人类生活在“意义”之中。我们一生中所经历的事物并不仅仅是单纯的事物,更为重要的是这些事物对我们人类的意义。即使是我们生存的环境中最简单的事物,人类在接触它们的时候也是从自己的角度作为出发点来看待它们的。
Human beings live in the realm of meanings. We do not experience pure circumstances; we always experience circumstances in their significance for men. Even at its source our experience is qualified by our human purposes.
引自 一、 生活的意义/1
翻译有误:its source指the origin of our experience,指最初的经验也是由人类的目的而产生。
"意义"来源于我们对于世界的感受,而我们对于世界的感受又是来源于“自我”;那"自我"来源于什么呢?来源于我们出生以来的生存体验。
'Meaning' is rooted from our perception of the world, while our perception is stemed from 'ego'. Then where is the ego stem from? It's stem from the survival experience that we had since we were born.
我们一直是以自己赋予现实的意义来感受现实,我们所感受的不是现实本身, 而是现实被我们所赋予的意义,或者说是我们的感受是我们自己对现实的解释。因此,我们可以顺理成章地说:每个人感受到的意义多多少少总是不完全的,甚至是不正确的,因为“意义”是一个充满了谬误的领域。
We experience reality always through the meaning we give it; not in itself, but as something interpreted. It will be natural to suppose, therefore, that this meaning is always more or less unfinished, incomplete; and even that it is never altogether right. The realm of meanings is the realm of mistakes.
引自 1.生活对于我们的意义/2
翻译笔记:the realm of mistakes=充满了谬误的领域。
自然,无数的事实让我们可以断言:通常人们只有在遭遇失败挫折的时候,才会发出这种疑问;假如一个人的一生中没有任何的波澜和起伏,也没有遇到过任何的困难和险阻,那么这个问题便不成其为问题,也不会被诉之于言词。
We can say, however, that they ask only when they have suffered a defeat. So long as everything is plain sailing and no difficult tests are set before them the question is never put into words.
引自 1.生活对于我们的意义/2
翻译笔记: everything is plain sailing=一个人的一生中没有任何的波澜和起伏。
翻译有误:英文版指never put into words,不会被诉之于言词,并不是指不成为问题;且上文作者已说明 'no human being can escape meanings.' 没有人可以逃脱这个问题。
中文翻译有误。英文版才是作者真正的意思。对于一个一生中没有太多挫折的人来说,这个问题只是若隐若现的出现在背景中挥之不去。没有人能回避这个问题,顶多只能够假装视而不见,直到有一天背景音越来越大,变成无法忽略的噪音。而对于这个人来说,没有挫折意味着思考意义时无可倚靠,如同在摇晃的公车内没有扶手用来支撑,思考意义的过程因此变得更为漫长。
Following the English version as the Chinese version is misleading. For someone who doesn't experience much setback, the question would be hidden in the background. No one could be pardened with this question, he at most could pretend he doesn't care. Until one day the background noise become louder and louder, become unavoidable. For this perticularly person, no setback means nothing to rely on when he try to figuring out the meaning, like no handle to rely on in a moving bus, therefore the process become a slow and prolonged process.
他的行为让我们相信,他似乎对某种关于生活的解释深信不疑,他的一举一动都蕴含着他对这个世界和他自己的看法。他似乎是在用自己的行为向世人宣告:“我就是这个样子,而世界就是那种形态”,这便是他赋予自己以及生活的意义。
He behaves as if he could rely upon a certain interpretation of life. In all his actions there is an implicit reckoning up of the world and of himself; a verdict, " I am like this and the universe is like that"; a meaning given to himself and a meaning given to life.
引自 1.生活对于我们的意义/2
翻译笔记:翻译的结构很流畅。
为什么大家认为一个人的行为比他说的话更能说明他对世界的看法呢?因为一个人对世界及对自己的看法蕴含在意识及潜意识两个层面,其中潜意识占绝大部分。一方面一个人的行为更多的是由潜意识支配,因此行为明示了潜意识;另一方面一个人说的话更多的是由意识支配,而潜意识躲在言辞之间不易察觉。(目前只是初步理解,这个问题还需要进一步思考。)