評論
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Then there’s some things that are just valued for themselves.
有些東西只因其本身被重視。
I’m a musician, not a professional musician; I just play a musical instrument for fun.
我是音樂家，不是專業的，我玩樂器只是為了好玩。
Why do I value playing music? Well, like most amateur musicians, I only play because, well, I just enjoy it.
我為什么重視玩音樂？想所有的業余音樂家一樣，我玩音樂只是因為我喜歡。
It’s something that’s an end in itself.
最終的目的就是它本身。
Now, something else I value is teaching. Why?
我重視的另外一件事是教學。為什么呢？
Well, it brings in a modest income, but I could make more money doing other things.
它能帶來一份適中的收入，但我做其他事情的話能賺更多的錢。
I’d do it even if they didn’t pay me. I just enjoy teaching. In that sense it’s an end to itself.
即使沒有人付錢給我我也會做這件事。我就是享受教學。從那個角度來說，它本身就是最終目的。
But teaching’s not something that has intrinsic value for all people—and that’s true generally.
但教學并不是對每個人來說都有內在價值——普遍是這樣。
Most things that are enjoyed in and of themselves vary from person to person.
多數令人自得其樂的事情是因人而異的。有些人內在地重視教學。
Some people value teaching intrinsically, but others don’t.
但其他人不是。
So how does all this relate to human happiness?
所以這些和人類的幸福有什么關系呢？
Well, Aristotle asks: is there something that all human beings value...
亞里士多德問：有沒有什么東西是全人來都重視的。
and value only intrinsically, for its own sake and only for its own sake?
并且只是內在地重視，為其本身且只為其本身？
If you could find such a thing, that would be the universal final good, or truly the ultimate purpose or goal for all human beings.
如果你能找到那樣一件事物，它絕對是普世的終極大善，或是全人類最后的目標。
Aristotle thought the answer was yes. What is it? Happiness.
亞里士多德認為答案是肯定的。是什么呢？幸福。
Everyone will agree, he argues, that happiness is the ultimate end to be valued for itself and really only for itself.
他說，每個人都會認同幸福是為其本身且僅為其本身而被重視的最終目的。
For what other purpose is there in being happy? What does it yield?
幸福還有其他的目的么？它能帶來什么？
The attainment of happiness becomes the ultimate or highest good for Aristotle.
成就幸福即成為亞里士多德的終極或最高大善。
The next question that Aristotle raises is: what is happiness?
亞里士多德提出來的下一個問題是：什么是幸福？
We all want it; we all desire it; we all seek it. It’s the goal we have in life.
我們都想要幸福；都渴望得到幸福；都在尋找幸福。幸福是我們人生的目標。
But what is it? How do we find it? Here he notes, with some frustration, people disagree.
但是幸福是什么呢？我們如何找到幸福？他寫道，有些無奈，有人不認同。
But he does give us a couple of criteria, or features, to keep in mind as we look for what true human happiness is.
但是他給了我們一些標準或特征，讓我們在找尋什么是人類真正的幸福的時候牢記在心。
True human happiness should be, as he puts it, complete. Complete in that it’s all we require.
人類真正的幸福應該是，如他所說，全面的。幸福的全面性是我們都想要的。
Well, true human happiness...if you had that, what else do you need? Nothing.
如果你擁有了真正的幸福，你還會需要什么嗎？什么也不需要了。
And, second, true happiness should be something that I can obtain on my own.
第二，真正的幸福應該是我靠自己就能獲得的。
I shouldn’t have to rely on other people for it. Many people value fame and seek fame. Fame for them becomes the goal.
我不應該依靠別人來獲得幸福。很多人沽名釣譽。對于這些人來講，名譽即目的。
But, according to Aristotle, this won’t work either, because fame depends altogether too much on other people.
但是，根據Aristotle的理論，名譽也非幸福。因為名譽很大程度上需要靠別人的幫助。
I can’t get it on my own, without help from other people.
沒有別人幫助，我得不到它。
In the end, Aristotle says that true happiness is the exercise of reason—a life of intellectual contemplation...of thinking.
最后，Aristotle說真正的幸福是理解力的練習，是一種縝密思考的生活。
So let’s see how he comes to that.
下面，我們看看他是怎么得出這個結論的。
