評論
打印
I'm sure all of today's graduates have read
我敢肯定 今天畢業的學生肯定都讀過
John Stuart Mill's On Liberty
約翰.斯圖爾特.密爾的《論自由》
But just let me read a short passage from it
請允許我將其中的一小段讀給大家聽
"The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is
"強迫別人不能發表意見的邪惡"
that it is robbing the human race
"乃是對整個人類的掠奪"
posterity as well as the existing generation
"對后代和當代人類的掠奪"
those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it"
"對不同意于那個意見的人掠奪更多"
He continued: "If the opinion is right
他繼續道 "假如那意見是對的"
they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth
"那么他們是被剝奪了以錯誤換真理的機會"
if wrong
"假如那意見是錯的"
they lose, what is almost as great a benefit
"那么他們是失掉了一個差不多同樣大的利益"
the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth
"那就是從真理與錯誤沖突中產生出來的對于真理的"
produced by its collision with error"
"更加清楚的認識和更加生動的印象"
Mill would have been horrified to learn of university students
密爾如果知道大學學生強迫別人不發表意見
silencing the opinions of others
肯定會痛心疾首
He would have been even more horrified that faculty members
密爾如果知道連教職團隊都通常成為
were often part of the commencement censorship campaigns
畢業演講審查活動的一部分 肯定會更痛心疾首
For tenured professors
如果是終身教職教授
to silence speakers whose views they disagree with
強迫觀點同自己不一致的發言者不發表言論
is the height of hypocrisy
那就真是莫大的諷刺了
especially when these protests happen in the northeast
特別是發生在東北的那些抗議
a bastion of self-professed liberal tolerance
自稱的自由寬容顯得尤為偽善
Now I'm glad to say that
不過我很高興的是
Harvard has not caved in to these commencement censorship challenges
哈佛沒有陷入這些畢業典禮審查之中
If it had, Colorado State Senator Michael Johnston
否則的話 科羅拉多州參議員邁克爾?約翰斯頓
would not have had the chance to address the Education School yesterday
昨天就沒有機會在教育學院發表演講了
Some students called on the administration to rescind the invitation to Johnston
不少學生號召管理層撤回對約翰斯頓的邀請
because they opposed some of his education policies
因為他們反對他的一些教育政策
But to their great credit, President Faust and Dean Ryan stood firm
不過 佛斯特校長和賴安院長都非常鑒定
As Dean Ryan wrote to students
賴安院長寫信給這些學生說
"I have encountered many people of good faith
"我碰到過很多懷有良好愿望的人"
who share my basic goals
"他們都有相同的目標"
but disagree with my views when it comes to the question of
"只是同我在教育如何改善的問題上"
how best to improve education
"觀點存在分歧"
In my view
"在我看來"
those differences should be explored, debated, challenged, and questioned
"這些分歧應當經過探討和辯論 受到挑戰和質疑"
But they should also be respected and indeed, celebrated"
"同時也應受到尊敬和慶賀"
He could not have been more correct
他完全是正確的
and he could not have provided a more valuable final lesson to the class of 2014
他以自身言行為2014屆畢業生上了最為寶貴的最后一課
