社會學 - 艾彌爾·涂爾幹：英語精讀講義

Émile Durkheim is the philosopher

艾彌爾·涂爾幹（Émile Durkheim）是一位哲學家，

who can best help us to understand

他能最好地幫助我們理解

why capitalism

為什麼資本主義

makes us richer

讓我們更富有，

and yet frequently more miserable. 表達脈絡

卻往往讓我們更痛苦。

He was born in 1858

他於 1858 年出生

in the little French town of Épinal

在法國小鎮埃皮納勒，

near the German border.

靠近德國邊境。

Before he was 40,

在 40 歲之前，

Durkheim was appointed to a powerful and prestigious position 片語搭配

涂爾幹被任命為一個有權勢且聲望很高的職位，

as a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris.

擔任巴黎索邦大學的教授。

Durkheim lived through the immense rapid transformation of France 片語動詞

涂爾幹經歷了法國巨大的快速轉型，

from a largely traditional agricultural society 文法

從一個主要為傳統的農業社會

to an urban industrial economy.

變成了一個都市化的工業經濟體。

He could see that his country was getting richer,

他能看到他的國家變得越來越富有，

that capitalism was extraordinarily productive,

資本主義有著驚人的生產力，

and in certain ways that it was also liberating.

而且在某些方面也解放了人們。

But what particularly struck him and became the focus of his entire scholarly career 用詞

但特別令他震驚、並成為他整個學術生涯焦點的，

was that the economic system was doing something very peculiar to people's minds.

是這個經濟體系正在對人們的思想產生非常奇特的影響。

It was, quite literally, 表達脈絡

毫不誇張地說，它正在

driving them to suicide 片語搭配

驅使人們走向自殺，

in ever-increasing numbers.

並且人數在不斷增加。

This was the immense insight

這是他極其重要的深刻見解，

unveiled in Durkheim's most important work,

在涂爾幹最重要的著作中被揭示，

Suicide, published in 1897.

那就是 1897 年出版的《自殺論》。

The book chronicled a remarkable and tragic discovery,

這本書記錄了一個引人注目且悲慘的發現，

that suicide rates seem to shoot up once a nation has become industrialized 片語動詞

即一旦一個國家工業化、

and consumer capitalism takes hold. 片語動詞

消費資本主義站穩腳跟，自殺率似乎就會飆升。

Durkheim observed that the suicide rate in the Britain of his day

涂爾幹觀察到，當時英國的自殺率

was double that of Italy, 文法

是義大利的兩倍，

but in even richer and more advanced Denmark,

而在更富裕、更先進的丹麥，

it was four times higher than in the UK. 文法

它的自殺率是英國的四倍。

Durkheim's focus on suicide

涂爾幹對自殺的關注，

was intended to shed light on a more general level 慣用語

旨在揭示一種更普遍的現象，

of unhappiness and despair in society.

即社會中的不快樂與絕望。

Suicide was the horrific tip of the iceberg 慣用語

自殺只是冰山那可怕的一角，

of mental distress created by modern capitalism.

下面是現代資本主義造成的精神痛苦。

Across his career,

在他整個職業生涯中，

Durkheim tried to explain why people had become so unhappy in modern societies,

涂爾幹試圖解釋為什麼現代社會中的人變得如此不快樂，

and he isolated five crucial factors.

他總結出了五個關鍵因素。

In traditional societies,

在傳統社會中，

people's identities are closely tied to belonging 片語搭配

人們的身份認同與歸屬感緊密相連，

to a clan or a class.

比如屬於某個氏族或階級。

Few choices are involved.

其中幾乎沒有選擇的餘地。

A person might be a baker,

一個人可能是一名麵包師、

a Lutheran,

一名路德教徒、

or married to their second cousin

或者與自己的二表親結婚，

without ever having made any self-conscious decisions 文法

從來沒有做過任何自主的決定。

for themselves.

對他們自己而言。

They can just step into a place created for them 慣用語

他們可以直接步入那個為他們創造好的位置，

by their family and the existing fabric of society. 慣用語

這個位置由他們的家庭和現有的社會結構鋪就。

But under modern capitalism,

但在現代資本主義下，

it's the individual that now begins to choose everything, 文法

現在是由個人開始選擇一切，

what job to take,

選擇做什麼工作、

what religion to follow,

信仰什麼宗教、

who to marry,

跟誰結婚、

and where to belong.

以及歸屬於哪裡。

If things go well,

如果一切順利，

the individual takes all the credit, 片語搭配

個人包攬所有的功勞，

but if things go badly,

但如果事情進展不順，

the individual is in a crueler place

個人所處的境地就比以往

than ever before,

任何時候都更加殘酷，

for it seemingly means that there is no one else to blame

因為這似乎意味著除了他們自己，

but they themselves.

沒有別人可以責怪。

Failure becomes a terrible judgment

失敗成了對個人

upon the individual.

一種可怕的審判。

This is the particular burden of life

這就是現代資本主義中

in modern capitalism.

生活特有的重擔。

Capitalism raises hope.

資本主義燃起希望。

Everyone with effort can become the boss.

只要努力，人人都能當老闆。

Advertising stokes ambition 片語搭配

廣告煽動著野心，

by showing us limitless luxury

向我們展示著無盡的奢華，

that we could,

這本可以是我們的，

if we play our cards right, 慣用語

只要我們處理得當，

secure very soon.

很快就能得到。

The opportunities are said to be enormous,

據說機會是巨大的，

but so too are the possibilities for disappointment. 文法

但失望的可能性也同樣巨大。

In modern capitalism,

在現代資本主義中，

envy grows rife.

嫉妒變得猖獗。

It's easy to become deeply dissatisfied

人很容易對自己的命運

with one's lot, 用詞

感到極度不滿，

not because it's objectively awful,

不是因為客觀上它有多糟糕，

but because of tormenting thoughts

而是因為那種折磨人的想法，

about all that is almost but not quite within reach. 慣用語

想到那些幾乎觸手可及卻又遙不可及的東西。

The cheery boosterish side of capitalism 用詞

資本主義那種令人愉悅的、吹噓的一面，

attracted Durkheim's particular annoyance.

尤其惹惱了涂爾幹。

In his view,

在他看來，

modern society struggled to admit

現代社會很難承認，

that life just is often quite painful and sad.

生活往往就是非常痛苦和悲傷的。

Our tendencies to grief and sorrow

我們悲傷和哀慟的傾向

are made to look like signs of failure, 文法

被弄得看起來像是失敗的標誌，

rather than, 表達脈絡

而不是

as should be the case,

它們本應是的那樣——

a fair response to the arduous facts of the human condition.

對人類生存艱難事實的合理反應。

One of the complaints against traditional societies,

對傳統社會的一種抱怨，

strongly voiced in romantic literature,

在浪漫主義文學中被強烈地表達出來，

is that people need more freedom.

那就是人們需要更多的自由。

Rebellious types used to complain that there were far too many social norms, 文法

叛逆者過去常抱怨社會規範太多了，

norms telling you what to wear,

規範告訴你該穿什麼、

what you're supposed to do on Sunday afternoons, 文法

星期天下午你該做什麼、

what parts of an arm it's respectable for a woman to reveal.

女人露出手臂的哪個部位才是體面的。

Capitalism,

資本主義，

following the earlier efforts of romantic rebels,

追隨著早期浪漫主義叛逆者的努力，

has relentlessly undermined social norms. 片語搭配

已經無情地破壞了社會規範。

Countries have become more complex,

國家變得更加複雜、

more anonymous,

更加匿名、

and more diverse.

更加多樣化。

People don't have so much in common 片語搭配

人們之間已經沒有那麼多的

with one another anymore.

共同點了。

The collective answers to even very important questions

即使是對那些非常重要問題的集體回答，

like who you should marry or how you should bring up your children 片語動詞

比如你應該和誰結婚，或者你應該如何撫養你的孩子，

have become weaker and less specific.

也已經變得越來越微弱和不具體。

There's a lot of reliance on the phrase,

很多人依賴這樣一句話，

"Whatever works for you," 語氣意圖

「適合你的就好」，

which sounds friendly,

這聽起來很友好，

but it also means that society doesn't much care what you do

但它也意味著社會並不太關心你做什麼，

and doesn't feel confident it has good answers

並且沒有信心說，對你人生中的那些大問題

to the big questions of your life.

它能有很好的答案。

In upbeat moments,

在樂觀的時候，

we like to think of ourselves as fully up to the task 慣用語

我們喜歡認為自己完全能夠勝任

of reinventing life and working everything out for ourselves. 片語動詞

重塑生活和為自己解決一切問題的任務。

But in reality,

但在現實中，

as Durkheim knew,

正如涂爾幹所知，

we're often simply too tired,

我們往往只是太累了、

too busy,

太忙了、

too uncertain,

太不確定了，

and then there's nowhere to turn. 慣用語

然後就會發現無處求助。

Durkheim was himself an atheist,

涂爾幹本人是個無神論者，

but he worried that religion had become implausible

但他擔心宗教已經變得不再可信，

just as its best side,

恰恰在它最好的一面，

its communal side,

它的公共層面，

would have been most useful to repair the fraying social fabric. 講解

本來可以最有效地修復脆弱的社會結構的時候。

Despite its factual errors and its fantastical dimensions, 文法

儘管它存在事實錯誤和虛幻的層面，

Durkheim appreciated religion.

涂爾幹卻很欣賞宗教。

He knew that the sense of community and consolation

他知道宗教提供的社區感和慰藉感

that religion offer are highly important to people.

對人們來說非常重要。

Capitalism has,

到目前為止，

as yet, 用詞

資本主義

offered nothing to replace this with.

還沒有提供任何東西來替代它。

Science certainly doesn't offer the same opportunities

科學肯定無法提供同等的

for powerful shared experiences.

強大的共享體驗的機會。

The periodic table might well possess a transcendent beauty 文法

元素週期表或許擁有超凡脫俗的美感，

and be a marvel of intellectual elegance,

是智慧優雅的奇蹟，

but it can't draw a society together around it. 片語動詞

但它無法將一個社會團結在它周圍。

In the 19th century,

在 19 世紀，

it had looked at certain moments

在某些時刻似乎

as if the idea of the nation might grow so powerful and intense 文法

民族的觀念可能會變得如此強大和強烈，

that it could take up the sense of belonging and shared devotion

以至於它可以取代歸屬感和共同信仰，

that had once been supplied by religion.

而這曾經是由宗教提供的。

Admittedly, 表達脈絡

誠然，

there were some heroic moments,

曾經有過一些英雄時刻，

but they generally didn't work out very well. 片語動詞

但它們通常結果並不太好。

Family too seemed for a time

家庭也曾一度似乎

to offer the experience of belonging

提供了一種歸屬感體驗，

that people seem to need.

這是人們似乎需要的。

But today,

但今天，

although we do indeed invest hugely in our families, 文法

儘管我們確實在家庭上投入巨大，

they're not as stable as we might hope, 文法

家庭並不像我們希望的那樣穩定，

and by adulthood,

到了成年時期，

children are hardly tied to their parents anymore. 片語搭配

孩子們幾乎不再和父母綁在一起。

They don't expect to work alongside them,

他們不期望與父母一起工作，

they don't expect their social circles to overlap,

不期望他們的社交圈有所重合，

and they don't feel that their parents' honor is in their hands. 慣用語

也不覺得父母的榮譽掌握在自己手中。

Today,

今天，

neither family nor the nation 文法

無論是家庭還是國家，

are well placed to take up the task 片語動詞

都沒有處於能夠承擔起這個任務的良好位置，

of giving us a larger sense of belonging,

去給我們一種更大的歸屬感，

of giving us the feeling

去給我們一種感覺，

that we're part of something more valuable than ourselves.

即我們是某種比我們自身更有價值的事物的一部分。

Émile Durkheim was a master diagnostician 慣用語

艾彌爾·涂爾幹是我們社會病症的

of our ills.

診斷大師。

He shows us that modern economies put tremendous pressures on individuals 片語搭配

他向我們展示了現代經濟給個人帶來了巨大的壓力，

and leave them dangerously bereft of authoritative guidance 用詞

並且危險地使他們喪失了權威的指導

and communal solace.

和集體的慰藉。

We are all Durkheim's heirs 慣用語

我們都是涂爾幹的繼承人，

and still have ahead of us

而且我們面前仍然擺著

the task that he grappled with, 片語動詞

他曾努力解決的任務，

how we can create new ways of belonging, 表達脈絡

我們如何能夠創造出新的歸屬感方式，

how we can take some of the pressure off individuals 片語動詞

我們如何能夠減輕個人身上的一些壓力，

and find a more correct balance between freedom and solidarity, 片語搭配

並在自由與團結之間找到更正確的平衡，

and how to generate ideologies

以及如何產生新的思想觀念，

that will allow us not to be so tough on ourselves 片語搭配

使得我們在面對失敗和挫折時，

for our failures and our setbacks.

不再對自己那麼苛刻。