社会学 - 埃米尔·涂尔干：英语精读讲义

Émile Durkheim is the philosopher

埃米尔·涂尔干（Émile Durkheim）是一位哲学家

who can best help us to understand

他能最好地帮助我们理解

why capitalism

为什么资本主义

makes us richer

让我们更富有，

and yet frequently more miserable. 表達脈絡

却往往让我们更痛苦。

He was born in 1858

他于 1858 年出生

in the little French town of Épinal

在法国小镇埃皮纳勒，

near the German border.

靠近德国边境。

Before he was 40,

在 40 岁之前，

Durkheim was appointed to a powerful and prestigious position 短語搭配

涂尔干被任命为一个有权势且声望很高的职位，

as a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris.

担任巴黎索邦大学的教授。

Durkheim lived through the immense rapid transformation of France 短語動詞

涂尔干经历了法国巨大的快速转型，

from a largely traditional agricultural society 語法

从一个主要为传统的农业社会

to an urban industrial economy.

变成了一个城市化的工业经济体。

He could see that his country was getting richer,

他能看到他的国家变得越来越富有，

that capitalism was extraordinarily productive,

资本主义有着惊人的生产力，

and in certain ways that it was also liberating.

而且在某些方面也解放了人们。

But what particularly struck him and became the focus of his entire scholarly career 用詞

但特别令他震惊、并成为他整个学术生涯焦点的，

was that the economic system was doing something very peculiar to people's minds.

是这个经济体系正在对人们的思想产生非常奇特的影响。

It was, quite literally, 表達脈絡

毫不夸张地说，它正在

driving them to suicide 短語搭配

驱使人们走向自杀，

in ever-increasing numbers.

并且人数在不断增加。

This was the immense insight

这是他极其重要的深刻见解，

unveiled in Durkheim's most important work,

在涂尔干最重要的著作中被揭示，

Suicide, published in 1897.

那就是 1897 年出版的《自杀论》。

The book chronicled a remarkable and tragic discovery,

这本书记录了一个引人注目且悲惨的发现，

that suicide rates seem to shoot up once a nation has become industrialized 短語動詞

即一旦一个国家工业化、

and consumer capitalism takes hold. 短語動詞

消费资本主义站稳脚跟，自杀率似乎就会飙升。

Durkheim observed that the suicide rate in the Britain of his day

涂尔干观察到，当时英国的自杀率

was double that of Italy, 語法

是意大利的两倍，

but in even richer and more advanced Denmark,

而在更富裕、更先进的丹麦，

it was four times higher than in the UK. 語法

它的自杀率是英国的四倍。

Durkheim's focus on suicide

涂尔干对自杀的关注，

was intended to shed light on a more general level 習語

旨在揭示一种更普遍的现象，

of unhappiness and despair in society.

即社会中的不快乐和绝望。

Suicide was the horrific tip of the iceberg 習語

自杀只是冰山那可怕的一角，

of mental distress created by modern capitalism.

下面是现代资本主义造成的精神痛苦。

Across his career,

在他整个职业生涯中，

Durkheim tried to explain why people had become so unhappy in modern societies,

涂尔干试图解释为什么现代社会中的人变得如此不快乐，

and he isolated five crucial factors.

他总结出了五个关键因素。

In traditional societies,

在传统社会中，

people's identities are closely tied to belonging 短語搭配

人们的身份认同与归属感紧密相连，

to a clan or a class.

比如属于某个氏族或阶级。

Few choices are involved.

其中几乎没有选择的余地。

A person might be a baker,

一个人可能是一名面包师、

a Lutheran,

一名路德教徒、

or married to their second cousin

或者与自己的二表亲结婚，

without ever having made any self-conscious decisions 語法

从来没有做出过任何自主的决定。

for themselves.

对他们自己而言。

They can just step into a place created for them 習語

他们可以直接步入那个为他们创造好的位置，

by their family and the existing fabric of society. 習語

这个位置由他们的家庭和现有的社会结构铺就。

But under modern capitalism,

但在现代资本主义下，

it's the individual that now begins to choose everything, 語法

现在是由个人开始选择一切，

what job to take,

选择做什么工作、

what religion to follow,

信仰什么宗教、

who to marry,

跟谁结婚、

and where to belong.

以及归属于哪里。

If things go well,

如果一切顺利，

the individual takes all the credit, 短語搭配

个人包揽所有的功劳，

but if things go badly,

但如果事情进展不顺，

the individual is in a crueler place

个人所处的境地就比以往

than ever before,

任何时候都更加残酷，

for it seemingly means that there is no one else to blame

因为这似乎意味着除了他们自己，

but they themselves.

没有别人可以责怪。

Failure becomes a terrible judgment

失败成了对个人

upon the individual.

一种可怕的审判。

This is the particular burden of life

这就是现代资本主义中

in modern capitalism.

生活特有的重担。

Capitalism raises hope.

资本主义燃起希望。

Everyone with effort can become the boss.

只要努力，人人都能当老板。

Advertising stokes ambition 短語搭配

广告煽动着野心，

by showing us limitless luxury

向我们展示着无尽的奢华，

that we could,

这本可以是我们的，

if we play our cards right, 習語

只要我们处理得当，

secure very soon.

很快就能得到。

The opportunities are said to be enormous,

据说机会是巨大的，

but so too are the possibilities for disappointment. 語法

但失望的可能性也同样巨大。

In modern capitalism,

在现代资本主义中，

envy grows rife.

嫉妒变得猖獗。

It's easy to become deeply dissatisfied

人很容易对自己的命运

with one's lot, 用詞

感到极度不满，

not because it's objectively awful,

不是因为客观上它有多糟糕，

but because of tormenting thoughts

而是因为那种折磨人的想法，

about all that is almost but not quite within reach. 習語

想到那些几乎触手可及却又遥不可及的东西。

The cheery boosterish side of capitalism 用詞

资本主义那种令人愉悦的、吹嘘的一面，

attracted Durkheim's particular annoyance.

尤其惹恼了涂尔干。

In his view,

在他看来，

modern society struggled to admit

现代社会很难承认，

that life just is often quite painful and sad.

生活往往就是非常痛苦和悲伤的。

Our tendencies to grief and sorrow

我们悲伤和哀恸的倾向

are made to look like signs of failure, 語法

被弄得看起来像是失败的标志，

rather than, 表達脈絡

而不是

as should be the case,

它们本应是的那样——

a fair response to the arduous facts of the human condition.

对人类生存艰难事实的合理反应。

One of the complaints against traditional societies,

对传统社会的一种抱怨，

strongly voiced in romantic literature,

在浪漫主义文学中被强烈地表达出来，

is that people need more freedom.

那就是人们需要更多的自由。

Rebellious types used to complain that there were far too many social norms, 語法

叛逆者过去常抱怨社会规范太多了，

norms telling you what to wear,

规范告诉你该穿什么、

what you're supposed to do on Sunday afternoons, 語法

星期天下午你该做什么、

what parts of an arm it's respectable for a woman to reveal.

女人露出手臂的哪个部位才是体面的。

Capitalism,

资本主义，

following the earlier efforts of romantic rebels,

追随着早期浪漫主义叛逆者的努力，

has relentlessly undermined social norms. 短語搭配

已经无情地破坏了社会规范。

Countries have become more complex,

国家变得更加复杂、

more anonymous,

更加匿名、

and more diverse.

更加多样化。

People don't have so much in common 短語搭配

人们之间已经没有那么多的

with one another anymore.

共同点了。

The collective answers to even very important questions

即使是对那些非常重要的问题的集体回答，

like who you should marry or how you should bring up your children 短語動詞

比如你应该和谁结婚，或者你应该如何抚养你的孩子，

have become weaker and less specific.

也已经变得越来越微弱和不具体。

There's a lot of reliance on the phrase,

很多人依赖这样一句话，

"Whatever works for you," 語氣意圖

“适合你的就好”，

which sounds friendly,

这听起来很友好，

but it also means that society doesn't much care what you do

但它也意味着社会并不太关心你做什么，

and doesn't feel confident it has good answers

并且没有信心说，对你人生中的那些大问题

to the big questions of your life.

它能有很好的答案。

In upbeat moments,

在乐观的时候，

we like to think of ourselves as fully up to the task 習語

我们喜欢认为自己完全能够胜任

of reinventing life and working everything out for ourselves. 短語動詞

重塑生活和为自己解决一切问题的任务。

But in reality,

但在现实中，

as Durkheim knew,

正如涂尔干所知，

we're often simply too tired,

我们往往只是太累了、

too busy,

太忙了、

too uncertain,

太不确定了，

and then there's nowhere to turn. 習語

然后就会发现无处求助。

Durkheim was himself an atheist,

涂尔干本人是个无神论者，

but he worried that religion had become implausible

但他担心宗教已经变得不再可信，

just as its best side,

恰恰在它最好的一面，

its communal side,

它的公共层面，

would have been most useful to repair the fraying social fabric. 講解

本来可以最有效地修复脆弱的社会结构的时候。

Despite its factual errors and its fantastical dimensions, 語法

尽管它存在事实错误和虚幻的层面，

Durkheim appreciated religion.

涂尔干却很欣赏宗教。

He knew that the sense of community and consolation

他知道宗教提供的社区感和慰藉感

that religion offer are highly important to people.

对人们来说非常重要。

Capitalism has,

到目前为止，

as yet, 用詞

资本主义

offered nothing to replace this with.

还没有提供任何东西来替代它。

Science certainly doesn't offer the same opportunities

科学肯定无法提供同等的

for powerful shared experiences.

强大的共享体验的机会。

The periodic table might well possess a transcendent beauty 語法

元素周期表或许拥有超凡脱俗的美感，

and be a marvel of intellectual elegance,

是智慧优雅的奇迹，

but it can't draw a society together around it. 短語動詞

但它无法将一个社会团结在它周围。

In the 19th century,

在 19 世纪，

it had looked at certain moments

在某些时刻似乎

as if the idea of the nation might grow so powerful and intense 語法

民族的观念可能会变得如此强大和强烈，

that it could take up the sense of belonging and shared devotion

以至于它可以取代归属感和共同信仰，

that had once been supplied by religion.

而这曾经是由宗教提供的。

Admittedly, 表達脈絡

诚然，

there were some heroic moments,

曾经有过一些英雄时刻，

but they generally didn't work out very well. 短語動詞

但它们通常结果并不太好。

Family too seemed for a time

家庭也曾一度似乎

to offer the experience of belonging

提供了一种归属感体验，

that people seem to need.

这是人们似乎需要的。

But today,

但今天，

although we do indeed invest hugely in our families, 語法

尽管我们确实在家庭上投入巨大，

they're not as stable as we might hope, 語法

家庭并不像我们希望的那样稳定，

and by adulthood,

到了成年时期，

children are hardly tied to their parents anymore. 短語搭配

孩子们几乎不再和父母绑在一起。

They don't expect to work alongside them,

他们不期望与父母一起工作，

they don't expect their social circles to overlap,

不期望他们的社交圈有所重合，

and they don't feel that their parents' honor is in their hands. 習語

也不觉得父母的荣誉掌握在自己手中。

Today,

今天，

neither family nor the nation 語法

无论是家庭还是国家，

are well placed to take up the task 短語動詞

都没有处于能够承担起这个任务的良好位置，

of giving us a larger sense of belonging,

去给我们一种更大的归属感，

of giving us the feeling

去给我们一种感觉，

that we're part of something more valuable than ourselves.

即我们是某种比我们自身更有价值的事物的一部分。

Émile Durkheim was a master diagnostician 習語

埃米尔·涂尔干是我们社会病症的

of our ills.

诊断大师。

He shows us that modern economies put tremendous pressures on individuals 短語搭配

他向我们展示了现代经济给个人带来了巨大的压力，

and leave them dangerously bereft of authoritative guidance 用詞

并且危险地使他们丧失了权威的指导

and communal solace.

和集体的慰藉。

We are all Durkheim's heirs 習語

我们都是涂尔干的继承人，

and still have ahead of us

而且我们面前仍然摆着

the task that he grappled with, 短語動詞

他曾努力解决的任务，

how we can create new ways of belonging, 表達脈絡

我们如何能够创造出新的归属感方式，

how we can take some of the pressure off individuals 短語動詞

我们如何能够减轻个人身上的一些压力，

and find a more correct balance between freedom and solidarity, 短語搭配

并在自由与团结之间找到更正确的平衡，

and how to generate ideologies

以及如何产生新的思想观念，

that will allow us not to be so tough on ourselves 短語搭配

使得我们在面对失败和挫折时，

for our failures and our setbacks.

不再对自己那么苛刻。