about something that ought to be controversial: The Renaissance.

可能引發爭論的議題：文藝復興

So you probably already know about the Renaissance thanks to the work of noted teenage mutant

你可能多少知道文藝復興，多虧舉世聞名的忍者龜：

ninja turtles Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. But that isn't the whole story.

李奧納多(達文西)、米開朗基羅、多那太羅、拉斐爾。但這都不是重點

(Me-from-the-past:) Mr. Green, Mr. Green. What about Splinter? I think he was an architect.

(過去的我:)格里先生，格里先生。那史林特呢？他是建築師吧！

Ugh, me from the past, you're such an idiot. Splinter was a painter, sculptor, AND an architect.

呃，過去的我啊！你真無知。史林特是位畫家、雕塑家，「還是」位建築師

He was a quite a Renaissance rat.

他這老鼠真博學多才啊！

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Right, so the story goes that the Renaissance saw the rebirth of European culture after

好的，重點是文藝復興發生在歐洲文化復甦之際，之前只是

the miserable Dark Ages, and that it ushered in the modern era of secularism, rationality,

慘淡的黑暗時代，文藝復興使我們迎來了世俗、理性還有利己的

and individualism.

現代

And those are all in the list of things we like here at Crash Course.

這些都列在「速成班」的喜愛清單裡

(Me-from-the-past:) Mr. Green. I think you're forgetting Cool Ranch Doritos?

(過去的我:)格里先生，你還忘了美式沙拉醬口味的多力多滋對吧？

Yeah, fair enough.

對，你說的是

Then what is so controversial? Well, the whole idea of a European Renaissance presupposes

那到底有什麼好爭論的？嗯，整個歐洲文藝復興思想的前提

that Europe was like an island unto itself that was briefly enlightened when the Greeks

在受到短暫啟迪之前，歐洲仍像座孤島，而那時希臘人

were ascendant and then lost its way and then rediscovered its former European glory.

方興未艾。後來歐洲遭到埋沒，然後重新找回了昔日輝煌的歐洲

Furthermore, I'm going to argue that the Renaissance didn't even necessarily happen.

此外，我認為文藝復興未必發生

But first, let's assume that it did. Essentially, the Renaissance was an efflorescence of arts

但先假設它有發生好了，文藝復興基本上就是藝術的全盛時期

(primarily visual, but also to a lesser extent literary) and ideas in Europe that coincided

(主要為視覺藝術，但也有少部分的文學)，歐洲思想也達到巔峰

with the rediscovery of Roman and Greek culture.

同時也重新找回希臘羅馬時期的文化

It is easiest to see this in terms of visual art, Renaissance art tends to feature a focus

視覺藝術顯而易見，文藝復興的藝術傾向於注重

on the human form, somewhat idealized, as Roman and especially Greek art had.

人體形式，有幾分理想化，羅馬是如此；希臘更是如此

And this classicizing is also rather apparent in the architecture of the Renaissance which

文藝復興的建築顯然也有這樣的古典風

featured all sorts of Greek columns and triangular pediments and Roman arches and domes. In fact,

特色在於希臘的圓柱及三角楣飾，羅馬的拱門及穹頂。事實上，

looking at a Renaissance building you might even be able to fool yourself into thinking

當你注視著文藝復興的建築，你可能會誤以為

you're looking at an actual Greek building, if you sort of squint and ignore the fact

自己正看著真正的希臘建築，前提是如果你微微瞇著眼看，撇開

that Greek buildings tend to be, you know, ruins.

希臘建築看起來較為殘破不談

In addition to rediscovering, that is, copying Greek and Roman art, the Renaissance saw the rediscovery

除了重新發現，也就是如法炮製希臘羅馬藝術外，文藝復興再一次發掘

of Greek and Roman writings and their ideas.

希臘羅馬的文學及思想

And that opened up a whole new world for scholars well, not a new world, actually since the texts

這對學者來說，又開創了全新的世界，也不能稱得上「新」，畢竟這些文本

were more than 1000 years old, but you know what I mean.

一千多年前就有了，你懂我的意思吧！

The scholars who examined, translated, and commented upon these writings were called

我們稱這群探討、翻譯、評論這些作品的學者為

humanists, which can be a little bit of a confusing term, because it implies they were

人文學家，但這也許令人費解，因為這暗指他們

concerned with, you know, humans rather than, say, the religious world.

只關心人類，而不在乎，比如說，宗教領域

Which can add to the common, but totally incorrect, assumption that Renaissance writers and artists

雖然是子虛烏有，但大家常常認定文藝復興的作家、畫家

and scholars were, like, secretly not religious.

學者背地裡摒棄宗教

That is a favorite favorite area of speculation on the Internet and in Dan Brown novels, but

這是網站上或丹‧布朗的小說裡最愛做的猜測，其實不然

the truth is that Renaissance artists were religious. As evidence, let me present you

事實上，文藝復興的畫家虔誠得很，我證明給你看

with that fact that they painted the Madonna over and over and over and over and over and

他們常常以聖母瑪利亞為題，一次一次、一次一次，又一次…

STAN!

史坦！

Anyway, all humanism means is that these scholars studied what were called the humanities. Literature,

無論如何，人文主義就是學者研究的人文學學科，像是文學

philosophy, history.

哲學及歷史

Today, of course, these areas of study are known as the so-called dark arts. What? Liberal

現今這些領域的研究就是所謂的黑魔法。什麼？通才教育？

arts? Aw, Stan, you're always making history less fun. I WANT TO BE A PROFESSOR OF THE

噢！史坦！你就是會讓歷史變得無趣。我想成為一位

DARK ARTS.

黑魔法教授！

Stan (Off camera): The Dark Arts job, it's a dangerous position.

史坦(鏡頭外)：教黑魔法，是危險的工作

John: Yeah, I guess that is true, so we'll stick with this.

約翰：好吧！有道理，我會記住

Right so here at Crash Course, we try not to focus too much on dates, but if I'm going

沒錯！在這速成班中，我們不用過度強調時期，但如果我要

to convince you that the Renaissance didn't actually happen, I should probably tell you,

讓你相信文藝復興並未發生，我應該得告訴你

you know, when it didn't happen. So traditionally the Renaissance is associated with the 15th

它何時未發生。習慣上，我們把文藝復興認定大約是在十五

and 16th centuries. Ish.

十六世紀...多

The Renaissance happened all across Europe, but we're going to focus on Italy, because

文藝復興在全歐洲盛行，但讓我們專注在義大利上，因為

I want to and I own the video camera. Plus, Italy really spawned the Renaissance.

我就是想講，再說攝影機是我的。而且，義大利還是文藝復興的起源地

What was it about Italy that lent itself to Renaissancing? Was it the wine? The olives?

義大利為何會適合文藝復興呢？因為它的葡萄酒嗎？橄欖嗎？

The pasta? The plumbers? The relative permissiveness when it comes to the moral lassitude of their

義大利麵嗎？水管工人嗎？抑或放蕩不羈，素行不良的

leaders? Well, let's go to the Thought Bubble.

領導人？好吧！那來看看「觀念泡泡」

Italy was primed for Renaissance for exactly one reason: Money.

義大利會是文藝復興的黃金開端，只有一個確切原因：金錢

A society has to be super rich to support artists and elaborate building projects and

一個社會必須超級富有才能資助畫家和精細的建築計畫

to feed scholars who translate and comment on thousand-year-old documents. And the Italian

以及讓翻譯評論一千年前文物的學者衣食無虞，除此之外，義大利

city states were very wealthy for two reasons.

城邦會這麼富有，有兩個原因：

First, many city states were mini-industrial powerhouses each specializing in a particular

第一、不少城邦是迷你的工業動力室，各自專攻於特定的

industrial product like Florence made cloth, Milan made arms.

產業，像是佛羅倫斯生產布料，米蘭生產軍武

Second, the cities of Venice and Genoa got stinking rich from trade.

第二、威尼斯、熱那亞這兩個城市從貿易中大撈一筆

Genoa turned out a fair number of top-notch sailors, like for instance Christopher Columbus.

熱那亞還培養出一票頂尖航海家，哥倫布即是一例

But the Venetians became the richest city state of all.

但威尼斯才是最富有的城邦

As you'll remember from the Crusades, the Venetians were expert sailors, shipbuilders,

回想看看，十字軍東征中，維也納人都是專業的水手、造船工人

and merchants and as you'll remember from our discussions of Indian Ocean trade, they

以及商人。再回想看看，在我們討論的印度洋貿易，他們

also had figured out ways to trade with Islamic empires, including the biggest economic power

還想出了與伊斯蘭帝國貿易的方法，其中包含那地區中經濟力量最龐大的

in the region: the Ottomans.

鄂圖曼帝國

Without trading with the Islamic world, especially in pepper, Venice couldn't have afforded

如果沒有和伊斯蘭世界貿易，尤其是交易胡椒，威尼斯根本無法支付

all those painters nor would they have had money to pay for the incredibly fancy clothes

那群畫家，他們也不會有錢買華美的衣裳

they put on to pose for their fancy portraits.

好讓他們的畫像增添姿色

The clothes, the paint, the painters, enough food to get a double chin all of that was

衣服、畫作、畫家、養出雙下巴的糧食，這些

paid for with money from trade with the Ottomans.

都是由與鄂圖曼帝國貿易的金錢換來

I know I talk a lot about trade, but that is because it is so incredibly awesome, and it

我知道我提了不少貿易，但貿易實在是太棒了！它還

really does bind the world together.

真的有聯繫起整個世界

And while trade can lead to conflicts, on balance, it has been responsible for more

但貿易也會引爆衝突，總的來說，它是讓彼此來往更加和平的原因

peaceful contacts than violent ones because, you know, death is bad for business.

而非激烈衝突，只因死亡對商業不利

This was certainly the case in the Eastern Mediterranean where the periods of trade-based

地中海東岸正是如此，建立於貿易之上的外交期間

diplomacy were longer and more frequent than periods of war, even though all we ever talk

來得比戰爭長久頻繁，縱使我們隻字不離

about is war because it is very dramatic, which is why my brother Hank's favorite video

戰爭，因為它比較富含戲劇性，也就是為什麼我弟弟漢克最愛的電玩

game is called Assassin's Creed, not Some Venetian Guys Negotiate A Trade Treaty.

遊戲叫做「刺客教條」，而不是什麼「威尼斯大夥來協約」

Thanks, Thought Bubble. So here's another example of non-Europeans supporting the Renaissance:

謝啦！觀念泡泡。非歐洲人助長文藝復興的另一個例子：

The Venetians exported textiles to the Ottomans.

威尼斯向顎圖曼帝國出口紡織品

They were usually woven in other cities like Florence, and the reason Florentine textiles

這些通常是由佛羅倫斯這些城市編織而成，佛羅倫斯的紡織品

were so valuable is because their color remained vibrant.

能如此珍貴在於它的色彩鮮豔動人

That is because they were dyed with a chemical called alum, which was primarily found in

這是因為他們用明礬這種化學物質染色，明礬最早是在鄂圖曼帝國的

Anatolia, in the Ottoman Empire.

安那托利亞找到

So to make the textiles the Ottomans craved, the Italians needed Ottoman alum, at least

為了產出鄂圖曼帝國渴求的織品，義大利需要他們的明礬至少

until 1460.

到1460年

When Giovanni da Castro, Pope Pius Ilis' godson, discovered alum, in Italy, in Tolfa.

教宗庇護二世的教子，喬瓦尼‧迪卡斯楚在義大利的托爾法發現明礬

And he wrote to his godfather, the Pope: ''Today I bring you victory over the Turk. Every year

他接著寫信給教宗：「今天，我帶來贏得土耳其的勝利。每年

they wring from the Christians more than 300,000 ducats for the alum with which we dye wool

他們榨取我們基督徒，獲利超過30萬金幣，因為販賣將羊毛染得

various colors... But I have found seven mountains so rich in this material that they could supply

五彩繽紛的明礬…但我找到七座山富含這種原料，足以供應

seven worlds. If you will give orders to engage workmen, build furnaces, and melt the ore,

七個世界。如果你指示要工匠上工、建造熔爐、熔煉礦石

you will provide all Europe with alum and the Turk will lose all his profits. Instead

你就能供給明礬給全歐洲，土耳其則不能再獲利

they will accrue to you."

利益就會為你所有。」

So the Pope was like, "Heck yeah." More importantly he granted a monopoly on the mining

教宗就大概回了「當然好啊！」。更重要的，他還授予明礬的開採及專賣權

rights of alum to a particular Florentine family, the Medicis.

給一個特定的佛羅倫斯家族，麥地奇家族

You know, the ones you always see painted.

如你所知，他們家族的畫像十分常見

But vitally, Italian alum mines didn't bring victory over the Turks, or cause them to lose

但義大利的明礬礦產並未使他們打敗土耳其，或造成他們的損失

all their profits, just as mining and drilling at home never alleviate the need for trade.

就好比在自家鑿礦，從不會削減貿易的需求

Okay, one last way contact with Islam helped to create the European Renaissance, if indeed

好了，與伊斯蘭有關的最後一點，也促成了文藝復興，如果真有

it happened: The Muslim world was the source of many of the writings that Renaissance scholars

這回事的話。伊斯蘭世界藏有許多著作，是文藝復興學者的

studied.

研究來源

For centuries, Muslim scholars had been working their way through ancient Greek writings,

幾世紀以來，伊斯蘭學者對古希臘著作下了苦工

especially Ptolemy and Aristotle, who despite being consistently wrong about everything

尤其是托勒密和亞里斯多德，即使他們的著作錯誤百出

managed to be the jumping off point for thinking both in the Christian and Muslim worlds.

但還是成為結合基督徒與回教徒思想的開端

And the fall of Constantinople in 1453 helped further spread Greek ideas because Byzantine

1453年，君士坦丁堡的陷落更進一步助於散播希臘思想，因為拜占庭

scholars fled for Italy, taking their books with them. So we have the Ottomans to thank

學者帶著書本，逃到了義大利，這也是多虧了

for that, too.

鄂圖曼帝國

And even after it had become a Muslim capital, Istanbul was still, like, the number one destination

即使伊斯坦堡變成回教的首都，它還是書呆子首屈一指的目的地

for book nerds searching for ancient Greek texts.

因為他們要尋找古希臘文本

Plus, if we stretch our definition of Renaissance thought to include scientific thought, there

如果擴大文藝復興思潮的定義到科學領域

is a definite case to be made that Muslim scholars influenced Copernicus, arguably the

哥白尼受到伊斯蘭學者的影響就是個明確例子，他可說是

Renaissance's greatest mind.

為文藝復興帶來最頂尖的思想

Oh, it's time for the open letter? An Open Letter to Copernicus.

噢！到了讀公開信的時候嗎？寫給哥白尼的

But first, let's see what is in the secret compartment today. Wow, the heliocentric solar

但先來看看秘密抽屜裡頭是甚麼？哇！以太陽為中心的

system? Cool. Earth in the middle, sun in the middle, earth in the middle, sun in the

太陽系？酷耶！地球為中心，太陽為中心，地心，日心

middle. Ptolemy. Copernicus. Ptolemy. Copernicus.

托勒密，哥白尼，托勒密，哥白尼

Right, an open letter to Copernicus.

好了，給哥白尼的信

Dear Copernicus,

親愛的哥白尼

Why you always gotta make the rest of us look so bad?

為何你總是讓我們如此難堪？

You were both a lawyer and a doctor? That doesn't seem fair.

你既是位法學家也是醫生？也太不公平

You spoke four languages and discovered that the earth is not the center of the universe,

你通曉四種語言，還發現地球不是宇宙的中心

come on.

拜託！

But at least you didn't discover it entirely on your own. Now, there's no way to be sure

但至少並不全然是你發現的，雖然現在無法明確的說

that you had access to Muslim scholarship on this topic.

你看過回教徒在相同主題的研究

But one of your diagrams is so similar to a proof found in an Islamic mathematics treatise

但你的一個圖表與一篇伊斯蘭數學論文中找到的論證相似

that it is almost impossible that you didn't have access to it.

你不太可能沒看過

Even the letters on the diagram are almost the same. So at least I can tell my mom that

連圖表上的文字都大同小異。這樣我就有理由跟我媽講

when she asks why I'm not a doctor and a lawyer and the guy who discovered the heliocentric

如果她問起我怎麼不是位醫生或律師，發現太陽系是以太陽為中心的人

solar system.

也不是我的話

Best wishes, John Green

祝你好運，約翰格里上

Alright, so now having spent the last several minutes telling you why the Renaissance happened

好啦！現在我要用剩下的幾分鐘來告訴你為何文藝復興是發生在

in Italy and not in, I don't know, like India or Russia or whatever, I'm going to argue

義大利，而不是在印度還是俄羅斯之類的。我要來爭辯

that the Renaissance did not in fact happen.

文藝復興並沒有發生

Let's start with the problem of time. The Renaissance isn't like the Battle of Hastings

先從時間開始講起，文藝復興不像黑斯廷斯戰役

or the French Revolution where people were aware that they were living amid history.

或法國大革命，人們能夠意識到他們正寫下歷史性的一頁

Like, when I was eleven and most of you didn't exist yet, my dad made my brother and me turn

比如說，我十一歲時，那時你們大多還沒出生，我爸爸要我和弟弟別看

off the Cosby Show and watch people climbing on the Berlin Wall so we could see history.

「天才老爹」，而看看攀登柏林圍牆的人們，歷史就這樣在我們眼前發生

But no one, like, woke their kids up in Tuscan village in 1512 like, ''Mario, Luigi, come

但不會有人在1512年的托斯卡尼這樣叫醒小孩：「瑪利歐、路易吉，快出來！

outside! The Renaissance is here!

來看看文藝復興！

Hurry, we're living in a glorious new era, where man's relationship to learning is changing.

快點！我們活在嶄新的輝煌時代，人與知識的聯繫正在轉變

I somehow feel a new sense of individualism based on my capacity for reason."

我有種感覺，新穎的個人主義是基於我對理性的認知。」

No. In fact, most people in Europe were totally unaware of the Renaissance, because its art

並不會這樣，事實上，多數歐洲人完全沒察覺文藝復興，因為藝術

and learning affected a tiny sliver of the European population.

與學識僅僅影響歐洲全人口的一小小部分

Like, life expectancy in many areas of Europe actually went down during the Renaissance.

歐洲不少地區的平均壽命，在文藝復興時期居然還下降

Art and learning of the Renaissance didn't filter down to most people the way that technology

文藝復興時的藝術與學識並沒有像現今的科技

does today.

普及至大眾

And really the Renaissance was only experienced by the richest of the rich and those people,

只有富者中的富者感受到文藝復興，還有

like painters, who served them.

促使它的人，像是畫家

I mean, there were some commercial opportunities, like for framing paintings or binding books,

雖然帶來一些商機，像是給畫鑲框，或是裝訂書本

but the vast majority of Europeans still lived on farms either as free peasants or tenants.

但歐洲的普羅大眾還是以務農為生，不是地主就是佃農

And the rediscovery of Aristotle didn't in any way change their lives, which were governed

重新發現了亞里斯多德並不會影響他們的作息，他們

by the rising and setting of the sun, and, intellectually, by the Catholic Church.

日出而作，日落而息；學識則受天主教會管理

In fact, probably about 95% of Europeans never encountered the Renaissance's opulence or

事實上，大約95%的歐洲人未曾見識到文藝復興時期的富麗堂皇

art or modes of thought.

藝術及思想模式

We have constructed the Renaissance as important not because it was so central to the 15th

我們賦予文藝復興重要的地位，可不是因為它是15世紀的核心

century. I mean, at the time Europe wasn't the world's leader in, anything other than

我指的是，那時候歐洲並沒有領先全世界，除了

the tiny business of Atlantic trade.

大西洋貿易的小型商業之外

We remember it as important because it matters to us now. It gave us the ninja turtles.

我們注重文藝復興是因為它與我們有關，我們因此有了忍者龜

We care about Aristotle and individualism and the Mona Lisa and the possibility that

我們關切亞里斯多德、個人主義、蒙娜麗莎，還很有可能

Michelangelo painted an anatomically correct brain onto the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,

米開朗基羅在西斯廷禮拜堂的天花板上，畫出了準確的頭腦剖面

because these things give us a narrative that makes sense.

因為這些給了我們合理的敘述

Europe was enlightened, and then it was unenlightened, and then it was re-enlightened, and ever since

歐洲受到啟迪，而後顯得沒落，後來又重新被啟蒙。從那時起

it's been the center of art and commerce and history.

歐洲就成為藝術、商業、歷史的中心

You see that cycle of life, death, and rebirth a lot in historical recollection, but it just

看看歷史上一再地循環著存在、消逝與重生，但這麼說

isn't accurate.

不太準確

So it's true that many of the ideas introduced to Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries became

誠然，不少15、16世紀傳入歐洲的思想變得

very important.

十分重要

But remember, when we talk about the Renaissance, we're talking about hundreds of years. I

但記住：我們提到文藝復興時期，它可是囊括了數百年

mean, although they share ninja turtledom, Donatello and Raphael were born 97 years apart.

雖然忍者龜裡一樣有多那太羅和拉斐爾，但他們實際出生前後相差了97年

And the Renaissance humanist Petrarch was born in 1304, 229 years before the Renaissance

文藝復興時期的人文主義者佩脫拉克，誕生於1304年，229年後另一位

humanist Montaigne.

人文主義者蒙田出生

That is almost as long as the United States has existed. So was the Renaissance a thing?

這快跟美國建國一樣老了。所以，真有文藝復興這麼一回事嗎？

Not really. It was a lot of mutually interdependent things that occurred over centuries. Stupid

不見得，它是數世紀以來環環相扣的種種事件。無趣的

truth always resisting simplicity. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week.

真理永遠抵過無知。感謝收看，我們下周見