Damon Horowitz: Philosophy in prison

Translator: Xun Lin Reviewer: Ann Lee

Meet Tony. He's my student.

依位係東尼，佢係我嘅學生

He's about my age,

佢同我差唔多大

and he's in San Quentin State Prison.

佢係聖昆丁州立監獄嘅囚犯

When Tony was 16 years old,

喺佢16 歲嘅時候

one day, one moment,

有一日突然間，事情就噉發生︰

"It was mom's gun.

「支槍係媽媽嘅。

Just flash it, scare the guy. He's a punk.

我開頭諗著求其開一槍，嚇下個飛仔。

He took some money; we'll take his money. That'll teach him.

佢搶咗我哋嘅錢， 我就搶佢嘅錢，教訓下佢。

Then last minute, I'm thinking, 'Can't do this. This is wrong.'

到最後，我就諗： 『唔得，我唔可以咁做。』

My buddy says, 'C'mon, let's do this.'

我朋友就話： 『快啲啦，我哋一齊搞掂佢。』

I say, 'Let's do this.'"

我就話：『好啦。』」

And those three words, Tony's going to remember,

就係依兩個字，東尼永遠都會記住

because the next thing he knows, he hears the pop.

因為接落嚟佢見到嘅，就係警察

There's the punk on the ground, puddle of blood.

個飛仔訓喺地上，流緊成灘血

And that's felony murder --

佢犯咗謀殺罪，被判監 25 年

25 to life, parole at 50 if you're lucky,

好彩嘅話，50 年後會得到假釋

and Tony's not feeling very lucky.

不過東尼就唔係咁好彩啦

So when we meet in my philosophy class in his prison

當我哋喺監獄嘅哲學堂見面嘅時候

and I say, "In this class, we will discuss the foundations of ethics,"

我話：「依堂課我哋要討論嘅 係道德嘅基礎。」

Tony interrupts me.

東尼就打斷我：

"What are you going to teach me about right and wrong?

「你憑咩教我啱同錯啊？

I know what is wrong. I have done wrong.

我知咩係錯嘅。我做過錯事。

I am told every day,

每一日每個我見到嘅人，

by every face I see, every wall I face, that I am wrong.

我見到嘅每一面墻， 都話我知我就係錯。

If I ever get out of here, there will always be a mark by my name.

我一出獄，我都會一直孭住依個印。

I'm a convict; I am branded 'wrong.'

我係一個犯過法嘅人；我就係『錯』。

What are you going to tell me about right and wrong?"

所以你憑咩話我知咩係啱同錯啊？」

So I say to Tony,

我就同東尼講：

"Sorry, but it's worse than you think.

「唔好意思， 不過個問題比你想像中要難。

You think you know right and wrong?

你覺得你知道咩係啱同錯？

Then can you tell me what wrong is?

噉你可唔可以話我知咩係錯？

No, don't just give me an example.

你唔可以齋同我舉例，

I want to know about wrongness itself, the idea of wrong.

我想知道錯嘅本質係乜嘢，

What is that idea?

個本質係乜嘢？

What makes something wrong?

係乜嘢令一樣嘢變成錯嘅？

How do we know that it's wrong? Maybe you and I disagree.

我哋點知一樣嘢係錯嘅？ 你同我未必會有相同諗法，

Maybe one of us is wrong about the wrong.

或者我哋兩個之中 有一個嘅諗法係錯嘅。

Maybe it's you, maybe it's me -- but we're not here to trade opinions;

可能係你，可能係我， 但係我哋唔喺嚟表達意見；

everyone's got an opinion.

個個人都有佢哋自己嘅諗法，

We are here for knowledge.

我哋喺度嘅目的係求學，

Our enemy is thoughtlessness. This is philosophy."

我哋嘅敵人係唔理人哋。 依樣就係哲學。」

And something changes for Tony.

然後東尼就開始有啲改變啦

"Could be I'm wrong. I'm tired of being wrong.

「可能我嘅諗法係錯嘅， 我已經厭倦咗一路都係錯。

I want to know what is wrong.

我想知咩係錯，

I want to know what I know."

我想知道我知道嘅嘢。」

What Tony sees in that moment is the project of philosophy,

喺過一刻，東尼見到嘅就係哲學計劃

the project that begins in wonder --

一個以讚歎為開端嘅計劃

what Kant called "admiration and awe

康德稱之為「對頭頂之上嘅星空、

at the starry sky above and the moral law within."

同一切之中嘅道德法則嘅讚歎同敬畏」

What can creatures like us know of such things?

作為大地生物之一， 我哋又可以知道呢方面啲咩呢？

It is the project that always takes us back to the condition of existence --

就係依個計劃， 一直提醒我哋生存嘅條件

what Heidegger called "the always already there."

——海德格爾稱之為「一直存在」

It is the project of questioning what we believe and why we believe it --

就係依個計劃畀我哋質疑 我哋信嘅嘢同點解要信佢哋

what Socrates called "the examined life."

蘇格拉底稱之為「受考驗嘅生活」

Socrates, a man wise enough to know that he knows nothing.

蘇格拉底 ——一個聰明到瞭解自己無知嘅男人

Socrates died in prison,

最後喺獄中去世

his philosophy intact.

不過佢嘅哲學留存落嚟

So Tony starts doing his homework.

東尼開始做佢嘅功課

He learns his whys and wherefores, his causes and correlations,

學習發生喺佢身上嘅前因後果

his logic, his fallacies.

學習佢嘅邏輯同佢嘅謬論

Turns out, Tony's got the philosophy muscle.

最後，佢喺哲學方面有所長足

His body is in prison, but his mind is free.

雖然佢個人被困喺監獄 但係佢嘅思想卻好自由

Tony learns about the ontologically promiscuous,

東尼仲學識本體論混雜

the epistemologically anxious,

認識論焦慮

the ethically dubious, the metaphysically ridiculous.

倫理性質疑，同埋形而上學既謬論

That's Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche

依啲分別係柏拉圖、笛卡兒、尼采

and Bill Clinton.

同克林頓嘅哲學

So when he gives me his final paper,

然後佢最後交咗佢篇論文

in which he argues that the categorical imperative

寫嘅係定言令色只會

is perhaps too uncompromising

喺我哋日常生活嘅矛盾裏邊

to deal with the conflict that affects our everyday

令雙方都拉据不下

and challenges me to tell him

同時請我話佢知

whether therefore we are condemned to moral failure,

定言令色會唔會令我哋犯咗道德錯誤

I say, "I don't know.

我答佢：「我唔知個答案

Let us think about that."

不如我哋一齊諗下。」

Because in that moment, there's no mark by Tony's name;

因為喺嗰一刻 東尼無任何所謂身份嘅印

it's just the two of us standing there.

我同佢只係兩個人

It is not professor and convict,

唔係教授同囚犯

it is just two minds ready to do philosophy.

只係兩個準備要討論哲學嘅人

And I say to Tony,

所以我就同東尼講：

"Let's do this."

「我哋一齊諗下佢！」

Thank you.

多謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）