什么是存在主义危机？：英语精读讲义

One of the touching signs of the influence of philosophy on everyday life

哲学对日常生活影响的一个动人标志，

is that people can sometimes be heard to complain 語法

就是有时能听到人们抱怨说，

that they're going through what they call an existential crisis. 講解

他们正在经历所谓的“存在主义危机”。

The phrase may be being used rather casually and vaguely, 語法

这个词可能被用得比较随意和含糊，

but it nevertheless touches on one of the major traditions of European philosophy, 短語動詞

但它仍然触及了欧洲哲学的一个主要传统，

closely associated with the ideas of five philosophers in particular:

尤其与五位哲学家的思想密切相关：

Kierkegaard,

克尔凯郭尔、

Camus,

加缪、

Nietzsche,

尼采、

Heidegger,

海德格尔、

and Sartre.

还有萨特。

Though these thinkers disagreed on many things,

尽管这些思想家在许多事情上意见不一，

it is possible via their thought to come to a coherent view 短語搭配

但通过他们的思想，还是有可能得出一个连贯的观点，

of what an existential crisis really is

来解释究竟什么是存在主义危机，

and when it might therefore be helpful to refer to ourselves as going through one.

以及在什么情况下，称自己正在经历这种危机是有帮助的。

The crisis is marked by five distinctive features.

这种危机具有五个显著特征。

Firstly, it's a period

首先，这是一段特定的时期，

when a lot that had previously seemed like common sense or normal

此时，许多以前看似常识或正常的事物，

reveals its contingent, chance, uncanny, and relative nature. 用詞

会暴露出其偶然、随机、离奇和相对的本质。

For example, we might start to wonder

例如，我们可能会开始好奇，

why we live in this part of the world rather than any other.

为什么我们住在这个世界上，而不是其他地方。

Why are we doing this job and not something else?

为什么我们在做这份工作，而不是别的事情？

Why are we with this partner and are following this set of social norms?

为什么我们要和这个伴侣在一起，并遵循这一套社会规范？

In short, we realize, rather disturbingly, 表達脈絡

简而言之，我们会不安地意识到，

that there are far more options beneath the surface 習語

表面之下隐藏的选择，

than we normally allow ourselves to imagine. 短語搭配

远比我们通常允许自己想象的要多得多。

We are freer than we thought. 語法

我们比自己想象的要自由。

Secondly, this revelation is acutely anxiety-inducing. 用詞

其次，这种顿悟极易引发焦虑。

A recognition of our freedom doesn't bring with it calm, 短語搭配

认识到我们的自由并不会带来平静，

quite the opposite. 表達脈絡

恰恰相反。

We recognize that we'd been deluding ourselves about what had to be. 短語搭配

我们意识到，我们一直在欺骗自己什么是必然的。

No one really cares quite as much as we'd thought

没人真的像我们想象的那样在乎

about what we are and have chosen to do.

我们是谁，以及我们选择了做什么。

We could change everything around.

我们可以改变周围的一切。

We come to a disturbing awareness

我们会得出一个令人不安的认知：

that our ultimate responsibility is to ourselves, 表達脈絡

我们的最终责任是对自己负责，

not the social world.

而不是对社会负责。

Third, we develop a heightened awareness of death.

第三，我们对死亡的意识会增强。

Time is short and running out. 短語動詞

时间短暂，而且正在流逝。

We need to reexamine our lives,

我们需要重新审视我们的生活，

but the clock is ticking ever louder. 習語

但时钟的滴答声却越来越大。

Fourth, and crucially for all the existential philosophers,

第四，对于所有的存在主义哲学家来说至关重要的一点是，

we have many choices,

我们有很多选择，

but are by the nature of the human condition

但受制于人类生存状况的本质，

denied the information we would need to choose with ultimate wisdom or certainty.

我们缺乏用终极智慧或确定性来做出选择所需的信息。

We are forced to decide but can never be assured that we've done so adequately. 語法

我们被迫做出决定，但永远无法确信自己做得是否足够好。

We are steering blind, 習語

我们在盲目驾驶，

and therefore we can be guaranteed to make a lot of mistakes.

因此，我们可以确定自己会犯很多错误。

The condition of mankind is to have to plot our course in the dark

人类的生存状态就是不得不在黑暗中规划路线，

without adequate reason or insight.

没有充分的理由或洞察力。

This leads to another favorite word for the existentialists, anxiety.

这引出了存在主义者另一个最喜欢的词：焦虑。

The human condition is to be anxious, not about this or that particular thing, 語法

人类的生存状态就是焦虑，不是为了某件特定的事，

but as a basic feature of our lives,

而是作为我们生活的基本特征，

because we must always choose without any security that we've chosen well 表達脈絡

因为我们必须不断做出选择，既无法保证选得对，

and without sufficient time to explore the options.

也没有足够的时间去探索其他选项。

This can all sound perilous and dispiriting,

这一切听起来可能既危险又令人沮丧，

yet the existential philosophers don't mean to depress us. 用詞

然而存在主义哲学家并不是想让我们感到抑郁。

They want to lend dignity and grandeur to dilemmas 短語搭配

他们想为这些困境赋予尊严和宏大感，

which we too often think of as ours alone

我们往往认为只有自己才面临这些困境，

and therefore feel ashamed about

并因此感到羞愧，

as some personal curse

把它当成个人的诅咒，

when they are in fact fundamental features of the human condition

但实际上，它们是人类生存状况的基本特征，

which ennoble us when we consider them with sufficient depth.

当我们足够深入地思考它们时，它们会使我们变得高尚。

The existentialists offer us a useful corrective 短語搭配

存在主义者为我们提供了一种有用的纠正，

to a normal pernicious view

以纠正一种常见且有害的观点：

that intelligent choice might be possible and untragic in structure.

即理性的选择是可能的，且其结构不是悲剧性的。

An existential approach tempers the modern sentimental notion

存在主义的方法缓和了现代人的多愁善感，

that perfection is within reach. 習語

即认为完美触手可及。

That you suffer from the agony of choice 習語

你遭受选择的痛苦

isn't some anomaly, 表達脈絡

并不是什么异常现象，

it's one of the most predictable and poignant things about being alive.

它是活着最可预见也最令人心酸的事情之一。

This is a message we benefit from hearing quite often

这是一个我们经常听到便会受益的信息，

because what helps with regret is the knowledge 語法

因为能缓解遗憾的，就是认识到

that in fact every life is burdened by it in some shape or form. 習語

事实上，每个人的生活都以某种形式背负着遗憾。

The regret-free life exists only in movies and songs. 用詞

没有遗憾的生活只存在于电影和歌曲中。

The way to diminish our anxiety and panic is to alleviate the sense 語法

减少我们的焦虑和恐慌的方法是，消除这样一种感觉：

that one had the option to choose correctly, but failed. 短語搭配

即我们本来有机会做出正确的选择，但却失败了。

A degree of disappointment is, 短語搭配

一定程度的失望，

as the existential philosophers so beautifully admitted,

正如存在主义哲学家们如此美妙地承认的那样，

just simply the human condition.

恰恰就是人类的生存状况。