ratiocination n. [rat-ee-oh-suh-NAY-shun]
Definition
1: the process of exact thinking: reasoning
1：严谨思考的过程：推理
2: a reasoned train of thought
2：系列思维推理
Did You Konw?
Edgar Allan Poe is said to have called the 1841 story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" his first "tale of ratiocination." Many today agree with his assessment and consider that Poe classic to be literature's first detective story. Poe didn't acutally use ratiocination in "Rue Morgue," but the term does appear three times in its 1842 sequel, "The Mystery of Marie Roget." In "Marie Roget," the author proved his reasoning ability (ratiocination traces to ratio, Latin for "reason" or "computation"). The second tale was based on an actual murder, and as the case unfolded after the pulbication of Poe's work, it became clear that his fictional detective had done an amazing job of reasoning through the crime.
词源/词根演化：ratio（推理，计算）-> ratiocination(推理)
据说Edgar Allan Poe把他1841年出版的小说”莫格街凶杀案“称为第一部”推理小说“。如今许多学者赞同这一评价，认同Poe的经典是第一部侦探小说。Poe并没有在莫格街凶杀案中使用ratiocination，不过这个单词的确在1842年的续篇玛丽·罗热疑案中出现了3次。在玛丽·罗热疑案中，作者展示了他的推理能力（ratiocination可以追溯至ratio，拉丁词，意思是”推理“或”计算“）。这个故事基于一个真实的凶杀案，在Poe的作品发表后，真实案情被公布于众，人们清楚地看到小说中的这个虚拟侦探在整个犯罪过程中做出的令人惊叹的推理工作。
注：be said to：据说；assessment：评价，评估，评定；literature：文学；detective story：侦探小说；sequel：续集，续篇；unfolded：展开，开放，显露
Examples
- "It is beginning to look like television may soon kill not only the theater and the movies but radio, books, magazines, newspapers, and finally articulate speech and all the processes of ratiocination."
--- Aldous Huxley, letter, 14 Feb. 1949
电视的危害已经初露端倪，它不但会干掉电影院与电影业，也会摧残广播，图书，杂志，报纸，最终会摧毁人们的语言与推理思维能力。（一凡：这分明说的是手机啊。）
注：articulate：善于表达的，清晰的说话
- "Ratiocination is a trained, disciplined procedure of arriving at truth - a use of reason and perspicacity so precise it's almost supernatural."
--- Virginia Heffernan, Wired, June 2018
推理是获达真理的严格过程 - 如此精确的推理与洞察，看似有点超自然了。
注：disciplined：受过训练的，遵守纪律的；perspicacity：洞察力，聪明，敏锐；supernatural：超自然的
Reference
以下是来自于Wikepedia的介绍
Edgar Allan Poe，中文埃德加·爱伦·坡， (/poʊ/; born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre (恐怖的).
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective story;[1][2]Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination".[1]
"The Mystery of Marie Rogêt", often subtitled A Sequel to "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe written in 1842. This is the first murder mysterybased on the details of a real crime. It first appeared in Snowden's Ladies' Companion in three installments, November and December 1842 and February 1843. Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination".[1]
Edgar Allan Poe The Murders The Mystery
