哲學 - 柏拉圖：英語精讀講義

Athens 2400 years ago, it's a compact place.

2400年前的雅典，是個小巧緊湊的地方。

Only about a quarter of a million people live here.

這裡只生活著大約25萬人口。

There are fine baths, theaters, temples, shopping arcades, and gymnasiums.

有著精美的浴場、劇院、神廟、購物廊和體育館。

It's warm for more than half the year.

這裡一年大半的時間都很溫暖。

This is also home to the world's first true and probably greatest philosopher, Plato.

這裡也是世界上第一位真正的、或許也是最偉大的哲學家——柏拉圖的故鄉。

Born into a prominent and wealthy family in the city,

出生於這座城市的一個顯赫富裕家庭，

Plato devoted his life to one goal, 片語搭配

柏拉圖將自己的一生奉獻給了一個目標，

helping people to reach a state of what he termed Eudaimonia or fulfillment. 文化背景

幫助人們達到他所謂的「Eudaimonia」即圓滿的狀態。

Plato is often confused with Socrates. 片語搭配

柏拉圖經常被與蘇格拉底混淆。

Socrates was an older friend who taught Plato a lot but didn't write any books.

蘇格拉底是一位年長的朋友，他教了柏拉圖很多東西，但沒有寫下任何著作。

Plato wrote lots of them,

柏拉圖則寫了很多，

36, all dialogues,

36部，全都是對話錄，

beautifully crafted scripts of imaginary discussions

那些都是經過精心雕琢的虛構討論劇本，

in which Socrates is always allotted a starring role. 片語搭配

在其中蘇格拉底總是被分配到主角的位置。

Among them,

其中包括，

The Republic, The Symposium, The Laws, The Meno, and The Apology.

《理想國》、《會飲篇》、《法律篇》、《曼諾篇》和《申辯篇》。

Plato had four big ideas for making life more fulfilled.

柏拉圖有四個能讓生活變得更圓滿的偉大思想。

First big idea,

第一個偉大思想，

think more.

多思考。

We rarely give ourselves time to think carefully and logically about our lives

我們很少給自己時間去仔細且合乎邏輯地思考我們的生活

and how to live them.

以及該如何去生活。

Sometimes we just go along with what the Greeks called doxa 講解

有時我們只是順從希臘人所說的「doxa」

or popular opinions.

也就是大眾的意見。

In the 36 books he wrote,

在他寫下的36本書中，

Plato showed this common-sense to be riddled with errors, 慣用語

柏拉圖指出了這種常識充滿了錯誤、

prejudice, and superstition.

偏見和迷信。

Fame is great.

名氣是極好的。

Follow your heart.

追隨你的心。

Money is the key to a good life.

金錢是美好生活的關鍵。

The problem is popular opinions edge us towards the wrong values, 用詞

問題在於大眾的意見將我們推向了錯誤的價值觀、

careers, and relationships.

職業和人際關係。

Plato's answer is know yourself. 文化背景

柏拉圖的答案是認識你自己。

It means doing a special kind of therapy,

這意味著進行一種特殊的治療，

philosophy.

即哲學。

Subjecting your ideas to examination 片語搭配

讓你的思想接受審視，

rather than acting on impulse. 片語搭配

而不是憑衝動行事。

If you strengthen your self-knowledge,

如果你加強了自我認知，

you don't get so pulled around by feelings.

你就不會被感情牽著鼻子走。

Plato compared the role of our feelings 表達脈絡

柏拉圖把我們感情的作用比作

to being dragged dangerously along

被危險地拖拽著前行，

by a group of wild horses.

而拖拽我們的是一群野馬。

In honor of his mentor and friend Socrates,

為了向他的導師和朋友蘇格拉底致敬，

this kind of examination is called a Socratic discussion. 文化背景

這種審視被稱為蘇格拉底式討論。

You can have it with yourself or ideally with another person

你可以和自己進行，或者理想情況下與另一個人一起進行，

who isn't trying to catch you out 片語動詞

這個人並不想抓你的把柄，

but wants to help you clarify your own ideas.

而是想幫你理清你自己的想法。

Second big idea,

第二個偉大思想，

let your lover change you.

讓你的愛人改變你。

That sounds weird if you think that love means finding someone

如果你認為愛意味著尋找一個

who wants you just the way you are. 片語搭配

喜歡你本來面目的人，這聽起來會很奇怪。

In The Symposium, 文化背景

在《會飲篇》中，

Plato's play about a dinner party

柏拉圖的一部關於晚宴的戲劇，

where a group of friends drink too much and get talking about love, sex, and relationships,

一群朋友在宴會上喝多了，開始談論愛情、性和人際關係，

Plato says true love is admiration.

柏拉圖說真正的愛是欽佩。

In other words, 表達脈絡

換句話說，

the person you need to get together with 片語動詞

你需要結合的那個人

should have very good qualities which you yourself lack. 文法

應該具備你自己所缺乏的優秀品質。

Let's say they should be really brave 表達脈絡

比如說他們應該非常勇敢，

or organized or warm and sincere.

或者有條理，或者溫暖真誠。

By getting close to this person, 文法

透過靠近這個人，

you can become a little like they are.

你可以變得有點像他們。

The right person for us

對我們來說正確的人

helps us grow to our full potential. 片語搭配

會幫助我們發揮出全部潛力。

For Plato,

對於柏拉圖來說，

in a good relationship,

在一段良好的關係中，

a couple shouldn't love each other exactly as they are right now.

伴侶不應該愛對方現在的樣子。

They should be committed to educating each other 片語搭配

他們應該致力於教育彼此，

and to enduring the stormy passages this inevitably involves. 慣用語

並忍受這不可避免會捲入的風暴。

Each person should want to seduce the other 用詞

每個人都應該想要引導對方

into becoming a better version of themselves.

成為更好版本的自己。

Three,

第三，

decode the message of beauty.

解讀美的訊息。

Everyone pretty much likes beautiful things, 片語搭配

幾乎每個人都喜歡美麗的事物，

Plato was the first to ask,

柏拉圖是第一個問出這樣問題的人，

why do we like them?

為什麼我們喜歡它們？

He found a fascinating reason.

他找到了一個迷人的原因。

Beautiful objects are whispering important truths 慣用語

美麗的事物在低聲訴說著重要的真理，

to us about the good life.

向我們訴說美好生活的真理。

We find things beautiful

我們覺得事物美麗，

when we unconsciously sense in them qualities we need 文法

是因為我們在潛意識中感受到了我們所需要、

but are missing in our lives.

但在生活中卻缺乏的品質。

Gentleness,

溫柔，

harmony, balance,

和諧，平衡，

peace, strength.

寧靜，力量。

Beautiful objects,

因此，

therefore, 表達脈絡

美麗的事物

have a really important function.

有著一個非常重要的功能。

They help to educate our souls.

它們幫助教育我們的靈魂。

Ugliness is a serious matter too.

醜陋也是一件嚴肅的事情。

It parades dangerous and damaged characteristics in front of us.

它在我們面前展示著危險和受損的特徵。

It makes it harder to be wise, kind, and calm.

它讓我們更難變得明智、善良和從容。

Plato sees art as therapeutic. 片語搭配

柏拉圖認為藝術具有治療作用。

It's the duty of poets and painters and nowadays novelists, 文法

如今這是詩人、畫家以及小說家、

TV producers, and designers

電視製作人和設計師的責任，

to help us to live good lives.

去幫助我們過上美好的生活。

Four,

第四，

reform society.

改革社會。

Plato spent a lot of time thinking

柏拉圖花了很多時間思考

how the government and society should ideally be.

理想的政府和社會應該是怎樣的。

He was the world's first utopia thinker.

他是世界上第一位烏托邦思想家。

In this,

在這一點上，

he was inspired by Athens's great rival, 文化背景

他受到了雅典的偉大宿敵——

Sparta.

斯巴達的啟發。

This was a city-sized machine 慣用語

這是一個城市規模的機器，

for turning out great soldiers. 片語動詞

專門用來培養偉大的士兵。

Everything the Spartans did,

斯巴達人所做的一切，

how they raised their children,

他們如何撫養孩子，

how their economy was organized,

他們的經濟如何組織，

whom they admired,

他們欽佩什麼人，

how they had sex,

他們如何進行性生活，

what they ate,

他們吃什麼，

was tailored to that one goal. 片語搭配

都是為了那一個目標量身定制的。

And Sparta was hugely successful

從軍事角度來看，

from a military point of view. 片語搭配

斯巴達取得了巨大的成功。

But that wasn't Plato's concern.

但那並不是柏拉圖所關心的。

He wanted to know,

他想知道，

how could a society get better at producing not military power, 文法

一個社會如何才能更擅長創造的不是軍事力量，

but fulfilled people?

而是獲得圓滿的人？

In his book,

在他的著作

The Republic,

《理想國》中，

Plato identifies a number of changes that should be made.

柏拉圖指出了一系列應該進行的改變。

Athenian society was very focused on the rich,

雅典社會非常關注富人，

like the louche aristocrat Alcibiades, 用詞

比如聲名狼藉的貴族亞西比德，

and sports celebrities like the boxer Milo of Croton.

以及像克羅頓的米羅這樣的體育明星。

Plato wasn't impressed.

柏拉圖對此不以為然。

It really matters who we admire

我們欽佩誰真的很重要，

because celebrities influence our outlook,

因為名人會影響我們的世界觀、

ideas, and conduct.

思想和行為。

And bad heroes give glamour to flaws of character. 慣用語

而糟糕的英雄給性格缺陷披上了魅力的外衣。

Plato therefore wanted to give Athens new celebrities,

因此，柏拉圖想給雅典帶來新的名人，

replacing the current crop with ideally wise and good people he called guardians, 講解

用他稱之為「護衛者」的理想中明智而優秀的人來取代現有的這批人，

models for everyone's good development.

成為每個人良好發展的榜樣。

These people would be distinguished by their record of public service, 片語搭配

這些人將因其公共服務的紀錄、

their modesty and simple habits,

他們謙遜和簡單的生活習慣、

their dislike of the limelight, 慣用語

他們對出風頭的厭惡，

and their wide and deep experience.

以及他們廣泛而深刻的經驗而受人尊敬。

They would be the most honored and admired people in society.

他們將成為社會中最受尊敬和欽佩的人。

He also wanted to end democracy in Athens.

他還想結束雅典的民主制度。

He wasn't crazy. 表達脈絡

他沒瘋。

He just observed how few people think

他只是觀察到了有很少人在投票前

properly before they vote.

進行了適當的思考。

And therefore,

因而，

we get very substandard rulers.

我們得到了非常不合格的統治者。

He didn't want to replace democracy with a horrid dictatorship,

他不想用可怕的獨裁來取代民主，

but he wanted to prevent people from voting 文法

但他想阻止人們投票，

until they'd started to think rationally.

直到他們開始理性思考。

That is,

也就是說，

until they'd become philosophers.

直到他們成為哲學家。

Otherwise,

否則，

government would just be a kind of mob rule. 文化背景

政府只會變成一種暴民統治。

To help the process,

為了幫助這個過程，

Plato started a school,

柏拉圖在雅典創辦了一所學校，

The Academy in Athens, 文化背景

即雅典學院，

which lasted a good 300 years. 用詞

持續了足足300年。

There,

在那裡，

pupils learnt not just maths and spelling, 文法

學生們不僅學習數學和拼寫，

but also how to be good and kind.

還學習如何變得優秀和善良。

His ultimate goal

他的最終目標

was that politicians should become philosophers.

是讓政治家成為哲學家。

The world will not be right,

世界不會走上正軌，

he said,

他說，

until kings become philosophers or philosophers kings. 文法

除非國王成為哲學家，或者哲學家成為國王。