyang stopped.

He looked at the faces in the classroom, heads bowed, diligently memorizing.
Listening to the dense clatter of pens scraping against paper in the classroom,
My throat suddenly felt a little dry.

This wasn't taking notes anymore; it was copying down the book sentence by sentence, following his lead.

Chen Luyang looked down at the translation manuscript she had already written, which was more than half full, and her face showed a struggle and conflicted expression.

He has always been a very selfish person.

He was willing to sacrifice his study time to teach his classmates in order to gain popularity and build a good reputation.

However, the learning conditions during this period were truly too harsh and difficult...

The students in the classroom included those from the "Old Three Classes" who were ten or twenty years older than him.
Some of the children of workers, peasants and soldiers who passed the exam had rough, calloused hands from years of hard work, making it difficult for them to write fluently.

Silence gradually spread.

"Why did you stop talking?"

Everyone looked up in confusion, staring at Chen Luyang standing on the podium with a complicated expression, silent and conflicted, wondering what had happened.

Chen Luyang suddenly looked up, as if she had made a difficult decision, and closed the manuscript with a "click".

"Don't bother taking notes, just listen to what I have to say."

Ok? ? ?
The whole class looked up in unison.

"What does this mean?"

"Why won't you let me write it down?"

"Is today's lesson finished?"

The students in the classroom looked at Chen Luyang in confusion, wondering why he would suddenly say such a thing.

Amidst the confusion, Chen Luyang raised the manuscript paper high:
"I've finished translating this chapter, and it's all written here."

"Anyone who wants it can borrow it to copy."

The moment those words were spoken, the classroom erupted in cheers!

Nowadays, the biggest problem for everyone is the lack of textbooks with Chinese translations.

But to everyone's surprise, Chen Luyang not only translated it, but also wrote it down in manuscript form, and was willing to let them copy it!
if it is like this,
They can then focus on reading the original text with Chen Luyang, improving their professional English and ability to understand the original text, instead of expending physical and mental energy doing "dictation" with Chen Luyang.

At this moment, not only did the classroom erupt in excitement, but the classroom itself also became abuzz with excitement.
Even the middle-aged men sitting against the wall showed surprise and solemnity on their faces!
They knew all too well what translating a chapter of the original text meant!

This is not copying from a dictionary, not memorizing word by word, and certainly not copying from a reference book.

Instead, we need to break down Samuelson's long string of convoluted economic terms, along with their logical structure and habitual expressions, sentence by sentence, chew them over, and polish them, before expressing them in concise, accurate, and reasonable Chinese.

This is not a manuscript, but a whole chapter of actual teaching material!

"Such a good kid... he should study philosophy, why is he studying economics!"

The man asking the question sounded full of regret: "Who filled out his college application? It's a terrible choice!"

“Yeah!” The guy sitting next to him, ‘Cloth Bag,’ couldn’t help but chime in: “He was such a good student who was studying the original work, but he’s been led astray by Lian Yinghua and all he does every day is give examples!”

……

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.

The students in the classroom surged forward like a tide—not towards their dormitories, but towards the podium.

"Chen Luyang, may I borrow your notes to copy them?"

"Chen Luyang, your English is so good... Could you teach me how you learned it?"

The students surrounded Chen Luyang as if he were not a freshman, but a "little teacher" who was giving lectures.

The philosophy major girl in the first row, quick-witted and agile, took advantage of her proximity to the podium and successfully grabbed the manuscript first.

But before she could even get her hands on it properly, a gentle voice sounded behind her.

"Excuse me, can I borrow your notes?" the student asked from below the podium.

Chen Luyang refused without hesitation: "I'm sorry... the notes have been borrowed. You'll have to wait in line."

But the next second,
The girl, who had just borrowed the manuscript, pulled it out like a little rabbit and stuffed it into the older brother's hand without blinking.

Here, please take a look!

"Thank you." The man who asked the question smiled and took the manuscript, then walked out without looking back.

Chen Luyang: ...? ? ?
No, what kind of person is this?!

You, an old man, are trying to snatch notes from a young girl? Have you no shame?!

Chen Luyang was furious: "He's already a sophomore or junior, he's finished studying the book, why are you still giving him your notes?"

The philosophy major girl turned around abruptly: "What do you mean by sophomores or juniors! He's our philosophy department head, Professor Xiao Hui!"

What the heck?!

Chen Luyang felt a chill run down her spine: "...Who did you say he is?"

"Xiao Hui!" The little girl's voice was filled with admiration and awe.

"Our philosophy department head is a leading expert in Marxist philosophy and comparative studies of Chinese and Western philosophy. He even lectured at the University of Zurich the year before last... Zhong Zhong University invited him to give lectures, and our department even organized a special study session for him!"

Chen Luyang's head buzzed for a moment.

He subconsciously glanced at Cui Shaojie standing beside him.
Cui Shaojie said helplessly, "I've already given you hand gestures, but you still won't listen to me."

Chen Luyang stood frozen in place.

He recalled the scene in class when he arrogantly questioned Xiao Hui in front of hundreds of people.

……OK.

so good!
This is so great!

He gave a lecture, and not only did he slam the philosophy professor on the spot, but he also openly refused to lend him his notes in front of everyone.

This is fucking awesome!
(End of this chapter)