Here are six ideas from its Western branch that can inspire and console: ONE: “What

本片將分享六個西方哲學的思維，或許可以啟發和撫慰你的心。第一個：

need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.” The Roman

「何必為了生命中的小事哭泣？生命本就是一場悲劇！」

philosopher Seneca used to comfort his friends – and himself – with this darkly humorous

這是羅馬哲學家 Seneca 用來安慰自己和朋友的話，帶點黑色幽默，

remark which gets to the heart of Stoicism, the school of philosophy which Seneca helped

也直擊斯多葛學派理念的核心。該學派由 Seneca 協助建立，

to found and which dominated the West for two hundred years. We get weepy and furious,

深度影響了西方世界約兩百年。根據斯多葛學派的說法，

says Stoicism, not simply because our plans have failed, but because they have failed

我們之所以會哭或暴怒，不單是因為計畫失敗，

and we strongly expected them not to. Therefore, thought Seneca, the task of philosophy is

而是因為失敗不如我們的預期。 因此，Seneca 認為哲學應該

to disappoint us gently before life has a chance to do so violently. The less we expect,

在生命無情打擊我們之前，先溫和地讓我們看清現實；

the less we will suffer. Through the help of a consoling pessimism, we should strive

使我們期待越少，失望越小。在悲觀主義的安慰和加持之下，

to turn our rage and our tears into that far less volatile compound: sadness. Seneca was

我們應該努力將暴怒和絕望轉變為較安定的情緒：哀傷。

not trying to depress us, just to spare us the kind of hope that, when it fails, inspires

Seneca 並非要我們心灰意冷，只是在免除一種不必要的期望，

bitterness and intemperate shouting. TWO: Peccatum Originale In the late 4th century,

使得人們失敗時不必叫苦連天。第二個： Peccatum Originale 。四世紀末，

as the immense Roman Empire was collapsing, the leading philosopher of the age, St Augustine,

正當廣大的羅馬帝國衰亡之際，當時最重要的哲學家——聖奧古斯丁

became deeply interested in possible explanations for the evident tragic disorder of the human

所關注的問題是：世上的不幸和動亂為何發生？

world. One central idea he developed was what he legendarily termed Peccatum Originale:

據說他最先將 Peccatum Originale 稱為「原罪」，而這也是他的核心理念。

original sin. Augustine proposed that human nature is inherently damaged and tainted because

奧古斯丁認為人類天性殘缺、腐敗，因為在伊甸園中，人類之母夏娃

– in the Garden of Eden – the mother of all people, Eve, sinned against God by eating

吃下知識善惡樹的果實而得罪上帝。

an apple from the Tree of Knowledge. Her guilt was then passed down to her descendants and

她的罪傳給了後代，

now all earthly human endeavours are bound to fail because they are the work of a corrupt

而現今全人類的一切努力註定要失敗，因為人是墮落

and faulty human spirit. This odd idea might not be literally true, of course. However,

而缺損的靈魂所造的。這奇特的想法未必為真，不過，

as a metaphor for why the world is in a mess, it has a beguiling poetic truth, as relevant

作為亂世的註解，它的確誘使人相信且充滿想像力，無論信不信神都會這麼認為。

to atheists as believers. We should not – perhaps – expect too much from the human race, Augustine

奧古斯丁暗示著，我們或許不該對人類期待太高，

implies. We've been somewhat doomed from the outset. And that can, in certain moods,

畢竟人從一開始就註定搞砸啦。這麼想的話，

be a highly redemptive thought to keep in mind. THREE: "Kings and Philosophers shit,

或許就能自我救贖，脫離某些負面情緒了吧。第三個：「國王和賢哲一樣會拉屎，淑女也會。」

and so do ladies." The blunt phrase appears in an essay by the 16th century French philosopher,

16 世紀的法國哲學家 Michel de Montaigne 在他的一篇論文中直白地提到這句話。

Michel de Montaigne. Montaigne wasn't being mean. His point was kindly: he wanted us to

Montaigne 並沒有惡意，反而立意良善：他希望大家認為

feel closer to (and less intimidated) by people whose overt mode of life might seem painfully

自己和人生勝利組相去不遠 (同時感到更有自信)，即便他們的成就很高讓人欽羨不已，看似高不可攀。

impressive and very far from our own. And he could have added: in secret these people

而 Montaigne 其實也在說：這些人私底下也常常

also feel inadequate, fear rejection and mess up their sex-lives. We could also update his

自認不足、害怕被拒絕，甚至性生活一團糟。除了 Montaigne 所提的那幾類人，

examples to speak of CEOs, entrepreneurs, and the over-achieving person we went to college

他的話同樣適用於執行長、企業家還有當年大學班上的風雲人物。

with. Montaigne was attempting to free us from underconfidence and shyness, born out

Montaigne 試圖讓我們不再為缺乏自信和膽怯所困——這些負面情緒

of an exaggerated sense of the differences between ourselves and mighty others. At moments

都因為過度誇大強者和自己的差別而產生。

of panic, before an important speech or a much-anticipated date, we should run Montaigne's

在緊張時刻，例如重要的演講或令人超級期待的約會之前，我們應該在

phrase through our febrile, underconfident minds and remind ourselves that no one, however

腦袋過熱且缺乏自信的時候想想 Montaigne 的話，提醒自己任何人——

outwardly poised, is more than a few hours away from a poignantly modest and vulnerable

無論表現得多有自信——都有辛酸、卑微和脆弱的一面。

moment. FOUR: "All our unhappiness comes from our inability to sit alone in our room."

第四個：「我們之所以不快樂，是因為無法獨坐在自己的房間。」

This assertion, by the 17th century French philosopher Pascal, is obviously not literally

這個主張由 17 世紀的法國哲學家 Pascal 提出，光用字面意思解讀顯然不對。

true. But like all good philosophical aphorisms, it pointedly exaggerates an important idea

就像許多哲學格言一樣，這句話刻意強調一個重要概念，

in order to bring home a general insight. We are tempted to leave "our room" and

好闡明整體觀念。我們時常被吸引而離開了「自己的房間」

crave excitements that too often turn out badly; we meddle in the lives of others but

，因為我們渴求刺激，即使結果往往很糟；我們愛管別人閒事，

fail to help them; we seek fame and end up being misunderstood by large numbers of people

但總沒幫上忙；我們追求名譽，卻被一堆不認識的人誤解。

we don't know. "Sitting alone" doesn't mean literally being on the bed but rather,

「獨自坐著」意思不是真的坐在床上，

staying undistracted with ourselves: appreciating small pleasures; examining the contents of

而是專注於自我：感激微小的快樂、檢視內心、

our own minds, allowing the quieter (but important) parts of our psyche to emerge; thinking before

發掘心中沈默（但重要）的聲音、三思而行。

we act. Pascal's phrase's poignant because the louder voices in our culture are constantly

Pascal 的話可說是切中要點，因為我們所處的文化不斷大力推崇相反的事。

speaking in the opposite direction; are always goading us to get out more, to grow more agitated,

老是勸我們多出門、高興一點、

to seek more drama and to spend less time in thoughtful reveries, gazing out of the

尋求刺激和有趣的事，少花點時間看著窗外的雲朵做白日夢。

window at the clouds passing high above. We should, with Pascal's encouragement, learn

Pascal 鼓勵我們更加了解自己，和自己平靜相處。

to become better, quieter friends to ourselves. FIVE: "Sub specie aeternitatis." This means, translated

第五個：Sub specie aeternitatis，從拉丁文翻譯過來的意思是

from the Latin, "under the aspect of eternity" – a memorable phrase from the Ethics, published

「以永恆的角度來看」——收錄於荷蘭哲學家 Baruch Spinoza 1677 年出版的《倫理學》中。

in 1677 by the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza. For Spinoza, the task of philosophy is to

Spinoza 認為，哲學的任務在於教導我們以永恆的角度看待事物，

teach us to look at things, especially our own suffering and disappointment, "under

尤其是看待自身的苦難與失落，

the aspect of eternity," that is, as though we were gazing down at the earth from very

彷彿我們正從遠處，甚至另一個星球俯瞰地球。

far away or from a different star (Spinoza's outlook was much indebted to Galileo). From

(Spinoza 有此觀點還要感謝伽利略呢。)

this lofty perspective, the incidents that trouble us no longer have to seem so shocking

從高處觀看，困擾我們的事就不再那麼駭人，規模也變小了。

or so large. What is a divorce or a sacking when contemplated from the lunar surface?

在月球的宏觀視野下，離婚和被炒魷魚算什麼？

What is a rejection in love judged against the earth's 4.5 billion year history? Our

和地球 45 億年間的巨變比起來，告白被打槍又算什麼？

nature means that we'll always be pulled to exaggerate the here and now, but our reasoned

我們會很自然地放大此時此地、發生在自己身上的事，

intelligence gives us access to a unique alternative perspective, in which we participate in what

但理性使得我們可以切換觀點，採取 Spinoza 的

Spinoza called "eternal totality", and can cease railing against the status quo,

「永恆且全面的視角」，不再為現狀所困，

submitting to the flow of events with clear-eyed serenity instead. SIX: "Aus so krummem Holze,

以清晰的思緒和平靜的心情順應時勢變化。第六個：Aus so krummem Holze,

als woraus der Mensch gemacht ist, kann nichts ganz Gerades gezimmert werden." It's a slightly

als woraus der Mensch gemacht ist, kann nichts ganz Gerades gezimmert werden.

daunting and long German phrase but a hugely arresting and redemptive one, central to the

這麼長的德文看起來有點嚇人，但其實很有趣也相當有幫助喔！

spirit of Western philosophy: "Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing

作為西方哲學的核心概念，18世紀時，德國的哲學家康德提出：

was ever made." So wrote the German eighteenth century philosopher Immanuel Kant, who urged

「人性這根彎曲的木頭，造不出筆直的東西。」

us to recognise that nothing that human beings do can ever be less than slightly wonky, because

他要我們認知到：人類做任何事都有點靠不住。

we are creatures as much of passion and erroneous instinct as of reason and noble intelligence.

因為，儘管兼具理性和智慧，我們同時也是情感的動物，直覺時常出錯。

The wise accept this dark reality head on and so do not expect perfection. When designing

聰明的人坦然接受這個的令人難過的事實，因此不追求完美：

governments, they do not presume that rationality will triumph; they do everything to assume

建立政府時，他們不相信理性能發揮作用，認為人一定會出錯、做蠢事、

that error and folly will try to have their way – and so create structures to contain them.

搞砸事情，因此設計了可以互相制衡的政治體系。

When they marry, with comparable realism, they never expect that one person can be everything

結婚時，他們從不期盼對方成為自己的一切，

to them and then harangue a partner when they turn out not to be. An acceptance of our crooked

看清現實了之後，也不會大肆抱怨。

nature isn't dispiriting, it's the birth of generosity and dark good humour. Not least,

接受我們固有的缺陷不是悲觀，而是一種達觀，一種笑看人生悲喜的態度。

added Kant, crooked beams can make for beautiful floors, in the hands of a talented carpenter.

此外，康德也提到，在工匠的巧手下，即使曲木也能鋪成漂亮的地板。

If you want to learn more about the thinkers from our videos,

如果想深入認識影片中的思想家，

check out our Great Thinkers Book. Available world wide and now as an e-book.

請參考我們的書：《Great Thinkers Book》。全球通運，現在也有電子書。