Beyond Feelings - Chapter 4

What Does It Mean to Know?

Vocabulary

cannibalism n. 同类相食，食人肉

wanton adj. 有意伤害的，肆无忌惮的，恶意的

inhibition n. 顾虑，禁忌

ethno- 种族的

hunch（on a hunch）直觉

wishy-washy adj. 不清楚的，不坚定的，糊涂的

Expression

The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus’s warning is relevant: “Get rid of self-conceit. For it is impossible for anyone to begin to learn that which he thinks he already knows.”

古希腊哲学家爱比克泰德的警告是有意义的：“摆脱自负。因为任何人都不可能开始学习他认为自己早已知道的事。”

The Puritans were “prim, proper, and prudish prigs.”

清教徒是“整洁，有礼貌和过分规矩的正经人。”（押头韵）

Knowledge is often thought of as dead matter stored on dusty shelves in dull libraries. Unfortunately, the hushed atmosphere of a library can suggest a funeral chapel or a cemetery.

通常，知识被认为是储存在昏暗图书馆里积满灰尘的书架桑的死物。遗憾的是，图书馆里沉寂的气氛会使人想起教堂的葬礼或墓地。

Excerpt

That’s what happens in daily life. No two words have precisely the same shades of meaning. Therefore, the simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words rather than in exact quotation changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative touch to a story, trying to improve on it by stamping it with their own personal style. This tendency may be conscious or unconscious. Yet the effect is the same in either case—those who hear it think they know.

由此可见道听途书有多么“不靠谱”，历史之所以扑朔迷离，很大程度上源于此。

Summary

In reality, the more one believe in an ambiguous conception, the less likely he is to pursue the truth. Knowing involves both having the right answer and the realization that you have it. To achieve knowledge, we can either achieve it actively by direct experience, or receive it passively, except that passive learning has a serious defect. We need to consider all the facts and possible interpretations to analyze a problem before drawing the logical conclusion.

Knowing is difficult because some long unanswered questions continue to resist solution and everyday situations arise for which there are no precedents. What's more, as one generation succeeds another, knowledge is often forgotten or unwisely rejected. Even authorities who have the most sophisticated measurement tools at their disposal fail to achieve certainty.

Thought

认知意味着什么？一个自认为知道的人也许不知道，一个自认为不知道的人也许并不是完全不知道。阻碍学者奔向真理的一大障碍（obstacle）就是自负（self-conceit），因为任何人都不可能开始学习他已经知道的事。想要学习新知识，一定要克服的两大习惯：假设和猜想，不把任何事看做是理所当然，不盲目提出一个直觉判断或一个没信心的答案，新知识旧知识都可能有价值，保持足够的好奇心，却又不失主见才是我们应该秉持的态度。