哲學 - 索倫·齊克果：英語精讀講義

Soren Kierkegaard was a brilliant, gloomy, anxiety-ridden, often hilarious Danish 19th century philosopher, 用詞

索倫·齊克果（Soren Kierkegaard）是一位才華橫溢、憂鬱、充滿焦慮、又常令人捧腹的19世紀丹麥哲學家，

the author of 22 books, of which three continue to make his name. 文法

他創作了22本書，其中有三本至今仍讓他聲名遠揚。

He was born in an immensely wealthy family in Copenhagen in 1813,

1813年，他出生在哥本哈根一個極其富有的家庭，

the youngest of seven children.

是七個孩子中最小的一個。

Death was around him constantly from a young age

從很小的時候起，死亡就一直縈繞在他周圍，

and was to obsess him throughout his career. 文法

並在他的整個職業生涯中一直困擾著他。

It is, in a sense, 片語搭配

從某種意義上說，

his only theme.

這是他唯一的主題。

Not only was he extremely physically frail, 文法

他不僅身體極為虛弱，

by the time he was 22,

到他22歲時，

all his siblings had died except for he and a brother.

除了他和一個哥哥之外，他的所有兄弟姐妹都去世了。

It drove him to furious production of books over 15 years. 片語搭配

這促使他在接下來的15年裡瘋狂地著書立說。

On a single day in 1843,

在1843年的某一天裡，

he published no less than three works. 片語搭配

他出版了不下三部作品。

He wasn't writing for the money, 表達脈絡

他寫作不是為了錢，

he was working to save himself,

他是在為了拯救自己而工作，

and he thought, humanity.

並且，如他所想，為了拯救人類。

As it happened, 表達脈絡

碰巧的是，

he made it to the age of 42,

他活到了42歲，

then died of an excruciating spinal disease.

然後死於一種極其痛苦的脊柱疾病。

In Either/Or and Fear and Trembling,

在《非此即彼》和《恐懼與戰慄》中，

what Kierkegaard wants us to do above all 片語搭配

齊克果最希望我們做的事情

is wake up and give up our cozy sentimental illusions. 講解

就是醒來，放棄我們那些舒適而多愁善感的幻覺。

He systematically attacks the pillars of modern life, 慣用語

他系統性地攻擊現代生活的支柱：

our faith in family, 表達脈絡

我們對家庭的信仰，

our trust in work,

我們對工作的信任，

our attachment to love,

我們對愛情的依戀，

and our general sense that life has purpose and meaning.

以及我們普遍認為生活有目的和意義的觀念。

His enemies were the smug in all their guises, 講解

他的敵人是各種偽裝下的自命不凡者，

particularly the prosperous Danish haute bourgeoisie 文化背景

特別是富裕的丹麥高級資產階級

and the members of the established Danish Church.

和丹麥國教的成員。

He tells us,

他告訴我們：

"As I grew up,

"當我在成長時，

I opened my eyes and saw the real world

我睜開眼睛看到了真實的世界，

and I began to laugh,

然後我開始笑，

and I haven't stopped since. 文法

從那以後就再也沒有停下來過。

I saw that the meaning of life was to get a livelihood, 用詞

我看到生活的意義不過是為了謀生，

that the goal of life was to be a High Court judge,

生活的目標就是成為一名高等法院的法官，

that the brightest joy of love was to marry a well-off girl, 用詞

愛情最光輝的喜悅就是娶一個富有的女孩，

that wisdom was what the majority said it was,

智慧就是多數人所說的智慧，

that passion was to give a speech, 表達脈絡

激情就是發表一場演講，

that courage was to risk being fined $10,

勇氣就是冒著被罰款10美元的風險，

that cordiality was to say you're welcome after a meal,

親切就是在這頓飯後說聲不客氣，

and that the fear of God was to go to communion once a year. 文化背景

而對上帝的敬畏就是一年去領一次聖餐。

That's what I saw

這就是我所看到的，

and I laughed."

然後我笑了。"

Kierkegaard was especially caustic about the 19th century understanding of love 用詞

齊克果對19世紀的愛情觀尤其刻薄，

and the new ideology of passionate marriage,

也對充滿激情的婚姻這一新意識形態嗤之以鼻，

which aimed to unite desire with prudence

這種觀念旨在將慾望與謹慎結合起來，

and suggested that one could enjoy all the thrills of a love affair 表達脈絡

並暗示一個人可以享受婚外情的所有刺激，

and at the same time all the stability for long-term relationship.

同時又擁有一段長期關係的所有穩定性。

But Kierkegaard mocked the notion that one could ever fuse romantic love with marriage, 片語搭配

但齊克果嘲笑那種認為浪漫愛情可以與婚姻融合的觀念，

that one could have passion and sex and at the same time children,

即認為一個人可以同時擁有激情、性、孩子、

stability,

穩定，

and routine.

以及按部就班的日常生活。

He respected both.

他尊重這兩者。

He just couldn't believe you could have them both at the same time

他只是不相信你可以同時擁有這兩者，

in a cozy marriage sanctified by the state and the neighbors. 慣用語

身處一段由國家和鄰居認可的舒適婚姻中。

His belief arose out of his own tortured love life. 片語動詞

他的這種信念源於他自己備受折磨的愛情生活。

He fell in love with a beautiful, precocious, and talented 18-year-old girl called Regine Olsen,

他愛上了一個名叫蕾吉娜·奧爾森的美麗、早熟且才華橫溢的18歲女孩，

only then to break off the engagement 講解

卻在之後解除了婚約，

as he realized that to try and live with her forever would also mean killing the love that had drawn him to her. 慣用語

因為他意識到，試圖和她永遠生活在一起，也就意味著扼殺吸引他走向她的那份愛。

Everywhere he turned, 慣用語

無論他轉向何處，

Kierkegaard saw intolerable incompatibilities

齊克果看到的都是無法容忍的不相容性

and impossible choices.

和不可能的抉擇。

It led him to one memorable explosion in Either/Or.

這導致他在《非此即彼》中有過一次令人難忘的爆發。

"Marry and you will regret it. 文法

"結婚，你會後悔的。

Don't marry,

不結婚，

you will also regret it.

你也會後悔。

Marry or don't marry,

結婚或不結婚，

you will regret it either way. 片語搭配

你無論如何都會後悔。

Laugh at the world's foolishness,

嘲笑世人的愚蠢，

you will regret it.

你會後悔。

Weep over it,

為此哭泣，

you'll regret that too.

你也會後悔。

Hang yourself,

上吊自殺，

you'll regret it.

你會後悔。

Don't hang yourself

不上吊自殺，

and you'll regret that too.

你也會後悔。

Whether you hang yourself or don't hang yourself, 文法

無論你上吊還是不上吊，

you will regret both.

你都會後悔。

This gentleman is the essence of all philosophy." 片語搭配

各位先生，這就是所有哲學的精髓。"

The mention of laughter is not a coincidence.

提到笑並非巧合。

Key to Kierkegaard's philosophy 文法

齊克果哲學的關鍵

is that the only intelligent tactical response to life's horror

就在於，對生活之恐怖唯一聰明的戰術反應

is to laugh defiantly at it.

就是挑釁地對它大笑。

Rarely has a philosopher taken humor as seriously. 文法

很少有哲學家如此認真地對待幽默。

Kierkegaard is often described as the founder of the philosophical movement known as existentialism 講解

齊克果經常被描述為存在主義這一哲學運動的創始人，

because in him we find all the themes that would so interest later thinkers like Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger.

因為在他身上，我們能找到後來讓沙特、卡繆和海德格等思想家如此感興趣的所有主題。

The book that fascinated the existentialists was Kierkegaard's The Concept of Anxiety,

讓存在主義者著迷的那本書是齊克果的《焦慮的概念》，

published in 1844,

出版於1844年，

in which he emphasized a new word,

在書中他強調了一個新詞，

Angest, 文化背景

Angest，

or angst as we know it in English,

也就是我們今天英語中所說的angst（焦慮），

a condition where we understand how many choices we face 文法

這是一種狀態，在這種狀態下，我們了解自己面臨著多少選擇，

and how little understanding we can ever have of how to exercise these choices wisely.

卻對如何明智地行使這些選擇知之甚少。

As Kierkegaard wrote,

正如齊克果所寫：

"Life can only be understood backwards, 表達脈絡

"生活只能向後理解，

but must be lived forwards.

但必須向前度過。"

Our constant angst means that unhappiness is more or less written into the script of life. 講解

我們不斷的焦慮意味著不快樂或多或少被寫進了生活的劇本中。

As he wrote,

正如他所寫的：

"Anyone who has given the matter any serious thought 片語搭配

"任何認真思考過這個問題的人

will know that I'm right when I say

都會知道我所說是正確的：

it's not possible for anyone to be absolutely

任何人都不可能絕對地、

and in every conceivable way completely content,

在所有可以想像的方式上完全感到滿足，

not even for a single half hour of his life. 文法

甚至在他生命中僅僅半個小時的時間裡都不可能。

No one has come into the world without crying. 表達脈絡

沒有人是生來不哭泣的。

No one asks when you want to enter the world,

沒有人問你想什麼時候來到這個世界，

no one asks when you want to leave.

也沒有人問你想什麼時候離開。

How empty and meaningless life is. 文法

生活是多麼空虛和毫無意義啊。

We bury a person,

我們埋葬一個人，

throw three shovels of earth over him,

往他身上撒三鏟土，

drive out in a coach,

乘馬車去，

drive back in a coach,

乘馬車回，

and console ourselves that we still have life enough left to live.

並自我安慰說，我們還有足夠的生命去揮霍。

But really,

但說真的，

how long is threescore and ten? 文化背景

人活七十究竟有多長？

Why not just get it over with straight away? 片語動詞

為什麼不乾脆痛快地結束這一切呢？"

For Kierkegaard,

對於齊克果來說，

there was, however, 表達脈絡

然而，有一個答案

one answer that he put forward ever more stridently in his later works, 片語動詞

在他後期的作品中被他越來越尖銳地提出，

Jesus Christ.

那就是耶穌基督。

Kierkegaard loathed the Christianity of the established Danish Church, 文化背景

齊克果厭惡丹麥國教的基督教，

but he adored the simple truths of the gospels that his father taught him as a boy.

但他崇拜小時候父親教給他的福音書裡那些簡單的真理。

For him,

對他來說，

Christianity was a religion of extreme surrender

基督教是一種極端順從的宗教，

to a theology of almost peasant-like simplicity.

順從於一種近乎農民般淳樸的神學。

One was to be ready to die for Christ, 文法

一個人應該準備好為基督而死，

to give up all attachment to worldly things, 片語動詞

放棄對世間萬物的所有依戀，

and to love all humans like one's siblings. 文法

並像愛自己的兄弟姐妹一樣去愛所有人。

Kierkegaard wasn't interested in justifying his attachment to Christianity

齊克果沒有興趣為自己對基督教的依戀去尋找

through rational means.

理性手段的辯護。

Instead,

相反，

he recommended a dramatic and now famous leap of faith, 慣用語

他提出了一種極具戲劇性、如今已廣為人知的「信仰之躍」，

wherein one wouldn't apply one's puny mind to attempting to prove the existence of God, 用詞

在這種躍進中，人們無需用自己微不足道的頭腦去試圖證明上帝的存在，

one would merely switch off one's faulty rational faculties 片語動詞

人們只需關掉自己充滿缺陷的理性思考能力，

and jump into the idea of God as the total solution.

躍入以上帝作為全部答案的信念中。

As he put it,

正如他所言：

"To have faith is to lose your mind 講解

"擁有信仰就是失去理智，

and to win God."

並贏得上帝。"

Like Marx's communism,

就像馬克思的共產主義一樣，

Kierkegaard's solutions to the problems of being human

齊克果對人類生存問題的解決方案

are far less convincing and interesting than the diagnoses of our ills. 文法

遠沒有他對我們弊病的診斷來得令人信服和有趣。

Few of us now make that leap,

我們中現在很少有人會進行那種跨越，

but Kierkegaard deserves our attention

但齊克果值得我們關注，

for the beautifully bitter, caustic look he cast on the human condition. 用詞

因為他對人類生存狀況投去了那種極其辛辣、刻薄的目光。

He's one of the few philosophers one can turn to when the world has badly let us down 講解

當我們被這個世界嚴重辜負時，他是我們少數可以求助的哲學家之一，

and we're in need of a friend who can fully understand the dark places we're in 講解

而一旦那些通常支撐我們前進的多愁善感的幻覺消散，

once the sentimental illusions that normally keep us going fall away. 片語動詞

我們就需要這樣一個能完全理解我們所處黑暗境地的朋友。