【英语时差8,16】不可多得的美德—利他主义

Pope Benedict XVI warned in his Christmas message that the world was headed toward ruin if selfishness prevails over solidarity¹ during tough economic times for rich and poor nations. His message cautioned the people of the world not to be selfish. "If people look only to their own interests," the Pope said, "our world will certainly fall apart." Indeed it will.

Altruism² is a rather new word for unselfishness, coined by 19th century humanist philosopher Auguste Comte as an alternative to egoism, which means putting oneself above all else. Whether put in simple or philosophical³ terms, unselfishness is a virtue⁴ that would ultimately benefit everyone concerned. As the current economic crisis shows, no one can win if they are only thinking about what they can get for themselves now and don't consider how their actions affect others or the world around them.

Particularly in Taiwan, where the rich and the powerful are posing as role models, people have learned that selfishness seems to pay. Ask a delinquent⁵ college student how often he has wronged others. He will probably tell you, "whenever I want to." Our students should be taught to not just look at their immediate⁶ wants and needs, but also to consider the needs of others.

1 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

2 altruism   

n.利他主义，不自私

参考例句：

• An important feature of moral behaviour is altruism.道德行为一个重要特点就是利他主义。
• Altruism is crucial for social cohesion.利他主义对社会的凝聚是至关重要的。

3 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

4 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

5 delinquent   

adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者

参考例句：

• Most delinquent children have deprived backgrounds.多数少年犯都有未受教育的背景。
• He is delinquent in paying his rent.他拖欠房租。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。