The philosophy of Stoicism - Massimo Pigliucci

翻译人员: Chen Zou 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

You've been stranded thousands of miles from home

你现在被困在离家几千英里外的地方，

with no money or possessions.

身无分文，也无工作。

Such a predicament would make many people despair and curse their awful fate.

这样的困境会使很多人感到绝望， 抱怨糟糕的命运。

But for Zeno of Cyprus, it became the foundation of his life's work and legacy.

但是对于塞浦路斯的芝诺来说， 这样的困境成为了他一生工作和财产的基础。

The once wealthy merchant lost everything when he was shipwrecked in Athens

公元300多年前，

曾经富有的商人在雅典的海难中 变得一无所有。

around 300 BCE.

With not much else to do, he wandered into a book shop,

因为无所事事 ， 他漫步进一家书店，

became intrigued by reading about Socrates,

在阅读中，他被苏格拉底 激发了浓厚的兴趣。

and proceeded to seek out and study with the city's noted philosophers.

接着他开始搜寻和研究 雅典城中其他著名的哲学家。

As Zeno began educating his own students,

当芝诺开始教自己的学生时，

he originated the philosophy known as Stoicism,

他提出了被称为斯多葛学派的哲学观，

whose teachings of virtue, tolerance, and self-control

该学派主张美德，忍耐 和自我控制，

have inspired generations of thinkers and leaders.

激励了一代又一代的思想家 和领袖。

The name Stoicism comes from the Stoa Poikile,

这个学派的名字斯多葛（Stoicism） 来源于屋顶的柱廊（Sto Poikle），

the decorated public colonnade

这是一种装饰性的公共柱廊，

where Zeno and his disciples gathered for discussion.

芝诺和他的学生们相聚于此讨论。

Today, we colloquially use the word stoic

现在，我们通常用这个词指这样一群人，

to mean someone who remains calm under pressure

他们能在压力下保持冷静，

and avoids emotional extremes.

避免极端化情绪。

But while this captures important aspects of Stoicism,

然而尽管这个用法抓住了 斯多葛主义的重要思想，

the original philosophy was more than just an attitude.

原始的斯多葛哲学观 远不是仅仅一种态度。

The Stoics believed that everything around us

斯多葛派学者认为 我们周围的一切事物

operates according to a web of cause and effect,

都是根据一张 因果关系网运行的，

resulting in a rational structure of the universe,

最终造就了宇宙中的 理性关系结构，

which they called logos.

他们称之为理法。

And while we may not always have control over the events affecting us,

尽管我们可能无法一直 掌控影响我们的事件，

we can have control over how we approach things.

但我们可以控制自己 处理事情的方式。

Rather than imagining an ideal society,

与其想象一个理想的社会，

the Stoic tries to deal with the world as it is

斯多葛派的学者 在追求自我提升的过程中，

while pursuing self-improvement through four cardinal virtues:

遵循四项基本的美德， 试图应对这个世界本身的样子：

practical wisdom,

实用的智慧，

the ability to navigate complex situations in a logical, informed, and calm manner;

即以一种冷静理智的态度 在复杂情形下运筹帷幄的能力；

temperance,

忍耐，

the exercise of self-restraint and moderation in all aspects of life;

即自我约束的训练以及 生活各方面的节制；

justice,

公正，

treating others with fairness even when they have done wrong;

即使他人做错了事也能公平对待；

and courage,

以及勇气，

not just in extraordinary circumstances,

不仅仅指在非凡处境中的勇气，

but facing daily challenges with clarity and integrity.

还包括清醒诚实地 面对日常挑战的勇气。

As Seneca, one of the most famous Roman Stoics wrote,

正如罗马最著名的斯多葛学者之一 塞内卡曾写到，

"Sometimes, even to live is an act of courage."

“有时候，即使是活着 也是一种勇气。”

But while Stoicism focuses on personal improvement,

尽管斯多葛主义聚焦于 个人提升，

it's not a self-centered philosophy.

但它不是自我中心的哲学观、

At a time when Roman laws considered slaves as property,

曾有一段时间，罗马律法 将奴隶视为私人财产，

Seneca called for their humane treatment

而塞内卡为他们争取人类应有的待遇，

and stressed that we all share the same fundamental humanity.

而且强调我们都享有 同样的基本的人权。

Nor does Stoicism encourage passivity.

斯多葛主义提倡的也不是被动忍让。

The idea is that only people who have cultivated

斯多葛思想认为只有接受美德教化过

virtue and self-control in themselves can bring positive change in others.

能够自我控制的人， 才能够对他人产生积极的影响。

One of the most famous Stoic writers was also one of Rome's greatest emperors.

最著名的斯多葛派作家之一， 同样也是罗马最伟大的帝王之一。

Over the course of his 19-year reign,

在马可·奥里利乌斯 19年的执政生涯中，

Stoicism gave Marcus Aurelius the resolve to lead the Empire through two major wars,

在面临丧子之痛时，

是斯多葛主义给了他领导罗马帝国的 两场重要战争的决心。

while dealing with the loss of many of his children.

Centuries later, Marcus's journals would guide and comfort Nelson Mandela

几个世纪之后， 在奈尔逊·曼德拉为了南非的种族平等挣扎的

through his 27-year imprisonment

27年牢狱生活里，

during his struggle for racial equality in South Africa.

马克的日记给了他指点和慰借。

After his release and eventual victory, Mandela stressed peace and reconciliation,

在他被释放出狱甚至是取得胜利时， 曼德拉强调了和平和重建友好关系，

believing that while the injustices of the past couldn't be changed,

他相信尽管过去的不公正 不能被改变，

his people could confront them in the present

但他的人民可以在现今 应对它们，

and seek to build a better, more just future.

然后去追寻一个更好的、 更公正的未来。

Stoicism was an active school of philosophy for several centuries

几个世纪以来， 斯多葛主义在希腊和罗马

in Greece and Rome.

曾是一个积极的教学。

As a formal institution, it faded away,

作为一个正式的机构， 它销声匿迹了，

but its influence has continued to this day.

但是它的影响一直 深远流传下来。

Christian theologians, such as Thomas Aquinas,

基督教神学家， 比如多马斯·阿奎纳

have admired and adopted its focus on the virtues,

曾经仰慕和采用了 它对美德的强调，

and there are parallels between Stoic Ataraxia, or tranquility of mind,

而且在斯多葛的毫无纷扰，或者平静的状态下 以及佛教中的涅槃，

and the Buddhist concept of Nirvana.

有一些相似。

One particularly influential Stoic was the philosopher Epictetus

一个特别有影响的斯多葛主义者， 哲学家爱比克泰德，

who wrote that suffering stems

他描写了痛苦的源头，

not from the events in our lives, but from our judgements about them.

不是从我们生活中发生的事情中而来， 而是从我们对它们的决断中而来。

This has resonated strongly with modern psychology

这个是对现代哲学和 自我提升的

and the self-help movement.

强烈回应。

For example, rational emotive behavioral therapy

比如说理性情绪的 行为治疗，

focuses on changing the self-defeating attitudes

专注于改变人们在 他们的生活周遭中形成的

people form about their life circumstances.

自我挫败态度。

There's also Viktor Frankl's logotherapy.

这儿也有维克多·弗兰克的意义治疗。

Informed by Frankl's own time as a concentration camp prisoner,

这来源于弗兰克 在集中营时代的遭遇，

logotherapy is based on the Stoic principle

意义治疗建立在 斯多葛的理念上，

that we can harness our will power to fill our lives with meaning,

即我们可以聚集我们的意志 去让生命充满意义，

even in the bleakest situations.

即使是在最无助的情况下。