you have to answer in life.

在人生中勢必需要回答這兩個問題

The first is, is there a God? Specifically a moral and judging creator.

第一個問題就是，到底有沒有神？具體來說就是道德和評判的創造者

The second is, are people

第二個問題就是，

basically good? Your answer to the second question

人性本善嗎？第二個問題的答案

will shape just about all of your moral social and political views

將會塑造幾乎你所有的道德社會與政治觀

even more than whether you believe in God.

影響甚至比你信不信神還要更大

That's why a believer and an atheist who have the same views about human nature

這也是為什麼一個信神者和無神論者，如果他們兩者擁有對於人類本性的

almost always have the same social

相同的看法的話，一定也會擁有相同的社會

and political views. Let me give you some examples.

與政治觀。看看這些例子你就知道

You've probably heard the phrase "poverty causes crime."

你或許曾經聽過這個話「貧窮導致犯罪。」

If you believe that people are basically good, you are likely to believe that

如果你相信人性本善，你就很有可能會相信

poverty

貧窮

or bigotry or some other outside force

或是固執，或是其他一些外力

causes people to commit violent crime. That's the only way you can make sense

導致人們犯下暴力的罪刑。這也是唯一你可以合理解釋

of the fact that some people commit crimes

雖然人性本善

despite their basically good nature. Something drove them to it.

但是還是會犯罪的事實。他們是被一些因素所驅使的

But if you don't believe people are basically good, you're far more likely to

但是如果你不相信人性本善，你會不太可能

blame the criminals themselves

會把他們的犯罪行為

not outside forces for their actions.

歸咎到其他外力上

One more example. In a society where it is believed that people are basically good

再看一個範例。一個社會中如果相信人性本善

parents and society don't devote great efforts

父母親們和整個社會就不會努力的

toward making good people. After all, if we're born good

要創造出善良的人。畢竟，如果我們人性本善

why do you have to teach goodness? On the other hand

那你們為什麼還要教美德品性的課呢？相反來說

those who don't believe we are born all that good understand that parents and

不相信人性本善的人了解為什麼父母親和

society

整個社會

have to undertake major efforts to make children

會盡我們大部分的力來教育我們的孩子

into good adults.

成為良善的成人

Okay then, are people basically good? As I will show given humanities history

所以這樣，人性是本善嗎？因為我會給你們看已知的人性歷史

the answer should be obvious. Of course human nature

答案應該就顯而易見。當然人性

isn't basically good. Now this doesn't mean that people are basically bad,

不是本善。這也不代表人性本惡

we are born with real potential to do good, but we are not

我們與生俱來就擁有善良的潛質，但是我們並不是

basically good. Take babies. Babies are lovable

本來就是善良的。拿嬰兒來當例子。嬰兒很可愛

and innocent but they're not good, they're entirely self-centered

又很純潔，但是他們卻不善良，因為他們為了要生存下來

as they have to be in order to survive. "I want mommy,"

他們是完全的自我中心主義的。「我要媽媽。」

"I want milk," "I want to be held," "I want to be comforted,"

「我要喝奶。」、「我要抱抱。」、「我想要被呼呼。」

and if you do not do all these things immediately I will ruin your life.

而如果你不馬上照做，我就會毀了你的生活

That's not goodness, that's narcissism.

這就不是善良，這叫做自戀

We are born narcissists.

我們天生就很自戀

preoccupied with number one, ourselves.

一心一意只注意著第一個人，也就是我們自己

And if you've ever worked with kids you know how cruel, how bullying they can be.

而且如果你曾經在小孩共處一室過，你就知道他們多殘忍、多霸道了

And don't parents have to tell their child tens of thousands of times

而且為什麼父母親必須要告訴他們的小孩好幾萬次

"Say thank you."

「說謝謝。」

Now why is that? If we're naturally good wouldn't feeling and expressing gratitude come naturally?

為什麼呢？如果我們天生就很善良，為什麼不會自然而然的感覺到並會表達感激呢？

And then there is the historical record.

這就有歷史紀錄

Evils, huge evils,

邪惡、無限的邪惡

affecting much of the human race have been the norm.

深深地影響了人類，並已成為一種常態

Here goes, just a few examples.

這裡有一些例子

The Ottoman Turks targeted millions of Armenian Christians

鄂圖曼帝國在第一次世界大戰時期

for death during World War I.

試圖要將數百萬亞美尼亞使徒置之死地

The German Nazi regime murdered 6 million Jews, two out of every three European Jews

德國納粹政權殺害了六百萬猶太人，每三個歐洲的猶太人就有兩個被殺害

including more than a million children and babies.

其中還包含了超過一百萬名的孩童與嬰兒

The Soviet Communist regime slaughtered about 5 million Ukrainians

蘇聯共產黨政權屠殺了大約五百萬烏克蘭人

and about 25 million other innocents. The Chinese Communists killed about 70 million Chinese

以及其他約兩千五百萬的無辜人士也被殺害。中國共產黨殺死了大概七千萬中國人

and enslaved the rest of the Chinese people.

並奴役倖存的中國人民

The North Korean Communist regime has built what one can only call

北韓的共產政權建立了被稱為

the world's largest concentration camp. Most of North Korea.

世界上最大的集中營。大部分的北韓人

in postcolonial Congo in the decade between 1998 and 2008

1998年到2008年十年當中，後殖民主義的剛果有

over five million people were murdered

超過五百萬的人民遭到殺害。

and tens if not hundreds of thousands of women raped.

並且有數萬名（如果不是數十萬的話）女性遭到強暴

Of course before that,

當然在此之前

about 10 million Africans were kidnapped and made slaves in the European slave trade

大約有一千萬的非洲人被綁架並被以奴隸買賣的方式賣到歐洲當奴隸，

and another 10 to 18 million Africans were enslaved

另外還有一千萬到一千八百萬的非洲人民也被

by Arab slave traders.

阿拉伯奴隸商人奴役

And let me ask you this, if people are basically good why does every civilization have so many laws

讓我來問你這個問題，如果人性本善，為什麼每個文明都會制訂很多的法律

to control human behavior?

來控制人類的一舉一動？

Knowing all this, those who believe that people are basically good have simply

明明都知道這樣，但是相信人性本善的人基本上就是

made a decision to believe that

決定他們要相信人性本善

and ignore all the evidence.

並且將這些證據視而不見

Why do people commit evil? Because it's easy to,

為什麼人會做出壞事？因為很容易

because it's tempting to, and yes

因為會誘惑人去做，而且

because it often accords with human nature.

因為常常跟人性是相互呼應的

That is why figuring out how to make good people

這也是為什麼要想出如何把人變善良是

is the single most important project in all of human life.

所有人類一生中最重要的一個任務

But first you have to believe it's necessary.

但是首先你必須要相信這是一定要的

I'm Dennis Prager.

我是丹尼斯普拉格

Join Prager University: subscribe to our YouTube channel

加入 普拉格大學：訂閱我們YouTube頻道

and sign up for free at PragerU.com

並且到PragerU.com免費報名