61. Of course, it would be as dangerous to overreact to history by concluding that the majority must now be wrong about expansion as it would be to re-enact the response that greeted the suggestion that the continents had drifted.

62. While the fact of this consumer revolution is hardly in doubt, three key questions remain: who were the consumers? What were their motives? And what were the effect of the new demand for luxuries?

61、当然，对历史反应过度以致结论说关于扩张的问题大多数人都错了与重新形成对大陆漂浮建议理论的反应一样，是危险的。将来对于这些关键问题的研究毫无疑问是必要的，然而不应该否定最近研究结论的说服力，在18世纪的英格兰对于一些微不足道和有使用价值的商品和服务的需求，预示了我们今天的世界。

62、然而这种消费革命的情况还有疑问，三个关键的问题是：消费者是什么人?他们的动机是什么?对于奢 侈品的新型需求的效果是什么?