A Message to Future Generations致未來書

⊙ ByBertrand Russell

翻譯：藍藍

Suppose,1)Lord Russell, this fi lm which will be looked at by our2)descendants,like a Dead Sea3)Scroll, in a thousand years’ time. What would you think it’s worth telling that generation about the life you’ve lived and the lessons you’ve learned from it?

I should like to say two things—one4)intellectual, and one moral.

The intellectual thing I should want to say to them is this: When you are studying any matter, or considering any philosophy, ask yourself only what are the facts, and what is the truth that the facts5)bear out.

Never let yourself be6)diverted either by what you wish to believe, or by what you think would have7)beneficent social effects if it were believed, but look only and8)solely at what are the facts. That is the intellectual thing that I should wish to say.

The moral thing I should wish to say to them is very simple. I should say: Love is wise; hatred is foolish.

In this world, which is getting more and more closely interconnected, we have to learn to tolerate each other. We have to learn to put up with the fact that some people say things that we don’t like. We can only live together in that way. And if we are to live together and not die together, we must learn a kind of charity and a kind of tolerance, which is absolutely vital to the continuation of human life on this planet.

百科

◆ Dead Sea Scrolls 死海古卷：又稱死海文書，泛指1947-1956年間，在死海西北基伯昆蘭曠野的山洞里發現的古代文獻，它們的發現被稱為二十世紀最偉大的考古發現。1947年，死海附近某個小村的兒童在山洞中發現了一些羊皮卷，這些羊皮卷后來被證實是用希伯來文書寫的早期猶太教與基督教經文，人們將其統稱為死海古卷，是研究猶太教、伊斯蘭教、基督教發展史的重要文獻資料。

1) lord [l??d] n. 老爺，勛爵（對貴族或高級官員的尊稱）

2) descendant [d??send（?）nt] n. 子孫，后代

3) scroll [skr??l] n. 卷軸

4) intellectual [??nt??lekt???l] adj.智力的，聰明的，理性的

5) bear out 證實

6) divert [da??vз?t] v. 轉向，轉移

7) beneficent [b??nef?s?nt] adj. 行善的，有益的

8) solely [?s??（l）l?] adv. 單獨，只是

參考譯文

羅素爵士，假設這段錄像會被我們的后人看到，如同死海古卷一般，千年之后展現在世人面前——關于您所經歷的人生，以及這一生的感悟，您有什么話要對他們那一代人說的嗎？

我想說兩點，其一關乎理性，其二關乎品德。

關于理性，我想說的是：不管你在研究什么課題，或者思考任何哲學問題，你只需專注于事實本身，以及這些事實所證明的真理。

永遠不要讓自己被更愿意相信的東西，或是認為人們相信了就會對社會更有益處的東西所影響，單單審視事實本身。關于理性，我想說的就是這些。

關于品德，我想對他們說的話十分簡單，那就是：愛為明智，恨為愚蠢。

在這個日益緊密相連的世界，我們必須學會彼此容忍，必須學會接受這樣一個事實：總有人會說一些我們不想聽的話。只有這樣，我們才能共同生存。假如我們渴望的是共存，而不是互相毀滅，我們就必須學會寬厚待人，互相忍讓——因為人類要在這個星球上存續下去，這些品德至關重要。