Unit12TheIndispensableOpposition.docx
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Unit12TheIndispensableOpposition.docx
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Unit12TheIndispensableOpposition
Unit12
TheIndispensableOpposition
WalterLippmann
StructureoftheText
Part1(Paras.1-9)
Inthissection,theauthorarguesthatitiswrongtosayfreedomofspeechissomethingunpleasantwemusttolerate.Itisalsonotgoodenoughtosaythatitisarightwemustrespect.Hebelievesthatitis,rather,thebestwaytoavoiderrorandfindtruth,andthereforeitisindispensable.
Part2(Paras.10-24)
Thisisthemainbodyoftheessay.Here,theauthordiscussesindetailhowtheprincipleoffreedomofspeechisappliedindifferentpoliticalsystems.
Part3(Paras.25-28)
Inthissection,theauthormovesfromthediscussionoffreedomofspeechtothebroaderproblemofhowatruedemocracymustwork.Politicaloppositionisabsolutelyindispensableandiswhatmakesdemocracydifferentfromallotherformsofgovernment.
DetailedAnalysisoftheText
1.Weretheypressedhardenough…(Para.1)
Iftheywerepressedhardenough…or:
Iftheywereobligedtotellthetruth…
2.…mostmenwouldprobablyconfessthatpoliticalfreedom—thatistosay,therighttospeakfreelyandtoactinopposition—isanobleidealratherthanapracticalnecessity.(Para.1)
Theauthordefinespoliticalfreedomastherighttospeakfreelyandactinopposition.Thisshouldnotbetakenasascientificdefinition.Contemporarypoliticalsciencehasamuchmoreelaboratedefinition.
3.Asthecaseforfreedomisgenerallyputtoday,theargumentlendsitselftothisfeeling.(Para.1)
Aswegenerallyjustifytheneedforfreedomtoday…
Theword“case”heremeansasetoffactsandargumentsfororagainstsomething赞成(反对)某事的根据和理由
tostateone’scase陈述某人的理由
tomakeagoodcase这理由说得很充分
tolenditselftosomething:
tobesuitableforacertainpurpose
4.…thefreedomheaccordstoothermenisamatteroftoleration.(Para.1)
accordsth.tosb.(or:
toaccordsb.sth.):
togiveortreatsomeoneorsomethinginaparticularway,especiallybygivingthempower,status,orrespect授予;给予
5.Thus,thedefenseoffreedomofopiniontendstorestnotonitssubstantial,beneficial,andindispensableconsequences,butonasomewhateccentric,arathervaguelybenevolent,attachmenttoanabstraction.
因此,人们往往不是从言论自由那巨大、有益和不可或缺的结果来为它辩护,而是把它看成和一种抽象概念联系在一起的、多少有些古怪、依稀让人觉得慷慨仁慈的东西。
reston:
tobebasedon
beneficial:
producinggoodandhelpfuleffects
benevolent:
kindandgenerous
6.ItisallverywelltosaywithVoltaire,"Iwhollydisapproveofwhatyousay,but…”(Para.2)
Itisallverywelltosay…but…:
Thisphraseisusedtoindicatethatsomethingmayseemgoodorreasonableinitself,butthatotherfactorsmustalsobeconsidered.说∙∙∙∙∙∙当然不错,但是∙∙∙∙∙∙
7.…thenweshallfindthatlibertyofopinionisaluxury,safeonlyinpleasanttimeswhenmencanbetolerantbecausetheyarenotdeeplyandvitallyconcerned.(Para.3)
…thenweshallfindthatlibertyistobeappreciatedifwecanhaveit/ifisofferedtous,butitisnotanutter/absolutenecessity.Andwecanhavethisgoodthingonlyinpleasanttimeswhenpeoplecanbetolerantbecausetheydon’tfeelthatpeople’sdifferingopinionsthreatentheirvitalinterests.Therefore,theydonotcareverymuchwhatpeoplesay.
8.…thereisamuchmorecompellingreasonforcultivatingthehabitsoffreemen.(Para.4)
compelling:
capableofforcingsomebodytobelieveoragree;convincing令人信服的
thehabitsoffreemen:
Itrefersheretothehabitsofrespectingfreedomofspeechandotherrightsallcitizensenjoyinafreesociety.
9.Wetake,itseemstome,anaivelyself-righteousviewwhenweargueasiftherightofouropponentstospeakweresomethingthatweprotectbecausewearemagnanimous,noble,andunselfish.(Para.4)
Ifitisnotbecausewearedeeplyandvitallyconcernedthatweprotecttherightofouropponentstospeak,thenisitbecausewearekindandgenerous,ornoble,orunselfish?
Theauthorsaysno.Thatwouldbeanaïveorchildishview.
self-righteous:
(disapproving)showingorhavingastrongfeelingthatyourownviewsoropinionsarerightandthoseofothersarewrong.自以为是的
10.Wemissthewholepointwhenweimaginethatwetoleratethefreedomofourpoliticalopponentsaswetolerateahowlingbabynextdoor,asweputupwiththeblastsfromourneighbor'sradiobecausewearetoopeaceabletoheaveabrickthroughthewindow.(Para.5)
Wearemissingthewholepoint:
我们完全没有讲到点上/没有抓住问题的实质
howlingbabies:
babiescryingatthetopoftheirvoices
blastsfromaradio:
loudsoundsfromaradio
peaceable:
notlikingtofightorargue
toheaveabrick:
tothrowabrick
Accordingtotheauthor,politicalopponentsexpressingtheirviewsaredifferentfromhowlingbabiesortheblastsfromaneighbor’sradio.Wesometimestoleratethehowlingandtheblastsasnuisances,buttheopinionsofpoliticalopponentsarenotmerenuisancesforustotolerate.Theyareavitalnecessity,onewecan’tdowithout,andthereforesomethingwemustwelcome.
11.…itwouldbedifficulttosay…ortheindifferenceofanemptymind.(Para.5)
TheauthorgoesontoexplainthatoftenwearetolerantofoppositionnotbecausewearemagnanimousorhavenobleidealslikeVoltaire,butbecausewearetoolazytodealwiththeproblemsinvolved;notbecausewehavestrongprincipleswhichprotecttherighttoholdopposingviewsbutbecausewedonothavestrongopinionsontheissuesonewayortheother;notbecauseourmindsareopenandweareeagertoseekthetruth,thereforewewelcomedifferentideas,butbecauseourmindsareemptyandthereforeweareindifferenttopeople’sopinions.
12.Wearemuchclosertotheessenceofthe…ofourownneed.(Para.6)
Inthisparagraph,theauthorofferswhathethinksisabetteranalogy.Hesaysthatweneedthefreedomtovoiceopposingviewsforthesamereasonthatweneeddoctorstospeakthetruth.Thisisthethemeoftheessay,andveryconvincingitistoo,becausenobodywilldenythateven“themostferociousdictator”wouldratherbetreatedforhisillnessbyadoctorthanbyhisMinisterofPropaganda.
13.Thepointatwhichwerecognizethisneedismuchhigherinsomementhaninothers.(Para.7)
Peopledonotrealizetheirvitalneedforfreedomofspeechinthesamedegree.Totalitarianrulers(dictators)donotthinktheyneedpoliticalopposition,andtheytrytheirbesttosilenceitwhereasotherpeoplewillgosofarastopayanoppositionfromthepublictreasury.
14.…whichgoesbacktoMagnaCartaandbeyond(Para.7)
…whichcanbetracedtoMagnaCartaandevenbeforethat.
15.Insofarastheusualapologyforfreedomofspeechignoresthisexperience,itbecomesabstractandeccentricratherthanconcreteandhuman.(Para.8)
insofaras:
tothedegreethat
theusualapologyforfreedomofspeech:
theusualdefenseoffreedomofspeech
ignoresthisexperience:
Whatexperience?
Thisreferstotheexperiencethatoneoftenreachesapointatwhichthingsreallymatter,wherethefreedomofothersisnolongeraquestionoftheirrightbutofourownneed.
itbecomesabstractandeccentricratherthanconcreteandhuman:
Whatdoes“it”refertohere?
Itreferstotheconceptoffreedomofspeech.Itbecomesastrangeandabstractphilosophicalidearatherthanaconcretehumanneed.
16.Surelythatisamiserablecaricatureofthegreatcivicrightwhichmenhavebledanddiedfor.(Para.8)
Whatdoes“thegreatcivicrightwhichmenhavebledanddiedfor”referto?
Itreferstothefreedomofspeech.
Whatisthat“miserablecaricature”ofthefreedomofspeech?
Itistotakeitasmeaningtherighttogooutintoaparkandspeaktovacantair.
caricature:
adescriptionofsth.thatmakesitseemsillybyemphasizingsomeaspectsofit漫画式的讽刺描写
17.…andthatoutofallthespeakingandlistening,thegive-and-takeofopinions,thetruthshouldbearrivedat.(Para.8)
Sofreedomofspeechmeansnotonlythatpeoplehavetherighttospeak,butalsothatwehavethedutytolistentothem.Inotherwords,theremustbeeffectivegive-and-takeofopinions.Theauthorhereissupportingtheneedforpublicdebatewithoutwhichfreedomofspeechismeaningless.
18.Whatisthemainideaofthisparagraph?
(Para.9)
Inthisparagraphtheauthorconcludes,insummary,thatthereasonwhyfreedomofspeechmustleadtomeaningfuldebateisbecauseourultimatepurposeisnottotolerateerror,buttoarriveatthetruth.
19.Itmaynotproducethetruth,orthewholetruthallthetime,oroften,orinsomecasesever….But…thereisnoothersystemwhichwill…findsomuchtruth.(Para.9)
(1)Whatdoes“it”refertohere?
Itrefersto“thesystem”,thesystemoffreedomofspeech(thefreegive-and-takeofopinions).
(2)Isthissystemafool-proofguaranteeforfindingthetruth?
Theauthorsaysno.Itmaynotproducethewholetruth.Itmaynotproducethetruthallthetime.Itmaynotproducethetruthoften.Insomecases,itmayevenneverproducethetruth.Why?
Becausethingsarecomplicatedandourcapacityforfindingthetruthisalwayslimited.But“thereisnoothersystemwhichwill…findsomuchtruth”.Inspiteof/Despiteallitslimitations,thissystemisstillthebestwehave.
19.…withoutanyseriousfalsification(Para.10)
withoutanyseriousdistortionormisrepresentation
tofalsify:
tomakesth.appearfalse
20.Itisasystemofone-waycommunication(Para.10)
Theauthordefinesthesysteminatotalitarianstateasaone-waycommunicationinsteadofatwo-waycommunicationbetweentherulerandtheruledbecausethereisnogiveandtake,noexchangeofopinion,onlytheexpressionoftheruler’sopinions.
21.…nothingcomesbacktotherulersfromthepeopleexceptthecheers(Para.10)
Thiskind
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