18 Descartes
18 笛卡尔
... he wanted to clear all the rubble off the site……
……他希望清除工地上所有的瓦砾……
Alberto stood up, took off the red cloak, and laid it over a chair. Then he settled himself once again in the corner of the sofa.
艾伯特站起身来，脱下红色披风，搁在椅子上，然后再度坐在沙发的一角。
"Rene Descartes was born in 1596 and lived in a number of different European countries at various periods of his life. Even as a young man he had a strong desire to achieve insight into the nature of man and the universe. But after studying philosophy he became increasingly convinced of his own ignorance."
“笛卡尔诞生于一五九六年，一生中曾住过几个欧洲国家。他在年轻时就已经有强烈的欲望要洞悉人与宇宙的本质。但在研习哲学之后，他逐渐体认到自己的无知。”
"Like Socrates?"
“就像苏格拉底一样？”
"More or less like him, yes. Like Socrates, he was convinced that certain knowledge is only attainable through reason. We can never trust what the old books tell us. We cannot even trust what our senses tell us."
“是的，或多或少。他像苏格拉底一样，相信唯有透过理性才能获得确实的知识。他认为我们不能完全相信古籍的记载，也不能完全信任感官的知觉。”
"Plato thought that too. He believed that only reason can give us certain knowledge."
“柏拉图也这么想。他相信确实的知识只能经由理性获得。”
"Exactly. There is a direct line of descent from Socrates and Plato via St. Augustine to Descartes. They were all typical rationalists, convinced that reason was the only path to knowledge. After comprehensive studies, Descartes came to the conclusion that the body of knowledge handed down from the Middle Ages was not necessarily reliable. You can compare him to Socrates, who did not trust the general views he encountered in the central square of Athens. So what does one do, Sophie? Can you tell me that?"
“没错。苏格拉底、柏拉图、圣奥古斯丁与笛卡尔在这方面可说是一脉相传。他们都是典型的理性主义者，相信理性星通往知识的唯一途径。经过广泛研究后，笛卡尔得到了一个结论：中世纪以来的各哲学并不一定可靠。这和苏格拉底不全然相信他在雅典广场所听到的各家观点一样。在这种情况下该怎么办呢？苏菲，你能告诉我吗？”
"You begin to work out your own philosophy."
“那就开始创立自己的哲学呀！”
现代的哲学之父
"Right! Descartes decided to travel around Europe, the way Socrates spent his life talking to people in Athens. He relates that from then on he meant to confine himself to seeking the wisdom that was to be found, either within himself or in the 'great book of the world.' So he joined the army and went to war, which enabled him to spend periods of time in different parts of Central Europe. Later he lived for some years in Paris, but in 1629 he went to Holland, where he remained for nearly twenty years working on his mathematical and philosophic writings.
“对！笛卡尔于是决定到欧洲各地游历，就像当年苏格拉底终其一生都在雅典与人谈话一样。笛卡尔说，今后他将专心致力寻求前所未有的智慧，包括自己内心的智慧与‘世界这本大书’中的智慧。因此他便从军打仗，也因此有机会客居中欧各地。后来，他在巴黎住了几年，并在一六二九年时前往荷兰，在那儿住了将近二十年，撰写哲学书籍。
"In 1649 he was invited to Sweden by Queen Christina. But his sojourn in what he called 'the land of bears, ice, and rocks' brought on an attack of pneumonia and he died in the winter of 1650."
一六四九年时他应克丽思蒂娜皇后的邀请前往瑞典。然而他在这个他所谓的‘熊、冰雪与岩石的土地’上罹患了肺炎，终于在一六五O年的冬天与世长辞。”
"So he was only 54 when he died."
“这么说他去世时只有五十四岁。”
"Yes, but he was to have enormous influence on philosophy, even after his death. One can say without exaggeration that Descartes was the father of modern philosophy. Following the heady rediscovery of man and nature in the Renaissance, the need to assemble contemporary thought into one coherent philosophical system again presented itself. The first significant system-builder was Descartes, and he was followed by Spinoza and Leibniz, Locke and Berkeley, Hume and Kant."
“是的，但他死后对哲学界仍然具有重要的影响力。所以说，称笛卡尔为现代哲学之父是一点也不为过。在文艺复兴时期，人们重新发现了人与大自然的价值。在历经这样一个令人兴奋的年代之后，人们开始觉得有必要将现代的思想整理成一套哲学体系。而第一个创立一套重要的哲学体系的人正是笛卡尔。在他之后，又有史宾诺莎、莱布尼兹、洛克、柏克莱、休姆和康德等人。”
"What do you mean by a philosophical system?"
“你所谓的哲学体系是什么意思？”
"I mean a philosophy that is constructed from the ground up and that is concerned with finding explanations for all the central questions of philosophy. Antiquity had its great system-constructors in Plato and Aristotle. The Middle Ages had St. Thomas Aquinas, who tried to build a bridge between Aristotle's philosophy and Christian theology. Then came the Renais-sance, with a welter of old and new beliefs about nature and science, God and man. Not until the seventeenth century did philosophers make any attempt to assemble the new ideas into a clarified philosophical system, and the first to attempt it was Descartes. His work was the forerunner of what was to be philosophy's most important project in the coming generations. His main concern was with what we can know, or in other words, certain knowledge. The other great question that preoccupied him was the relationship between body and mind. Both these questions were the substance of philosophical argument for the next hundred and fifty years."
“我指的是一套从基础开始创立，企图为所有重要的哲学性问题寻求解释的哲学。古代有柏拉图与亚理斯多德这几位伟大的哲学体系创立者。中世纪则有圣多玛斯努力为亚理斯多德的哲学与基督教的神学搭桥。到了文艺复兴时期，各种有关自然与科学、上帝与人等问题的思潮汹涌起伏，新旧杂陈。一直到十七世纪，哲学家们才开始尝试整理各种新思想，以综合成一个条理分明的哲学体系。第一位做这种尝试的人就是笛卡尔。他的努力成为后世各种重要哲学研究课题的先驱。他最感兴趣的题目，是我们所拥有的确实知识以及肉体与灵魂之间的关系。这两大问题成为后来一百五十年间哲学家争论的主要内容。”
"He must have been ahead of his time."
“他一定超越了他那个时代。”
"Ah, but the question belonged to the age. When it came to acquiring certain knowledge, many of his contemporaries voiced a total philosophic skepticism. They thought that man should accept that he knew nothing. But Descartes would not. Had he done so he would not have been a real philosopher. We can again draw a parallel with Socrates, who did not accept the skepticism of the Sophists. And it was in Descartes's lifetime that the new natural sciences were developing a method by which to provide certain and exact descriptions of natural processes.
“嗯，不过这些问题却属于那个时代。在谈到如何获取确实的知识时，当时许多人持一种全然怀疑的论调，认为人应该接受自己一无所知事实。但笛卡尔却不愿如此。他如果接受这个事实，那他就不是一个真正的哲学家了。他的态度就像当年苏格拉底不肯接受诡辩学派的怀疑论调一样。在笛卡尔那个时代，新的自然科学已经开始发展出一种方法，以便精确地描述自然界的现象。
"Descartes was obliged to ask himself if there was a similar certain and exact method of philosophic reflection."
同样的，笛卡尔也觉得有必要问自己是否有类似的精确方法可以从事哲学的思考。”
"That I can understand."
“我想我可以理解。”
"But that was only part of it. The new physics had also raised the question of the nature of matter, and thus what determines the physical processes of nature. More and more people argued in favor of a mechanistic view of nature. But the more mechanistic the physical world was seen to be, the more pressing became the question of the relationship between body and soul. Until the seventeenth century, the soul had commonly been considered as a sort of 'breath of life' that pervaded all living creatures. The original meaning of the words 'soul' and 'spirit' is, in fact, 'breath' and 'breathing.' This is the case for almost all European languages. To Aristotle, the soul was something that was present everywhere in the organism as its 'life principle'--and therefore could not be conceived as separate from the body. So he was able to speak of a plant soul or an animal soul. Philosophers did not introduce any radical division of soul and body until the seventeenth century. The reason was that the motions of all material objects--including the body, animal or human--were explained as involving mechanical processes. But man's soul could surely not be part of this body machinery, could it? What of the soul, then? An explanation was required not least of how something 'spiritual' could start a mechanical process."
“但这只是一部分而已。当时新兴的物理学也已经提出‘物质的性质为何’以及‘哪些因素影响自然界的物理变化’等问题。人们愈来愈倾向对自然采取机械论的观点。然而，人们愈是用机械论的观点来看物质世界，肉体与灵魂之间有何关系这个问题也就变得愈加重要。在十七世纪以前，人们普遍将灵魂视为某种遍布于所有生物的‘生命原理’。事实上，灵魂(sou1)与精神(spirit)这两个字原来的意思就是‘气息’与‘呼吸’。这在几乎所有的欧洲语言中都一样，亚理斯多德认为灵魂乃是生物体中无所不在的‘生命因素’(life principle)，是不能与肉体分离的。因此，他有时说‘植物的灵魂’，有时也说‘动物的灵魂’。一直到十七世纪，哲学家才开始提出灵魂与肉体有所区分的论调。原因是他们将所有物质做的东西－－包括动物与人的身体——视为一种机械过程。但人的灵魂却显然不是这个‘身体机器’的一部分。因此，灵魂又是什么呢？这时就必须对何以某种‘精神性’的事物可以启动一部机器这个问题做一个解释。”
"It's a strange thought, actually."
“想起来也真是奇怪。”
"What is?"
“什么东西很奇怪？”
"I decide to lift my arm--and then, well, the arm lifts itself. Or I decide to run for a bus, and the next second my legs are moving. Or I'm thinking about something sad, and suddenly I'm crying. So there must be some mysterious connection between body and consciousness."
“我决定要举起我的手臂，然后，手臂自己就举起来了。我决定要跑步赶公车，下一秒钟我的两腿就像发条一样跑起来了。有时刻坐在那儿想某件令我伤心的事，突然间我的眼泪就流出来了。因此，肉体与意识之间一定有某种神秘的关联。”
"That was exactly the problem that set Descartes's thoughts going. Like Plato, he was convinced that there was a sharp division between 'spirit' and 'matter.' But as to how the mind influences the body--or the soul the body--Plato could not provide an answer."
“这正是笛卡尔所努力思考的问题。他像柏拉图一样，相信‘精神’与‘物质’有明显的不同。但是究竟身体如何影响灵魂或灵魂如何影响身体，柏拉图还没有找到答案。”
我思故我在
"Neither have I, so I am looking forward to hearing what Descartes's theory was."
“我也没有。因此我很想知道笛卡尔在这方面的理论。”
"Let us follow his own line of reasoning."
“让我们跟他思想的脉络走。”
Albert pointed to the book that lay on the table between them.
艾伯特指着他们两人中间的茶几上所放的那本书，继续说道:
"In his Discourse on Method, Descartes raises the question of the method the philosopher must use to solve a philosophical problem. Science already had its new method..."
“在他的《方法论》中，笛卡尔提出哲学家必须使用特定的方法来解决哲学问题。在这方面科学界已经发展出一套自己的方法来……”
"So you said."
“这你已经说过了。”
"Descartes maintains that we cannot accept anything as being true unless we can clearly and distinctly perceive it. To achieve this can require the breaking down of a compound problem into as many single factors as possible. Then we can take our point of departure in the simplest idea of all. You could say that every single thought must be weighed and measured, rather in the way Galileo wanted everything to be measured and everything immeasurable to be made measurable. Descartes believed that philosophy should go from the simple to the complex. Only then would it be possible to construct a new insight. And finally it would be necessary to ensure by constant enumeration and control that nothing was left out. Then, a philosophical conclusion would be within reach."
“笛卡尔认为除非我们能够清楚分明地知道某件事情是真实的，否则我们就不能够认为它是真的。为了要做到这点，可能必须将一个复杂的问题尽可能细分为许多不同的因素。然后我们再从其中最简单的概念出发。也就是说每一种思想都必须加以‘斟酌与衡量’，就像伽利略主张每一件事物都必须加以测量，而每一件无法测量的事物都必须设法使它可以测量一样。笛卡尔主张哲学应该从最简单的到最复杂的。唯有如此才可能建立一个新观点。最后，我们还必须时时将各种因素加以列举与控制，以确定没有遗漏任何因素。如此才能获致一个结论。”
"It sounds almost like a math test."
“听起来几乎像是数学考试一样。”
"Yes. Descartes was a mathematician; he is considered the father of analytical geometry, and he made important contributions to the science of algebra. Descartes wanted to use the 'mathematical method' even for philosophizing. He set out to prove philosophical truths in the way one proves a mathematical theorem. In other words, he wanted to use exactly the same instrument that we use when we work with figures, namely, reason, since only reason can give us certainty. It is far from certain that we can rely on our senses. We have already noted Descartes's affinity with Plato, who also observed that mathematics and numerical ratio give us more certainty than the evidence of our senses."
“是的。笛卡尔希望用‘数学方法’来进行哲学性的思考。他用一般人证明数学定理的方式来证明哲学上的真理。换句话说，他希望运用我们在计算数字时所有的同一种工具——理性——来解决哲学问题，因为唯有理性才能使我们得到确实的知识，而感官则并非如此确实可靠。我们曾经提过他与柏拉图相似的地方。柏拉图也说过数学与数字的比例要比感官的体验更加确实可靠。”
"But can one solve philosophical problems that way?"
“可是我们能用这种方式来解决哲学问题吗？”
"We had better go back to Descartes's own reasoning. His aim is to reach certainty about the nature of life, and he starts by maintaining that at first one should doubt everything. He didn't want to build on sand, you see."
“我们还是回到笛卡尔的思维好了。他的目标是希望能在生命的本质这个问题上获得某种确定的答案。他的第一步是主张在一开始时我们应该对每一件事都加以怀疑，因为他不希望他的思想是建立在一个不确实的基础上。”
"No, because if the foundations give way, the whole house collapses."
“嗯，因为如果地基垮了的话，整栋房子也会倒塌。”
"As you so neatly put it, my child. Now, Descartes did not think it reasonable to doubt everything, but he thought it was possible in principle to doubt everything. For one thing, it is by no means certain that we advance our philosophical quest by reading Plato or Aristotle.
“说得好。笛卡尔并不认为怀疑一切事物是合理的，但他以为从原则上来说怀疑一切事物是可能的。举个例子，我们在读了柏拉图或亚理斯多德的著作后，并不一定会增强我们研究哲学的欲望。
It may increase our knowledge of history but not of the world. It was important for Descartes to rid himself of all handed down, or received, learning before beginning his own philosophical construction."
这些理论固然可能增进我们对历史的认识，但并不一定能够使我们更加了解这个世界。笛卡尔认为，在他开始建构自己的哲学体系之前，必须先挣脱前人理论的影响。”
"He wanted to clear all the rubble off the site before starting to build his new house ..."
“在兴建一栋属于自己的新房子以前，他想清除房屋地基上的所有旧瓦砾……”
"Thank you. He wanted to use only fresh new materials in order to be sure that his new thought construction would hold. But Descartes's doubts went even deeper. We cannot even trust what our senses tell us, he said. Maybe they are deceiving us."
“说得好。他希望用全新的材料来建造这栋房屋，以便确定他所建构的新思想体系能够站得住脚。不过，笛卡尔所怀疑的还不止于前人的理论。他甚至认为我们不能信任自己的感官，因为感官可能会误导我们。”
"How come?"
“怎么说呢？”
"When we dream, we feel we are experiencing reality. What separates our waking feelings from our dream feelings?
“当我们做梦时，我们以为自己置身真实世界中。那么，我们清醒时的感觉与我们做梦时的感觉之间有何区别呢？笛卡尔写道:
" 'When I consider this carefully, I find not a single property which with certainty separates the waking state from the dream,' writes Descartes. And he goes on: 'How can you be certain that your whole life is not a dream?' "
‘当我仔细思索这个问题时，我发现人清醒时的状态与做梦时的状态并不一定有所分别。’他并且说：‘你怎能确定你的生命不是一场梦呢？’”
"Jeppe thought he had only been dreaming when he had slept in the Baron's bed."
“杰普认为他躺在男爵床上的那段时间只不过是一场梦而已。”
"And when he was lying in the Baron's bed, he thought his life as a poor peasant was only a dream. So in the same way, Descartes ends up doubting absolutely everything. Many philosophers before him had reached the end of the road at that very point."
“而当他躺在男爵的床上时，他以为自己过去那段务农的贫穷生活只不过是个梦而已。所以，笛卡尔最终怀疑每一件事物。在他之前的许多哲学家走到这里就走不下去了。”
"So they didn't get very far."
“所以他们并没有走多远。”
"But Descartes tried to work forward from this zero point. He doubted everything, and that was the only thing he was certain of. But now something struck him: one thing had to be true, and that was that he doubted. When he doubted, he had to be thinking, and because he was thinking, it had to be certain that he was a thinking being. Or, as he himself expressed it: Cogito, ergo sum."
“可是笛卡尔却设法从这个零点开始出发。他怀疑每一件事，而这正是他唯一能够确定的事情。此时他悟出一个道理：有一件事情必定是真实的，那就是他怀疑。当他怀疑时，他必然是在思考，而由于他在思考，那么他必定是个会思考的存在者。用他自己的话来说，就是：Cogito，ergo sum。”
"Which means?"
“什么意思？”
"I think, therefore I am."
“我思故我在。”
"I'm not surprised he realized that."
“我一点都不奇怪他会悟出这点。”
"Fair enough. But notice the intuitive certainty with which he suddenly perceives himself as a thinking being. Perhaps you now recall what Plato said, that what we grasp with our reason is more real than what we grasp with our senses. That's the way it was for Descartes. He perceived not only that he was a thinking /, he realized at the same time that this thinking / was more real than the material world which we perceive with our senses. And he went on. He was by no means through with his philosophical quest."
“不错。但请你注意他突然间视自己为会思考的存在者的那种直观的确定性。也许你还记得柏拉图说过：我们以理性所领会的知识要比我们以感官所领会的更加真实。对笛卡尔来说正是如此。他不仅察觉到自己是一个会思考的‘我’，也发现这个会思考的‘我’要比我们的感官所观察到的物质世界更加真实。同时，他的哲学探索并未到此为止。他仍旧继续追寻答案。”
"What came next?"
“我希望你也能继续下去。”
"Descartes now asked himself if there was anything more he could perceive with the same intuitive certainty.
“后来，笛卡尔开始问，自己是否能以同样直观的确定性来察知其他事物。
He came to the conclusion that in his mind he had a clear and distinct idea of a perfect entity. This was an idea he had always had, and it was thus self-evident to Descartes that such an idea could not possibly have come from himself. The idea of a perfect entity cannot have originated from one who was himself imperfect, he claimed. Therefore the idea of a perfect entity must have originated from that perfect entity itself, or in other words, from God. That God exists was therefore just as self-evident for Descartes as that a thinking being must exist."
他的结论是：在他的心灵中，他很清楚地知道何谓完美的实体，这种概念他一向就有。但是他认为这种概念显然不可能来自他本身，因为对于完美实体的概念不可能来自一个本身并不完美的人，所以它必定来自那个完美实体本身，也就是上帝。因此，对笛卡尔而言，上帝的存在是一件很明显的事实，就像一个会思考的存在者必定存在一样。”
"Now he was jumping to a conclusion. He was more cautious to begin with."
“他这个结论下得太早了一些。他一开始时似乎比较谨慎。”
"You're right. Many people have called that his weak spot. But you say 'conclusion.' Actually it was not a question of proof. Descartes only meant that we all possess the idea of a perfect entity, and that inherent in that idea is the fact that this perfect entity must exist. Because a perfect entity wouldn't be perfect if it didn't exist. Neither would we possess the idea of a perfect entity if there were no perfect entity. For we are imperfect, so the idea of perfection cannot come from us. According to Descartes, the idea of God is innate, it is stamped on us from birth 'like the artisan's mark stamped on his product.' "
“你说得对。许多人认为这是笛卡尔的弱点。不过你刚才说‘结论’，事实上这个问题并不需要证明。笛卡尔的意思只是说我们都是具有对于完美实体的概念，由此可见这个完美实体的本身必定存在。因为一个完美的实体如果不存在，就不算完美了，此外，如果世上没有所谓的完美实体，我们也不会具有完美实体的概念。因为我们本身是不完美的，所以完美的概念不可能来自于我们。笛卡尔认为，上帝这个概念是与生俱来的，乃是我们出生时就烙印在我们身上的，‘就像工匠在他的作品上打上记号一般。’”
"Yes, but just because I possess the idea of a crocophant doesn't mean that the crocophant exists."
“没错，可是我有‘鳄象’这个概念并不代表真的有‘鳄象’存在呀！”
"Descartes would have said that it is not inherent in the concept of a crocophant that it exists. On the other hand, it is inherent in the concept of a perfect entity that such an entity exists. According to Descartes, this is just as certain as it is inherent in the idea of a circle that all points of the circle are equidistant from the center. You cannot have a circle that does not conform to this law. Nor can you have a perfect entity that lacks its most important property, namely, existence."
“笛卡尔会说，‘鳄象’这个概念中并不包含它必然存在的事实。但‘完美实体’这个概念中却包含它必然存在的事实。笛卡尔认为，这就像‘圆’这个概念的要素之一就是，圆上所有的点必须与圆心等长一样。如果不符合这点，圆就不成其为圆。同样的，如果缺少‘存在’这个最重要的特质，一个‘完美的实体’也就不成其为‘完美的实体’了。”
"That's an odd way of thinking."
“这种想法很奇怪。”
"It is a decidedly rationalistic way of thinking. Descartes believed like Socrates and Plato that there is a connection between reason and being. The more self-evident a thing is to one's reason, the more certain it is that it exists."
“这就是典型的‘理性主义者’的思考模式。笛卡尔和苏格拉底与柏拉图一样，相信理性与存在之间有所关联。依理性看来愈是明显的事情，它的存在也就愈加可以肯定。”
"So far he has gotten to the fact that he is a thinking person and that there exists a perfect entity."
“到目前为止，他只讲到人是会思考的动物，以及宇宙间有一个完美的实体这两件事。”
"Yes, and with this as his point of departure, he proceeds. In the question of all the ideas we have about outer reality--for example, the sun and the moon--there is the possibility that they are fantasies. But outer reality also has certain characteristics that we can perceive with our reason. These are the mathematical properties, or, in other words, the kinds of things that are measurable, such as length, breadth, and depth. Such 'quantitative' properties are just as clear and distinct to my reason as the fact that I am a thinking being. 'Qualitative' properties such as color, smell, and taste, on the other hand, are linked to our sense perception and as such do not describe outer reality."
“是的。他从这两点出发，继续探讨。在谈到我们对外在现实世界(如太阳和月亮)的概念时，笛卡尔认为，这些概念可能都只是幻象。但是外在现实世界也有若干我们可以用理性察知的特点，这些特点就是它们的数学特质，也就是诸如宽、高等可以测量的特性。这些‘量’方面的特性对于我们的理性来说，就像人会思考这个事实一般显而易见。至于‘质’方面的特性，如颜色、气味和味道等，则与我们的感官经验有关，因此并不足以描述外在的真实世界。”
"So nature is not a dream after all."
“这么说大自然毕竟不是一场梦。”
"No, and on that point Descartes once again draws upon our idea of the perfect entity. When our reason recognizes something clearly and distinctly--as is the case for the mathematical properties of outer reality--it must necessarily be so. Because a perfect God would not deceive us. Descartes claims 'God's guarantee' that whatever we perceive with our reason also corresponds to reality."
“没错。在这一点上，笛卡尔再度引用我们对完美实体的概念。当我们的理智很清楚地认知一件事物(例如外在真实世界的数学特性)时，那么这件事物必定是如同我们所认知的那样。因为一个完美的上帝是不会欺骗我们的。笛卡尔宣称‘上帝可以保证’我们用理智所认知到的一切事物必然会与现实世界相符。”
二元论
"Okay, so now he's found out he's a thinking being, God exists, and there is an outer reality."
“那么，他到目前为止已经发现了三件事：一、人是会思考的生物，二、上帝是存在的，三、宇宙有一个外在的真实世界。”
"Ah, but the outer reality is essentially different from the reality of thought. Descartes now maintains that there are two different forms of reality--or two 'substances.' One substance is thought, or the 'mind,' the other is extension, or matter. The mind is purely conscious, it takes up no room in space and can therefore not be subdivided into smaller parts. Matter, however, is purely extension, it takes up room in space and can therefore always be subdivided into smaller and smaller parts-- but it has no consciousness. Descartes maintained that both substances originate from God, because only God himself exists independently of anything else. But al-though both thought and extension come from God, the two substances have no contact with each other. Thought is quite independent of matter, and conversely, the material processes are quite independent of thought."
“嗯，但基本上这个外在的真实世界还是与我们思想的真实世界不同。笛卡尔宣称宇宙间共有两种不同形式的真实世界(或称‘实体’)。一种实体称为思想或‘灵魂’，另一种则称为‘扩延’(Extension)，或称物质。灵魂纯粹是属于意识的，不占空间，因此也不能再分解为更小的单位；而物质则纯粹是扩延，会占空间，因此可以一再被分解为更小的单位，但却没有意识。笛卡尔认为这两种本体都来自上帝，因为唯有上帝本身是独立存在的，不隶属任何事物。不过，‘思想’与‘扩延’虽然都来自上帝，但彼此却没有任何接触。思想不受物质的影响，反之，物质的变化也不受思想的影响。”
"So he divided God's creation into two."
“这么说他将上帝的造物一分为二。”
"Precisely. We say that Descartes is a dualist, which means that he effects a sharp division between the reality of thought and extended reality. For example, only man has a mind. Animals belong completely to extended reality. Their living and moving are accomplished me-chanically. Descartes considered an animal to be a kind of complicated automaton. As regards extended reality, he takes a thoroughly mechanistic view--exactly like the materialists."
“确实如此。所以我们说笛卡尔是二元论者，意思就是他将思想的真实世界与扩延的真实世界区分得一清二楚。比方说，他认为只有人才有灵魂，动物则完全属于扩延的真实世界，它们的生命和行为都是机械化的。他将动物当成是一种复杂的机械装置。在谈到扩延的真实世界时，他采取十足的机械论观点，就像是一个唯物论者。”
"I doubt very much that Hermes is a machine or an automaton. Descartes couldn't have liked animals very much. And what about us? Are we automatons as well?"
“我不太相信汉密士只是一部机器或一种机械装置。我想笛卡尔一定不是很喜欢动物。那么我们人类又如何呢？我们难道也是一种机械装置吗？”
"We are and we aren't. Descartes came to the conclusion that man is a dual creature that both thinks and takes up room in space. Man has thus both a mind and an extended body. St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas had already said something similar, namely, that man had a body like the animals and a soul like the angels. According to Descartes, the human body is a perfect machine. But man also has a mind which can operate quite independently of the body. The bodily processes do not have the same freedom, they obey their own laws. But what we think with our reason does not happen in the body--it happens in the mind, which is completely independent of extended reality. I should add, by the way, that Descartes did not reject the possibility that animals could think. But if they have that faculty, the same dualism between thought and extension must also apply to them."
“一部分是，一部分不是。笛卡尔的结论是：人是一种二元的存在物，既会思考，也会占空间。因此人既有灵魂，也有一个扩延的身体。圣奥古斯丁与圣多玛斯也曾经说过类似的话。他们同样认为人有一个像动物一般的身体，也有一个像天使一般的灵魂。在笛卡尔的想法中，人的身体十足是一部机器，但人也有一个灵魂可以独立运作，不受身体的影响。至于人体则没有这种自由，必须遵守一套适用于他们的法则。我们用理智所思考的事物并不发生于身体内，而是发生于灵魂中，因此完全不受扩延的真实世界左右。顺便一提的是，笛卡尔并不否认动物也可能有思想。不过，如果它们有这种能力，那么有关‘思想’与‘扩延’的二分法必定也适用于它们。”
"We have talked about this before. If I decide to run after a bus, the whole 'automaton' goes into action. And if I don't catch the bus, I start to cry."
“我们曾经谈过这个。如果我决定要追赶一辆公车，那么我的身体这整部‘机械装置’都会开始运转。如果我没赶上，我的眼睛就开始流泪。”
"Even Descartes could not deny that there is a constant interaction between mind and body. As long as the mind is in the body, he believed, it is linked to the brain through a special brain organ which he called the pineal gland, where a constant interaction takes place between 'spirit' and 'matter.' Therefore the mind can constantly be affected by feelings and passions that are related to bodily needs. But the mind can also detach itself from such 'base' impulses and operate independently of the body. The aim is to get reason to assume command. Because even if I have the worst pain in my stomach, the sum of the angles in a triangle will still be 180 de-grees. Thus humans have the capacity to rise above bodily needs and behave rationally. In this sense the mind is superior to the body. Our legs can age and become weak, the back can become bowed and our teeth can fall out--but two and two will go on being four as long as there is reason left in us. Reason doesn't become bowed and weak. It is the body that ages. For Descartes, the mind is essentially thought. Baser passions and feelings such as desire and hate are more closely linked to our bodily functions--and therefore to extended reality."
“连笛卡尔也不能否认灵魂与身体之间时常相互作用。他相信只要灵魂存在于身体内一天，它就与会透过一个他称为松桌腺的脑部器官与人脑连结。‘灵魂’与‘物质’就在松果腺内时时相互作用。因此，灵魂可能会时常受到与身体需要有关的种种感觉与冲引的影响。不过，灵魂也能够挣脱这种‘原始’冲动的控制，而独立于身体之运作。它的目标是使理性获得掌控权。因为，即使我肚子痛得很厉害，一个三角形内所有内角的总和仍然会是一百八十度。所以思想有能力超脱身体的需求，而做出‘合乎理性’的行为，从这个角度来看，灵魂要比身体高尚。我们的腿可能会衰老无力，我们的背可能变驼，我们的牙齿会掉，但只要我们的理性存在一天，二加二就永远是四。理性不会变驼、变弱。老化的是我们的身体。对笛卡尔而言，理性事实上就是灵魂。诸如欲望、憎恨等原始的冲动与感情与我们的身体功能关系较为密切，所以与扩延的真实世界的关系也较为密切。”
"I can't get over the fact that Descartes compared the human body to a machine or an automaton."
“我还是没办法接受笛卡尔将人体比做一部机器或一种机械装置的说法。”
"The comparison was based on the fact that people in his time were deeply fascinated by machines and the workings of clocks, which appeared to have the ability to function of their own accord. The word 'automaton' means precisely that--something that moves of its own accord. It was obviously only an illusion that they moved of their own accord. An astronomical clock, for instance, is both constructed and wound up by human hands. Descartes made a point of the fact that ingenious inventions of that kind were actually assembled very simply from a relatively small number of parts compared with the vast number of bones, muscles, nerves, veins, and arteries that the human and the animal body consists of. Why should God not be able to make an animal or a human body based on mechanical laws?"
“这是因为在他那个时代，人们对于那些似乎能够自行运转的机器及钟表非常着迷。‘机械装置’指的就是一种能够自行运转的东西。不过这显然只是一个幻觉，事实上他们并不是真的能够自行运转。举例来说，一座天文钟不但是由人类制造的，而且必须有人来上发条。笛卡尔强调，这类巧妙的发明事实上是由一些零件以简单的方式组合而成。而组成人类与动物身体的各种骨骼、肌肉、神经、静脉与动脉也可以说是一种零件，只是数量较为庞大而已。上帝为什么不可能依照机械定律来创造动物或人类的身体呢？”
"Nowadays there is a lot of talk about 'artificial intelligence.' "
“现代有很多人谈到所谓的‘人工智慧’。”
"Yes, that is the automaton of our time. We have created machines that can sometimes deceive us into believing that they are intelligent. Machines like these would have terrified Descartes out of his wits.
“没错。这些都是现代的机械装置。我们已经创造一些有时看起来似乎很有智慧的机器。类似这样的机器将会使笛卡尔吓破胆。
He might have begun to doubt whether human reason really was as free and independent as he had supposed. And there are philosophers who believe that man's spiritual life is no more free than the bodily processes. The human soul is naturally infinitely more complex than any data program, but some people think that in principle we are just as unfree as these data programs. But look, Sophie--I'll show you something."
他也许会开始怀疑人类的理性是否真的像他所说的那么独立自主。现代也有一些哲学认为人的精神生活并不比身体各官能要自由。当然人的灵魂确实是比任何数据程式都要复杂得多，但有些人认为基本上我们就像这些数据程式一样是不自由的。现在，苏菲，我要给你看一样东西。”
Alberto pointed to a large writing table at the other end of the room. On it stood a small computer. He went over to it. Sophie followed him.
艾伯特指着位于房间另一头的一张大书桌。上面放着一台小电脑。他走过去，苏菲也跟着他。
Alberto switched the computer on and soon the screen showed C: at the top. He wrote "Laila," explaining that this was an advanced conversation program.
会面艾伯特将电脑打开，荧屏的上方很快显示出一个C：符号。他键人“莱拉”这个字，并向苏菲解释这是一个很先进的对话程式。
A text soon appeared at the top of the screen:
荧屏上方马上出现一行字:
"Hi, my name is Laila. Are you sitting comfortably?"
“嗨，我的名字叫莱拉。你现在坐得舒服吗？”
Sophie entered three letters:
虽然苏菲还没有坐下，但她仍键入:
"Yes," she wrote although she had not yet sat down. Alberto brought up a chair for her.
“是的。”这时，艾伯特拿了一张椅子给她。
"What is your name?" appeared on the screen.
“你叫什么名字？”荧屏问道。
"Sophie Amundsen," wrote Sophie, and the computer answered:
“苏菲。”苏菲键入这几个字。电脑回答道:
"3 Clover Close. Nice to meet you, Sophie. Are you looking forward to your fifteenth birthday?"
“苜蓿巷三号。很高兴见到你，苏菲。你是不是很盼望在十五日那天过生日？”
Sophie was startled. Alberto laid a hand on her shoulder and said: "I have only given her your name, your address, and your date of birth. It's like when you are going to be introduced to a new friend. It's nice to know a little about them beforehand."
苏菲吓了一跳。艾伯特将一双手放在她的肩膀上说道: “我只不过是输进你的姓名、地址和出生日期而已。就像你要被介绍给一个新朋友一样，能够事先对对方有点了解总是比较好。”
"Not bad," wrote Sophie.
“还好。”苏菲写道。
"Oh dear, I hope you are not feeling bad, Sophie. You must try to talk in whole sentences."
“喔，苏菲，我希望你没有什么地方不舒服。你必须要写完整的句子才行。”
"Thank you, I'm perfectly well. Can I ask you something?"
“谢谢你，我很好，我可以问你一件事吗？”
"I am glad you are well. Go ahead and ask me something."
“我很高兴你没事。有什么事你就问吧！”
"How old are you?" Sophie wrote.
“你几岁？”苏菲写道。
"I was constructed in Atlanta on August 8, 1988, but I was translated into Norwegian at the Norwegian Polytechnic on March 28, 1990."
“我是一九八八年八月八日在亚特兰大制造的，一九九O年三月二十八日被挪威理工学院译成挪威文。”
"Gosh!"
“天哪(Gosh)！”
"I said you must talk in whole sentences."
“我说过你必须输进完整的句子。”
"I only said gosh!"
“我只说天哪。”
"I do not understand slang. I have a vocabulary of over 100,000 words, but the nearest I can find to gosh is gospel."
“我不懂俚语。我的字库里有十多万字，但我所能找到最接近‘Gosh'的字是Gospel(福音)。”
"That means the story of Jesus."
“那是指有关耶稣的故事。”
"Are you a Christian, Sophie?"
“你是一个基督徒吗？”
"I don't know."
“我也不知道。”
"As a rule not knowing is a step toward new knowledge."
“照道理，承认自己不知道乃是获得新知识的一步。”
"Socrates would most likely have said the same. Or Descartes, for that matter."
“苏格拉底很可能也会这样说，笛卡尔也是。”
"Socrates was a Greek philosopher who lived from 470 to 399 B.C. If you wish to know more, press F7. Descartes was a French philosopher who lived from 1596 to 1650. If you wish to know more, press F7."
“苏格拉底是希腊哲学家，生于公元前四七O年到公元前三九九年。如果你希望知道得更多，请按F7键。笛卡尔是法国哲学家，生于公元一五九六年到一六五O年间。如果你希望知道得更多，请按F8键。”
"Thank you, that will be quite enough. Can I ask you something else?"
“谢谢你，这样就够了。我可以问你别的事吗？”
"I am glad that this was enough. Go ahead and ask!"
“我很高兴这样就够了。请问吧！”
Alberto laughed quietly. Sophie wrote:
艾伯特悄悄地笑了一下。苏菲写道:
"Who is Hilde Moller Knag?"
“席德是谁？”
"Hilde Moller Knag lives in Lillesand and is exactly the same age as Sophie Amundsen."
“席德住在黎乐桑，跟苏菲同年。”
"How do you know?"
“你怎么知道？”
"I don't know how. I found her on the hard disc."
“我不知道。我在硬碟上找到她的资料。”
Sophie felt a hand on her shoulder.
苏菲感觉有一双手放在她的肩膀上。
"I have fed the data program with the little information we have about Hilde," said Alberto.
“我已经把我们所知道的一点关于席德的资料输进这个程式。”艾伯特说。
"What else do you know about Hilde?" wrote Sophie.
“关于席德，你还知道些什么？”
"Hilde's father is a UN Observer in Lebanon. He has the rank of major and continually sends postcards to his daughter."
“席德的父亲是一位联合国驻黎巴嫩的观察员。他的军阶是少校，并且不断寄明信片给他女儿。”
"I want you to find him!"
“我希望你能找到关于他的资料。”
"I can't do that. He is not on any of my files and I am not coupled to any other data base."
“我不能。他不在我的档案里，而且我也没有和其他的资料库连线。”
"I said find him!!!!!!!!"
“我要你找到他！！ ！！！！”
"Are you angry, Sophie? So many exclamation marks are a sign of violent feelings."
“你生气了吗？苏菲。这么多惊叹号是显示一种强烈感情的符号。”
"I want to talk to Hilde's father!"
“我要和席德的父亲说话。”
"You have difficulty controlling yourself. If you wish to talk about your childhood, press F9."
“你好像很难控制自己。如果你想谈谈你的童年，请按F9键。”
Alberto laid his hand on Sophie's shoulder again.
艾伯特再度把手放在苏菲的肩上。
"She's right. This is not a crystal ball. Laila is only a data program."
“电脑说得没错。它不是一个水晶球，莱拉只是一个电脑程式。”
"Shut up!" wrote Sophie.
“闭嘴！”苏菲写道。
"As you wish, Sophie. Our acquaintance lasted only 13 minutes and 52 seconds. I shall remember everything we have said. I shall now end the program."
“好吧！苏菲。我们只认识了十三分五十二秒。我会记得我们所说的每一件事情。现在我要结束这个程式了。”
The letter C: once again showed up on the screen.
之后，C这个符号再度出现于荧屏。
"Now we can sit down again," said Alberto.
“现在我们可以再坐下来了。”
But Sophie had already pressed some other keys.
但苏菲已经按了其他几个键。
"Knag," she wrote.
“艾勃特。”她写。
Immediately the following message appeared on the screen:
下面几行字立刻出现在荧屏上:
"Here I am."
“我在这里。”
Now it was Alberto who jumped.
现在轮到艾伯特吓一跳了。
"Who are you?" wrote Sophie.
“你是谁？”苏菲写道。
"Major Albert Knag at your service. I came straight from Lebanon. What is your command?"
“艾勃特少校向你报到。我直接从黎巴嫩来，请问我的女士有何命令？”
"This beats everything!" breathed Alberto. "The rat has sneaked onto the hard disc."
“再没有比这个更过分的了！”艾伯特喘气道，“这个鬼鬼祟祟的东西居然偷溜到硬碟里来了！”
He motioned for Sophie to move and sat down in front of the keyboard.
他把苏菲推离椅子，并且坐到键盘前。
"How did you manage to get into my PC?" he wrote.
“你是怎么跑进我的个人电脑里面的？”
"A mere bagatelle, dear colleague. I am exactly where I choose to be."
“小事一桩，我亲爱的同仁。我想在哪里，就在哪里。”
"You loathsome data virus!"
“你这个可恶的电脑病毒！”
"Now, now! At the moment I am here as a birthday virus. May I send a special greeting?"
“此时此刻我可是以生日病毒的身分来到这里。我可不可以说一些特别的贺词？”
"No thanks, we've had enough of them."
“不，谢了，我们已经看得够多了。”
"But I'll be quick: all in your honor, dear Hilde. Once again, a very happy fifteenth birthday. Please excuse the circumstances, but I wanted my birthday greetings to spring up around you everywhere you go. Love from Dad, who is longing to give you a great big hug."
“我只花一点时间：亲爱的席德，这都是因为你的缘故。让我再说一次，祝你十五岁生日快乐。请你原谅我在这种场合出现。不过我只是希望无论你走到哪里，都可以看到我写给你的生日贺词，我很想好好地拥抱你一下。爱你的爸爸。”
Before Alberto could write again, the sign C: had once again appeared on the screen.
在艾伯特还没有来得及键入什么字之前，C这个符号已经再度出现在荧屏上。
Alberto wrote "dir knag *.*" which called up the following information on the screen:
艾伯特键人"dir knag *.*”，结果在荧屏上现出了下列资料:
艾勃特1il147，64306／15—9012：47
艾勃特1il147，64306／15—9012：47
艾勃特lil326，43916—23—9022：34
艾勃特lil326，43916—23—9022：34
Alberto wrote "erase knag *.*" and switched off the computer.
艾伯特键入“erase knag *.*”，并关掉电脑。
"There--now I have erased him," he said. "But it's impossible to say where he'll turn up next time."
“现在我可把他给消除了。”他说。“不过很难说他下次会在什么地方出现。”
He went on sitting there, staring at the screen. Then he added:
他仍然坐在那儿，盯着电脑看。然后他说:
"The worst of it all was the name. Albert Knag ..."
“最糟糕的部分就是名字。艾勃特……”
For the first time Sophie was struck by the similarity between the two names. Albert Knag and Alberto Knox. But Alberto was so incensed that she dared not say a word. They went over and sat by the coffee table again.
苏菲第一次发现艾勃特和艾伯特这两个名字是如此相像。可是看到艾伯特如此生气，她一句话也不敢说。他们一起走到茶几那儿，再度坐下来。