Production may be defined as any activity that results in goods or services. In common speech, production is often considered synonymous with manufacturing. Our definition is much broader, however. In addition to manufacturing, agriculture, mining, lumbering, and fishing, it includes the services of transportation agencies, of brokers, wholesalers and retailers, and all services of business and professional people, such as doctors, musicians, and entertainers. When we remember that the only reason we desire goods or services is to satisfy our wants, it will be obvious that any activity that adds to this satisfaction must be considered to be productive. If I happen to desire to hear violin music more than I want to wear a new shirt~ the efforts of Kreisler can yield me more satisfaction, and hence are more productive than those of shirtmakers.
　　However, merely by saying that a certain kind of work is Productive we do not necessarily mean that it is desirable by standards of either morality or social welfare. Dope-peddling is a productive enterprise, but it is a kind of production that most of us would like to see stamped out. Also when we say that an activity is productive we do not necessarily imply that it is efficient. Some methods of production are extremely wasteful of both human and natural resources. The fact that some other method of production might be more efficient goes not imply that a particular method is unproductive; it is merely inefficient.
　　When we say that a certain individual’s activity is productive, we do not thereby automatically justify the income that he receives for it. Real estate agents, security dealer% movie actors, monopolists, and other persons may often receive far more than some people consider their services are worth; retail storekeepers may be making abnormal profits in times of rising prices; but none of these circumstances means that these individuals are unproductive. For certain purposes it is necessary to narrow our definition of production somewhat. Many services that are undoubtedly productive according to our definition above are extremely difficult to evaluate and do not enter the ordinary transactions of the economic system. Some of these services are the work of housewife in the home, the work of the home gardener who grows some of his own vegetables, and the work of a householder who is also a handy man and makes some of his own minor house-repairs. We can eliminate these and similar categories by rephrasing our definition as follows: Production is any activity that results in goods or services intended for exchange. This definition is admittedly arbitrary, but we will find that it will save us some difficulties in our later analysis.
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　　生产的定义可以说是产生商品或提供劳务的任何活动。在通俗语言里，往往认为生产就是制造的同义语。不过，我们的定义要广泛得多。除去制造业，农业、矿业、伐木业和渔业之外，它还包括运输代办商、经纪人、批发商和零售商的劳务，以及各行各业的从业人员所提供的一切劳务，如医生，乐师和节目表演者。
　　如果我们还记得，我们要求商品或劳务的唯一动机就是为了满足自己的需求，那就应该明白，凡是促进这种满足的任何活动，都应该看做是生产性活动。假如我偶尔想听听小提琴音乐而不想穿一件新衬衫，那么，克莱斯勒的精心之作所给与我的满足就比衬衫制造商大得多了，因此也就更具有生产性。
　　但是，我们仅仅说某种工作是生产性的，未必就意味着它合乎道德标准或者社会福利标准。贩毒业是一种生产性企业，但这种生产我们大多数人都巴不得它彻底毁灭掉。
　　如果我们说某种活动是生产性的。未必就意味着该项活动具有实效。有些生产方法完全是浪费人力资源和自然资源。另一种生产方法可能效率较高，但这一事实并不足以说明某种特殊方法就不属于生产性质，只不过效率差罢了。
　　如果我们说某项个人活动属于生产性质，我们并不是因此而顺理成章地肯定了他从这项活动中所获得的牧人。房地产的代理人、保险商、电影演员、专利者以及另外一些人的收人，往往可能远比人们对他们劳务的估价高得多，零售店主在物价上涨时可能获得异乎寻常的利润，但这类情况并不意味着这些个体属于非生产性质。
　　为了中肯，我们有必要把生产的定义略加收缩。按我们上述的定义来说，许多劳务无疑属于生产性质，但非常难于加以估价，并且不列为经济体制的常规交易。这一类劳务中有：主妇在家庭中的劳动，培育一些自用蔬菜的家庭园丁的劳动，还有手巧的户主的劳动，他给自己的房会作些小型修缮。为了排除这些以及类似的情况，我们对定义重新措词如下：生产是提供以交易为目的的商品或劳务的一种活动。这条定义未免有些武断，但是我们觉得它在以后的分析工作中必将帮助我们避免一些难题。