評論
打印
The unexamined life, said Socrates, is unfit to be lived by man. This is the virtue of liberty, and the ground on which we may best justify our belief in it, that it tolerates error in order to serve the truth. When men are brought face to face with their opponents, forced to listen and learn and mend their ideas, they cease to be children and savages and begin to live like civilized men. Then only is freedom a reality, when men may voice their opinions because they must examine their opinions.
蘇格拉底曾經說過，沒有經過檢驗的生活不是人類該有的生活。自由的好處以及我們可以對其堅信不疑的最好的根據，就在于它容忍錯誤是為了服務于真理。當人們不得不面對他們的反對者，傾聽并了解他們的意見，而且修正自己的觀點的時候，到那時，他們才不再是幼稚的兒童或野蠻人，而開始像文明人那樣生活。由于必須審視自己的觀點，人們才可能發表自己的觀。點，只有到了這一步自由才成為現實。
The only reason for dwelling on all this is that if we are to preserve democracy we must understand its principles. And the principle which distinguishes it from all other forms of government is that in a democracy the opposition not only is tolerated as constitutional but must be maintained because it is in fact indispensable.
如此長篇大論一番的唯一理由是，如果要維護民主，我們就必須領會它的原則。區別民主和其他統治形式的原則是：在民主國家里，容許反對意見不僅是憲法規定的，而且必須予以維護，因為客觀上它是不可缺少的。
The democratic system cannot be operated without effective opposition. For, in making the great experiment of governing people by consent rather than by coercion, it is not sufficient that the party in power should have a majority. It is just as necessary that the party in power should never outrage the minority. That means that it must listen to the minority and be moved by the criticisms of the minority. That means that its measures must take account of the minority's objections, and that in administering measures it must remember that the minority may become the majority.
沒有有效的反對力量，民主制度是無法運作的。因為，在進行通過人民的認可而不是依靠強制手段治理一國人民的偉大試驗中，掌權的一方擁有多數支持是不夠的，同樣必須做到的是，這一方還永遠不可激怒少數人。這意味著，他們必須傾聽少數人的意見，并且對他們的批評意見不能無動于衷，而要釆取行動，做出必要的反應。這就意味著，它的措施必須把少數人的反對意見考慮在內，而且在實行措施的時候，它必須牢牢記住，那少數有可能會變成多數。
