評論
打印
Let's take a final example that's prominent in contemporary political debate: same-sex marriage.
最后再舉一個例子，一個當代政治的熱點話題：同性婚姻
There are those who favor state recognition only of traditional marriage between one man and one woman,
有些人只支持傳統(tǒng)婚姻，一男一女
and there are those who favor state recognition of same-sex marriage.
有些人同時支持同性婚姻
How many here favor the first policy:
在座有多少人屬于前者？
the state should recognize traditional marriage only?
各州應該只允許傳統(tǒng)式婚姻？
And how many favor the second, same-sex marriage?
有多少人支持后者，同性婚姻？
Now, put it this way:
這么說吧，
What ways of thinking about justice and morality underlie the arguments we have over marriage?
我們對于婚姻形式的爭論體現(xiàn)了哪些關于公正倫理的價值觀呢？
The opponents of same-sex marriage say that the purpose of marriage, fundamentally, is procreation,
反對同性婚姻的人說，婚姻的根本目的是傳宗接代
and that's what's worthy of honoring and recognizing and encouraging.
傳宗接代才是值得尊重、認可和鼓勵的價值本質
And the defenders of same-sex marriage say no,
贊成同性婚姻的人說
procreation is not the only purpose of marriage;
繁衍后代并非婚姻的唯一目的
what about a lifelong, mutual, loving commitment?
大家都忘了長相廝守、白頭偕老、相濡以沫了嗎？
That's really what marriage is about.
那才是婚姻的真諦
So with flutes, with golf carts,
所以，無論是分配笛子，高爾夫球車
and even with a fiercely contested question like same-sex marriage, Aristotle has a point.
還是尖銳的同性婚姻話題，亞里士多德有一點說得很有道理
Very hard to argue about justice
如果不首先討論社會組織的目的，
without first arguing about the purpose of social institutions
以及值得認可和稱道的價值理念
and about what qualities are worthy of honor and recognition.
是很難討論公平公正的
So let's step back from these cases and see how they shed light
現(xiàn)在讓我們反思這些案例，看看能從中得到什么啟發(fā)
on the way we might improve, elevate, the terms of political discourse in the United States, and for that matter, around the world.
來幫助我們提升改進美國乃至世界的政治辯論狀況
There is a tendency to think
現(xiàn)在有這樣一種傾向，
that if we engage too directly with moral questions in politics,
認為如果我們直面政治方面的道德問題
that's a recipe for disagreement,
就很容易產生觀點上的分歧，
and for that matter, a recipe for intolerance and coercion.
從而導致偏狹與排異，并相互強加觀點給對方
So better to shy away from, to ignore, the moral and the religious convictions that people bring to civic life.
所以最好是避開那些宗教及道義方面的大命題
It seems to me that our discussion reflects the opposite,
我覺得我們的討論證明事實恰恰相反
that a better way to mutual respect
一個更好的互相尊重的方式是
is to engage directly with the moral convictions citizens bring to public life,
是直面日常生活中所涉及的倫理道德問題
rather than to require that people leave their deepest moral convictions outside politics before they enter.
而不是要求人們在討論政治問題時回避他們最深層的道德信仰
That, it seems to me, is a way to begin to restore the art of democratic argument.
在我看來，這是復興我們失落了的民主辯論藝術的一種方式
Thank you very much.
非常感謝大家
