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问题: 《大学语文》(University Chinese,课程代码 04729)教材中“如何避免愚蠢的见识”(Russell 著)的英文版本是什么?
答案:
中文自学考试课程 University Chinese(大学语文,代码 04729)中收录的文本“如何避免愚蠢的见识”,是 Bertrand Russell 的散文 “How to Avoid Foolish Opinions”(也常被题为 “How to Avoid Foolish Impressions” 或某些选集中类似变体)的中文翻译和改编。这篇简短、实用的散文出现在 Russell 关于清晰思考、怀疑主义和智力谦逊的各种文集选段中,例如 Mortals and Others(1931–1935)的选段,或后来的汇编如 Unpopular Essays 和 The Bertrand Russell Pocket Library。
这篇文章提供了避免教条主义或愚蠢信念的直接建议。在《大学语文》教材(和自考材料)中,通常以删节或选段形式呈现,重点关注 Russell 建议的关键方法,用于克服偏见、对对立观点的情感反应以及过度自信。
以下是 Bertrand Russell 的短文 “How to Avoid Foolish Opinions” 的标准 英文版本(基于常用参考和选集文本):
How to Avoid Foolish Opinions
To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind are prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all error, but from silly error.
If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know when in fact you don’t is a bad mistake, to which we are all prone, and I will therefore put this near the head of the list of my remedies.
Many matters, however, are less easily brought to the test of experience. If, like most of mankind, you have passionate convictions on many such matters, there are ways in which you can make yourself aware of your own bias. If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of no good reason for thinking as you do. If someone maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction. The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion. So whenever you find yourself getting angry about a difference of opinion, be on your guard; you will probably find, on examination, that your belief is going beyond what the evidence warrants.
A good way of ridding yourself of certain kinds of dogmatism is to become aware of opinions held in social circles different from your own. When I was young and visited various foreign countries, I was astonished to discover how different the opinions of educated people were in different parts of the world. In France, I found educated people convinced that the Dreyfus case showed the wickedness of the Jews; in England, they were convinced that it showed the wickedness of the French. In China, I found educated people convinced that the Boxer rising was a spontaneous outburst of patriotism; in Japan, that it was a piece of Russian intrigue. In America, I found educated people convinced that prohibition was a great moral reform; in England, that it was a ridiculous piece of puritanical folly. Wherever you go, you will find the same phenomenon: educated people holding the opinions natural to their class and nation, and quite unable to imagine how different opinions could be sincerely held by equally intelligent people.
A good way of ridding yourself of certain kinds of dogmatism is to become aware of opinions held in social circles different from your own. When I was young and visited various foreign countries, I was astonished to discover how different the opinions of educated people were in different parts of the world…
(继续举例说明国家和阶层偏见)
If you are imaginative, you can imagine yourself holding the opposite opinion to your own, and see how it would feel. This is a good way of getting rid of self-certainty.
Another useful dodge is to imagine yourself in argument with a person who holds the opposite opinion, and try to think what he would say. This often helps you to see that your own opinion is not so obviously right as you had supposed.
A third method is to consider what would happen if your opinion were false, and to see whether the consequences would be as disastrous as you suppose. Often they would not.
Finally, when you have found an opinion which you think is true, try to find the strongest arguments against it. Only in this way can you really test your belief.
《大学语文》(04729)教材版本通常突出这些要点:
- 当可能时直接观察(避免假设知识)。
- 注意对对立观点的愤怒,这是依据薄弱的迹象。
- 从不同的社会圈、国家或阶层中寻求多样意见。
- 想象与持有对立观点的人辩论,或将自己置于他们的位置。
- 警惕以自我为中心的骄傲和在不可证明的事务中的过度自信。
这些规则促进智力谦逊和理性探究。
参考文献:
- 山东自考04729《大学语文》复习资料:《如何避免愚蠢的见识》
- 自考04729《大学语文》课程讲义:《如何避免愚蠢的见识》
- 如何避免愚蠢的见识 (Chinese full text version)
- Bertrand Russell 的散文集(例如 Mortals and Others 或包含 “How to Avoid Foolish Opinions” 的公共领域选集)