研究生英語(yǔ)復(fù)習(xí)課件單元5

1、研究生英語(yǔ)復(fù)習(xí)課件單元5U5Additional lnformation for the Teachers ReferenceText Reflections on His Eightieth BirthdayWarm-up ActivitiesFurther ReadingWriting SkillsAdditional WorkWarm-up Activities1. Russell writes in one of his works, “Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: th

2、e longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” What are the passions that rule your life now?2. One of Russells famous quotes is, “The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.” Try to present your own understanding and explanation o

3、f this sentence. Is his “good life” the same as yours?Warm-up A stupid mans report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once ecce

4、ntric. Everything is vague to a degree you do not realize till you have tried to make it precise. I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldnt wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine. 3. Study the following Bertrand Russell Quotat

5、ions: I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason fo

6、r acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years. In all affairs its a healthy

7、 thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying. It has been said that man

8、is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this. It is a waste of energy to be angry with a man who behaves badly, just as it is to be angry with a car that wont go. Many people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. Mathematics, rightly viewe

9、d, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture. Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth more than ruin more even than death . Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, establish

10、ed institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man. No one gossips about other peoples secret virtues. Passive acceptance of the teachers wisdom is easy to most boys and

11、 girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than his pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favour of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one in later life. It causes man t

12、o seek and to accept a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position. Science may set limits to knowledge, but should not set limits to imagination. So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence. The good life, as I conceive it,

13、is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy I mean that if you are happy you will be good. The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution. The main things which seem to me important on their own account, and not merely as me

14、ans to other things, are knowledge, art, instinctive happiness, and relations of friendship or affection. The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures th

15、emselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others. The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872 - 1970), British philosopher, logician, essayist, and

16、 social critic, is best known for his work in mathematical logic and analytic philosophy. His most influential contributions include his defense of logicism, and his theories of definite descriptions and logical atomism. Along with G. E. Moore, Russell is generally recognized as one of the founders

17、of analytical philosophy. He is also usually credited with being one of the two most important logicians of the 20th century, the other being Kurt Godel. Over the course of his long life spanning the 19th and 20thAdditional lnformation for the Teachers Reference1. Bertrand Russellcenturies, Russell

18、made significant contributions, not just to philosophy, but to a wide range of other subjects as well. Many of his writings on a wide variety of topics, including education, ethics, politics, history, religion and popular science, have influenced generations of readers. After a life marked by contro

19、versy, including dismissals from both Trinity College, Cambridge, and City College, New York, Russell was awarded the Order of Merit in 1949 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Also noted for his many spirited antiwar and anti nuclear protests, Russell remained a prominent public figure unti

20、l his death at the age of 97. In the autumn of 1920, after a short visit to Russia to study theconditions of Bolshevism, Russell went to China for a course of lectures on philosophy at Peking University.Text Reflections on His Eightieth BirthdayNotesIntroduction to the Author and the ArticlePhrases

21、and ExpressionsExercisesMain Idea of the Text Main Idea of the Text 1Main Idea of the Text Russell uses the occasion of his eightieth birthday to recall his dedication to mathematics and philosophy and summarize the failures and success he has experienced in his life. Having devoted half of his life

22、 to mathematics and logic, his skepticism eventually leads him to the conclusion that there is no certainty in mathematics and much of what passes for mathematical knowledge is dubitable. Nonetheless, his strong interest in the logical basis of mathematics underpins a fascination with philosophy. At

23、 this point, his reflection moves well beyond the personal level, for he also shares his keen insight into the self imposed tortures that human beings suffer. He assumes thatMain Idea of the Text 2mens inadequate mastery of nature and hostility to their fellows are the causes of human miseries and f

24、ollies past and present. He is a very disappointed witness of the scourge 20th century wars both so shaking the faith of people who grew up during the widespread 19th century optimism. Nonetheless, he has always had a certain degree of optimism and argues that wisdom and patience will sooner or late

25、r lead the human race out of torture. He holds the firm conviction that social and political problems will eventually be solved through reforms in both institutions and character, which should be achieved by developing greater respect for diversity rather than by means of a dogmatic and precise gosp

26、el. Beneath all the load of horrors, he still looks forward to a world of free and happy human beings. Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) was a British philosopher, mathematician and man of letters. He was born the grandson of Lord John Russell, who had twice served as Prime Minister under Queen Victori

27、a. Following the death of his mother (in 1874) and of his father (in 1876), Russell and his brother went to live with their grandparents. Following the death of his grandfather (in 1878), Russell was raised by his grandmother, Lady Russell. Educated at first privately, and later at Trinity College,

28、Cambridge, Russell obtained first class degrees both in mathematics and in the moral sciences. Introduction to the Author and the article 1Introduction to the Author and the Article Over a long and varied career, Bertrand Russell made ground breaking contributions to the foundations of mathematics a

29、nd to the development of contemporary formal logic, as well as to analytic philosophy. His chief works include The Principles of Mathematics (1903), Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy (1919), Education and Social Order (1932) and Inquiry into Meaning and Truth (1940). In 1950 he received Nobel

30、Prize for Literature. In the following article, Russell recalls how he devoted himself to mathematics and philosophy, what kind of success he achieved and what kind of failure, too, he experienced. Introduction to the Author and the article 2 The serious part of my life ever since boyhood has been d

31、evoted to two different objects which for a long time remained separate and have only in recent years united into a single whole. I wanted, on the one hand, to find out whether anything could be known; and on the other hand, to do whatever might be possible toward creating a happier world. Up to the

32、 age of thirty-eight IPart2_T1Bertrand RussellReflections on His Eightieth BirthdayTextgave most of my energies to the first of these tasks. I was troubled by scepticism and unwillingly forced to the conclusion that most of what passes for knowledge is open to reasonable doubt. I wanted certainty in

33、 the kind of way in which people want religious faith. I thought that certainty is more likely to be found in mathematics than elsewhere. But I discovered that many mathematical demonstrations, which my teachers expected me to accept, were full of fallacies, and that, if certainty were indeed discov

34、erable in mathematics, it would be in a new kind of mathematics, with more solid foundations than those that had hitherto been thought secure. But as the work proceeded, I was continually reminded of the fable about the elephant and the Part2_T2tortoise. Having constructed an elephant upon which the

35、 mathematical world could rest, I found the elephant tottering, and proceeded to construct a tortoise to keep the elephant from falling. But the tortoise was no more secure than the elephant, and after some twenty years of very arduous toil, I came to the conclusion that there was nothing more that

36、I could do in the way of making mathematical knowledge indubitable. Then came the First World War, and my thoughts became concentrated on human misery and folly. Neither misery nor folly seems to me any part of the inevitable lot of man. And I am convinced that intelligence, patience, and eloquence

37、can, sooner or later, lead the human race out of its self-imposed tortures provided it does not exterminate itself meanwhile.Part2_T3 On the basis of this belief, I have had always a certain degree of optimism, although, as I have grown older, the optimism has grown more sober and the happy issue mo

38、re distant. But I remain completely incapable of agreeing with those who accept fatalistically the view that man is born to trouble. The causes of unhappiness in the past and in the present are not difficult to ascertain. There have been poverty, pestilence, and famine, which were due to mans inadeq

39、uate mastery of nature. There have been wars, oppressions and tortures which have been due to mens hostility to their fellow men. And there have been morbid miseries fostered by gloomy creeds, which have led men into profound inner discords that made all outward prosperity of no avail. Part2_T4All t

40、hese are unnecessary. In regard to all of them, means are known by which they can be overcome. In the modern world, if communities are unhappy, it is often because they have ignorances, habits, beliefs, and passions, which are dearer to them than happiness or even life. I find many men in our danger

41、ous age who seem to be in love with misery and death, and who grow angry when hopes are suggested to them. They think hope is irrational and that, in sitting down to lazy despair, they are merely facing facts. I cannot agree with these men. To preserve hope in our world makes calls upon our intellig

42、ence and our energy. In those who despair it is frequently the energy that is lacking.Part2_T5 The last half of my life has been lived in one of those painful epochs of human history during which the world is getting worse, and past victories which had seemed to be definitive have turned out to be o

43、nly temporary. When I was young, Victorian optimism was taken for granted. It was thought that freedom and prosperity would spread gradually throughout the world by an orderly process, and it was hoped that cruelty, tyranny, and injustice would continually diminish. Hardly anyone was haunted by the

44、fear of great wars. Hardly anyone thought of the nineteenth century as a brief interlude between past and future barbarism. For those who grew up in that atmosphere, adjustment to the world of the present has been difficult. It has been difficult not Part2_T6only emotionally but intellectually. Idea

45、s that had been thought adequate have proved inadequate. In some directions valuable freedoms have proved very hard to preserve. In other directions, especially as regards relations between nations, freedoms formerly valued have proved potent sources of disaster. New thoughts, new hopes, new freedom

46、s, and new restrictions upon freedom are needed if the world is to emerge from its present perilous state. I cannot pretend that what I have done in regard to social and political problems has had any great importance. It is comparatively easy to have an immense effect by means of a dogmatic and pre

47、cise gospel. But for my part I cannot believe Part2_T7that what mankind needs is anything either precise or dogmatic. Nor can I believe with any wholeheartedness in any partial doctrine which deals only with some part or aspect of human life. There are those who hold that everything depends upon ins

48、titutions, and that good institutions will inevitably bring the millennium. And, on the other hand, there are those who believe that what is needed is a change of heart, and that, in comparison, institutions are of little account. I cannot accept either view. Institutions mould character, and charac

49、ter transforms institutions. Reforms in both must march hand in Part2_T8hand. And if individuals are to retain that measure of initiative and flexibility which they ought to have, they must not be all forced into one rigid mould; or, to change the metaphor, all drilled into one army. Diversity is es

50、sential in spite of the fact that it precludes universal acceptance of a single gospel. But to preach such a doctrine is difficult especially in arduous times. And perhaps it cannot be effective until some bitter lessons have been learned by tragic experience. My work is near its end, and the time h

51、as come when I can survey it as a whole. How far have I succeeded, and how far have I failed? From an early age I thought of myself as dedicated to great and arduous tasks. Nearly three quarters of a Part2_T9century ago, walking alone in the Tiergarten through melting snow under the coldly glitterin

52、g March sun, I determined to write two series of books; one abstract, growing gradually more concrete; the other concrete, growing gradually more abstract. They were to be crowned by a synthesis, combining pure theory with a practical social philosophy. Except for the final synthesis, which still el

53、udes me, I have written these books. They have been acclaimed and praised, and the thoughts of many men and women have been affected by them. To this extent I have succeeded. But as against this must be set two kinds of failure, one outward, one inward.Part2_T10Part2_T11 To begin with the outward fa

54、ilure: the Tiergarten has become a desert; the Brandenburger Tor, through which I entered it on that March morning, has become the boundary of two hostile empires, glaring at each other across a barrier, and grimly preparing the ruin of mankind. Freedom has come to be thought weakness, and tolerance

55、 has been compelled to wear the garb of treachery. Old ideals are judged irrelevant, and no doctrine free from harshness commands respect. The inner failure, though of little moment to the world, has made my mental life a perpetual battle. I set out with a more or less religious belief in a Platonic

56、 eternal world, in which mathematics shone with a beauty like that of the last Cantos of the Paradiso. I came to the conclusion that the eternal world is trivial, and that mathematics is only the art of saying the same thing in different words. I set out with a belief that love, free and courageous,

57、 could conquer the world without fighting. I came to support a bitter and terrible war. In these respects there was failure. But beneath all this load of failure I am still conscious of something that I feel to be victory. I may have conceived theoretical truth wrongly, but I was not wrong in thinki

58、ng that there is such a thing, and that it deserves our allegiance. I may have thought the road to a world of free and happy human beings shorter than it is proving to be, but I was not wrong in thinking Part2_T12that such a world is possible, and that it is worthwhile to live with a view to bringin

59、g it nearer. I have lived in the pursuit of a vision, both personal and social. Personal: to care for what is noble, for what is beautiful, for what is gentle; to allow moments of insight to give wisdom at more mundane times. Social: to see in imagination the society that is to be created, where ind

60、ividuals grow freely, and where hate and greed and envy die because there is nothing to nourish them. These things I believe, and the world, for all its horrors, has left me unshaken.Part2_T13Victorian optimism: the optimistic views that were prevalent in the era of Queen Victoria, the British Monar