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We generally think that philosophers should be proud of their big brains,
我们通常认为哲学家应该非常自豪于自己的聪明，
and be fans of thinking self-reflection and rational analysis.
而且热爱反思和理性分析。
But there's one philosopher, born in France in 1533,
但有一位哲学家，1533年生于法国，
who had a refreshingly different take.
对此有令人耳目一新的不同看法。
Michel de Montaigne was an intellectual
米歇尔·德·蒙田，作为知识分子，
who spent his writing life knocking the arrogance of intellectuals.
他一生的写作都在揶揄知识分子的傲慢。
In his great masterpiece, the 'Essays', he comes across as relentlessly wise and intelligent —
在他杰出的著作《随笔集》中，他展现出极端的聪明，
but also as constantly modest and keen to debunk the pretensions of learning.
但也同时保持谦逊，并热切地揭穿学习的虚伪。
Not least, he's extremely funny, reminding his readers:
除此之外，他非常逗趣，提醒读者：
'to learn that we have said or done a stupid thing is nothing,
“知道自己说过或做过什么蠢事实在没什么大不了，
we must learn a more ample and important lesson:
我们还必须学习更广泛、更重要的一课：
that we are but blockheads...
我们不过是个蠢蛋。
(or, as he put it)
（或者就像他说的：）
On the highest throne in the world,
即使在世界上最位高权重的王位，
we are seated, still, upon our arses.'
我们依然只是坐在自己的屁股上。。“
Montaigne was a child of the Renaissance
蒙田身在文艺复兴时代，
and the ancient philosophers popular in Montaigne's day
而在蒙田那时代受到欢迎的古典哲学家
believed that our powers of reason could afford us a happiness and greatness
普遍相信人类的理性力量能使我们快乐、伟大，
denied to other creatures.
这是其他的生物无法企及的。
Reason was a sophisticated, almost divine, tool
理性是最精致、甚至神圣的力量，
offering us mastery over the world and ourselves.
让我们得以主导世界、主导自己,
That was the line taken by philosophers like Cicero.
这是像西赛罗那样的哲学家的观点。
But this characterization of human reason enraged Montaigne.
然而，这种对人类理性的描述激怒了蒙田.
After hanging out with academics and philosophers, he wrote,
在接触过非常多学术界人士和哲学家之后，他写道：
"In practice, thousands of little women in their villages
“事实上，成千上万生活在村庄里的小妇人，
have lived more gentle, more equable and more constant lives than [Cicero].
都比西赛罗过得还祥和、平静、而忠诚。”
His point wasn't that human beings can't reason at all,
他并不是完全否定人类的理性，
simply that they tend to be far too arrogant about the limits of their brains.
而是人类太过傲慢而未能认清大脑的局限。
As he wrote,
就如同他写的：
"Our life consists partly in madness, partly in wisdom.
“我们的生命一半是疯狂，一半是智慧；
Whoever writes about it merely respectfully and by rule
任何人若只是带着敬意描述它，
leaves more than half of it behind."
即是将一半以上的生命略去不谈。”
Perhaps the most obvious example of our madness
也许我们的疯狂最明显的例子，
is the struggle of living within a human body.
就是活在人类肉体内的各种挣扎。
Our bodies smell, ache, sag, pulse, throb and age (whatever the desires of our minds).
无论我们的大脑希望如何，我们的肉体仍会有气味、会疼痛、下垂、脉动、老去。
Montaigne was the world's first and possibly only philosopher to talk at length about impotence,
蒙田是有史以来第一个、也许是唯一一个讨论性无能的哲学家
which seemed to him a prime example of how crazy and fragile our minds are.
对他而言，这是显示出我们的大脑有多疯狂和脆弱的主要例子。
Montaigne had a friend who'd grown impotent with a woman he particularly liked.
蒙田的一位朋友在他特别心爱的女人面前不举。
Montaigne didn't blame the penis.
蒙田认为这不是下体的错；
The problem was the mind,
问题出在大脑，
the oppressive notion that we had complete control over our bodies,
在于那个压迫性的认知，认为我们可以完全掌控自己的肉体，
and the horror of departing from this theoretical normality.
并且恐惧于自己偏离这个理论上的正常。
The solution, Montaigne said, was to redraw our sense of what's normal.
而解决的办法，蒙田表示，是重新界定何谓正常。
By accepting a loss of command over the penis as a harmless common possibility in lovemaking
如果放弃对下体的控制，并接受不举是发生关系时一个正常的可能，
one could preempt its occurrence
就能预测它的发生，
as the stricken man eventually discovered.
就像那位大受打击的朋友终于发现的。
In bed with a woman, he learnt to, Admit beforehand that he was subject to this infirmity
当和女人发生关系时，他学会事先承认自己的缺陷，
and spoke openly about it, so relieving the tensions within his soul.
并且坦诚地讨论此事，因而舒缓了他灵魂深处的压力。
By bearing the malady as something to be expected,
一旦承认这个缺陷是可能发生的，
his sense of constriction grew less and weighed less heavily upon him.
这件事的束缚感就会减轻。
Montaigne's frankness allows the tensions in the reader's own soul to be relieved.
蒙田坦然的态度让读者灵魂深处的紧张得以舒缓。
A man who failed with his girlfriend could regain his forces
当男性面对女友无能为力时，可以从这样的说法中重获力量，
and soothe the anxieties of his beloved
并以此舒缓他的爱人的焦虑，
by accepting that his impotence belonged to a broad realm of sexual mishaps,
接受他的性无能是一种广泛发生的性缺陷，
neither very rare nor very peculiar.
既不罕见、也并非异常。
Montaigne was equally frank about limitations of his intellect (and of its usefulness).
蒙田对于智识的局限也同样坦率，并且怀疑智识是否有用。
Academia was deeply prestigious in Montaigne's day, as in our own.
蒙田那时代的学术界充满优越感，我们这时代亦然。
Yet, although Montaigne was an excellent scholar,
然而，尽管蒙田是个杰出的学者，
he hated pedantry in academia.
他非常厌恶学术圈的学究气息。
He only wanted to learn things that were useful
他只想学习有用的事物，
and relentlessly attacked academics for being out of touch.
并无情地抨击学术圈的不切实际。
"If man were wise, he would gauge the true worth of anything by its usefulness and appropriateness to his life," he said.
“一个人如果聪明，就会根据事物对其人生的用处和适切性来衡量其真正价值。”
Only that which makes us feel better maybe worth understanding.
只有那些能让我们感觉更良好的事物值得了解。
In this vein, Montaigne mocked books that were difficult to read.
在这个脉络下，蒙田嘲笑那些难以阅读的书籍，
He admitted to his readers that he found Plato more than a little boring —
他向读者承认，他觉得阅读柏拉图有点无聊；
and that he just wanted to have fun with books:
他只想要从书中寻找乐趣：
"I'm not prepared to bash my brains out for anything,
“我不打算为任何事物绞尽脑汁，
not even for learning's sake however precious it may be.
即使是为了学习，无论它有多珍贵。
From books all I seek is to get myself some pleasure by an honorable pastime...
我想从书本中寻求的，仅只是拥有一段美好时光让自己愉快；
If I come across some difficult passages in my reading
如果在阅读时遇到困难的段落，
I don't bite my nails over them:
我不会为此钻牛角尖：
after making a charge or two I let them be...
在尝试了一两次之后，我就让它去了；
If one book tires me I just take up another."
如果有本书让我觉得疲惫，我就换另外一本。”
He could be pretty caustic about incomprehensible philosophers.
他对于那些令人难以理解的哲学家非常尖酸刻薄。
"Difficulty is a coin which the learned conjure with so as not to reveal the vanity of their studies
“艰涩是学者用来变把戏的铜板，目的是为了避免泄漏他们徒劳无功的研究，
and which human stupidity is keen to accept in payment."
而人类的愚蠢则对它热切地照单全收。”
Montaigne observed how an intimidating scholarly culture has made all of us study other people's books way before we study our own minds.
蒙田观察到，恫吓式的学术文化，如何让我们在学习自己的思想以前，急于学习他人的书，
And yet, as he put it:
然而就如同他说的：
"We are richer than we think, each one of us."
“我们比自己以为的还要更丰富，每一个人都是如此。”
Montaigne is refreshing
蒙田让人耳目一新，
because he describes a life which is recognizably like our own
他描绘生活与我们现在生活非常接近，
and yet inspiring still —
并且具有启发意义。
he is a very human ideal.
他是充满人性的理想型。
We may all arrived at wise ideas
我们都可能拥有充满智慧的思想，
if we cease to think of ourselves as unsuited to the task
只要我们不再认为自己无法这么做。
just because we aren't two thousand years old,
只因为我们不是两千岁，
or aren't interested in the topics of Plato's dialogues
或对柏拉图对话录中的主题不感兴趣，
or have a so-called ordinary life.
或只拥有所谓的平凡生活。
Montaigne reassures us:
蒙田向我们保证：
"You can attach the whole of moral philosophy to a commonplace private life
“你可以将整套道德哲学应用在平凡的私人生活中，
just as well as to one with richer stuff."
就如同应用在不平凡的生活。”
In Montaigne's redrawn portrait of the adequate, semi-rational human being,
蒙田重新描述的贴切的、半理性人类的样貌，
it's possible to speak no Greek
可以不谈论古希腊、
change one's mind after a meal,
在一顿饭的时间内改变主意、
get bored with a book,
觉得书本很无聊、
be impotent
性无能、
and know pretty much none of the Ancient philosophers.
太了解古典哲学家。
A virtuous ordinary life, striving for wisdom but never far from folly,
有德性的平凡生活、追求智慧、但未曾远离蠢事，
is achievement enough.
已经是足够了不起的成就。
Montaigne remains the great, readable intellectual
蒙田是位伟大、简单易读的知识份子，
with whom we can laugh at intellectuals and pretensions of many kinds.
我们可以跟他一起嘲笑知识份子和各种虚伪。
He was a breath of fresh air in the cloistered, unworldly, snobbish corridors of the academia of the 16th century —
在16世纪学术圈那不切实际又充满势利眼的象牙塔里，蒙田是一股清流，
and because academia has, sadly, not changed very much,
而因为学术圈可悲的至今并未有太多转变，
he continues to be an inspiration and a solace to all of us
蒙田持续地成为我们的鼓舞和慰藉。
who feel routinely oppressed and patronized by the pedantry and arrogance of so-called clever people.
对于所有觉得自己日复一日地被那些充满学究气的、傲慢的、所谓的聪明人压迫和指导的人们而言。
