Knowledge and progress

Why does the idea of progress loom so large in the modern world? Surely because progress of a particular kind is actually taking place around us and is becoming more and more manifest. Although mankind has undergone no general improvement in the intelligence or morality, it has made extraordinary progress in the accumulation of knowledge. Knowledge began to increase as soon as the thoughts of one individual could be communicated to another by means of speech. With the invention of writing, a great progress was made, for knowledge could then be not only communicated but also restored. Libraries made education possible, and education in its turn added to libraries: the growth of knowledge followed a kind of compound-interest law, which was greatly enhanced by the invention of printing. All this was comparatively slow until, with the coming of science, the tempo was suddenly raised. Then knowledge began to accumulate according to a systematic plan. The trickle became a stream; the stream has now become a torrent. Moreover, as soon as new knowledge is acquired, it is now turned to a practical account. What is called 'modern civilization' is not the result of a balanced development of all man's nature, but of accumulated knowledge applied to practical life. The problem now facing humanity is: What is going to be done with all this knowledge? As is so often pointed out, knowledge is a two-edged weapon which can be used equally for good or evil. It is now being used indifferently for both. Could any spectacle, for instance, be more grimly whimsical than that of gunners using science to shatter men's bodies while, close at hand, surgeons use it to restore them? We have to ask ourselves very seriously what will happen if this twofold use of knowledge, with its ever-increasing power, continues.

-- George Nugent Merle Tyrrell, The Personality of Man: New Facts and Their Significance

Vocabulary

loom: appears as a large or unclear shape, often in a frightening way. / (JOURNALISM) a worrying or threatening situation or event is looming -> it seems likely to happen soon.

manifest: (FORMAL) clearly true and that nobody would disagree with it if they saw it or considered it. / (FORMAL) becomes visible or obvious.

tempo: the tempo of an event is the speed at which it happens. / The tempo of a piece of music is the speed at which it is played.

trickle: when a liquid trickles, or when you trickle it, it flows slowly in very small amounts.

torrent: a lot of water falling or flowing rapidly or violently.

grimly: unpleasant, depressing.

whimsical: a whimsical person or idea is unusual, playful, and unpredictable, rather than serious and practical.

shatter: break into a lot of small pieces.

Beauty

A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it arouses him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond. It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher. And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imaged. Greater too than we can describe; for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.

That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. In some moods, Nature shares it. There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret. But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning. If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp. Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless.

-- Cyril Edwin Mitchinson Joad, Pieces of Mind

Vocabulary

aesthetic is used to talk about beauty or art, and people's appreciation of beautiful things.

realm: (FORMAL) any area of activity, interest, or thought. / (FORMAL) a country that has a king or queen.

gleam: reflect light because it is shiny and clean.

dazzle: a bright light dazzles you -> it makes you unable to see properly for a short time. (The dazzle of a light) / Someone or something dazzles you -> you are extremely impressed by their skill, qualities, or beauty. (The dazzle of something is a quality it has, such as beauty or skill, which is impressive and attractive.)

serenity: serene -> calm and quite.

vulgar: in bad taste or of poor artistic quality.

flare: a small device that produces a bright flame. Flares are used as signals, for example on ships. / a fire flares -> the flames suddenly become larger.

amid: (LITERARY) If something is amid other things, it is surrounded by them.

bray: When a donkey brays, it makes a loud harsh sound.

intimation: (FORMAL) an intimation is an indirect suggestion or sign that something is likely to happen or be true.

whimsy: is behaviour which is unusual, playful, and unpredictable, rather than having any serious reason or purpose behind it.

mock: 1. If someone mocks you, they show or pretend that they think you are foolish or inferior, for example by saying something funny about you, or by imitating your behaviour. 2. not real or genuine, but intended to be very similar to the real thing.

unutterable: to emphasize that something, especially a bad quality, is too great, intense, or awful to describe. (written, emphasis)

utter: (LITERARY) utter sounds or words -> say them.
/ emphasize that something is great in extent, degree, or amount.

invest: (FORMAL) To invest someone with rights or responsibilities means to give them those rights or responsibilities legally or officially.

简译

一个年轻人看到日落，无法理解或表达内心激起的情感，便断定这日落是通往远方世界的大门。我们所有人，在强烈感受美感之际都不禁心魂摇荡：我们瞥见了来自异世闪耀之光，那里迥然不同，而且因为这种体验如此惊心动魄，在某种意义也更为崇高。尽管这光芒炫目迷离，可它确是传达了美与宁静的一种启示，超乎我们所知和所想。也超乎我们所能描述，因为语言本是为传递此世的意义而被创造的，尚未适用于另一个世界。

所有伟大的艺术都具有这种暗示彼岸世界的魅力，这是毋庸置疑的。在某些心境下，大自然也拥有这种魅力。六月的天空再蓝，也总指向更蓝的苍穹；日落再美，也总会唤起更美的景象——惊鸿一现，未及细睹，便倏然而逝，只留下无从名状的渴望与黯然神伤。然而，如果这个世界不仅仅只是一个拙劣的玩笑，生命不仅仅只是星辰冰冷光线下一簇粗俗的火焰，“存在”不仅仅只是种种奥秘之间的一声空洞嗤笑；如果那些关于幽邃彼端的暗示并非消化不良引发的恶趣，也非魔鬼送来嘲弄我们、令我们癫狂的戏谑；简而言之，倘若美确有所指，我们也不可试图解明。如果我们瞥见了不可言传的，将其表达出来则并不明智，我们也不应强为无法把握之物赋予意义。美，以我们人类的意义来说，没有意义。

Nothing to sell and nothing to buy

It has been said that everyone lives by selling something. In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort. Though it may be possible to measure the value of material goods in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us. There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save our lives, yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service. The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop. Everyone has something to sell.

Tramps seem to be the only exception to this general rule. Beggars almost sell themselves as human beings to arouse the pity of passers-by. But real tramps are not beggars. They have nothing to sell and require nothing from others. In seeking independence, they do not sacrifice their human dignity. A tramp may ask you for money, but he will never ask you to feel sorry for him. He has deliberately chosen to lead the life he leads and is fully aware of the consequences. He may never be sure where the next meal is coming from, but he is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people. His few material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease. By having to sleep in the open, he gets far closer to the world of nature than most of us ever do. He may hunt, beg, or steal occasionally to keep himself alive; he may even, in times of real need, do a little work; but he will never sacrifice his freedom. We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care?

Vocabulary

grudge: 1. a persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury; 2. a grudge against someone -> have unfriendly feelings towards them because of something they did in the past.

afflict: (FORMAL) affects you badly and makes you suffer. (be afflicted by/with)

contempt: have contempt for someone or something -> have no respect for them or think that they are unimportant. If you hold someone or something in contempt, you feel contempt for them.

Illusions of pastoral peace

The quiet life of country has never appealed to me. City born and city bred, I have always regarded the country as something you look at thorough a train window, or something you occasionally visit at the weekend. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country. Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life, only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months. Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life. He is forever talking about friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living. Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture. My friend fails to mention the long friendless winter evenings in front of the TV -- virtually the only form of entertainment. He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city every day to get to work. Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-tour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me. They could be saved so much misery and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.

If you can do without the few pastoral pleasures of the country, you will find the city can provide you with the best that life can offer. You never have to travel miles to see your friends. They invariably live nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment. Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat. For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning. As the play draws to its close, they wonder whether they will catch that last train home. The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort. The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best. Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger home loaded with as many of the exotic items as they can carry. Nor is the city without its moments of beauty. There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights. Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city streets at weekends when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked away in their homes in the country. It has always been a mystery to me why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.

Vocabulary

pastoral:

1. A pastoral place, atmosphere, or idea is characteristic of peaceful country life and scenery.
2. The pastoral duties of a priest or other religious leader involve looking after the people he or she has responsibility for, especially by helping them with their personal problems.

pasture: land with grass growing on it for farm animals to eat.

born and bred: (in a place) born there and grew up there.

breed: A breed of a pet animal or farm animal is a particular type of it. When animals breed, they have babies. If you breed animals or plants, you keep them for the purpose of producing more animals or plants with particular qualities, in a controlled way.

go into raptures / be in raptures about something: (mainly british, written) extremely impressed by it and enthusiastic about it.

extol: praise enthusiastically.

cockcrow:

• A cock is an adult male chicken. (mainly British, = rooster (US))
• When a cock crows, it makes a loud sound, often early in the morning.
• A crow is a large black bird which makes a loud, harsh noise.
• Someone is crowing about/over something they have achieved or are pleased about, you disapprove of them because they keep telling people proudly about it. (informal, disapproval)

twitter: When birds twitter, they make a lot of short high-pitched sounds. If you say that someone is twittering about something, you mean that they are speaking about silly or unimportant things, usually rather fast or in a high-pitched voice.

glint: (WRITTEN) a quick flash of light. If something glints, it produces or reflects a quick flash of light.

idyllic: extremely pleasant, simple, and peaceful without any difficulties or dangers.

virtually: to indicate that something is so nearly true that for most purposes it can be regarded as true.

dubious: do not consider it to be completely honest, safe, or reliable. / be dubious about something.

misery:

• great unhappiness;
• the way of life and unpleasant living conditions of people who are very poor.
• If you put someone out of their misery, you tell them something that they are very anxious to know. (informal)
• If you put an animal out of its misery, you kill it because it is sick or injured and cannot be cured or healed.

treat: an event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure.

city dweller: (or a slum dweller) a person who lives in the kind of place or house indicated.

stagger:

1. walk very unsteadily, for example because you are ill or drunk;
2. To stagger things such as people's holidays or hours of work means to arrange them so that they do not all happen at the same time.
3. If something staggers you, it surprises you very much.

exotic: unusual and interesting, usually because it comes from or is related to a distant country.

tuck: push, fold, or turn (the edges or ends of something, especially a garment or bedclothes) so as to hide them or hold them in place.

obstinately: stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so.