英语短文名人故事 哲学思想家 第29期:叔本华

 11 Schopenhauer 叔本华

Schopenhauer was the son of a wealthy merchant, Heinrich Floris Schopenhauer, and his wife, Johanna, who was a famous local writer.  叔本华出生在富有的商人之家，父亲名叫海因里希·弗洛里斯·叔本华，母亲约翰娜是当地小有名气的作家。

In 1793，when Danzig came under Prussian sovereignty, they moved to the free city of Hamburg.  1793年，格但斯克被普鲁士占领，他们一家搬到了自由城市汉堡。

Arthur enjoyed a gentlemanly private education.  叔本华在汉堡受到了贵族式的私人教育，

He then attended a private business school, where he became acquainted with the spirit of the Enlightenment and was exposed to a Pietistic attitude sensitive to the plight¹ of man. 然后他进入一所私立商学院学习，在那里他接触到启蒙思想，也培养了自己对人类痛苦极其敏感的虔诚态度。

The World as Will and Representation was born during Schopenhauer's residence in Dresden.  《作为意志和表象的世界》这本著作是叔本华住在德累斯顿期间写下的。

It was written in a non-academic style, with an ironic², aristocratic tone.  这本书的风格是非学术性的，而是嘲讽的、贵族式的语气。

Friedrich Nietzsche, who found a copy of The World as Will and Representation in a second-hand³ bookstore, did not put the book down until he had finished it.  尼采曾在一个二手书店里发现了一本《作为意志和表象的世界》，他一口气把它看完才放回书架上。

According to Schopenhauer, existence is the expression of an insatiable, pervasive⁴ will generating a terrible world of conflict and suffering, senselessness, and futility⁵.  叔本华认为，存在是一种无所不在，贪得无厌的意志的表象，这种意志产生了一个充满矛盾、痛苦，没有丝毫感情和意义的恐怖世界。

Very shortly, the world is a bad joke. The "will to live" perpetuates⁶ this cosmic spectacle.  简单地说，这个世界就是个拙劣的玩笑。"生存的意志"使这世界世世代代运转下去。

The goal of someone who sees through the illusions of life is the denial of this powerful will to live.  某些人想要看穿生命假象的目的否定了这种强烈的意志。

Love serves the reproductive interests of the species and sexual impulse, the most powerful motive⁷ in human existence. 爱情只是为物种的繁衍和性冲动服务，这是人类存在最强有力的动机。

At the beginning of 1820, Schopenhauer advertised a course of lectures to be given at the same time as Friedrich and Hegel's.  1820年初，叔本华建议开一堂课，恰巧这门课与费希特和黑格尔的课是同时开的。

But when Hegel attracted more students the course did not proceed.  当黑格尔吸引了更多学生的时候，叔本华的这门课就无法继续进行了。

The epidemic⁸ of cholera⁹, during which Hegel died, drove him to Frankfurt.  后来,因为黑格尔所死于的那场霍乱的流行，叔本华搬到了法兰克福。

After that, he lived in relative isolation¹⁰, preferring the company of dogs to people.  此后，他生活在一个相对隔绝的环境里，与人的陪伴相比，他更喜欢狗的陪伴。

Five-sixths of human beings are worth only contempt, he once wrote.  他曾经写道，六分之五的人只配得到轻蔑。

It was claimed that he once pushed a neighbor down a flight of stairs for disturbing him.  有人称，他曾把邻居推下楼梯，理由只是他受到了打扰。

As a result, the unlucky seamstress could not continue in his former profession. 结果，这个不幸的女裁缝再也不能继续做她的工作了。

Shopenhauer died in Frankfurt of a heart attack on September 21, 1860.  叔本华于1860年9月21日在法兰克福去世，死于心脏病突发。

Nearing his death he had said to Eduard Grisenbach: "If at times I have thought myself unfortunate, it is because of a confusion, an error.  他死前曾对格莱森和说："如果有时我认为自己不幸的话，那是因为一个困惑，一个错误。

I have mistaken myself for someone else... Who am I really?..." 我已经错误地把自己当成了别人…我究竟是谁呢？…"

1 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

2 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

3 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

4 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

5 futility   

n.无用

参考例句：

• She could see the utter futility of trying to protest. 她明白抗议是完全无用的。
• The sheer futility of it all exasperates her. 它毫无用处，这让她很生气。

6 perpetuates   

n.使永存，使人记住不忘( perpetuate的名词复数 )；使永久化，使持久化，使持续

参考例句：

• Giving these events a lot of media coverage merely perpetuates the problem. 媒体大量地报道这些事件只会使问题持续下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Lack of water perpetuates poverty, increases the risk of political instability, and affects global prosperity. 水资源短缺导致贫穷，使政局不稳，且影响全球的繁荣。 来自互联网

7 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

8 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

9 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

10 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。