生命的意義：英語精讀講義

People nowadays often say, sometimes in a sad way,

如今人們常說，有時帶著些許悲傷，

other times more aggressively and cynically,

有時則帶著更為強烈的攻擊性與憤世嫉俗，

that life just has no meaning.

說生活根本毫無意義。

Two reasons are often given for this.

人們通常為此給出兩個理由。

The first has to do with religion. 片語搭配

第一個與宗教有關。

Once upon a time, 片語搭配

曾幾何時，

so the story goes, 表達脈絡

傳說是這樣的，

life had a clear meaning given to us by God.

上帝賦予了我們生命一個明確的意義。

It was about worshipping him.

那就是敬拜他。

But as religious belief has declined,

但隨著宗教信仰的衰退，

not only has God supposedly died, 文法

不僅上帝被認為已經死亡，

but along with him the meaning he once guaranteed.

他曾經保證的那個意義也隨之消亡。

Modern science is the second cause of the current crisis of meaning.

現代科學是當前意義危機的第二個原因。

Scientists tell us that life,

科學家告訴我們，生命，

which emerged from a random interplay of chemicals and gases,

這個由化學物質和氣體隨機相互作用而產生的東西，

does have meaning,

確實是有意義的，

but it's of a rather bleak, relentless, and narrow sort. 文法

但這是一種相當淒涼、冷酷且狹隘的意義。

For humans,

對人類而言，

as for all other living things, 片語搭配

就像對所有其他生物一樣，

like amoeba,

像是變形蟲，

the meaning of life is survival and the propagation of one's genetic material.

生命的意義在於生存和繁衍自身的遺傳物質。

It sounds very true and at the same time distinctly futile and melancholy.

這聽起來無比真實，同時又明顯令人感到徒勞與憂鬱。

Here we want to argue as follows: 表達脈絡

在這裡，我們想提出如下觀點：

to wonder about the meaning of life is an extremely important activity.

思考生命的意義是一項極其重要的活動。

Life does have substantial meaning, 文法

生命確實有著實質性的意義，

and there are in fact a range of practical steps we can take to ensure we end up leading lives of maximal meaningfulness. 講解

實際上，我們可以採取一系列切實可行的步驟，以確保最終過上極具意義的生活。

We should start by saying that there is no meaning in life outside of that which we can find by ourselves as a species. 講解

我們首先應該說明，除了作為一個物種所能找到的意義之外，生命中並不存在其他意義。

There isn't any kind of objective meaning written in the stars, 慣用語

沒有任何一種客觀的意義被寫在星空裡，

in a holy book,

寫在神聖的經典中，

or in sequences of DNA.

或是寫在DNA序列裡。

What seems to prompt people to complain that life lacks meaning are particular varieties of unhappiness. 講解

似乎促使人們抱怨生活缺乏意義的，是某些特定種類的不幸。

Let's consider some central examples. 表達脈絡

讓我們來看看一些核心的例子。

You're in a relationship,

你正在談戀愛，

but the intensity you experienced at the start is long gone. 片語搭配

但開始時你所體驗到的那種激情早已蕩然無存。

You don't seem to talk about anything important anymore or share vulnerable feelings and ideas.

你們似乎不再談論任何重要的事情，也不再分享脆弱的感受與想法。

It feels,

這感覺，

as you put it, 語氣意圖

正如你所言，

meaningless.

毫無意義。

Or else you're single,

或者你單身，

and though you have many friends,

雖然你有很多朋友，

every time you see them the conversation seems shallow and trivial.

但每次見到他們，談話似乎都顯得膚淺和瑣碎。

Or you're at university studying for a degree.

或者你在大學裡攻讀學位。

You signed up for the course in part because you often feel confused about who you are and what you want. 講解

你選這門課，部分原因是你常常對自己的身份和想要什麼感到迷茫。

You thought that reading books and going to lectures would shine a light on things, 慣用語

你原以為讀書和聽講座能為你指點迷津，

but the topics are dull and disconnected from your confusion.

但這些話題不僅枯燥，而且與你的困惑毫不相干。

You complain that it feels meaningless.

你抱怨說這感覺毫無意義。

Or you're working in a large profitable company and earning a decent sum every week, 用詞

或者你在一家利潤豐厚的大公司工作，每週都能賺到一筆可觀的收入，

but the work doesn't seem in the grander scheme important, 慣用語

但從宏觀上來看，這份工作似乎並不重要，

by which you mean two things: 表達脈絡

你的意思包含兩方面：

that you don't seem to be making any great difference to anyone's life, 片語搭配

一是你似乎沒有對任何人的生活產生什麼重大影響，

and also that there's no profound part of you that you're able to bring to or incorporate in your work.

二是你無法將自己內心深處的部分帶入或融入到工作中。

It might as well be done by a robot. 語氣意圖

這份工作同樣也可以由機器人來完成。

From these strands, 表達脈絡

從這些線索中，

we can start to extrapolate a theory of meaning. 片語搭配

我們可以開始推斷出一種關於意義的理論。

Meaning is to be found in three activities in particular: 片語搭配

意義尤其存在於三種活動中：

communication,

交流、

understanding,

理解，

and service.

和服務。

Let's look at communication first.

讓我們先來看看交流。

We are by nature isolated creatures,

我們天生是孤獨的生物，

and it appears that some of our most meaningful moments are to do with instances of connection with a lover,

而我們一些最富有意義的時刻，似乎都與愛人建立聯繫的瞬間有關，

for example,

例如，

when we reveal our intimate physical and psychological selves,

當我們展露自己親密無間的生理與心理層面時，

or when we form friendships where substantial truths about our respective lives can be shared.

或者當我們建立起能夠分享彼此生活中實質真相的友誼時。

Or on a journey to a new country,

抑或是在前往一個新國家的旅途中，

when we strike up a conversation with a stranger and feel a thrilling sense of victory over linguistic and cultural barriers. 片語動詞

當我們與陌生人攀談，並感受到一種克服了語言和文化障礙的令人戰慄的勝利感時。

Then there's the meaning that emerges via understanding.

其次是透過理解而產生的意義。

This is about the pleasure that can be felt whenever we correct confusion and puzzlement about ourselves or the world.

這關乎每當我們消除對自己或對世界的困惑與不解時所能體會到的快樂。

We might be scientific researchers or economists,

我們可能是科學研究員或經濟學家、

poets, or patients in psychotherapy.

詩人，或是接受心理治療的患者。

The pleasure of our activities stems from a common ability to map and make sense of what was once painfully unfamiliar and strange. 講解

我們活動的樂趣源於一種共同的能力，即描繪並弄懂那些曾經令人痛苦、陌生和不熟悉的事物。

Thirdly, there's service.

第三，是服務。

One of the most meaningful things we can do is to serve other people, 文法

我們能做的最有意義的事情之一就是服務他人，

to try to improve their lives,

努力改善他們的生活，

either by alleviating sources of suffering or else by generating new sources of pleasure. 文法

要麼透過減輕痛苦的根源，要麼透過創造新的快樂源泉。

That includes medical professionals,

這包括醫療專業人士，

but also people who bake cakes, write songs, or dance for a living. 片語搭配

也包括那些以烤蛋糕、寫歌或跳舞為生的人。

We're often told to think of ourselves as inherently selfish, 片語搭配

我們常常被告知要把自己想作是天生自私的，

but some of the most meaningful moments come when we can transcend our egos and put ourselves at the service of others or the planet. 片語搭配

但一些最有意義的時刻，往往發生在我們能夠超越自我、為他人或地球提供服務的時候。

One should add that in order for service to feel meaningful, 講解

需要補充的是，為了讓服務感覺有意義，

it has to be in sync with our own native sincere interests. 慣用語

它必須與我們自身本真且真誠的興趣步調一致。

It's a case of knowing enough about ourselves to find a particular path to service. 文法

這意味著我們需要對自己有足夠的了解，才能找到一條特定的服務之路。

Armed with such ideas, 慣用語

帶著這些理念，

we can move towards defining nothing less than the meaning of life. 慣用語

我們可以著手去定義生命的意義本身。

The meaning of life is to pursue human flourishing through communication, 用詞

生命的意義就是透過交流、

understanding,

理解，

and service.

以及服務來追求人類的繁榮。

We may not have meaningful lives yet,

我們或許尚未擁有充滿意義的生活，

but it's central to affirm that the concept of a meaningful life is eminently plausible and that it comprises elements that can be clearly named and gradually fought for. 用詞

但至關重要的是，我們要確信，充滿意義的生活這一概念是完全可信的，而且它所包含的元素是可以被清晰命名並去逐步爭取的。