他们赋予生活的意义,是一种属于他们个人的意义:他们认为,没有哪个人能从实现目标中获得利益,他们的兴趣因而也只停留于自己身上。他们争取的目标是一种虚假的个人优越感,他们的成功也只对他们自身才有意义。
The meaning they give to life is a private meaning: no one else is benefited by the achievement of their aims and their interest stops short at their own persons. Their goal of success is a goal of mere fictitious personal superiority and their triumphs have meaning only to themselves.
引自3.社会情感/7
翻译有误:更准确的意思为”...没有其他人可以从实现他们的目的中有收获...”
事实上,属于私人的意义是完全没有意义的,意义只有在和他人交往时才有存在的可能。只对某个人意味着某些事情的东西实在是毫无意义的。我们的目标和动作也是一样,它们唯一的意义,就是它们对别人的意义。
A private meaning is in fact no meaning at all. Meaning is only possible in communication: a word which meant something to one person only would really be meaningless. It is the same with our aims and actions; their only meaning is their meaning for others.
引自 3.社会情感/7
翻译有误:更准确的意思为”...意义只有在交流时才有存在的可能:一个只对一个人有意义的字实际上毫无意义...”
个人并不认同这个观点。对一个人有意义的字对那个人来说就是有意义的,对于一个人有意义的事,也是有意义的。同时在前文,作者写到’无论是哪一种生活的意义,只要有人持这种态度, 它也绝不会是完全错误的’,既然’无论是哪一种生活的意义’都’绝不会是完全错误的’,那么为什么对于一个人有意义的意义却是无意义的呢?
I personally disagree. A word which is meaningful to one person is still meaningful. Also, the auther said in previous paragraph that ’...we may say that any meaning which is at all serviceable cannot be called absolutely wrong...’ (p4). Since ‘any meaning that at all serviceable cannot be called absolutely wrong, then how come a meaning that serviceable to that perticuler person is meaningless?
所有真正的“生活意义”的标准是:它们都是共同的意义,也就是说,它们是别人能够分享的意义,也是能被别人认定为有效的意义。能够解决一个人所面临的生活问题的好方法,必然也能为别人解决类似的问题,这些成功的方法对人类来说具有共同的意义,也是可以分享的。即使是天才,也只能用其至高无上的效用来定义,因为一个人的生命只有被别人认定为对他们很重要时,他们才会称他为天才。由此,我们可以总结出生活的意义在于为团体贡献力量。在这里,我们谈的不是职业动机。我们不管职业,而只注意成就。能够成功地应付人类生活中所存在的问题的人,他的行为方式明显地告诉我们:生活的意义在于对别人发生兴趣以及互助合作。他所做的每件事情似乎都被其同类的喜好所指引,当他遭遇困难时,他会选择用不和别人利益发生冲突的方法来加以克服。
The mark of all true "meanings of life" is that they are common meanings - they are meanings in which others can share, and meanings which others can accept as valid. A good solution of the problems of life will always dear the way for others also; for in it we shall see common problems met in a successful way. Even genius is to be defined as no more than supreme usefulness: it is only when - a man's life is recognized by others as having significance for them that we call him a genius. The meaning expressed in such a life will always be, "Life means—to contribute to the whole." We are not speaking here of professed motives. We are dosing our ears to professions and looking at achievements. The man who meets the problems of human life successfully acts as if he recognized, fully and spontaneously, that the meaning of life is interest in others and cooperation. Everything he does seems to be guided by the interest of his fellow beings; and where he meets difficulties he tries to surmount them only by means consonant with human welfare.
引自 3.社会情感/7
有几个可以讨论的事情。首先,‘别人’指的是谁呢?通常我们所讨论的别人指的是我们紧密生活圈中的人,比如家人和朋友等。他们往往由于生活圈子的限制而有近似的价值观,那么他们认可的意义就足以被称为真正的生活意义了吗?世界比你想象的更大,只是你还不知道。
Few things need to be discussed. Firstly, who are others? Often time the so called others are just people in our close circle, Family, friends etc. They are limited by the similar values. What they considered as valid is good enough to be deemed as ‘true’ meaning of life? The world is much bigger than you think, you just don’t know it yet.
另外,作者讨论天才的方式让我为天才们感到可悲。似乎如果想做天才,那么就需要你为了别人的期待而活,不然你就不知道被肯定。当然作者的说法也无可厚非,可悲的是,现实世界确实大多以实际效用来评价一个人。我倒是对自己不是天才这个事实感到好接受一些了。
Secondly, the way the auther talked about genius makes me feel sad about genius. As if to be a genius, you have to live for others expectations, just so you could be recognased, otherwise you are ‘insignificant’. Although I couldn’t deny he was right in a way, it is about ‘usefulness’, saddly. I feel better about the fact that I’m not a genius now.
天才们是被他们的欲望所指引,而欲望有两层含义。既可能是来自于一个人所缺失的部分,也可能是来自于希望得到别人所渴望的东西。‘对别人发生兴趣以及互助合作’只涉及到后者。天才们,或如我这般的平庸之人,同样可可以被自身所缺失的部分所指引。
Genius are guided by their desires, which have meaning in two fold. One desire one’s own lack, also desire what others desire. ‘the interest of his fellow beings’ is only indicate the latter. Genius, or mediocrate people like myself, are also guided by his/her own lack.
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