GRE考试中的哲学和训练的熟练程度
2024-05-19 14:46:28 学考宝 作者：佚名
GRE考试中的哲学和训练的熟练程度
Philosophy & Practicality
In Ethical1 Culture, the attempt is made to keep philosophy walking hand in hand with practicality. It is possible to overreach on either side of this combination. As often, there is a proverb that characterizes each of the errors. We may overdo3 philosophy, we may become, as the proverb puts it,“Too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.”On the other hand, we may err2 on the practical side, as the proverb reminds us,“Look before you leap.”That latter proverb goes back a long way, and when William Tyndale used it as long ago as 1528, he added the comment that its literal sense is,“Do nothing suddenly or without advisement.”In other words, think before you act.
In Ethical Culture, the discussion has turned around the balance between“creed4”and“deed.”Early on, it was said that we were committed to“deed, not creed.”But this got modified to“deed before creed,”suggesting that there was a place for both, but that priority should be given to deed. We plunge5 again and againsintosthe thick of things and out of that experience we draw philosophical6 conclusions to guide further action.
Actually, when Adler, our founder7, used the dichotomy, in 1877, he presented it as“Not by the Creed, but by the Deed,”saying the Ethical Society was organized with that as its motto. The motto carried the litmus test of ethical religion. It was not saying that Creed, as philosophy or theology, was unimportant, but that the test of one’s religion was not in one’s beliefs but in one’s behavior. Later in life, Adler put the other side of the equation, when he said,“The plan of life must exist before the deed, at least in the mind of the leader, the guide. The various acts recommended must be seen as so many attempts to spiritualize human relations according to the ideal plan.”
So the balancing act continues. Thinking crystallizes out the principles by which we live, but the thrust of living goes beyond thinking. This, of course, is a commonplace of most religions. Jesus told a parable8 of a person who builds a house on rock and a person who builds a house on sand. The contrast in that picture is between someone who hears his words and practices them and someone who hears his words, and even loudly confesses allegiance, but does not do the deeds they teach. As another proverb says very pointedly,“Talk is cheap.”And a Chinese proverb adds,“Talk doesn’t cook rice.”
So how do we rightly balance thinking and acting9?
ACTING is a part of the wide web of our experience. We are always acting, whether breathing, or digesting food, or sleeping. Indeed, death could be defined as the cessation of human acting. But in moral terms, acting refers to deliberate, consciously guided behavior. That is, acting in accordance with the values we hold. Behavior inevitably11 involves choice, and to choose in accordance with a value - like honesty, or justice, or care, or beauty - is to act ethically12.
THINKING is also a form of acting. It’s the brain in action. But it has a degree of supervisory function to it. It organizes experience. A naturalist13 walks through our world of plants and animals and interacts with them. But thinking looks out on that experience of nature and begins to classify plants and animals. Further action may then use that classification to work with the relationships discerned between the plants and animals that share commonalities. In the sciences, thinking not only serves classification, but observes reactions and makes guesses as to why that led to this. Newton makes the leap of understanding that connects the fall of an apple to earth with the orbiting of the moon around the earth, and he names the explanatory force, gravity. Halley guesses that the same force of gravity will govern the movement of the comet named after him even when it has moved in its orbit out of our range of sight, so that he can calculate when it will return to be seen by viewers on our planet. Thinking has discerned the law involved in motion.
In the human realm, behavior happens, but it has also been ordered to create pleasant and useful and necessary relationships between members of society. The mind reflects on behavior and begins to put together what we would call ethical theory. Certain principles are seen as underlying14 guidelines for all human behavior. And so we get“laws”of human behavior forbidding taking life and sexual trespass15 and theft and lying, on the negative side, and promoting responsibility and respect and righteousness, on the positive side. Some of these principles are so clear and well established that there is no need to sit and think about them. We need to get on with it, and to act in accordance with them.
However, since acting involves choice, there are numerous occasions when we need to think through the right choice. Is abortion16 permissible17 or not? And if so, when, and on what grounds? And if not, why not? On what grounds do we deny it? Is war ever a right choice? If not, what are the alternatives in face of evil? If it is permissible, under what conditions, and how conducted
It is clear then that we need both acting and thinking. They piggy-back over each other. Out of our experiencing, we form thoughts to understand that experience and to guide our future experiencing, which then tests the projections18 we have formed. And the beat goes on: acting, thinking, acting, thinking, acting. Each playingsintosthe other. The human system has "afferent" nerves that convey impulses to the brain and "efferent" nerves that convey impulses to the muscles. We need both pathways in good working order, but in Ethical Culture we would want to insist that a truth is not a truth until it has traveled the efferent circuit and issued in an effect, a deed.
But - as with any other human endeavor - there can be pathologies of the relationship between acting and thinking. It isn’t a pathology to be primarily a thinker or primarily an actor. Within the diversity of human nature, such are legitimate19 possibilities. Some people are primarily teachers, some people are primarily athletes. Some authors, some construction workers. And a little of each, in most of us - we may work primarily in one area, but find recreation or a hobby in another.
Pathology occurs when either thinking or acting become distorted by wrong ends or wrong means. Consider thinking. Why do we think? Some of our thinking is simply for fun. There is fun in solving a puzzle or being stimulated20 by a show or a novel. We often learn more about life through fiction than through non-fiction. Imagination is exploratory and revelatory. But the ethical person needs to address the values and ideals of life, and in so doing to think to a purpose. What is it that shapes my behavior? Out of what laws of mind and spirit am I drawing direction and strength to live by. This needs to be given time, both in the community of shared Society life and in solitude21. Whether by hearing an address or joining in a discussion or reading a book. Pathology of thinking sets in when we drift or when some strong emotion, like a prejudice, pre-empts our rational reflection, or when we let a negative attitude color our judgments22. And thinking fails when we do not relate it to action. One function of ethical thinking is to contemplate23 and plan how to make the ideal real.
Consider also the means by which we act. Once again, there is nothing wrong with play. And in fact play is helpful to health, to relating, and to reviving the mind. It teaches lessons in itself. But there is a time to be serious. And pathology sets in when the instruments of action are not sufficiently24 integrated with our core values. To try to secure a truth, as we see it, by means of manipulation or deceptive25 persuasion26 or by use of fear or by force is to be pathological of means.
Accepting the challenge implied in all this, the challenge to clarify our values and to activate27 our values, with as little pathological distortion as we can achieve, we can benefit by some practical advice. Here are some suggestions, giving expression to the guideline:
(1) DO (2) SOMETHING (3) AS YOU ARE (4) POSITIVELY28 (5) WITH OTHERS
(1) DO - Turn some thoughtsintosaction - today, this week, now. You thought of a friend - okay, turn that thoughtsintosan email, a letter, a phone call. Don’t put it off. As the advertisement says, Just do it. Practice turning thoughtssintosthings.
(2) SOMETHING - Even a small action is better than no action. Okay, you can’t liberate10 some Bastille in some far away country, but you can send support to Amnesty International. Don’t use the small action to appease29 your conscience if you know a larger action is called for, but don’t underestimate the value of the small action. Each helpful action is like planting an oasis30 in a desert. If there were enough oases31, there would eventually be no desert.
(3) AS YOU ARE - It is good to have confidence in a breakthroughsintossome place you want to be, but on the way there be your best rightswheresyou are now. Don’t regret who you are. Startswheresyou are. Tune32 the strings33 of your own life and profession. Not tomorrow, today. Seize the moment, draw out your good.
(4) POSITIVELY - Attend to attitude. It is a spiritual law that like attracts like. Be forgiving. Be patient. Be confident. Expect the good. Address your feelings. Let them speak to you, and also seek to change them as you would adjust your thinking when faced with a problem-solving task. I sometimes project my feelings on to a screen - maybe as a color, or as a climate - to get a sense of the emotional state out of which I am facing my world. Then I call up the faith out of which I live and create a climate of positive motivation.
(5) WITH OTHERS - For the ethical person, relationships have a priority. Practice to improve them rightswheresyou are. We are not waiting on the ideal to descend34 from the skies. We are making the ideal real right here and now. With the person we are with - in the family, at work, in our religious group, in our daily world. Each encounter is a challenge to be my ethical best.
These are but suggestions. Give yourself other suggestions if you prefer. But say to yourself, regularly, how can I make my philosophy practical? Then, how can I reflect on experience to make my philosophy better, so as to make my relationships better? Once we give ourselves this goal, many things begin to fallsintosplace. Our thinking becomes action-oriented, and our actions become value-expressive. And the meaning of life is explored and claimed in meaningful relationships
重点词汇点拨
adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的
参考例句：
- It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
- It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
vi.犯错误，出差错
参考例句：
- He did not err by a hair's breadth in his calculation.他的计算结果一丝不差。
- The arrows err not from their aim.箭无虚发。
vt.把...做得过头，演得过火
参考例句：
- Do not overdo your privilege of reproving me.不要过分使用责备我的特权。
- The taxi drivers' association is urging its members,who can work as many hours as they want,not to overdo it.出租车司机协会劝告那些工作时长不受限制的会员不要疲劳驾驶。
n.信条；信念，纲领
参考例句：
- They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
- Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。
v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲
参考例句：
- Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
- That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的
参考例句：
- The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
- She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。
n.创始者，缔造者
参考例句：
- He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
- According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
n.寓言，比喻
参考例句：
- This is an ancient parable.这是一个古老的寓言。
- The minister preached a sermon on the parable of the lost sheep.牧师讲道时用了亡羊的比喻。
n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的
参考例句：
- Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
- During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。
v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由
参考例句：
- They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
- This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。
adv.不可避免地；必然发生地
参考例句：
- In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
- Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。
adv.在伦理上，道德上
参考例句：
- Ethically , we have nothing to be ashamed about . 从伦理上说，我们没有什么好羞愧的。
- Describe the appropriate action to take in an ethically ambiguous situation. 描述适当行为采取在一个道德地模棱两可的情况。
n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)
参考例句：
- He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
- The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。
adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的
参考例句：
- The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
- This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。
n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地
参考例句：
- The fishing boat was seized for its trespass into restricted waters.渔船因非法侵入受限制水域而被扣押。
- The court sentenced him to a fine for trespass.法庭以侵害罪对他判以罚款。
n.流产，堕胎
参考例句：
- She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
- A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。
adj.可允许的，许可的
参考例句：
- Is smoking permissible in the theatre?在剧院里允许吸烟吗？
- Delay is not permissible,even for a single day.不得延误，即使一日亦不可。
预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物
参考例句：
- Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
- The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。
adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法
参考例句：
- Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
- That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。
a.刺激的
参考例句：
- The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
- The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方
参考例句：
- People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
- They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。
判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判
参考例句：
- A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
- He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。
vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视
参考例句：
- The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
- The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。
adv.足够地，充分地
参考例句：
- It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
- The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的
参考例句：
- His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
- The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。
n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派
参考例句：
- He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说，他才决定离开。
- After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后，她同意去了。
vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用
参考例句：
- We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
- These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。
adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实
参考例句：
- She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
- The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。
v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足
参考例句：
- He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
- The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。
n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方
参考例句：
- They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
- The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。
n.（沙漠中的）绿洲( oasis的名词复数 )；（困苦中）令人快慰的地方（或时刻）；乐土；乐事
参考例句：
- There was a hundred miles between the two oases. 这两片绿洲间有一百英里。 来自辞典例句
- Where underground water comes to the surface, there are oases. 地下水流到地表的地方，就成为了绿洲。 来自互联网
n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整
参考例句：
- He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
- The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
n.弦
参考例句：
- He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
- She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降
参考例句：
- I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
- We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
