政治理论：亨利·戴维·梭罗：英语精读讲义

Most of the time, 短語搭配

大多数时候，

successful modern life involves lots of technology,

成功的现代生活离不开大量技术的支持，

constantly being connected with other people,

需要时刻与他人保持联系，

working very hard for as much money as possible, 語法

为了尽可能多挣钱而拼命工作，

and doing what we're told. 短語搭配

并且循规蹈矩。

So, it may come as a surprise 短語搭配

因此，你可能会感到惊讶，

that some of the best advice about modern life

关于现代生活的一些最佳建议，

comes from an unemployed writer

竟然出自一位失业作家之手，

who lived alone in the woods

他曾独自生活在树林里，

and refused to pay his taxes.

并且拒绝纳税。

Henry David Thoreau

亨利·戴维·梭罗

reminds us about the importance of simplicity,

提醒我们要重视简单、

authenticity, and downright disobedience. 用詞

真实以及彻头彻尾的不顺从。

He was born in 1817 in Concord,

他于1817年出生在康科德，

an unassuming town west of Boston.

这是一个位于波士顿以西的低调小镇。

His father was a pencil maker,

他的父亲是铅笔制造商，

and his mother took in boarders. 短語動詞

母亲则招揽寄宿者。

He attended Harvard College in 1833,

他于1833年就读于哈佛大学，

yet he rejected the ordinary career paths 短語搭配

却拒绝了寻常的职业道路，

like law, medicine, or the church.

比如法律、医学或神职。

Then Thoreau struck up a remarkable friendship 短語搭配

后来，梭罗建立了一段非凡的友谊，

with the American transcendentalist philosopher

对方是美国超验主义哲学家

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生。

Transcendentalism is a philosophy

超验主义是一种哲学，

that emphasizes the importance of the spiritual 短語搭配

它强调精神层面的重要性

over the material

胜过物质层面，

when it comes to leading a fulfilling life. 短語搭配

尤其在追求充实的生活时。

Emerson and his transcendentalism had a huge influence on Thoreau. 短語搭配

爱默生及其超验主义对梭罗产生了巨大的影响。

Moreover, Emerson helped Thoreau find a place

此外，爱默生还帮梭罗找了个地方，

where he could focus on his writing.

让他能专注于写作。

The older man owned a plot of land in the woods 短語搭配

这位长者在树林里拥有一块土地，

surrounding the nearby Walden Pond,

就在附近的瓦尔登湖周围，

and in 1845 he allowed Thoreau

1845年，他允许梭罗

to build a small cabin there,

在那里建了一座小木屋，

3 by 4 and 1/2 meters.

尺寸为3乘4.5米。

In his 2 years in the cabin,

在小木屋度过的两年里，

Thoreau penned the first draft 用詞

梭罗写下了初稿，

of his most notable work,

那也是他最著名的作品，

Walden or Life in the Woods,

《瓦尔登湖》（又名《林中生活》），

which was eventually published in 1854.

该书最终于1854年出版。

It would become an inspirational text about self-discovery. 語法

它将成为一本关于自我发现的鼓舞人心的著作。

Thoreau argued that his escape to Walden Pond

梭罗认为，他逃到瓦尔登湖

was not simply a relaxing retreat to the forest.

并不仅仅是为了去森林里放松身心。

He settled there to live deep

他定居在那里是为了深刻地生活，

and suck out the marrow of life, 習語

“吸干生活的骨髓”，

as he put it. 短語搭配

正如他所说的那样。

"I went to the woods

“我步入丛林，

because I wished to live deliberately, 用詞

因为我希望从容地生活，

to front only the essential facts of life, 用詞

仅仅面对生命中基本的事实，

and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, 習語

看看我是否能学到它所要教给我的东西，

and not when I came to die,

而不是在临死时，

discover that I had not lived."

才发现自己没有真正活过。”

After some time in the cabin,

在小木屋里待了一段时间后，

Thoreau discovered a different,

梭罗发现了一种不同的、

more conscious lifestyle.

更觉知的生活方式。

To begin with, 表達脈絡

首先，

he concluded that we actually need very few things.

他得出的结论是，我们实际需要的东西很少。

He suggested that we think about our belongings

他建议我们在考虑个人财物时，

in terms of how little we can get by with, 講解

多想想最少需要多少就能过活，

rather than how much we can get. 語法

而不是我们能得到多少。

He managed to sustain himself on only 1 day of work a week. 講解

他设法做到每周只工作一天就能维持生计。

He pointed out that walking the distance 短語搭配

他指出，步行走完

of a 30-mile train journey took a day,

30英里火车路程需要一天时间，

but working to earn the money

但为了挣钱

to pay for the same journey

支付同样路程的车费，

would take more than a day.

则需要工作一天以上。

Like his friend Emerson,

和他的朋友爱默生一样，

Thoreau deeply valued what he called self-reliance. 文化背景

梭罗非常看重他所谓的自立。

He distrusted society

他不信任社会，

and the progress it claimed to have made. 語法

也不信任社会自称取得的进步。

"The civilized man has built a coach," 表達脈絡

“文明人造出了马车，”

he said,

他说，

"but has lost the use of his feet."

“却失去了使用双腿的能力。”

He felt that economic independence

他认为，经济上

from other people and from the government was crucial,

独立于他人和政府是至关重要的，

and while he understood that we need companionship

虽然他明白我们需要他人的陪伴，

from time to time, 短語搭配

时不时地，

he felt that too often we use others' company

但他觉得，我们往往太过频繁地利用别人的陪伴，

to fill gaps in our inner life 習語

去填补内心的空白，

that we're afraid to confront.

那些我们害怕面对的空白。

The task of learning to live alone

对于梭罗来说，学习独处的任务

was for Thoreau not so much 語法

与其说是

about carrying out daily chores 短語動詞

关于处理日常琐事，

as it was about becoming a good companion for oneself,

不如说是成为自己的好伴侣，

relying first and foremost on oneself 短語搭配

首要且最重要的是依靠自己获得

friendship, intimacy,

友谊、亲密感，

and moral guidance.

以及道德指引。

"Insist on yourself, 表達脈絡

“坚持做你自己，

never imitate,"

绝不要模仿，”

he wrote.

他写道。

Most of all, 表達脈絡

最重要的是，

one should change oneself

一个人应该先改变自己，

before seeking to change the world.

再试图改变世界。

Thoreau also viewed technology as an often unnecessary distraction. 語法

梭罗还把科技看作是一种经常带来不必要干扰的东西。

He saw the practical benefits of new inventions,

他看到了新发明的实际好处，

but he also warned that these innovations

但他也警告说，这些创新

couldn't address the real challenges 短語搭配

无法解决真正的挑战，

of personal happiness.

那些关于个人幸福的挑战。

"Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys 用詞

“我们的发明往往只是漂亮的玩具，

which distract our attention from serious things.

把我们的注意力从严肃的事情上引开。

We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph 短語搭配

我们匆匆忙忙地要建造一条磁性电报线，

from Maine to Texas,

从缅因州通往德克萨斯州，

but Maine and Texas, it may be, 語氣意圖

但缅因州和德克萨斯州，也许，

have nothing important to communicate."

并没有什么重要的事情需要交流。”

Thoreau believed we should instead look to nature, 短語動詞

梭罗认为，我们反而应该关注自然，

which is full of spiritual significance.

自然充满了精神层面的意义。

He thought of animals, forests, and waterfalls

他认为动物、森林和瀑布

as inherently valuable both for their beauty

无论是由于其美丽，

and their role in the ecosystem. 短語搭配

还是在生态系统中的作用，都具有内在价值。

We can best understand ourselves as a part of nature.

我们最好把自己理解为自然的一部分。

We should see ourselves as nature looking into nature, 習語

我们应该把自身视为自然在审视自然，

rather than an external force

而不是一股外部力量，

or the master of nature.

或是自然的主宰。

Most of all, nature provides the meaning

最重要的是，自然提供了

that money and technology

金钱、科技

and other people's opinions cannot,

以及他人的意见所无法提供的意义，

by teaching us to be humble and more aware, 語法

它教导我们要谦逊和更有觉察力，

by fostering introspection and self-discovery.

培养我们的内省与自我发现能力。

This mental state and not money or technology

这种精神状态，而非金钱或科技，

provides real progress.

带来了真正的进步。

Thoreau optimistically declared,

梭罗乐观地宣称，

"Only that day dawns to which we are awake. 習語

“只有我们醒着的那一天，才真正破晓。

There is more day to dawn.

来日方长。

The sun is but a morning star."

太阳不过是一颗晨星。”

Perhaps the best testament of the value

或许最能证明其价值的，

of Thoreau's individual contemplation

是梭罗个人的深思

and personal authenticity

以及真实的本性，

is that his ideas lead him

这些思想引导他

to powerful political conclusions.

得出了强有力的政治结论。

Thoreau argued that people are morally obliged 用詞

梭罗认为，人们在道德上有义务

to challenge a government that upholds 用詞

去挑战一个维持着

hypocritical or flagrantly unfair laws.

虚伪或公然不公的法律的政府。

So, Thoreau turned to what he called civil disobedience, 文化背景

因此，梭罗转向了他所谓的公民不服从，

peacefully resisting immoral laws in protest.

以和平的方式抵抗不道德的法律以示抗议。

In July 1846,

1846年7月，

he withheld payment of his poll tax duty 講解

他拒绝缴纳人头税，

to avoid paying for the Mexican-American War

以避免为美墨战争

and slavery.

和奴隶制买单。

"I ask for not at once no government,

“我要求的不是立刻废除政府，

but at once a better government,"

而是立刻建立一个更好的政府，”

he wrote after spending the night in jail.

他在监狱里度过一晚后写道。

It was not until it was picked up 講解

直到后来

by subsequent reformers

被随后的改革者重新关注，

that his essay Civil Disobedience became

他的这篇名为《公民不服从》的散文才成为

one of the most influential pieces 語法

最具影响力的著作之一，

of American political philosophy in history,

在美国政治哲学史上，

influencing Gandhi, Martin Luther King,

并影响了甘地、马丁·路德·金，

and the anti-Nazi resistance.

以及反纳粹抵抗运动。

Despite his time as a hermit, 表達脈絡

尽管他曾有过隐居时光，

Thoreau teaches us how to approach

梭罗教导我们该如何应对

our frighteningly vast, highly interconnected,

我们这个大得可怕、高度互联

and morally troubling modern society.

且在道德上令人不安的现代社会。

He challenges us to be authentic,

他挑战我们要保持真实，

not just by avoiding material life and its distractions, 語法

不仅仅是通过避开物质生活及其干扰，

but by engaging with the world

而是要参与世界，

and withdrawing our support for the government 短語搭配

并撤回我们对政府的支持

when we believe it's acting unjustly.

当我们认为它的行为不公时。

His works endure and remind us

他的作品经久不衰，提醒着我们，

of just how important it 語法

这是多么的重要，

is to remove the distractions of money,

那就是摆脱金钱的干扰、

technology, and other people's views

科技和他人看法的干扰，

in order to live according to our best and truest nature. 短語搭配

以便遵循自己最好、最真实的本性来生活。