Equality develops the desire in each man to judge everything by himself;?

it gives him in all things a taste for the tangible and real and a?

contempt for traditions and forms.

Those who cultivate the sciences in democratic peoples always fear losing

themselves in utopias. They distrust systems, they like to hold?

themselves very close to the facts and to study them by themselves;

-

Scientific traditions hold little dominion over them; they never stop for?

long at the subtleties微妙 of a school and they are not easily fobbed敷衍 off with?

big words;?

-

they penetrate as much as they can to the principal parts of?

the subject that occupies them, and they like to expose them in vulgar?

language. The sciences therefore have a freer and surer but less lofty崇高的?

style.

★★★

Nothing is more necessary to the cultivation of the advanced高級(jí)的 sciences?

or of the elevated高的 portion of sciences than meditation思考

The democratic social state and institutions bring most men to act?

continually; yet the habits of mind suited to action

are not always suited to thought.

-

The man who acts is often reduced to contenting himself with what is?

nearly so because he would never arrive at the end of his design if

he wished to perfect every detail.?

-

He must constantly rely on ideas that he has not had the leisure業(yè)余的 to?

fathom徹底了解, for it is much more the timeliness of the idea he makes use?

of than its rigorous exactness that helps him;

-

and all in all, there is less risk for him in making use of some false?

principles than in wasting his time in establishing the truth of all his

principles.?

In centuries in which almost everyone acts, one is therefore?

generally brought to attach an excessive value to rapid sparks and?

superficial conceptions of the intellect and, on the contrary, ★to?

depreciate貶低 immoderately無(wú)節(jié)制地 its profound, slow work.

“Archimedes阿基米德 had a heart so lofty高傲的 that he never deigned to?

leave any work in writing on the manner of erecting建立 all the machines of?

war; and holding the whole science of inventing and composing machines?

and generally every art that ascribes把..歸因于 some utility to putting it in?

practice to be vile邪惡的/骯臟的, low, and mercenary唯利是圖的, he applied his?

mind and his study to writing only things whose beauty and subtlety were not?

at all mixed with necessity.”★That is the aristocratic aim of the sciences.

-

It cannot be the same in democratic nations.

-

Most men who compose these nations are very eager for present material

enjoyments; as they are always discontented with the position they?

occupy and always free to leave it, they dream only of the means of?

changing their fortune or of increasing it.?

-

every new method that leads to wealth by a shorter path,

every machine that shortens work, every instrument that diminishes?

the costs of production, every discovery that facilitates pleasures?

and augments them seems to be the most magnificent effort of human?

intelligence.?

-

★It is principally in this way that democratic peoples apply themselves?

to the sciences, understand them, and honor them. In aristocratic?

centuries, enjoyments of the mind are particularly demanded of the

sciences; in democratic, those of the body.

★★★

Reckon that the more a nation is democratic, enlightened, and free,?

the more the number of these interested appreciators of scientific?

genius天才/天賦 is going to be increasing and the more the discoveries?

immediately applicable to industry will bestow★授予 profit, glory, and even?

power on their authors;?

-

for in democracies, ★the working class takes part?

in public affairs, and those who serve it have to expect honors?

as well as money from it.

★★★

In vain does an instinctive penchant嗜好 elevate提升 [the mind] toward the?

highest spheres領(lǐng)域 of the intellect; interest leads it back toward the?

middle ones. 降級(jí)？？？

(一種本能的嗜好徒勞地將[思想]提升到智力的最高領(lǐng)域;)

-

There it deploys its force and restive不安寧的 activity, and begets產(chǎn)生?

marvels. The same Americans who have not discovered a single general?

law of mechanics have introduced a new machine into navigation領(lǐng)航 that

is changing the face of the world.

In our age of the world, and among so many literate

nations that the ardor狂熱 of industry incessantly不斷地 stirs, the?

bonds that unite the different parts of science among themselves?

cannot fail to strike their regard;?

-

and the very taste for practice, if it is enlightened,?

will bring men not to neglect theory.

-

In the midst of so many attempts at application, of so many?

experiences repeated daily, it is almost impossible that very general?

laws should not often make their appearance, so that great discoveries?

would be frequent even though great inventors would be rare. (???)

It is not to be believed that among such a great multitude some?

speculative genius whom the singular love of truth inflames will not?

be born from time to time.?

-

One can be assured that he will strive to penetrate the?

most profound mysteries of nature, whatever the spirit?

of his country and his times should be.?

-

There is no need to aid(v./n.幫助) his?

ascent /?'sent/ 上升; ★it is enough not to stop it.?

Permanent inequality of conditions brings men to confine限制 themselves to

the haughty傲慢的, sterile枯燥乏味的 search for abstract truths,?

whereas the democratic social state and institutions disposes★處置/安排 them to?

demand of the sciences only their immediate, useful applications.

In our day one must detain留住 the human mind in theory; it runs of?

itself to practice, and instead of constantly leading it back toward?

the detailed examination of secondary effects, it is good to distract?

it from them sometimes in order to raise it to the contemplation冥思 of?

first causes.

Because Roman civilization died following the barbarian invasions,?

we are perhaps too much inclined to believe that civilization?

cannot die in any other way.

If the lights that enlighten us ever came to be extinguished,?

they would be obscured little by little and as if by themselves.

-?

★★★

By dint凹痕 of being confined限制 to application, one would lose?

sight of the ★principles操守/道義, and ★when one had entirely forgotten?

the principles one would follow the methods derived from them badly;?

-

one would no longer be able to invent new ones, and one would employ?

without intelligence and without art the erudite?

procedures that one would no longer understand.

When the Europeans landed in CH three hundred years ago,?

they found that almost all the arts there had reached a certain?

degree of perfection, and they were astonished that having arrived?

at that point, they had not gone further.?

-

Later they discovered the vestiges殘余 of some advanced knowledge that?

had been lost. The nation was industrial; most of the scientific?

methods had been preserved within it;

-

★★★?

but science itself no longer existed. That explained?

to them the singular kind of immobility靜止 in which they had found the?

minds of this people.?

-

★★★

The Chinese, in following the trail足跡 of their?

fathers, had forgotten the reasons that had directed them.?

-

★★★

They still made use of the formula without seeking the sense of it; they?

kept the instrument and no longer possessed the art of modifying修改?

and reproducing it. Therefore the Chinese could not change anything.?

They had to renounce宣布放棄 improvement.?

-

They were forced to imitate their fathers always and in everything, so as?

not to be cast into impenetrable不可穿過(guò)的 darkness if they strayed失散

for an instant from the path these latter had traced.?

-

★★

The source of human knowledge had almost dried up; and although?

the river still flowed, it could no longer swell增長(zhǎng)/膨脹 its waters or?

change its course航向.

-

Nevertheless, CH subsisted存在 peacefully for centuries; its?

conquerors had adopted its mores; order reigned there. A sort of?

material well-being let itself be perceived on all sides.?

Revolutions were very rare, and war was so to speak unknown.

One must therefore not reassure消除恐懼 oneself by thinking that the?

barbarians are still far from us; ★★★for if there are peoples who?

allow the light to be torn from their hands, there

are others who stifle扼殺 it themselves under their feet.