Plato’s best (and worst) ideas - Wisecrack

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: S Sung

Few individuals have influenced the world and many of today's thinkers like Plato.

很少有人像柏拉圖那樣 影響了今日的世界和許多當代的思想家

One 20th century philosopher even went so far

一位 20 世紀的哲學家甚至形容

as to describe all of Western philosophy as a series of footnotes to Plato.

所有的西方哲學 都是柏拉圖學說的註腳

He created the first Western university

他創立第一所西方的大學

and was teacher to Ancient Greece's greatest minds,

也是古希臘很多偉大思想家的老師

including Aristotle.

學生包括亞里士多德

但即使身為哲學奠基者之一 他並不完美

But even one of the founders of philosophy wasn't perfect.

Along with his great ideas,

除了他的偉大學說

Plato had a few that haven't exactly stood the test of time.

柏拉圖有一些說法 未能真的通過時間的考驗

So here are brief rundowns of a few of his best and worst ideas.

接下來快速介紹幾個 他最棒和最差的理念

Plato argued that beyond our imperfect world

柏拉圖辯說 在我們不完美的世界之外

was a perfect unchanging world of Forms.

是個完美不變的「理型」世界

Forms are the ideal versions of the things and concepts we see around us.

理型是我們觀看周遭事物 和概念的理想版本

They serve as a sort of instruction manual to our own world.

類似我們世界的使用指南

Floating around the world of Forms is the ideal tree,

理型世界的周圍漂浮著完美之樹

and the ideal YouTube channel,

和完美的 YouTube 頻道

and even the ideal justice,

甚至是完美的正義

or ideal love.

或完美的愛

Our own reality is comprised of imperfect copies of ideal Forms.

我們的現實世界 是由不完美的理型複本所組成

Plato argued that philosophers should strive to contemplate

柏拉圖辯稱哲學家應該努力思考

and understand these perfect Forms

並理解這些完美的理型

so that they may better navigate our misleading reality.

或許能在這誤導的現實裡導航

While it may seem silly,

雖然看似愚蠢

the disconnect between the world as it appears

但世界表象與其背後真相之間的落差

and the greater truth behind it

is one of philosophy's most vexing problems.

是最惱人的一個哲學問題

It's been the subject of thousands of pages by theologians,

長久以來有很多人探討這個主題

包括神學家、哲學家

philosophers,

and screenwriters alike.

和劇作家等

It raises questions like should we trust our senses to come to the truth

因而提出像是這樣的問題： 為得到真理，我們該信任自己的感性

or our own reason?

或是理性？

For Plato, the answer is reason.

柏拉圖認為答案是理性

It alone provides us with at least the potential to contemplate the Forms.

單單理性就至少提供我們 思考理型的潛力

But reason didn't always pan out for Plato himself.

但柏拉圖自己的理性並非總成功

When he sought to situate humankind amongst the animals,

當他尋覓人類在動物間的擺放位置時

he lumped us in with birds.

把我們與鳥類擺在一塊兒

"Featherless bipeds" was his official designation.

「無羽毛的兩足動物」 是他的正式命名

Diogenes the Cynic, annoyed by this definition,

犬儒學派的戴奥基尼斯 對這個定義十分不滿

stormed into Plato's class with a plucked chicken,

帶著一隻拔了毛的雞 衝進柏拉圖的教室

announcing, "Behold. Plato's man."

大聲宣佈： 「看哪，這是柏拉圖所謂的人類。」

But back to a few good ideas.

我們回來看柏拉圖的一些偉大理念

Plato is one of the earliest political theorists on record,

柏拉圖是史上最早的政治理論家之一

and with Aristotle, is seen as one of the founders of political science.

與亞里士多德 同被視為政治學的奠基人

He reasoned that being a ruler was no different than any other craft,

他認為統治者與其他專家沒什麼差別

whether a potter or doctor,

不論是製陶工人或是醫生

and that only those who had mastered the craft were fit to lead.

只有熟練掌握所需技能的人 才適合領導

Ruling was the craft of contemplating the Forms.

統治是一項思考理型的技藝

In his Republic, Plato imagined a utopia where justice is the ultimate goal.

在《理想國》裡，他想像一個 終極目標是正義的烏托邦

Plato's ideal city seeks a harmonious balance between its individual parts

柏拉圖的理想城市 尋求每個各別部分和諧共處

and should be lead by a philosopher king.

且應由哲學家國王所統治

Millennia before his time,

柏拉圖早在千年以前

Plato also reasoned that women were equally able to rule in this model city.

就認為女人具有同等的能力 可以統治這個模範城市

Unfortunately, Plato was inconsistent with women,

可惜柏拉圖對於女性的觀點並不一致

elsewhere likening them to children.

他在別處把她們比做孩童

He also believed that a woman's womb was a live animal

他還認為女人的子宮 是個活生生的動物

that could wander around in her body and cause illness.

會在女性身體裡遊走 並引致疾病

This bad idea, also espoused by other contemporaries of Plato,

這個愚蠢的想法 也被柏拉圖那一代的人奉為圭臬

was sadly influential for hundreds of years in European medicine.

很不幸地影響了幾百年的歐洲醫學

Furthermore, he thought that society should be divided into three groups:

此外，他認為社會上的人 應該分類成三類：

producers,

生產者

the military,

戰鬥者

and the rulers,

和統治者

and that a great noble lie should convince everyone to follow this structure.

而有個高尚的謊言

應能說服每個人遵從這結構

The noble lie he proposed

他提出的高尚謊言是

was that we're all born with gold, silver, or a mixture of brass and iron

我們生而有著金、銀 或銅鐵的混合物

in our souls,

存在靈魂裡

which determine our roles in life.

進而決定了我們人生所要擔當的角色

Some thinkers have gone on to credit the idea of the noble lie

有些思想家甚至認為他的高尚謊言

as a prototype for 20th century propaganda,

正是 20 世紀政治宣傳的雛型

and the philosopher king as inspiration for the dictators that used them.

他的「哲學家國王」想法 啟發獨裁者利用它

Should a few bad ideas

這些少數的差勁理念

tarnish Plato's status as one of the greatest philosophers in history?

應該動搖柏拉圖身為史上 最偉大哲學家之一的地位嗎？

No!

當然不！

Plato gave the leaders and thinkers who came after him a place to start.

柏拉圖給後世的領袖 和思想家一個起始點

Through the centuries,

多個世紀以來

we've had the chance to test those ideas through writing and experience,

我們得以從寫作和經驗中 測試那些想法

and have accepted some while rejecting others.

接受了一些，而駁回其他的

We are continuing to refine, amend, and edit his ideas

我們持續改進、修正和編輯他的想法

which have become foundations of the modern world.

後來成為現代社會的基礎