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1、Unit8KnowledgeandWisdom(abridged)BertrandRussell1 Mostpeoplewouldagreethat,althoughouragefarsurpassesallPreVioUSagesinknowledge,therehasbeennocorrelativeincreaseinwisdom.Butagreementceasesassoonasweattempttodefine“wisdom”andconsidermeansofpromotingit.IwanttoaskfirstwhatWiSdOmis,andthenwhatcanbedonet
2、oteachit.2 The*eare.Ithink,severalfactorsthatcontributetowisdom.OftheseIshouldputfirstasenseofproportion:theCaPaCitytotakeaccountofalltheimportantfactorsinaproblemandtoattachtoeachitsdueweight.ThishasbecomemoredifficultthanitusedtobeowingtotheextentandcomplexityofthespecializedknowledgerequiredOfvar
3、iOUSkindsoftechnicians.Suppose,forexample,thatyouareengagedinresearchinscientificmedicine,【lieworkisdifficultandislikelytoabsorbthewholeofyourintellectualenergy.Youhavenottimetoconsidertheeffectwhichyourdiscoveriesorinventionsmayhaveoutsidethefieldofmedicine.Yousucceed(letussay),asmodernnedicinehass
4、ucceeded,inenormouslyloweringtheinfantdeath-rate,notonlyinEuropeandAmerica,butalsoinAsiaandAfrica.Thishastheentirelyunintendedresultofmakingthefoodsupplyinadequateandloweringthestandardoflifeinthemostpopulouspartsoftheworld.Totakeanevenmorespectacularexample,whichisineverybodysmindatthepresenttime:Y
5、oustudythecompositionoftheatomfromadisinteresteddesireforknowledge,andincidentallyplaceinthehandsofpowerfullunaticsthemeansofdestroyingthehumanrace3.Insuchwaysthepursuitofknowledgemaybecomeharmfillunlessitiscombinedwithwisdom;andWisdominthesenseofcomprehensiveViSiOnisnotnecessarilypresentinspecialis
6、tsinthepursuitofknowledge.3 Comprehensivenessalone,however,isnotenoughtoconstitutewisdom.Theremustbe,also,acertainawarenessoftheendsofhumanlife.Thismaybeillustratedbythestudyofhistory.Manyeminenthistorianshavedonemoreharmthangoodbecausetheyviewedfactsthroughthedistortingmediumoftheirownpassions.Hegc
7、lhadaphilosophyofhistoryWhiChdidnotsufferfromanylackofcomprehensiveness,sinceitstartedfromtheearliesttimesandcontinuedintoanindefinitefuture.Butthechieflessonofhisto11whichheSoUghltoinculcatewasthatfromtheyear400ADdowntohisOWntimeGermanyhadbeenthemostimportantnationandthestandard-bearerofprogressint
8、heworld.Perhapsonecouldstretchthecomprehensivenessthatconstituteswisdomtoincludenotonlyintellectbutalsofeeling.ItisbynomeansuncommontofindmenwhoseknowledgeisWidebutwhosefeelingsarenarrow.SuchmenlackwhatIcallwisdom.4 Itisnotonlyinpublicways,butinprivatelifeequally,thatwisdomisneeded.Itisneededinthech
9、oiceofendstobepursuedandinemancipationfrompersonalprejudice.EvenanendwhichitwouldbenobletopursueifitwereattainablemaybepursuedUnWiSe】yifitisinherentlyimpossibleofachievement.Manymeninpastagesdevotedtheirlivestoasearchforthephilosophersstoneandtheelixiroflife.Nodoubt,iftheycouldhavefoundthem,theywoul
10、dhavenferredgreatbenefitsuponmankind,butasitwastheirliveswerewasted.Todescendtolessheroicmatters,considerthecaseoftwomen,Mr.AandMr.B,whohateeachotherand,throughmutualhatred,bringeachothertodest11ction.SupposeyougotoMr.Aandsay,WhydoyouhateMr.B?HewillnodoubtgiveyouanappallinglistofMr.B,svices,partlytr
11、ue,partlyfalse.AndnowsupposeyougoIoMr.B.HcwillgiveyouanexactlysimilarlistofMr.A,sviceswithanequaladmixtureoftruthandfalsehood.SupposeyounowcomebacktoMr.Aandsay,uYouwillbesurprisedtolearnthatMr.BsaysthesamethingsaboutyouasyousayabouthimandyougotoMr.Bandmakeasimilarspeech.Thefirsteffect,nodoubt,willbe
12、toincreasetheirmutualhatred,sinceeachWillbesohorrifiedbytheothersinjustice.Butperhaps,ifyouhavesufficientpatienceandsufficientpersuasiveness,youmaysucceedinconvincingeachthattheotherhasonlythenormalshareofhumanwickedness,andthattheirenmityisharmfultoboth.Ifyocandothis,youwillhaveinstilledsomefragmen
13、tsofwisdom.5 IthinktheessenceofWiSdomisemancipation,asfaraspossible,fromthetyrannyofthehereandnow.WecannothelptheegoismOfoursenses.SightandsoundandtouchareboundupWithourOwnbodiesandcannotbeimpersonal.Ouremotionsstartsimilarlyfromourselves,ninfantfeelshungerordiscomfort,andisunaffectedexceptbyhisownp
14、hysicalcondition.Graduallywiththeyears,hishorizonwidens,and,inproportionashisthoughtsandfeelingsbecomelesspersonalandlessconcernedwithhisOWnphysicalstates,heachievesgrowingwisdom.Thisisofcourseamatterofdegree.Noonecanviewtheworldwithcompleteimpartiality;andifanyonecould,hewouldhardlybeabletoremainal
15、ive.Btitispossibletomakeacontinualapproachtowardsimpartiality,ontheonehand,byknowingthingssomewhatremoteintimeorspace,andontheotherhand,bygivingtosuchthingstheirdueweightinourfeelings.Itisthisapproachtowardsimpartialitythatconstitutesgrowthinwisdom.论学问与才智我们的时代在学问方面远远超过过去全部时代，在才智方面却没有得到相应的增加.这是大多数人都会
16、同意的看法，但一旦我试图定义“才智”并思索增进它的方法，人们就会有不同看法了。我想问的问时首先是何为才智.其次是传授才智的方法。我想，构成才智有几种要索，其中须置于首位的是比例感：将问时的全部重要因素都考虑进去并排量每个因素应有的重量的实力.鉴于各类技术员所露的特地学问的范围和困难程度，这种实力变得比过去更碓具备.比如，假设你从事医科，这份工作本身很碓做，可能会耗费你的全部智能，你没有时间去考虑你的发觉或独创可能带来的医学领域以外的影响.你胜利了（我Q假设）正如现代医学所做到的：婴儿死亡率不仅在欧荚而且在亚非也大大降低了.但完全非你所愿的结果产生了：在世界人11最为阳密的地区，食物供应匮乏，生
17、活水平下降,再举一个甚至更为引人注目的例子,当前人们都在关注此事:你渴里探求学问，不带功利性地去探讨原子结构，却意外地将掖毁人类的手段置于狂人手中，因此，学问假如不与才智同在，对学问的追求就能变得有危害性：就全方位来看，追求学问的专家们并不肯定具备才智。然而，仪有综合实力还不足以构成才智,还必需加上对人生目的的某种.痣识。这一点可以在历史探讨中得到说明。很多杰出的历史学家干的坏事多于好事，因为他们是通过自己的热忱这种招曲性媒介视察事实的.黑格尔的历史哲学始于旦古.止于无穷将来,也不是不法乏综合观,但他努力想要说明的历史教义主要是从公元400年到自己的年头,能国始终都是加为重要的民族以及世界进步
18、的标准榜样.或许构成才智的媒合概念可以延长，它不仅涌盅智力而且还包括感情.学问向宽但感觉迟钝的人不是不常见.这样的人缺少我认为的才智.才智不仅为公共生活所衢，也同样为私人生活所需.选择追求目标，以及从个人偏见中解放出来，都须要才智，假如一个目标本身不行能被达到，既使假如它可以被达到的话，逅求它的行为泞定是名贵的，对这个目标的追求也可能不是明智的，在过去，很多人毕其一生搜寻哲学家的点金石和长生不老药.毫无疑问他如他们找到了这些东西,他们就为人类谋取了巨大福祉,但事实上，他们奢侈了生命.退而说不那么宏大的事情,思想两个人，A先生B先生，他们相互憎恨并通过相互憎恨而相互摧爱，假设你到A先生那里说：.
19、你为什么不喜爱B先生？”他将定会向你数落一大堆B先生的邪恶.部分真实、部分虚假.现在，蝮设你到B先生那里，他会向你数落一大堆A先生的邪恶，内容完全一样，真实和虚线的混合程度也完全一样.黄设你现在回到A先生那里说：“你会很惊讶，要知道，B先生说你的话跟你说B先生的话是一样的.”然后，你到B先生那里发表同样才论.意无疑问,干地的结梁就是他们的相互仇恨程侬增加.因为他们每人椰为对方的偏颇感到趣惊，但或许，假如你有足酩的耐性和足够的劝聚力你会胜利劝服他们：对方只不过是行人类邪恶的通病.他们的故意对双方都有投古.假如你能够这样做，你就向他人灌输了点滴的才智。我认为才智的本质就是逃离此时此地的藩篱.越远越好.我的无法遏制感觉的自我性.视力、声音和触觉都捆绑在我们自己的身体上，不行能不被私人化。我们的感情同样始我们自己婴儿感觉饥饿和不舒适，他只受自己身体条件的影响。慢慢地.随着年龄的增长,他的视野增加，他的思想和感情变窗不那么私人性、更少与自己的身体状况相关,他不断获得才智,这当然有个程度问魄。没有.人时世界的看法能完全客观：即便彳J这样的人，他也很难存活.但不断接近客观是有可能的，方法是：一方面，了解在时空上多少有些遥远的事物：另一方面,让这些事物在我们的感情中占据应有的求1匕就是这种对客观的接近，构成才智的增加。
