On the Uses of Philosophy
We want to see things now as they will seem forever—"in the light of eternity."
We want to learn to laugh in the face of the inevitable, to smile even at the looming of death.
We want to be whole, to coördinate our energies by criticizing and harmonizing our desires; for coördinated energy is the last word in ethics and politics, and perhaps in logic and metaphysics too.
"To be a philosopher," said Thoreau, "is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live, according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust."
We may be sure that if we can but find wisdom, all things else will be added unto us.
"Seek ye first the good things of the mind," Bacon admonishes us, "and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will not be felt."
Truth will not make us rich, but it will make us free.
Some ungentle reader will check us here by informing us that philosophy is as useless as chess, as obscure as ignorance, and as stagnant as content.
"There is nothing so absurd," said Cicero, "but that it may be found in the books of the philosophers."
Doubtless some philosophers have had all sorts of wisdom except common sense; and many a philosophic flight has been due to the elevating power of thin air. Let us resolve, on this voyage of ours, to put in only at the ports of light, to keep out of the muddy streams of metaphysics and the "many-sounding seas" of theological dispute.
But is philosophy stagnant? Science seems always to advance, while philosophy seems always to lose ground.
Yet this is only because philosophy accepts the hard and hazardous task of dealing with problems not yet open to the methods of science—problems like good and evil, beauty and ugliness, order and freedom, life and death; so soon as a field of inquiry yields knowledge susceptible of exact formulation it is called science.
Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art; it arises in hypothesis and flows into achievement.
Philosophy is a hypothetical interpretation of the unknown (as in metaphysics), or of the inexactly known (as in ethics or political philosophy); it is the front trench in the siege of truth.
Science is the captured territory; and behind it are those secure regions in which knowledge and art build our imperfect and marvelous world.
Philosophy seems to stand still, perplexed; but only because she leaves the fruits of victory to her daughters the sciences, and herself passes on, divinely discontent, to the uncertain and unexplored.
[ 01’17” ] the looming of death (死亡的临近)
[ 01’36” ] the inevitable (不可避免的事情)
[ 01’56” ] coördinate (调和)
[ 01’58” ] desire (欲望)
[ 03’06” ] the last word (最重要的话，最终的目标)
[ 03’50” ] subtle thoughts (细致入微的思考）
[ 04’06” ] the subtlety of colors (对于颜色的细微的捕捉)
[ 04’17” ] subtle note (music note)
[ 04’26” ] the subtle difference in the meaning of words
[ 04’50” ] not merely...but so to (不仅仅要，还要)
[ 04’51” ] nor even (甚至)
[ 06’08” ] dictates (指引)
[ 06’20” ] magnanimity (心胸宽广)
[ 06’50” ] may be sure (也许应该)
[ 07’00” ] can but (只要)
[ 07’33” ] admonish (劝告；训诫；建议)
[ 09’23” ] some corrupted politicians (一些腐败的政治家)
[ 09’31” ] check sb (将军，将某人的军，象棋术语)
[ 09’37” ] That philosophy is as useless as chess, as obscure as ignorance, and as stagnant as content.
[ 10’28” ] There is nothing so absurd. (没有什么比这个更荒谬的了)
[ 11’10” ] doubtless (毋庸置疑地)
[ 11’46” ] He has everything except money.
[ 12’09” ] She is very beautiful except her face.
[ 12’44” ] due to (由于)
[ 12’54” ] resolve (宣誓)
[ 13’14” ] voyage (航行，旅行)
[ 13’33” ] muddy streams of metaphysic (形而上学的浑水)
[ 13’44” ] many-sounding seas (惊涛骇浪)
[ 14’45” ] stagnant (停滞不前的)
[ 15’20” ] advance (进步，进展)
[ 15’28” ] seem always (看上去总是)
[ 15’38” ] lose ground (退后)
[ 16’18” ] the hard and hazardous task (困难危险的任务)
[ 17’43” ] so soon as (so long as)
[ 18’14” ] yield knowledge (收获了知识)
[ 18’18” ] yield to (屈服)
[ 18’30” ] susceptible of (允许，准许)
[ 19’17” ] arise in (拔地而起)
[ 19’34” ] flow into (汇入)
[ 19’54” ] interpretation (解读)
[ 20’23” ] siege (围城)
[ 20’29” ] trench (战壕)
[ 20’53” ] captured (被俘虏的，抓住的)
[ 21’42” ] secure regions (安全区域)
[ 21’53” ] imperfect but marvelous (不完美却随处是惊喜的）
[ 22’58” ] perplexed (茫然)
[ 23’27” ] the fruits of victory (胜利的果实)
[ 23’31” ] the sciences (各种学科)
[ 23’44” ] pass on (继续前行)
[ 24’06” ] divinely discontent (慨然地)
[ 24’46” ] the uncertain and unexplored (不确定的和未知的)