我的世界觀 The World As I SeeIt
阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦 Albert Einstein
我們這些總有一死的人的命運多麼奇特！How strangeis the lot of us mortals!
我們每個人在這個世界上都只作一個短暫的逗留；目的何在，卻無從知道，儘管有時自以爲對此若有所感。Each of us ishere for a brief sojourn; for what purpose be knows not, though he sometimesthinks he senses it.
但是，不必深思，只要從日常生活就可以明白：人是爲別人而生存的──首先是爲那樣一些人，我們的幸福全部依賴於他們的喜悅和健康；其次是爲許多我們所不認識的人，他們的命運通過同情的紐帶同我們密切結合在一起。But withoutdeeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for otherpeople-first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our ownhappiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whosedestinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy.
我每天上百次的提醒自己：我的精神生活和物質生活都是以別人（包括生者和死者）的勞動爲基礎的，我必須盡力以同樣的分量來報償我所領受了的和至今還在領受着的東西。A hundredtimes every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on thelabors of other men,living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order togive in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.
我強烈地嚮往着儉樸的生活。並且時常發覺自己佔用了同胞的過多勞動而難以忍受。I am stronglydrawn to a frugal life and am often oppressively aware that I am engrossing anundue amount of the labor of my fellow-men.
我認爲階級的區分是不合理的，它最後所憑藉的是以暴力爲根據。I regardclass distinctions as unjustified and, in the last resort, based onforce.
我也相信，簡單淳樸的生活，無論在身體上還是在精神上，對每個人都是有益的。
Ialso believe that a simple and unassuming life is good for everybody,physically and mentally.
我完全不相信人類會有那種在哲學意義上的自由。I do not atall believe in human freedom in the philosophical sense.
每一個人的行爲不僅受着外界的強制，而且要適應內在的必然。Everybodyacts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with innernecessity.
叔本華說：“人雖然能夠做他所想做的，但不能要他所想要的。”
Schopenhauer'ssaying, "A man can do what he wants,but not want what he wants,"
這句格言從我青年時代起就給了我真正的啓示；在我自己和別人的生活面臨困難的時候，它總是使我們得到安慰，並且是寬容的持續不斷的源泉。has been avery real inspiration to me since my youth; it has been a continual consolationin the face of life's hardships, my own and others', and an unfailingwell-spring of tolerance.
這種體會可以寬大爲懷地減輕那種容易使人氣餒的責任感，也可以防止我們過於嚴肅地對待自己和別人；它導致一種特別給幽默以應有地位的人生觀。Thisrealization mercifully mitigates the easily paralyzing sense of responsibilityand prevents us from taking ourselves and other people all too seriously; it isconducive to a view of life which, in particular, gives humor its due.
要追究一個人自己或一切生物生存的意義或目的，從客觀的觀點看來，我總覺得是愚蠢可笑的。Toinquire after the meaning or object of one's own existence or that of allcreatures has always seemed to me absurd from an objective point of view.
可是每個人都有一些理想，這些理想決定着他的努力和判斷的方向。And yeteverybody has certain ideals which determine the direction of his endeavors andhis judgments.
就在這個意義上，我從來不把安逸和享樂看作生活目的本身──我把這種倫理基礎叫做豬欄的理想。In this sense I have never looked upon easeand happiness as ends in themselves-this ethical basis I call the ideal of apigsty.
照亮我的道路，是善、美和真。The idealswhich have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage toface life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth.
要是沒有志同道合者之間的親切感情，要不是全神貫注於客觀世界──那個在藝術和科學工作領域裏永遠達不到的對象，那麼在我看來，生活就會是空虛的。Without thesense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with theobjective world,the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientificendeavors, life would have seemed to me empty.
我總覺得，人們所努力追求的庸俗目標──財產、虛榮、奢侈的生活──都是可鄙的。
Thetrite objects of human efforts-possessions,outward success, luxury-have alwaysseemed to me contemptible.
我有強烈的社會正義感和社會責任感，但我又明顯地缺乏與別人和社會直接接觸的要求，這兩者總是形成古怪的對照。
Mypassionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has alwayscontrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with otherhuman beings and human communities.
我實在是一個“孤獨的旅客”，我未曾全心全意地屬於我的國家、我的家庭、我的朋友，甚至我最爲接近的親人；在所有這些關係面前，我總是感覺到一定距離而且需要保持孤獨──而這種感受正與年俱增。I am truly a "lone traveler" andhave never belonged to my country, my home, my friend, or even my immediatefamily, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost asense of distance and a need for solitude-feelings which increase with theyears.
人們會清楚地發覺，同別人的相互瞭解和協調一致是有限度的，但這不值得惋惜。One becomessharply aware, but without regret,of the limits of mutual understanding andconsonance with other people.
無疑，這樣的人在某種程度上會失去他的天真無邪和無憂無慮的心境；但另一方面，他卻能夠在很大程度上不爲別人的意見、習慣和判斷所左右，並且能夠避免那種把他的內心平衡建立在這樣一些不可靠的基礎之上的誘惑。
Nodoubt, such a person loses some of his innocence and unconcern; on the otherhand, he is largely independent, of the opinions, habits, and judgments of hisfellows and avoids the temptation to build his inner equilibrium upon suchinsecure foundations.
我的政治理想是民主政體。My political ideal isdemocracy.
讓每一個人都作爲個人而受到尊重，而不讓任何人成爲被崇拜的偶像。Let every manbe respected as an individual and no man idolized.
我自己一直受到同代人的過分的讚揚和尊敬，這不是由於我自己的過錯，也不是由於我自己的功勞，而實在是一種命運的嘲弄。It is anirony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration andreverence from my fellow-being, through no fault, and no merit, of myown.
其原因大概在於人們有一種願望，想理解我以自已微薄的綿力，通過不斷的鬥爭所獲得的少數幾個觀念，而這種願望有很多人卻未能實現。The cause ofthis may well be the desire, unattainable for many, to understand the few ideasto which I have with my feeble powers attained through ceaselessstruggle.
我完全明白，一個組織要實現它的目的，就必須有一個人去思考，去指揮、並且全面擔負起責任來。
Iam quite aware that it is necessary for the achievement of the objective of anorganization that one man should do the thinking and directing and generallybear the responsibility.
但是被領導的人不應當受到強迫，他們必須能夠選擇自己的領袖。But the ledmust not be coerced, they must be able to choose their leader.
在我看來，強迫的專制制度很快就會腐化墮落。An autocraticsystem of coercion, in my opinion, soon degenerates.
因爲暴力所招引來的總是一些品德低劣的人，而且我相信，天才的暴君總是由無賴來繼承的，這是一條千古不易的規律。For forcealways attracts men of low morality, and I believe it to be an invariable rulethat tyrants of genius are succeeded by scoundrels,
就是由於這個緣故，我總強烈地反對今天在意大利和俄國所見到的那種制度。For thisreason I have always been passionately opposed to systems such as we see inItaly and Russia today.
像歐洲今天所存在的情況，已使得民主形式受到懷疑，這不能歸咎於民主原則本身，而是由於政府的不穩定和選舉制度中與個人無關的特徵。The thingthat has brought discredit upon the form of democracy as it exists in Europetoday is not to be laid to the door of the democratic principle as such, but tothe lack of stability of governments and to the impersonal character of theelectoral system.
我相信美國在這方面已經找到了正確的道路。I believethat in this respect the United States of America have found the rightway.
他們選出了一個任期足夠長的總統，他有充分的權力來真正履行他的職責。
Theyhave a President powers really to exercise his responsibility.
另一方面，在德國政治制度中，爲我所看重的是它爲救濟患病或貧困的人作出了可貴的廣泛的規定。What I value,on the other hand, in the German political system is the more extensiveprovision that it makes for the individual in case of illness or need.
在人生的豐富多彩的表演中，我覺得真正可貴的，不是政治上的國家，而是有創造性的、有感情的個人，是人格；只有個人才能創造出高尚的和卓越的東西，而羣衆本身在思想上總是遲鈍的，在感覺上也總是遲鈍的。The reallyvaluable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the politicalstate, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone createsthe noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought anddull in feeling.
講到這裏，我想起了羣衆生活中最壞的一種表現，那就是使我厭惡的軍事制度。This topic bringsme to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system,which I abhor.
一個人能夠洋洋得意的隨着軍樂隊在四列縱隊裏行進，單憑這一點就足以使我對他鄙夷不屑。That a mancan take pleasure in marching in fours to the strains of a band is enough tomake me despise him.
他所以長了一個大腦，只是出於誤會；光是骨髓就可滿足他的全部需要了。
Hehas only been given his big brain by mistake; unprotected spinal marrow was allhe needed.
文明的這種罪惡的淵藪，應當儘快加以消滅。Thisplaguespot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed.
任人支配的英雄主義、冷酷無情的暴行，以及在愛國主義名義下的一切可惡的胡鬧，所有這些都使我深惡痛絕！Heroism oncommand, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by thename of patriotism - how passionately I hate them!
在我看來，戰爭是多麼卑鄙、下流！How vile anddespicable seems war to me!
我寧願被千刀萬剮，也不願參與這種可憎的勾當。I wouldrather be hacked in pieces than take part in such an abominable business.
儘管如此，我對人類的評價還是十分高的，我相信，要是人民的健康感情沒有遭到那些通過學校和報紙而起作用的商業利益和政治利益的蓄意敗壞，那麼戰爭這個妖魔早就該絕跡了。
Myopinion of the human race is high enough that I believe this bogey would havedisappeared long ago, had the sound sense of the peoples not beensystematically corrupted by commercial and political interests acting throughthe schools and the Press.
我們所能有的最美好的經驗是奧祕的經驗。The mostbeautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.
它是堅守在真正藝術和真正科學發源地上的基本感情。It is thefundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.
誰要體驗不到它，誰要是不再有好奇心，也不再有驚訝的感覺，誰就無異於行屍走肉，他的眼睛便是模糊不清的。
Whoeverdoes not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good asdead, and his eyes are dimmed.
就是這樣奧祕的經驗──雖然摻雜着恐懼──產生了宗教。It was the experience ofmystery - even if mixed with fear - that engendered religion.
我們認識到有某種爲我們所不能洞察的東西存在，感覺到那種只能以其最原始的形式接近我們的心靈的最深奧的理性和最燦爛的美──正是這種認識和這種情感構成了真正的宗教感情；在這個意義上，而且也只是在這個意義上，我纔是一個具有深摯的宗教感情的人。A knowledgeof the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of theprofoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their mostprimitive forms are accessible to our minds - it is this knowledge and thisemotion that constitute true religiosity; in this sense, and in this alone, Iam a deeply religious man.
我無法想象存在這樣一個上帝，它會對自己的創造物加以賞罰，會具有我們在自己身上所體驗到的那種意志。I can notconceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of thekind that we experience in ourselves.
我不能也不願去想象一個人在肉體死亡以後還會繼續活着；讓那些脆弱的靈魂，由於恐懼或者由於可笑的唯我論，去拿這種思想當寶貝吧！Neither can Inor would I want to conceive of an individual that survives his physical death;let feeble souls, from fear or absurd egoism, cherish such thoughts.
我自己只求滿足於生命永恆的奧祕，滿足於覺察現存世界的神奇結構，窺見它的一鱗半爪，並且以誠摯的努力去領悟在自然界中顯示出來的那個理性的一部分，倘若真能如此，即使只領悟其極小的一部分，我也就心滿意足了。
I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and withthe awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world,together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny,of the Reason that manifests itself in nature