柏拉圖談：理型：英語精讀講義

Asking oneself and others 片語搭配

問自己和他人

what the perfect version of something is,

某件事物的完美版本是什麼，

the ideal version,

即它的理想版本，

might sound like a strange idea. 片語搭配

聽起來可能有些奇怪。

What is the perfect marriage

什麼是完美的婚姻，

or career

或事業，

or system of government

或政府體系，

or school?

或學校？

It can feel immature and naive

可能會讓人覺得很幼稚和天真，

to bother much with such questions. 片語搭配

去過多地糾結於這些問題。

They're just daydreams.

它們不過是白日夢而已。

After all, 表達脈絡

畢竟，

who cares about ideal versions?

誰會在乎理想版本呢？

We might as well deal with what we've got. 講解

我們還不如去應對我們所擁有的現實。

But the great ancient Greek philosopher Plato

但古希臘偉大的哲學家柏拉圖

strenuously disagrees with this. 用詞

卻極其反對這種觀點。

Throughout his work, 表達脈絡

在他的著作中，

he argues that focusing on the ideal version of something

他認為關注事物的理想版本

is one of the most useful kinds

是最有用的一種

of thought exercises we can generate. 用詞

思想練習。

It's by knowing what we think something should be like 文法

正是透過了解我們認為事物應該是什麼樣子，

that we can more clearly start to define

我們才能更清晰地開始界定

what might be wrong

什麼可能出了問題，

and focus on what we need to do

並關注我們需要做什麼

to make the world slightly better.

才能讓世界稍微變得更好一點。

When he was talking about ideals,

當談論理想時，

Plato used a slightly strange

柏拉圖用了一個略顯奇怪

but ultimately rather useful word,

但最終相當有用的詞，

the forms.

「理型（forms）」。

So he asked not what is the ideal friendship

所以他沒有問什麼是理想的友誼，

or the ideal kind of parental love,

或理想的父母之愛，

he asked what is the form of friendship

而是問什麼是友誼的理型，

or the form of parental love.

或父母之愛的理型。

It does sound strange,

這聽起來確實很奇怪，

but what he had in mind 片語搭配

但他腦海裡所想的

was something very practical.

卻是非常實用的東西。

When a Greek stonemason was carving an ornament,

當希臘石匠雕刻裝飾品時，

they wouldn't just make it up themselves. 片語動詞

他們不會只是憑空捏造。

They'd make use of a wooden template or form 片語搭配

他們會使用木製模板或模具（form）

to check if they were getting it right. 片語搭配

來檢查自己做得對不對。

The form itself was made by the master,

模具本身是由大師製作的，

but if the mason possessed the form,

但如果石匠掌握了模具，

they could more reliably do perfect work.

他們就能更可靠地做出完美的作品。

This is Plato's basic picture

這就是柏拉圖的基本構想，

of what an ideal is.

關於理想究竟是什麼。

It's the guide you need

它是你需要的指南，

that shows you how to do something well yourself.

向你展示如何親手把事情做好。

If you've got possession of the form,

如果你掌握了「理型」，

you can be guided towards a true goal.

就能被指引著走向正確的目標。

A form, as Plato sees it,

在柏拉圖看來，理型

is a blueprint, 慣用語

就像一張藍圖，

a set of instructions for making

是一套指導你打造出

a very good version of something.

極佳版本事物的說明書。

That's why we all need

這就是為什麼我們都需要

a well-thought-through set of forms

一套經過深思熟慮的理型

to guide us in life.

來指引我們的生活。

And unsurprisingly,

毫不意外地，

it is philosophy that can guide us to these forms.

正是哲學能指引我們找到這些理型。

So, for example,

比如，

the form of friendship is a mental model

友誼的理型就是一個思維模型，

of what a really good friendship actually involves.

描繪了真正美好的友誼實際上包含什麼。

And if you grasp this model, 慣用語

如果你掌握了這個模型，

if this idea is active in your mind,

如果這個理念活躍在你的腦海中，

you will know how to be a good friend.

你就會知道如何成為一個好朋友。

Similarly, having a form of education in mind

同樣，在腦海中擁有教育的理型，

is going to be very useful for the teacher.

對老師來說也會非常有用。

It'll stop her being buffeted 講解

它能讓老師免受

by events and day-to-day pressures.

日常瑣事和壓力的衝擊。

She'll be able to keep in mind 片語搭配

她將能夠牢記，

where, ideally, she should be going.

理想情況下她應該朝著什麼方向前進。

We've typically thought of ideals 文法

我們通常認為理想

as fantasy projections

只是脫離實際的幻想，

that blithely ignore 用詞

它們輕率地忽略了

most of what life is actually like.

生活的大部分真實面貌。

We think of them as the opposite of being realistic.

我們認為理想與現實是背道而馳的。

But Plato sees an ideal

但柏拉圖認為，理想

as the result of a deep understanding

是深刻理解

and careful engagement with reality. 片語搭配

並謹慎參與現實的產物。

Someone setting up an airport would need,

建造機場的人將需要，

in the Platonic scheme, 文化背景

在柏拉圖的體系中，

to have in mind the ideal air traffic control system,

在腦海中構想理想的空中交通管制系統，

something optimally effective, 用詞

它是最具成效、

efficient, and safe.

高效且安全的。

This is the person who would,

在柏拉圖看來，這就是那個

in Plato's terms,

已經

have grasped the form of air traffic control.

掌握了空中交通管制「理型」的人。

We all need to have as many forms in mind 文法

我們都需要在腦海中擁有盡可能多的

as we possibly can.

理型。

Plato is breaking the habitual assumption

柏拉圖打破了那種習慣性的假設，

that searching for the ideal

即尋找理想

is at odds with getting things done 講解

會與在粗糙的現實世界中

in the rough-and-tumble of the real world. 慣用語

完成事情相衝突。

And he's pushing us to be more exacting 用詞

並且他推動我們變得更加嚴謹，

about where we are trying to head to.

去明確我們到底想要朝著哪裡前進。

If an ideal seems utterly distant and hopeless,

如果一個理想看起來極其遙不可及和毫無希望，

maybe the problem isn't that it's too idealistic, 表達脈絡

也許問題不在於它太理想化，

but, in a strange but important way,

而在於，以一種奇怪但重要的方式來看，

actually not idealistic enough.

它其實不夠理想化。

That is, we've not quite yet discovered the form. 講解

也就是說，我們還沒有完全發現那個「理型」。

We shouldn't abandon our ideals.

我們不應該放棄理想。

We should get more ambitious about them,

我們應該對它們抱有更大的雄心，

and Plato's philosophy is on hand to help us. 慣用語

而柏拉圖的哲學隨時可以為我們提供幫助。