哲學 - 托馬斯·阿奎那：英語精讀講義

It seems at first weird that we might learn from Thomas Aquinas. 表達脈絡

起初看來，我們能向托馬斯·阿奎那學習似乎有些奇怪。

He was a medieval saint who was reputed to have levitated and had visions of the Virgin Mary. 文法

他是一位中世紀的聖人，據說能懸浮在空中，還曾見過聖母瑪利亞的幻象。

He was much concerned with explaining how angels speak and move. 片語搭配

他非常關心解釋天使如何說話和移動。

And yet, he continues to matter 表達脈絡

然而，他如今依然重要，

because he helps us with a problem

因為他幫我們解決了一個

which continues to bedevil us. 用詞

持續困擾我們的問題。

How we can reconcile religion with science 片語搭配

即如何將宗教與科學、

and faith with reason.

信仰與理性調和起來。

Aquinas was both a philosopher and a saint,

阿奎那既是哲學家也是聖徒，

refusing either to lose his faith or mindlessly believe, 文法

他既拒絕失去信仰，也不願盲目盲從，

he developed a new understanding of the place of reason in human life.

他對理性在人類生活中的地位提出了一種新的理解。

Aquinas's monumental contribution was to teach Western European civilization

阿奎那的巨大貢獻在於教導西歐文明：

that any human being, not just a Christian,

任何人類，而不僅是基督徒，

could have access to great truths 片語搭配

都有可能觸及偉大的真理，

whenever they made use of God's greatest gift to human beings, 片語搭配

只要他們利用上帝賜予人類最偉大的禮物——

reason.

理性。

Aquinas broke a logjam in Christian thinking, 慣用語

阿奎那打破了基督教思想中的一個僵局：

the question of how non-Christians could have both wisdom

非基督徒怎麼可能既擁有智慧，

and at the same time no interest in or even knowledge of Jesus.

同時卻對耶穌毫不關心甚至一無所知？

Aquinas universalized intelligence.

阿奎那使智慧變得普遍化。

He opened the Christian mind to the insights of all of humanity 慣用語

他向全人類的洞見敞開了基督教的思維，

from across the ages and the continents.

跨越了不同的時代與大陸。

The modern world,

現代世界，

in so far as it insists that good ideas can come from any quarter, 講解

在堅持好想法可以來自任何領域、

regardless of creed or background, 片語搭配

無論信仰或背景的程度上，

remains hugely in Aquinas's debt. 慣用語

依然深深受惠於阿奎那。

Thomas Aquinas was born to a noble family in Italy

托馬斯·阿奎那出生於義大利的一個貴族家庭，

in 1225.

時間是1225年。

As a young man,

年輕時，

he went to study at the University of Naples

他進入那不勒斯大學求學，

and there came into contact with a source of knowledge 片語搭配

在那裡接觸到了一種

which was just then being rediscovered.

剛開始被重新發現的知識源泉：

The texts of ancient Greek and Roman authors.

古希臘和古羅馬作家的文獻。

Aquinas then became an academic at the University of Paris

隨後阿奎那成為巴黎大學的學者，

and an exceptionally prolific writer,

並成為一位異常高產的作家，

producing nearly 200 pieces about Christian theology

創作了近200部關於基督教神學的作品，

in less than three decades.

在不到三十年的時間裡。

His books bear beautiful and strange titles 用詞

他的著作有著美麗而奇特的名字，

like the Summa Theologica and Summa contra Gentiles.

如《神學大全》和《反異教徒大全》。

Such was his devotion to knowledge, 文法

他對知識如此投入，

even at the moment of his death at the age of 49,

甚至在49歲離世的那一刻，

Aquinas is reputed to have been in the middle of writing

據說阿奎那還在撰寫

an extended commentary on the Song of Songs.

一篇關於《雅歌》的長篇評注。

After he died,

他死後，

he was canonized in the Catholic Church 文化背景

被天主教會封為聖徒，

and is now the patron saint of teachers. 文化背景

如今是教師的主保聖人。

Aquinas's starting point was that some of the world's greatest thinkers

阿奎那的出發點是，世界上一些最偉大的思想家

have not been Christian,

並非基督徒，

but this didn't bar them from having huge insights 文法

但這並未妨礙他們擁有巨大的洞見，

because, as Aquinas proposed,

因為，正如阿奎那所言，

the world can be usefully explored through reason 表達脈絡

世界可以透過理性來有效地探索，

and not just through faith.

而不只是透過信仰。

To explain how this could work, 表達脈絡

為了解釋這如何行得通，

Aquinas brilliantly proposed that the universe and all its dynamics

阿奎那絕妙地提出，宇宙及其所有動態

operate according to two kinds of law, 片語搭配

是根據兩種規律運行的：

secular natural law and religious eternal law. 文化背景

世俗的自然律和宗教的永恆律。

For Aquinas,

對阿奎那來說，

a lot of the world follows natural laws.

世界上的許多事物都遵循自然律。

We can find out for ourselves how to smelt iron,

我們可以自己摸索出如何冶煉鋼鐵、

build an aqueduct, or organize an economy,

建造渡槽或組織經濟，

and none of this relies on believing in God. 片語搭配

這些全都不需要依賴對上帝的信仰。

Aquinas discussed Jesus's injunction to do unto others 文化背景

阿奎那討論了耶穌關於「你們願意人怎樣待你們，

as you would have them do unto you.

你們也要怎樣待人」的教誨。

Jesus may have given this idea a particularly memorable formulation,

耶穌或許給了這個想法一個特別令人難忘的表達，

conceded Aquinas,

阿奎那承認，

but it's in fact been a cornerstone of moral principles 慣用語

但實際上它一直是道德原則的基石，

in most societies at most times.

在大多數時代的大多數社會中。

How could this be possible?

這怎麼可能呢？

Well, the reason, Aquinas argued, 表達脈絡

阿奎那認為，原因在於，

is that it's an idea that belongs to natural

這是一個屬於自然律的想法，

and not eternal law.

而不屬於永恆律。

Aquinas conceded that in a few situations,

阿奎那承認，在少數情況下，

God does work simply through eternal law

上帝確實完全透過永恆律來運作，

outside of human reason,

超越人類理性之外，

and he cited prophetic revelations 片語搭配

他引用了先知的啟示

and the visits of angels as examples.

和天使的造訪作為例子。

However,

然而，

he reassured us that most useful knowledge 語氣意圖

他向我們保證，大多數有用的知識

can be found by atheists and secular-minded people

都能由無神論者和世俗心智的人

within the realm of natural law. 慣用語

在自然律的領域內發現。

Aquinas's ideas unfolded at a time 表達脈絡

阿奎那的思想在當時展開，

when Islamic culture was going through very similar dilemmas

當時伊斯蘭文化正經歷著與基督教

as Christianity

非常相似的困境，

in terms of how one can reconcile reason and faith.

就在於如何調和理性與信仰。

For a long time,

很長一段時間裡，

the Islamic caliphates in Spain, Morocco, and Egypt

位於西班牙、摩洛哥和埃及的伊斯蘭哈里發國

had flourished by being open to knowledge from all over the world, 文法

因對來自世界各地的知識持開放態度而繁榮發展，

generating a wealth of new scientific ideas and philosophy. 片語搭配

產生了大量新的科學思想和哲學。

However,

然而，

due to the increasing influence of fanatical religious leaders,

隨著狂熱宗教領袖的影響力不斷擴大，

Islam had become more dogmatic and oppressive

伊斯蘭教變得更加教條和壓抑，

by the time Aquinas was born. 文法

就在阿奎那出生的那個時代。

It had, for example,

比如，它曾

reacted violently against the Muslim philosopher Averroes.

對穆斯林哲學家阿維羅伊產生過暴力的抵制。

Like Aquinas,

與阿奎那一樣，

Averroes had been deeply influenced by Aristotle 文化背景

阿維羅伊也深受亞里斯多德影響，

and had argued that reason and religion could be compatible.

並主張理性和宗教是可以共存的。

However,

然而，

the caliphates,

那些哈里發，

anxious never to depart from the literal words of God, 用詞

急於絕不背離上帝原字面的話語，

made sure that Averroes's ideas would be banned and his books burnt. 文法

確保阿維羅伊的思想被封禁、書籍被焚毀。

Aquinas knew that the Muslim world's increasingly radical rejection of reason

阿奎那知道，穆斯林世界日益激進地排斥理性，

was harming what had once been its thriving intellectual culture, 文法

正損害著其曾經繁榮的知識文化，

and it was overwhelmingly thanks to Aquinas's ideas 文法

而絕對要歸功於阿奎那的思想，

that Christianity did not suffer the same process of stultification.

基督教才沒有遭受同樣僵化的過程。

Though Aquinas was a man of deep faith, 文法

儘管阿奎那是一位信仰深厚的人，

he provided a philosophical framework for open scientific inquiry. 片語搭配

他卻為開放的科學探索提供了一個哲學框架。

He reminds us that knowledge can and should come from multiple sources,

他提醒我們，知識可以也應該來自多個來源：

from intuition but also from rationality, 表達脈絡

來自直覺，也來自理性；

from science but also from revelation,

來自科學，也來自啟示；

from pagans but also from monks.

來自異教徒，也來自僧侶。

That sounds obvious 表達脈絡

這聽起來顯而易見，

until we notice

直到我們注意到

just how often civilization

文明到底有多少次

has been and is still being harmed 文法

曾經並仍在受到損害，

by people's refusal to take this brilliant idea on board. 片語動詞

僅僅因為人們拒絕接受這個絕妙的思想。