中英-高級(jí)英語(yǔ)1-何兆熊-Unit-1---Chinese-Humanism

1、中英-高級(jí)英語(yǔ)1-何兆熊-Unit-1-Chinese-HumanismUnit 1 Chinese Humanism1. To understand the Chinese ideal of life one must try to understand Chinese humanism. The term 'humanism' is ambiguous. Chinese humanism, however, has a very definite meaning. It implies, first a just conception of the ends of huma

2、n life; secondly, a complete devotion to these ends; and the thirdly, the attainment of these ends by the spirit of human reasonableness or the Doctrine of the Golden Mean, Which may also be called the Religion of common sense.要了解中國(guó)人的人生理想，就必須先了解中國(guó)的人文主義。 “人文主義”這個(gè)詞含義模糊含混，然而中國(guó)的人文主義卻有它明確的界說(shuō)。它的意思是：第一，對(duì)人生

3、目的的確切認(rèn)識(shí)；第二，為實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目的而行動(dòng)；第三，實(shí)現(xiàn)的方式是心平氣和，即中庸之道，也可稱作“庸見(jiàn)的崇拜”。2. The question of the meaning of life has perplexed Western philosophers, and it has never been solved- naturally, when one starts out from the technological point of view, according to which all things, including mosquitoes and typhoid germs, a

4、re created for the good of this cocksure humanity. As there is usually too much pain and misery in this life to allow a perfect answer to satisfy man's pride, teleology is therefore carried over to the next life, and this earthly life is then looked upon as a preparation for the life hereafter,

5、in conformity with the logic of2 / 6中英-高級(jí)英語(yǔ)1-何兆熊 -Unit-1-Chinese-HumanismSocrates, which looked upon a ferocious wife as a natural provision for the training of the husband's character. This way of dodging the homes of the dilemma sometimes gives peace of mind for a moment, but then the eternal

6、question,“ what is themeaning of life?com” es back. Others, like Nietzsche, take thebull by the horns and refuse to assume that life must have a meaning and believe that progress is in a circle, and human achievements are a savage dance, instead of a trip to the market, but still the question comes

7、back eternally, like the sea waves lapping upon the shore: wha“t is the meaning of the life? ”人生的意義是什么，這個(gè)問(wèn)題一直使西方哲學(xué)家備受困惑。他們從目的論出發(fā)，認(rèn)為包括蚊子乃至傷寒菌在內(nèi)的萬(wàn)事萬(wàn)物，都是為這個(gè)自負(fù)的人類(lèi)的利益而存在的。如此這般，人生的意義就從來(lái)沒(méi)有揭示出來(lái)過(guò)。今生今世自有百般磨難，因而自傲的人類(lèi)始終無(wú)法事事如意。于是目的論又轉(zhuǎn)向來(lái)生來(lái)世，把今生的世俗生活看作為來(lái)世所進(jìn)行的準(zhǔn)備。這與蘇格拉底的邏輯恰好符合，即認(rèn)為一個(gè)兇悍的妻子對(duì)她丈夫的性格錘煉來(lái)說(shuō)，是一種天然的恩賜。以此躲避人生的難

8、題固然可以使人暫時(shí)心平氣和，但問(wèn)題仍舊沒(méi)有答案： “人生的意義何在？”另外有一些人，像尼采那樣知難而上，否認(rèn)人生“必須”有什么意義，認(rèn)為人類(lèi)的進(jìn)步不過(guò)是一種循環(huán)，一種野蠻人的舞蹈，而不是去市場(chǎng)采購(gòu)，所以沒(méi)有什么特殊的含義。然而問(wèn)題還是沒(méi)能解決，它就像海浪一樣不斷沖擊著堤岸： “人生的意義究竟何在？”3. The Chinese humanists believe they have found the true end of life and are conscious of it. For the Chinese the end of life lies not in life after

9、death, for the idea that we live in orderto die, as taught by Christianity, is incomprehensible; nor in Nirvana, for that is too vainglorious; nor yet in progress for progress s sake, for that is meaningless. The true end, the Chinese have decided in a singularly clear manner, lies in the 2 / 6中英-高級(jí)

10、英語(yǔ)1-何兆熊-Unit-1-Chinese-Humanismenjoyment of a simple life especially the family life, and in harmonious social relationships. The first poem that a children learns in school runs:While soft clouds by warm breezes are wafted in the moon, Lured by flowers, past the river I roam on and on.Theyll say “l(fā)

11、ook at the old man in the spree! ”And know not that my sprit s on happiness borne.中國(guó)的人文主義者認(rèn)為自己找到了人生的真諦，并時(shí)時(shí)意識(shí)到這一點(diǎn)。在中國(guó)人看來(lái)， 人生在世并非為了死后的來(lái)生，對(duì)于基督教所謂此生為來(lái)世的觀點(diǎn)，他們大惑不解，他們進(jìn)而認(rèn)為：佛教所謂升入涅槃境界，過(guò)于玄虛；為了獲得成功的歡樂(lè)而奮斗，純屬虛榮；為了進(jìn)步而去進(jìn)步，則是毫無(wú)意義。中國(guó)人明確認(rèn)為：人生的真諦在于享受淳樸的生活，尤其是家庭生活的歡樂(lè)和社會(huì)諸關(guān)系的和睦，兒童入學(xué)伊始，第一首詩(shī)便是：云淡風(fēng)輕近午天，傍花隨柳 過(guò)前川。時(shí)人不識(shí)余心樂(lè)，將謂偷

12、閑學(xué)少年。4. That represents to Chinese, not just a pleasant poetic mood but the summer bonum of life. The Chinese ideal of life is drunk through with this sentiment. It is an ideal of life that is neither particularly ambitious nor metaphysical, but nevertheless immensely real. It is, I must say, a bril

13、liantly simple idea, so brilliantly simple that only the mater-of-fact Chinese mind could have conceived it, and yet one often wonders how the West could have failed to see that the meaning of lies in the sane and healthy enjoyment of it. The difference between China and West seems to be that the we

14、sterners have a greater capacity for getting and making more things and a lesser ability to enjoy them, while the Chinese have a greater determination and capacity to enjoy the few things they have. This trait, our concentration on earthy happiness, is much as a result as a cause of the absence of r

15、eligion. For if one can not believe in the life hereafter as the consummation of the present life, one is forced to make the most of this life before the farce is over. The absence of religion makes this concentration possible.在中國(guó)人看來(lái)，這不僅代表片刻的詩(shī)意般的快樂(lè)心境，并且是追求人生幸福的目標(biāo)。中國(guó)人就是陶醉在這樣一種人生理想之中，它既不曖昧，又不玄虛，而是十分實(shí)在

16、。我必須說(shuō)，這是一種異常簡(jiǎn)單的理想，簡(jiǎn)單到非中國(guó)人老實(shí)巴交的頭腦想不出來(lái)。我們時(shí)常納悶，西方人何以竟想不到人生的意義在于純凈平安地享受生活。中國(guó)與歐洲的不同，似乎在于西方人有更大的能力去獲取和創(chuàng)造，享受事物的能力則較小， 而中國(guó)人享受僅有一點(diǎn)東西的決心和能力都比較大。把精力集中在世俗的幸福，這一特性是我們?nèi)狈ψ诮痰脑?，也是它的結(jié)果。因?yàn)槿绻粋€(gè)人不相信有一個(gè)緊接著今生今世的來(lái)生來(lái)世，他就會(huì)在今生的一切消逝之前盡情享受，而宗教的缺乏又使這種想法變成可能。5. From this a humanism is developed which frankly proclaims a man-cent

17、ered universe, and lays down the rule that the end of all knowledge is to serve human happiness. The humanizing of knowledge is not an easy thing, for the moment man swerves, he is carried away by his logic and becomes a tool of his own knowledge. Only by a sharp and steadfast holding to the true en

18、d of human life as one sees it can humanism maintain itself. Humanism occupies, for instance, a mean position between the other-worldliness of religion and the materialism of the modern world. Buddhism may have captured popular fancy in China, but against its influence the true Confucianist was alwa

19、ys inwardly resentful, for it was, in the eyes of humanism, only an escape from life, or a negation of truly human life.由此生發(fā)出一個(gè)人文主義，它坦白地宣告了人類(lèi)是宇宙的主義，并規(guī)定一切知識(shí)都是為人類(lèi)的幸福服務(wù)。知識(shí)同人類(lèi)的結(jié)合并非易事，因?yàn)槿祟?lèi)一旦動(dòng)搖起來(lái)，就會(huì)被自己的邏輯所左右，成為知識(shí)的工具。人文主義只有堅(jiān)定地把握住人生的真諦才能保佑自己。比方說(shuō)，人文主義只是在宗教信仰的來(lái)生來(lái)世與現(xiàn)代世界的實(shí)利主義之間，占據(jù)一個(gè)中間位置。佛教也許在中國(guó)引起了人們的普遍興趣，然而與之相對(duì)

20、的真正的儒家，對(duì)它的影響總感到忿然不平，因?yàn)樵谌宋闹髁x看來(lái)它只是一種對(duì)生活的逃避和對(duì)真正人生的否定。6. On the other hand, the modern world, with it s over-development of machinery, has not taken time to ensure that man enjoys what he makes. The glorification of the plumber in America has made man forget that one can live a very happy life without hot and cold running water, and that in France and Germany many men have lived to comfortable old age