柏拉图谈：理型：英语精读讲义

Asking oneself and others 短語搭配

问自己和他人

what the perfect version of something is,

某件事物的完美版本是什么，

the ideal version,

即它的理想版本，

might sound like a strange idea. 短語搭配

听起来可能有些奇怪。

What is the perfect marriage

什么是完美的婚姻，

or career

或事业，

or system of government

或政府体系，

or school?

或学校？

It can feel immature and naive

可能会让人觉得很幼稚和天真，

to bother much with such questions. 短語搭配

去过多地纠结于这些问题。

They're just daydreams.

它们不过是白日梦而已。

After all, 表達脈絡

毕竟，

who cares about ideal versions?

谁会在乎理想版本呢？

We might as well deal with what we've got. 講解

我们还不如去应对我们所拥有的现实。

But the great ancient Greek philosopher Plato

但古希腊伟大的哲学家柏拉图

strenuously disagrees with this. 用詞

却极其反对这种观点。

Throughout his work, 表達脈絡

在他的著作中，

he argues that focusing on the ideal version of something

他认为关注事物的理想版本

is one of the most useful kinds

是最有用的一种

of thought exercises we can generate. 用詞

思想练习。

It's by knowing what we think something should be like 語法

正是通过了解我们认为事物应该是什么样子，

that we can more clearly start to define

我们才能更清晰地开始界定

what might be wrong

什么可能出了问题，

and focus on what we need to do

并关注我们需要做什么

to make the world slightly better.

才能让世界稍微变得更好一点。

When he was talking about ideals,

当谈论理想时，

Plato used a slightly strange

柏拉图用了一个略显奇怪

but ultimately rather useful word,

但最终相当有用的词，

the forms.

“理型（forms）”。

So he asked not what is the ideal friendship

所以他没有问什么是理想的友谊，

or the ideal kind of parental love,

或理想的父母之爱，

he asked what is the form of friendship

而是问什么是友谊的理型，

or the form of parental love.

或父母之爱的理型。

It does sound strange,

这听起来确实很奇怪，

but what he had in mind 短語搭配

但他脑海里所想的

was something very practical.

却是非常实用的东西。

When a Greek stonemason was carving an ornament,

当希腊石匠雕刻装饰品时，

they wouldn't just make it up themselves. 短語動詞

他们不会只是凭空捏造。

They'd make use of a wooden template or form 短語搭配

他们会使用木制模板或模具（form）

to check if they were getting it right. 短語搭配

来检查自己做得对不对。

The form itself was made by the master,

模具本身是由大师制作的，

but if the mason possessed the form,

但如果石匠掌握了模具，

they could more reliably do perfect work.

他们就能更可靠地做出完美的作品。

This is Plato's basic picture

这就是柏拉图的基本构想，

of what an ideal is.

关于理想究竟是什么。

It's the guide you need

它是你需要的指南，

that shows you how to do something well yourself.

向你展示如何亲手把事情做好。

If you've got possession of the form,

如果你掌握了“理型”，

you can be guided towards a true goal.

就能被指引着走向正确的目标。

A form, as Plato sees it,

在柏拉图看来，理型

is a blueprint, 習語

就像一张蓝图，

a set of instructions for making

是一套指导你打造出

a very good version of something.

极佳版本事物的说明书。

That's why we all need

这就是为什么我们都需要

a well-thought-through set of forms

一套经过深思熟虑的理型

to guide us in life.

来指引我们的生活。

And unsurprisingly,

毫不意外地，

it is philosophy that can guide us to these forms.

正是哲学能指引我们找到这些理型。

So, for example,

比如，

the form of friendship is a mental model

友谊的理型就是一个思维模型，

of what a really good friendship actually involves.

描绘了真正美好的友谊实际上包含什么。

And if you grasp this model, 習語

如果你掌握了这个模型，

if this idea is active in your mind,

如果这个理念活跃在你的脑海中，

you will know how to be a good friend.

你就会知道如何成为一个好朋友。

Similarly, having a form of education in mind

同样，在脑海中拥有教育的理型，

is going to be very useful for the teacher.

对老师来说也会非常有用。

It'll stop her being buffeted 講解

它能让老师免受

by events and day-to-day pressures.

日常琐事和压力的冲击。

She'll be able to keep in mind 短語搭配

她将能够牢记，

where, ideally, she should be going.

理想情况下她应该朝着什么方向前进。

We've typically thought of ideals 語法

我们通常认为理想

as fantasy projections

只是脱离实际的幻想，

that blithely ignore 用詞

它们轻率地忽略了

most of what life is actually like.

生活的大部分真实面貌。

We think of them as the opposite of being realistic.

我们认为理想与现实是背道而驰的。

But Plato sees an ideal

但柏拉图认为，理想

as the result of a deep understanding

是深刻理解

and careful engagement with reality. 短語搭配

并谨慎参与现实的产物。

Someone setting up an airport would need,

建造机场的人将需要，

in the Platonic scheme, 文化背景

在柏拉图的体系中，

to have in mind the ideal air traffic control system,

在脑海中构想理想的空中交通管制系统，

something optimally effective, 用詞

它是最具成效、

efficient, and safe.

高效且安全的。

This is the person who would,

在柏拉图看来，这就是那个

in Plato's terms,

已经

have grasped the form of air traffic control.

掌握了空中交通管制“理型”的人。

We all need to have as many forms in mind 語法

我们都需要在脑海中拥有尽可能多的

as we possibly can.

理型。

Plato is breaking the habitual assumption

柏拉图打破了那种习惯性的假设，

that searching for the ideal

即寻找理想

is at odds with getting things done 講解

会与在粗糙的现实世界中

in the rough-and-tumble of the real world. 習語

完成事情相冲突。

And he's pushing us to be more exacting 用詞

并且他推动我们变得更加严谨，

about where we are trying to head to.

去明确我们到底想要朝着哪里前进。

If an ideal seems utterly distant and hopeless,

如果一个理想看起来极其遥不可及和毫无希望，

maybe the problem isn't that it's too idealistic, 表達脈絡

也许问题不在于它太理想化，

but, in a strange but important way,

而在于，以一种奇怪但重要的方式来看，

actually not idealistic enough.

它其实不够理想化。

That is, we've not quite yet discovered the form. 講解

也就是说，我们还没有完全发现那个“理型”。

We shouldn't abandon our ideals.

我们不应该放弃理想。

We should get more ambitious about them,

我们应该对它们抱有更大的雄心，

and Plato's philosophy is on hand to help us. 習語

而柏拉图的哲学随时可以为我们提供帮助。