现代大学英语精读第二版（第四册）学习笔记（原文及全文翻译）——15B - The Never-Ending Fight（永无休止的战争）

Unit 15B - The Never-Ending Fight

The Never-Ending Fight

Isaac Asimov

I was interviewed on television recently and, in answering the questions, I found myself expressing my contempt for the various superstitious beliefs that plague humanity.

The interviewer asked, "But since, by your own admission, most people believe this sort of thing and find solace or comfort in it, why do you want to deprive them of it?"

I answered as best I could in the brief time available to me before the camera. But I can do it better now with more space at my disposal. This, in essence, is what I said.

There are two reasons. In the first place, I have the call to do so, the call to point out the uselessness of superstition. Everyone is perfectly ready to believe theists when they say they have the call to preach their version of the word of God and to accord them a kind of humble respect for having such a noble mission. Why, then should I be scorned because I have the call to preach my version of the word of reason?

I have my own notion of what it means to be rational and to look at the universe clearly. Unlike theists, I threaten no one with hellfire if they refuse to agree with every word I say; nor do I attempt to bribe them with tales of eternal bliss if only they accept my every syllable. Rather, I preach a universe in which there is neither threat nor bribe but merely something one strives to understand merely for the sake of understanding.

Unlike theists, I do not claim to have a pipeline to something supernatural. I do not claim to have absolute truth and an eternal answer to every problem past, present, or future. Rather, I offer the fallible human mind doing the best it can to improve its view somewhat from generation to generation.

And what I ask is merely that I be given a chance to express this rather modest and humble attitude without hindrance.

Secondly, it is no defense of superstition and pseudo-science to say that it brings solace and comfort to people and that therefore we "elitists", should not claim to know better and to take it away from the less sophisticated.

If solace and comfort are how we judge the worth of something, then consider that tobacco brings solace to smokers; alcohol brings it to drinkers; drugs of all kinds bring it to addicts; the fall of cards and the run of horses bring it to gamblers; cruelty and violence bring it to sociopaths. Judge by solace and comfort only and there is no behavior we ought to interfere with.

To be sure, it is easy to see that all these things bring harm to their practitioners, but can it not be argued that if some people get pleasure out of a practice that does harm to them it is nevertheless their body, their choice, their health, and their life to do with as they wish? Who are we to be the "big brother" who attempts to dictate our notion of a superior way of life to others against their will?

There is indeed something to this if it is only the practitioner's body and health and life that is involved and no one else's. But what of the smoker whose effluvium damages the lungs of nonsmokers forced to breathe his or her reek? What of the drinker who drives and kills? What of the addict who lures others into addiction? What of the sociopath who directly harms others as his or her path to joy?

By and large, then, society demands that these harmful physical practices be controlled insofar as it can be done humanely.

But, in that case, why should we not be at least as deeply concerned with the pernicious effects of superstition? Those who believe in magical methods of preventing or curing diseases often do not turn to rational methods till it is too late. Those who believe that disasters are the work of inscrutable supernatural forces do not search for rational ways of preventing them or ameliorating their effects. Those who believe that humanity is under the beneficent control of supernatural forces that will see us through all our problems if we only have "faith" do not seek natural solutions to these problems.

We live in times when overpopulation, pollution, the greenhouse effect, the thinning of the ozone layer, the deterioration of the environment, the destruction of the forests and of wildlife, and the dangers of multiplying nuclear armaments all threaten us with the destruction of civilization and the radical reduction in the very viability of Earth. If our only answer to all this is a superstitious reliance on something outside ourselves as a solution to all those problems, we are making that destruction certain.

Yes, we will have our solace and comfort till the moment of the destruction, and we might console ourselves with the thoughts that we will all meet in a better world than this one and that indeed the Bible predicts the destruction of this world. But how many really believe that, even among those who say they do?

I notice little in the way of great joy at the death of friends and loved ones, little triumph in their having passed on to heavenly glory sooner than they might otherwise have done so. When an earthquake kills two thousand people at a blow, we do not rejoice that the innocent among them are now in heaven, but we raise powerful hosannas if even one child is rescued alive from the ruins and is condemned to wait another sixty years, perhaps, before experiencing bliss.

I notice that all the people who are absolutely convinced that the United States is under the special protection of a powerful deity ("In God We Trust," it says on all our coins) are not at all certain that the deity is capable of protecting us unaided and insist that we have armed forces that are second to none.

And, as a matter of fact, average people living average lives, however much they may "believe" in God and in whatever religion they have been brought up to believe, act as though the world is in the grip of evil forces that must be held off in silly ways.

How many countless millions of people, even in "sophisticated" Western societies, place their faith not in God but in rabbits' feet, in horseshoes, in four-leaf clovers, or in lucky pieces of an infinite number of shapes and forms? How many are terrified of black cats crossing their path, of ladders being walked under, of mirrors being broken, of aces of spades being turned up.

How many countless millions who explain that they are sure that God holds the key to the future and loves us all nevertheless feel much better consulting fortune-tellers, tealeaf readers, crystal-ball gazers, and (especially if in high political office) astrologers, who apparently know the future just as well as God does and can give advice on what to do and not do that God (out of selfishness?) withholds?

Let us consider a large example of how the universe looks to the superstitious. Every once in a while, some region suffers a drought. In the summer of 1988, the United States suffered the worst drought in over fifty years. Presumably God has a divine plan for humanity, which seems inscrutable to us because our knowledge is finite and his is infinite and even a bad drought is for our long-term good. There may even be people who believe this and say this and are thankful there is a drought that may ruin them, because they know that it is all part of a marvelous plan for their long-term good. I suspect they are in the minority, though, for the more usual practice is to pray for rain—that is, to beg God over and over to abandon his plan, whatever it was, and do something for the short-term advantage of those praying. And if the rains do come, that proves the efficacy of prayer—and no one says that it rather proves the irresolution of God and his readiness to abandon his plan. And you know, if he was so ready to abandon his plan, he might just as well not have sent the drought in the first place.

And, of course, there are many superstitions that have nothing to do with the dominant religion of the Western world. All sorts of peculiar beliefs arise about the Bermuda Triangle, about transmigration of souls, and all of them instantly attract the enthusiastic beliefs of millions.

Well, then, what do I expect of the next century? Assuming that we avoid destruction from the dogged adherence of humanity to superstition and its rejection of rationality, will we at least make a little progress in our cause?

I'm sorry. I don't think so. In addressing the humanists of 2089 (and I am sure there will be humanists in the world in 2089，if there should indeed be a world of 2089), I would have to say this.

Despite all the further advance of technology, despite the fact that we have computerized the world, despite the fact that robots are doing the menial work of humanity and that human beings are freed to work creatively at human tasks, despite the fact that we have expanded to the moon and beyond and are rapidly penetrating the solar system generally, and despite the fact that we understand the universe far better than we used to a century ago, the vast majority of human beings still take solace and comfort in their various superstitions and still follow any pied piper who fills their ears with notes of nonsense while filling his or her own pockets with money. And we are still in the minority and still struggling to convince people that, if, indeed, there were a god, he would in the end reject anyone who failed to make use of that one truly godlike gift.

But if that is so, and if we are engaged in a never-ending fight with no victory in sight, why continue?

Because we must. Because we have the call. Because it is nobler to fight for rationality without winning than to give up in the face of continued defeats. Because whatever true progress humanity makes is through the rationality of the occasional individual and because any one individual we may win for the cause may do more for humanity than a hundred thousand who hug their superstitions to their breast.

参考译文——永无休止的战争

永无休止的战争

艾萨克•阿西莫夫

最近接受电视采访回答问题时，我表达了自己对困扰人们的各种迷信观念的蔑视。

采访者问：“可是，既然如您自己所承认的那样，大多数人相信这种东西，并能从中得到安慰或慰藉，为什么你还要人们放弃他们的迷信观念呢？”

面对镜头，在仅有的短暂时间里，我尽可能地做了最好的回答。但是现在我能回答得更好，因为有更多的时间可供我支配。实际上，下面才是我想说的。

有两个原因。首先，我有义务这么做，有义务指出迷信的无用之处。当有神论者们说他们有义务宣传他们所认为的上帝之道时，人们会非常乐意相信他们，并因为他们拥有如此高尚的使命而给予他们一种恭顺的敬重那么，为什么我因为有义务宣传理智的观点就该遭到鄙视呢？

关于什么是理性，该怎样清楚地看天地万物，我有自己的看法。与有神论者不同，我不会用地狱之火威胁任何人，即使他们不同意我所说的每个字；我也不会企图用永久的幸福之类的鬼话来贿赂他们。只是为了让他们认同我的每一句话。相反地，我布道的世界里既没有威胁，也没有贿赂，只有一些一个人仅仅为了理解而努力去理解的东西。

与有神论者不同，我不会宣称拥有通往超自然力量的沟通渠道，也不会断言有绝对的真理，以及对过去、现在和将来的每一个问题的永恒的答案。相反地，我只是作为一个容易犯错误的人，竭尽所能地改进自己的认识，这种认识从某种程度上讲是代代相传的。

我所要求的仅仅是给我一个机会，可以非常温和、谦卑而又毫无障碍地表达这一见解。

其次，有人说迷信和伪科学给人们带来了安慰和慰藉，因此自认为是“精英”的我们不应该宣称自己知道得更多，并让那些不那么见多识广的人放弃这些东西；但这并不能为迷信和伪科学辩护。

如果说安慰和慰藉是我们判断事物价值的标准，那么请想一想：香烟带给吸烟者安慰；酒精让嗜酒者沉醉；各式毒品让吸毒者沉溺；纸牌的投掷和赛马的奔跑让赌博者兴奋；残酷和暴力给反社会的人带来快感。若只以安慰和慰藉作标准，那么没有任何行为我们应该干涉。

诚然，不难看出，所有这些东西会给沾染上这些习惯的人带来伤害，然而如果一些人从能对他们构成伤害的行为中得到快乐，尽管他们是按照自己的意愿对待自己的身体、自己的选择、自己的健康、自己的生命，我们就不可以为此辩驳了吗？那我们凭什么充当“大哥”，试图把我们所谓的更好的生活方式的观念专横地强加给他们，而违背他们的意愿？

如果上述行为仅与行为者的身体、健康和生命有关，不涉及其他人，那么，这其中确有道理可言。然而不吸烟者被迫吸入呛人的烟而使肺部受损算什么？醉酒者驾车撞死人算什么？瘾君子引诱他人吸毒算什么？反社会者以直接伤害他人为乐又算什么呢？

因此，总的说来，社会要求将这些有害的人身行为控制在人道的范围内。

但是，既然如此,我们为什么不该对迷信的恶劣影响给予最起码的一样深切的关注呢？那些相信巫术可以预防或治愈疾病的人们在求助于理性的方法时，往往为时已晚。那些相信灾难是由神秘莫测的超自然力量所导致的人们并不会寻求理性的方法来阻止灾难的发生或者减轻灾难的影响。那些相信人类是被有益的超自然力量所控制，只要“信仰”坚定，这些超自然的力量就会帮他们渡过一切难关的人们也并不会寻求解决这些问题的自然方法。

我们生活在一个受到人口过剩、环境污染、温室效应、臭氧层变薄、环境恶化、森林和野生生物遭到毁坏、核军备剧增等问题所威胁的时代，所有这些都以破坏文明、从根本上缩短地球生命的方式对我们造成威胁。倘若我们应对这一切的唯一方法是依赖外在的迷信的东西并将其作为解决所有那些问题的方法，那么，我们正在把毁灭变成现实

的确，在毁灭到来之前我们可以安慰自己，我们或许可以用这种想法来安慰自己，即未来的我们将在一个比现实更美好的世界相会，而且《圣经》里的确也预见到了当今世界的毁灭。但是又有多少人真正相信这些，即使是那些声称对此坚信不疑的人？

对于朋友和所爱的人的去世，我很少发现有人会感到任何喜悦，很少会因为他们本应多活几年却提前获取了天堂的荣耀而感到高兴。当一次地震一下子便夺去2,000人的生命时，我们不会为那些无辜的人们现在已身处天堂而感到高兴。但是如果一个孩子被从废墟中救起，因而或许被迫再等60年才能去极乐世界，那么我们会为此大声欢呼。

我发现那些坚信美国被强大的神灵（“我们信仰上帝”，这是我们所有的硬帀上所写的）所庇佑的人们根本不能确定那个神能保佑我们不受任何威胁，却坚持说我们拥有最好的武装力量。

然而实际上，过着平凡的生活的普通人，无论他们多么“信仰”上帝，无论他们从小到大被告知要信仰什么宗教，他们的行为就好像这个世界受制于邪恶的力置，必须通过某些愚蠢的方式来战胜。

有多少数不清的数以百万计的人们，甚至在“先进的”西方社会，并不信仰上帝，而是相信兔子的脚，相信马蹄，相信四叶草或者其他无数种可以带来幸运的形状或形式？有多少人害怕黑猫从自己的面前穿过，害怕走在梯子下面，害怕打碎镜子，害怕黑桃A的出现？

有多少数不清的数以百万计的人们解释说他们确信上帝掌握着未来的钥匙并爱着我们所有人，然而却觉得咨询算命先生、茶叶占卜者、用水晶球算命者和（尤其是政治地位很高的人)占星家会更好点儿？这些人显然可以预知未来，正如上帝一样，并且可以给出什么可以做和什么不可以做的建议，这些都是上帝不能透露给人们的（因为自私？）。

让我们举一个比较重大的例子，看看这些迷信的人是怎么看待这个世界的。有时候，某个地区会遭受旱灾。1988年夏天，美国遭遇了50多年来最严重的一次旱灾。上帝大概对人类有个神圣的计划，这对于我们来说是难以理解的，因为我们的知识是有限的，而上帝的知识是无限的，甚至连严重的旱灾都是为了我们的长远利益着想。或许有人会相信这一点，说到这一点时便感谢这场可能会毁掉他们的旱灾，因为他们知道，这是一个了不起的计划的一部分，是为了他们的长远利益着想。尽管如此，我觉得这些人只占少数，因为更多的人通常的做法是祈雨——也就是反复祈求上帝放弃他的计划，无论这个计划是什么，为这些祈祷者的眼前利益做点什么。如果确实下雨了，这便证明了祈祷者的作用——没有人会说这证明了上帝的优柔寡断以及愿意放弃自己的计划。你知道，如果上帝愿意放弃他的计划，那么他不妨在一开始就不要送来这场旱灾。

当然，有许多迷信和西方世界的主流宗教并没有关系。各种怪异的信仰都关于百慕大三角，关于灵魂的轮回。这些都可以瞬间吸引数百万人狂热追捧。

那么，我对下一个世纪怀有什么期待呢？假如我们能幸免于因为人类顽固坚持相信迷信、拒绝理智而带来的毁灭的话，我们的思想会不会至少有一点进步呢？

很抱歉，我认为不会。和2089年的人道主义者对话时（我相信，如果到2089年这个世界还存在着的话，人道主义者便会存在)，我会这么说。

尽管科技在不断进步，尽管我们已经能用电脑操纵这个世界，尽管机器人已经在做人类的枯燥工作，人类被解放出来去从事创造性的工作，尽管我们已经扩张到月球以及更远的地方，而且很快便会广泛地渗透到太阳系，尽管我们已经比一个世纪以前更好地认识宇宙，但是绝大多数人还是会从各种迷信中寻求安慰和慰藉，他们仍然追随所有发表各种谬论、却往自己口袋里塞满钞票的空话家。我们仍然只有少数人在奋力劝说着人们，告诉人们如果真的存在上帝的话，上帝最终会拒绝没有好好利用那个真正神圣的礼物（理性）的任何人。

但是如果这样的话，如果我们一直处在无休止的战争中，而胜利遥遥无期，那么为什么还要继续呢？

因为我们必须要这么做。因为我们有义务这么做。为理性而战，即便没有胜利，也比面对不断的失败而放弃要高尚。因为无论人类获得什么样的真正进步都是由偶然的个人通过理性做出的。因为我们为这种事业而赢得的任何个人都比十万个怀揣着迷信的人为人类做得多。

Key Words:

fallible ['fæləbl]

adj. 易犯错误的

syllable ['siləbl]

n. 音节 vt. 分音节

deterioration [di.tiriə'reiʃən]

n. 恶化，降低，退化

viability [.vaiə'biliti]

n. 生存能力，发育能力，可行性

rejoice [ri'dʒɔis]

v. 使 ... 欢喜，高兴

inscrutable [in'skru:təbl]

adj. 难以了解的，不能预测的

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