哲学 - 斯多葛学派：英语精读讲义

This is a film about Stoicism and why you need more of it in your life

这部短片关于斯多葛学派，以及为什么你的生活中需要更多的斯多葛主义，

because as people seldom tell you but we will quietly.

因为人们很少告诉你，但我们会悄悄告诉你。

Stoicism was a philosophy that flourished for 480 years in ancient Greece and Rome

斯多葛主义是一种在古希腊和古罗马繁荣了480年的哲学，

and was popular with everyone from slaves to the aristocracy 語法

它在从奴隶到贵族的各个阶层中都很受欢迎，

because unlike so much philosophy it was helpful.

因为与许多其他哲学不同，它是很有用的。

Helpful when we panic, want to give up, despair and rage at existence.

当我们恐慌、想放弃、绝望和对存在感到愤怒时，它很有用。

We still honor this philosophy

我们至今仍在致敬这种哲学，

whenever we think of someone as brave

每当我们认为某人很勇敢时，

and without perhaps quite knowing why

也许并不完全知道为什么，

call them stoic. 用詞

就会称他们为“斯多葛”。

There are two great philosophers of Stoicism.

斯多葛学派有两位伟大的哲学家。

The first is the Roman writer and tutor to Nero, Seneca.

第一位是罗马作家兼尼禄的导师，塞内加。

He lived between AD 4 and AD 65.

他生活在公元4年到65年之间。

That's right, tutor to Nero,

没错，尼禄的导师，

the infamous dictator who slept with his own mother,

那个臭名昭著的独裁者，与自己的母亲乱伦，

raped young boys

强暴小男孩，

and just because he felt like it 短語搭配

而且仅仅因为他一时兴起，

asked his old tutor Seneca to commit suicide

就要求他的老导师塞内加自杀，

in front of his own family.

就在塞内加自己的家人面前。

And our other guide to Stoicism is

而我们的另一位斯多葛主义导师是

the kind and magnanimous Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius

仁慈而宽宏大量的罗马皇帝马可·奥勒留，

AD 121 to 180

公元121年到180年，

who was forced to spend most of his reign

他被迫将统治的大部分时间

on the edges of the empire

花在帝国边缘，

fighting off invincible Germanic hordes 短語動詞

抵御不可战胜的日耳曼部落，

but found time to write one of the greatest works of philosophy 短語搭配

却在夜间的帐篷里

the Meditations

抽空写下了最伟大的哲学著作之一，

in his tent at night.

《沉思录》。

There are two problems Stoicism can help us with in particular.

斯多葛主义尤其能帮我们解决两个问题。

The first is anxiety.

第一个是焦虑。

When you're feeling anxious about something

当你对某事感到焦虑时，

most people are maddening.

大多数人的反应令人抓狂。

They believe it's their duty to cheer you up. 講解

他们认为让你高兴起来是他们的责任。

However intelligent they might otherwise be. 語法

无论他们平时有多聪明。

They say things like "It'll be okay. Don't worry."

他们会说“会好起来的。别担心。”

Even "Cheer up."

甚至说“开心点。”

The Stoics were appalled.

斯多葛学派对此感到震惊。

They hated any kind of consolation

他们讨厌任何旨在

that aims to give the listener hope.

给倾听者希望的安慰。

Hope is the opium of the emotions 習語

希望是情感的鸦片，

and must be stamped out conclusively 短語動詞

必须被彻底根除，

for a person to stand any chance of inner peace 短語搭配

一个人才有机会获得内心的平静，

because hope only lifts you up higher 習語

因为希望只会把你捧得更高，

for the eventual fall.

最终摔得更惨。

The Stoics advised us to take a different path.

斯多葛学派建议我们走另一条路。

To be calm

为了保持平静，

one has to tell oneself something very dark. 語法

一个人必须告诉自己一些非常黑暗的事情。

It will be terrible.

事情会变得很糟糕。

I might have to go to prison.

我可能得去坐牢。

The lump really could be malignant.

那个肿块真的可能是恶性的。

I probably will be fired and humiliated.

我很可能会被解雇并受到羞辱。

My friends almost certainly will succeed.

我的朋友们几乎肯定会成功。

But a huge consoling stoic but one must keep in mind that one will nevertheless 短語搭配

但一个巨大的、令人安慰的斯多葛式转折是，你必须记住，无论如何

be okay.

你都会没事的。

Okay because in the end

没事，因为到最后，

as Marcus Aurelius said

正如马可·奥勒留所说，

we are each of us stronger than we think.

我们每个人都比自己想象的更坚强。

Prison won't be fun

坐牢不会好玩，

nor will losing one's job 語法

丢掉工作也不会，

or being made a laughing stock 習語

成为笑柄也不会，

but one will get through it. 短語動詞

但你终会熬过去的。

Stoicism emboldens us against the worst fate can throw at us. 習語

斯多葛主义使我们有勇气面对命运能抛给我们的最坏情况。

And if you really really can't take it

如果你真的真的无法承受，

suicide is always an option.

自杀永远是一个选择。

The Stoics mentioned this repeatedly.

斯多葛学派反复提到这一点。

Here is Seneca.

这里是塞内加的话。

Can you no longer see a road to freedom?

你是否已看不到通往自由的路？

It's right in front of you.

它就在你面前。

You need only turn over your wrists. 語法

你只需翻转你的手腕。

To build up an impression of one's own resilience

为了建立对自己韧性的认知，

the Stoics suggested one regularly rehearse worst case scenarios. 短語搭配

斯多葛学派建议人们定期排练最坏的情况。

For example twice a year

例如，每年两次，

one should take off one's smart clothes,

一个人应该脱下体面的衣服，

get into some dirty rags,

换上脏兮兮的破布，

sleep on a rug in the kitchen floor

睡在厨房地板的垫子上，

and eat only stale bread and rainwater from an animal's bowl.

只吃不新鲜的面包，喝动物碗里的雨水。

And thereby you'll make an amazing discovery.

由此你会有一个惊人的发现。

As Marcus Aurelius put it 短語搭配

正如马可·奥勒留所说，

almost nothing material is needed for a happy life

对于一个理解了存在的人来说，

for he who has understood existence.

幸福的生活几乎不需要任何物质。

Another subject of interest to the Stoics was anger.

斯多葛学派感兴趣的另一个主题是愤怒。

Romans were a bad tempered lot. 用詞

罗马人脾气很暴躁。

The Stoics wanted to calm them down 短語動詞

斯多葛学派想让他们平静下来，

but they did so by an unusual route

但他们通过一种不寻常的途径，

by intellectual argument.

即理性的辩论。

They proposed that getting angry isn't something you do by nature

他们提出，生气并不是你的本性，

because you have a Latin temper

不是因为你有拉丁人的脾气，

or are somehow inherently hot blooded. 習語

或者天生就热血沸腾。

It's the result of being stupid,

它是愚蠢的结果，

of having the wrong ideas about life.

是对生活有错误认知的结果。

Anger stems when misplaced hope smashes into unforeseen reality. 習語

愤怒源于错位的希望撞上了不可预见的现实。

We don't shout every time something bad happens to us 語法

我们不会在每次发生坏事时大喊大叫，

only when it's bad and unexpected.

只有当它是坏事且出乎意料时才会。

For example, you'd never shout just because it started raining

例如，你绝不会因为开始下雨就大喊大叫，

even though rain can be horrible

尽管下雨可能很糟糕，

because you've learned to expect rain.

因为你已经学会了预料到会下雨。

The same should apply to everything. 短語搭配

同样的道理也应适用于一切事物。

Don't only expect rain,

不要只预期下雨，

expect betrayal, infamy, sadism, theft, humiliation, lust, greed, spite.

还要预期背叛、臭名昭著、施虐、偷窃、羞辱、色欲、贪婪、怨恨。

One will stop being so angry

当一个人了解了生活悲惨的真相时，

when one learns the true facts of the misery of life.

就会停止如此愤怒。

The wise person should aim to reach a state 語法

智者应该致力于达到这样一种状态：

where simply nothing could suddenly disturb their peace of mind. 短語搭配

简直没有什么能突然扰乱他们内心的平静。

Every tragedy should already be priced in. 習語

每一场悲剧都应该已经被预料在内。

We're going to leave you with the most beautiful remark that Seneca made 表達脈絡

我们想用塞内加说过的一句最美的话作为结尾，

just as Nero's guards were grabbing him and shoving him into a bathroom

就在尼禄的守卫抓住他，把他推入浴室时，

where he was meant to take a sharp knife and kill himself. 語法

他本应在那里拿一把锋利的刀自杀。

His wife Paulina and two children were panicking, weeping, clinging to his cloaks

他的妻子保利娜和两个孩子恐慌、哭泣，紧紧抓住他的斗篷，

but Seneca turned to them, pulled a weary smile at them and simply said

但塞内加转向他们，对他们挤出一个疲惫的微笑，简单地说道：

"What need is there to weep over parts of life? 語法

“何必为生活中的某些部分哭泣？

The whole of it calls for tears." 短語動詞

它的全部都值得落泪。”

We have much to learn from the Stoics.

我们可以从斯多葛学派那里学到很多。