[英国]弗朗西斯·培根/Francis Bacon

　　弗朗西斯·培根（1561-1626），英国著名的唯物主义哲学家和科学家。在文艺复兴时期的巨人中，他被尊称为哲学史和科学史上划时代的人物。马克思称他是“英国唯物主义和整个现代实验科学的真正始祖”。他是第一个提出“知识就是力量”的人。培根生于伦敦一个官宦世家，12岁时，被送入剑桥大学三一学院深造。在校学习期间，他对传统的观念和信仰产生了怀疑，开始独自思考社会和人生的真谛。培根是近代哲学史上首先提出经验论原则的哲学家，对近代科学的建立起了积极的推动作用，对人类哲学史、科学史都作出了重大的历史贡献。为此，罗素尊称培根为“给科学研究程序进行逻辑组织化的先驱”。

　　1626年，在伦敦北郊，培根由于支气管炎复发，病情恶化，于4月9日清晨病逝。

　　In this famous essay, first published in 1625，Francis Bacon declares that truth in the philosophical and theological sense, as well as honesty in the civil business sense, are the“sovereign good of human nature.”

　　Truth, which only doth judge itself, teacheth that the inquiry of truth, which is the love-making or wooing of it, the knowledge of truth, which is the presence of it, and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it, is the sovereign good of human nature. The first creature of God, in the works of the days, was the light of the sense;the last was the light of reason;and his sabbath work ever since is the illumination of his Spirit. First he breathed light upon the face of the matter or chaos;then he breathed light into the face of man;and still he breatheth and inspireth light into the face of his chosen. The poet that beautified the sect that was otherwise inferior to the rest saith yet excellently well:It is a pleasure to stand upon the shore and to see ships tossed upon the sea;a pleasure to stand in the window of a castle and to see a battle and the adventures thereof below;but no pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth（a hill not to be commanded, and where the air is always clear and serene），and to see the errors and wanderings and mists and tempests in the vale below;so always that this prospect be with pity, and not with swelling or pride. Certainly, it is heaven upon earth to have a man's mind move in charity, rest in providence, and turn upon the poles of truth.

　　To pass from theological and philosophical truth to the truth of civil business:it will be acknowledged even by those that practice it not that clear and round dealing is the honor of man's nature;and that mixture of falsehood is like alloy in coin of gold and silver, which may make the metal work the better, but it embaseth it. For these winding and crooked courses are the goings of the serpent, which goeth basely upon the belly, and not upon the feet. There is no vice that doth so cover a man with shame as to be found false and perfidious. And therefore Montaigne said prettily, when he inquired the reason why the word of the lie should be such a disgrace and such an odious charge. Saith he, if it be well weighed, to say that a man lieth is as much to say as that he is brave toward God and a coward toward men. For a lie faces God, and shrinks from man. Surely the wickedness of falsehood and breach of faith cannot possibly be so highly expressed as in that it shall be the last peal to call the judgments of God upon the generations of men;it being foretold that when Christ cometh, he shall not find faith upon the earth.

　　这篇著名的散文首次发表于1625年。在这篇文章中，弗朗西斯·培根宣称：哲学与神学意义上的真理，与日常生活中的诚实都是“至高无上的人类美德”。

　　真理只能自我判别，教导人们对真理的追寻，即对真理的热爱和追求；对真理的认知，即真理本身；对真理的信仰，即对真理的享受。这三个要素组成了人性中无比高尚的美德。感性之光是上帝创造世界时创造的第一件东西，最后创造的才是理性之光。上帝精神的再现则是安息日。起初，上帝将光明赋予混乱的物质世界，然后用光明悄悄点亮人类的心灵世界；现在，他依然把圣光赐予其所恩选的臣民。有一派哲学在其他方面没有什么实际作用，但其中有一位诗人说了一句经典名言：站在海岸边，注视着在大海中漂**的船帆，是一件快乐的事情；靠在城堡垛口，注视激战中的战场，也是一件快乐的事；但没有什么能比得上站在真理的前沿（那是一座谁也无法侵占的山岭，那里空气清爽，万籁俱寂），观察山谷中的错误、迷茫、薄雾与风暴，更让人欢欣雀跃。并且，这种期望伴随着同情，而非自满或自大。的确，假如一个人的想法中满是仁爱，顺应天意，走在真理的前沿，即便生活在人间，也不逊于天堂。

　　前面讲了神学与哲学意义上的真理，现在来讨论一下日常生活中的真理。品格恶劣、精于世故的人，也被迫接受光明正大——人类的一种崇高品德。虚伪如同用金银合金制成硬币，虽然可以增大金属的硬度，却贬低了其内在的真正价值。虚伪与欺诈如同弯曲的小路，唯有走路时依靠肚腹而不是双脚的毒蛇，才选择这条道路。假如一个说谎话、背信弃义的人露出了破绽，由此带来的羞耻感是无法掩盖的。因此，蒙田在评论“谎言”一词为何如此让人厌恶时，说过这样一句至理名言：“我们不如这样想，一个人说自己在上帝面前肆意妄为，而在凡人面前很懦弱，这同说谎没有什么区别。”因为谎言可以面对上帝，却不敢面对凡人。当然，在描述虚伪与背信弃义的危害性时，恳求上帝对世世代代的人类进行裁决，他们无疑是最后的警钟。人们预示：耶稣灵魂来到世上后，他在地球上不会找到丝毫信仰。

　　心灵小语

　　没有永恒的真理，真理随着时代的变迁而改变。不管何时何地，对真理的探索永不止步！

　　词汇笔记

　　civil['sivl]adj.国内的，公民的，国民的

　　The civil power is the same in every place.

　　公民的权力在任何地方都一样。

　　sovereign['s?vrin]adj.具有主权的，至高无上的

　　No earthly sovereign can do what he pleases.

　　没有一个世间君王可以为所欲为。

　　illumination[i, lju:mi'nei??n]n.照明，阐释，启发

　　The illumination in this room is very bad.

　　这个屋子的照明很不好。

　　perfidious[p?：'fidi?s]adj.不忠的，背信弃义的

　　He is betrayed by perfidious allies.

　　他遭背信弃义的盟友出卖。

　　小试身手

　　真理只能自我判别，教导人们对真理的追寻，即对真理的热爱和追求；对真理的认知，即真理本身；对真理的信仰，即对真理的享受。

　　译______________________________

　　虚伪如同用金银合金制成硬币，虽然可以增大金属的硬度，却贬低了其内在的真正价值。

　　译______________________________

　　谎言可以面对上帝，却不敢面对凡人。

　　译______________________________

　　短语家族

　　The poet that beautified the sect that was otherwise inferior to the rest saith yet excellently well.

　　inferior to：次于，比……低劣，比……差

　　造______________________________

　　It is heaven upon earth to have a man's mind move in charity,

　　rest in providence, and turn upon the poles of truth.

　　turn upon：对……翻脸，随……而定，突然攻击，取决于

　　造______________________________