Can all knowledge be made intelligible?

所有的知識都是理解來的嗎？

To be beautiful, as some philosophers would claim, does something have

如哲學家們的辯證，

to be intelligible?

能理解的才是美嗎？

If so, we're left with the following formula: knowledge = intelligible = beauty

如果是的話，那我們就得到這樣的關係：

Knowledge is that which is intelligible, and beauty is a form of knowledge.

知識是能被理解的東西，而美則是知識的一種。

Nietzsche attributes this formula to Socrates.

尼采認為這是源自蘇格拉底的觀點。

He was the one that said “knowledge is virtue” and that

蘇格拉底曾說：「知識即是美德」、

"to be beautiful everything must be intelligible”.

「美感來自於理解」。

But, Nietzsche responds with the following question: how do we explain music?

但尼采對此提出一個問題：那怎麼解釋音樂呢？

Music is something people find beautiful, but it's not intelligible in the way many

人們覺得音樂很美，但並非像其他藝術那樣，

other art forms are.

是用理解的。

The beauty of a piece of music isn't understood intellectually so much as

與其說一首曲子的美是理解來的，

it's felt in the body.

不如說是感受來的。

Music engages the instincts, drives, and senses.

音樂與本能、內驅力、感官相連，

You can feel the beauty way before you can articulate it.

你對美的感受遠早於你能將它訴說，

So, if beauty is a type of knowledge, and music is beautiful, perhaps,

所以如果美是一種知識，而音樂是美的，也許

all knowledge isn't intelligible.

並非所有的知識都是理解來的，

Maybe, there's a type of knowledge that's more instinctive.

也許還有一種知識是天生就有的。

Nietzsche thinks this is the case.

尼采就是這麼認為。

He believes that our instincts, drives, and passions are a type of knowledge that's

他認為我們的本能、內驅力與熱情，

built into our body.

是一種內建的知識。

Think about how many millions, or billions, of life forms

想想有多少難以計數的生命形式，

eventually led to the birth of you.

間接地造就了你的出生。

You're part of a long unbroken chain of life

你就是生命之鏈延綿不斷的一部分，

and there's a great deal of information stored in your body.

你的身體蘊藏著許多的訊息。

You can think of our instinctive drives as a fire burning within us.

你可以將本能的內在驅力想像成在內心燃燒的火燄，

Fire is powerful and destructive, but it also has the potential to create,

火具有強大的力量和毀滅性，但也能創造、

transform, and transfigure things.

轉化事物的性質和樣貌。

A well controlled flame can become a candle that burns slowly, but passionately, and fills

蠟燭就是控制得宜的火焰，緩慢但又熱情地燃燒，

an entire room with its beautiful scents.

讓整個空間充滿香氛。

There's no doubt that our passions can give way to violent and dangerous impulses.

當然，熱情也會被暴力和危險的衝動取代，

Fire has the capacity to burn, and because of this, many cultures demonize it.

在許多文化，因為火的燃燒特質而將它污名化，

We're told to suppress our inner fires and desires.

教導我們要壓抑內心的衝動和慾望，

We're told to overcome our flesh and our passions with the mind.

要用意志力克服肉身和情感上的需求。

Nietzsche viewed this suppression as an attack on life.

尼采認為這種壓抑是對生命的威脅。

Our passions, instincts, and drives are what give us the feeling of being alive.

情感、本能和內驅力給了我們活著的感覺，

When we suppress these drives we deny life.

當這些被壓抑，我們便是在否定生命，

We create a discord between our body and our minds.

讓身體和心智之間產生了衝突，

Our body becomes a place of war and turns on itself.

身體變成了戰場，自己點燃戰火。

The mind becomes a tyrant, and we become slaves in our own bodies.

心智變成了暴君，而我們則成了困在身體裡的奴隸。

Nietzsche believed that we must be okay with allowing this flame to burn brightly,

尼采相信，即使讓內心的火焰閃亮，我們依然安好。

but we have to learn to harness it.

但我們要學會妥善地利用它，

Our intellect and our instincts must work in harmony together.

讓智力與本能和諧地一同運作。

Our instincts and drives carry a wisdom of who and what we're supposed to be.

我們的本能和內驅力帶有智慧，告訴我們該成為怎樣的人；

Our mind can help this destiny express itself in a controlled and productive way.

我們的心智則能讓這樣的使命，收放自如並豐盈地展現。

When your instincts and intellect are in harmony, you live an authentic life

當你的本能和智力合作協調，你就會過著真正屬於你的人生，

and become who you were always meant to be.

成為你該成為的那個人。

But, why live an authentic life?

但是，又為什麼要過著專屬於自己的人生呢？

Why does Nietzsche want us to harness our instinctive knowledge?

為什麼尼采要我們善用本身就具有的智慧？

He realizes that we live in a world of imperfect knowledge.

因為他了解到，我們的世界充滿了不全面的知識，

He wants us to stop pretending that we know things.

他希望我們別再假裝真正知道些什麼，

Let's stop pretending that we know what truth, good, or evil are.

別再以為我們真的知道什麼是真理、什麼是善與惡。

When you come into the world, you can't really be certain of anything except that

當你來到這個世上，唯一能確定的事情就是：

you are: you're here, right now, feeling, thinking, and doing things.

你在這裡、當下的感覺、你在思考和做些什麼。

You're born with instincts, drives,

你天身就具備本能、內驅力，

and a capacity to build a rational structure on top of that.

以及在已知的事情之上做理性建構的能力。

We can't be certain that there's another life or world after this one,

既然我們無法確定真有來生或是另一個世界，

so why should we doubt our own impulses?

那為何要懷疑自己的內在衝動呢？

Why should we reject the innate knowledge that's been gifted to us?

為什麼要否決我們與生俱來的內在智慧呢？

Is it possible that there's more intelligence contained in our natural drives than our rational mind?

在我們自然的內驅力中，是否可能比理智蘊藏著更多智慧？

Nietzsche encourages us to allow our instincts to burn like a fire, but harness them and

尼采鼓勵我們，讓本能像火焰一樣地燃燒，

give them a more beautiful shape by using the intellect.

但要以聰明才智善用它，讓它以更美麗的形式展現。

Can you shape your intellect into a sail and use the flames of your passion to rise to

你能將自己的聰明才智化成風帆，並用熱情之火

new heights?

讓自己飛向天際嗎？

This act of self-creation allows us to to reach our highest potential and give what

這種自我創造能讓我們發揮極致潛能，

we uniquely have to give to the world.

並把自己的獨一無二帶給世界。

To achieve anything in this world, to create anything of value, is difficult and requires

要在世上達成任何目標、創造任何有價值的東西，

us to push ourselves beyond our current boundaries.

並非容易之事，且需要突破當前的限制。

If we suppress our inner fire, if we make ourselves a battlefield between our mind and body,

如果壓抑了內心的火焰，如果讓自己成為身心之間的戰場，

we suppress the energy we'll need to overcome obstacles that we may face

我們便缺乏那股能量，去克服發揮最大潛能之際

on the way to reaching our highest potential.

可能面臨到的阻礙。

And, in doing so, we make way for mediocrity.

如此一來，我們就讓自己變得平庸。

You are art and artist: your instincts and intellect can be harmonized into

你是藝術，也是藝術家，你的本能和才智

a uniquely beautiful whole.

足以譜成獨特的整體之美。

In doing so, you live an authentic life and, as Nietzsche would say,

這麼做你就能擁有屬於自己的人生，而尼采會說，

you become what you are.

你，成為了自己。