什麼是存在主義危機？：英語精讀講義

One of the touching signs of the influence of philosophy on everyday life

哲學對日常生活影響的一個動人標誌，

is that people can sometimes be heard to complain 文法

就是有時能聽到人們抱怨說，

that they're going through what they call an existential crisis. 講解

他們正在經歷所謂的「存在主義危機」。

The phrase may be being used rather casually and vaguely, 文法

這個詞可能被用得比較隨意和含糊，

but it nevertheless touches on one of the major traditions of European philosophy, 片語動詞

但它仍然觸及了歐洲哲學的一個主要傳統，

closely associated with the ideas of five philosophers in particular:

尤其與五位哲學家的思想密切相關：

Kierkegaard,

齊克果、

Camus,

卡繆、

Nietzsche,

尼采、

Heidegger,

海德格、

and Sartre.

還有沙特。

Though these thinkers disagreed on many things,

儘管這些思想家在許多事情上意見不一，

it is possible via their thought to come to a coherent view 片語搭配

但透過他們的思想，還是有可能得出一個連貫的觀點，

of what an existential crisis really is

來解釋究竟什麼是存在主義危機，

and when it might therefore be helpful to refer to ourselves as going through one.

以及在什麼情況下，稱自己正在經歷這種危機是有幫助的。

The crisis is marked by five distinctive features.

這種危機具有五個顯著特徵。

Firstly, it's a period

首先，這是一段特定的時期，

when a lot that had previously seemed like common sense or normal

此時，許多以前看似常識或正常的事物，

reveals its contingent, chance, uncanny, and relative nature. 用詞

會暴露出其偶然、隨機、離奇和相對的本質。

For example, we might start to wonder

例如，我們可能會開始好奇，

why we live in this part of the world rather than any other.

為什麼我們住在這個世界上，而不是其他地方。

Why are we doing this job and not something else?

為什麼我們在做這份工作，而不是別的事情？

Why are we with this partner and are following this set of social norms?

為什麼我們要和這個伴侶在一起，並遵循這一套社會規範？

In short, we realize, rather disturbingly, 表達脈絡

簡而言之，我們會不安地意識到，

that there are far more options beneath the surface 慣用語

表面之下隱藏的選擇，

than we normally allow ourselves to imagine. 片語搭配

遠比我們通常允許自己想像的要多得多。

We are freer than we thought. 文法

我們比自己想像的要自由。

Secondly, this revelation is acutely anxiety-inducing. 用詞

其次，這種頓悟極易引發焦慮。

A recognition of our freedom doesn't bring with it calm, 片語搭配

認識到我們的自由並不會帶來平靜，

quite the opposite. 表達脈絡

恰恰相反。

We recognize that we'd been deluding ourselves about what had to be. 片語搭配

我們意識到，我們一直在欺騙自己什麼是必然的。

No one really cares quite as much as we'd thought

沒人真的像我們想像的那樣在乎

about what we are and have chosen to do.

我們是誰，以及我們選擇了做什麼。

We could change everything around.

我們可以改變周圍的一切。

We come to a disturbing awareness

我們會得出一個令人不安的認知：

that our ultimate responsibility is to ourselves, 表達脈絡

我們的最終責任是對自己負責，

not the social world.

而不是對社會負責。

Third, we develop a heightened awareness of death.

第三，我們對死亡的意識會增強。

Time is short and running out. 片語動詞

時間短暫，而且正在流逝。

We need to reexamine our lives,

我們需要重新審視我們的生活，

but the clock is ticking ever louder. 慣用語

但時鐘的滴答聲卻越來越大。

Fourth, and crucially for all the existential philosophers,

第四，對於所有的存在主義哲學家來說至關重要的一點是，

we have many choices,

我們有很多選擇，

but are by the nature of the human condition

但受制於人類生存狀況的本質，

denied the information we would need to choose with ultimate wisdom or certainty.

我們缺乏用終極智慧或確定性來做出選擇所需的資訊。

We are forced to decide but can never be assured that we've done so adequately. 文法

我們被迫做出決定，但永遠無法確信自己做得是否足夠好。

We are steering blind, 慣用語

我們在盲目駕駛，

and therefore we can be guaranteed to make a lot of mistakes.

因此，我們可以確定自己會犯很多錯誤。

The condition of mankind is to have to plot our course in the dark

人類的生存狀態就是不得不在黑暗中規劃路線，

without adequate reason or insight.

沒有充分的理由或洞察力。

This leads to another favorite word for the existentialists, anxiety.

這引出了存在主義者另一個最喜歡的詞：焦慮。

The human condition is to be anxious, not about this or that particular thing, 文法

人類的生存狀態就是焦慮，不是為了某件特定的事，

but as a basic feature of our lives,

而是作為我們生活的基本特徵，

because we must always choose without any security that we've chosen well 表達脈絡

因為我們必須不斷做出選擇，既無法保證選得對，

and without sufficient time to explore the options.

也沒有足夠的時間去探索其他選項。

This can all sound perilous and dispiriting,

這一切聽起來可能既危險又令人沮喪，

yet the existential philosophers don't mean to depress us. 用詞

然而存在主義哲學家並不是想讓我們感到抑鬱。

They want to lend dignity and grandeur to dilemmas 片語搭配

他們想為這些困境賦予尊嚴和宏大感，

which we too often think of as ours alone

我們往往認為只有自己才面臨這些困境，

and therefore feel ashamed about

並因此感到羞愧，

as some personal curse

把它當成個人的詛咒，

when they are in fact fundamental features of the human condition

但實際上，它們是人類生存狀況的基本特徵，

which ennoble us when we consider them with sufficient depth.

當我們足夠深入地思考它們時，它們會使我們變得高尚。

The existentialists offer us a useful corrective 片語搭配

存在主義者為我們提供了一種有用的糾正，

to a normal pernicious view

以糾正一種常見且有害的觀點：

that intelligent choice might be possible and untragic in structure.

即理性的選擇是可能的，且其結構不是悲劇性的。

An existential approach tempers the modern sentimental notion

存在主義的方法緩和了現代人的多愁善感，

that perfection is within reach. 慣用語

即認為完美觸手可及。

That you suffer from the agony of choice 慣用語

你遭受選擇的痛苦

isn't some anomaly, 表達脈絡

並不是什麼異常現象，

it's one of the most predictable and poignant things about being alive.

它是活著最可預見也最令人心酸的事情之一。

This is a message we benefit from hearing quite often

這是一個我們經常聽到便會受益的訊息，

because what helps with regret is the knowledge 文法

因為能緩解遺憾的，就是認識到

that in fact every life is burdened by it in some shape or form. 慣用語

事實上，每個人的生活都以某種形式背負著遺憾。

The regret-free life exists only in movies and songs. 用詞

沒有遺憾的生活只存在於電影和歌曲中。

The way to diminish our anxiety and panic is to alleviate the sense 文法

減少我們的焦慮和恐慌的方法是，消除這樣一種感覺：

that one had the option to choose correctly, but failed. 片語搭配

即我們本來有機會做出正確的選擇，但卻失敗了。

A degree of disappointment is, 片語搭配

一定程度的失望，

as the existential philosophers so beautifully admitted,

正如存在主義哲學家們如此美妙地承認的那樣，

just simply the human condition.

恰恰就是人類的生存狀況。