哈佛大学演讲集萃哈佛大学最具影响力的“正义”讲座

What's the right thing to do? 什么是正确的事？

——这个看似简单的问题可能比你想象的困难。我们相信的、都是正确的吗？我们认为正确的、都值得去做吗？哈佛教授用生动风趣的一个个问题逐步瓦解了我们对“正义”的定义。

英语学习笔记
 

1. So you can turn the trolley car, if you want to, onto the side track, killing the one, but sparing the five.
所以，你可以将火车开向另一条岔道——如果你愿意的话——杀死那一个工人，但救了另外五个。

Spare的罕见意义：If someone spares a person or a place, they do not harm or destroy them although they may have thretened to or they are harming or destroying other people or places. 使免遭（伤害、毁灭）；饶恕；赦免。

2. Who's willing to volunteer a reason?
谁自愿来说说你的想法？

volunteer：做名词讲是“志愿者”的意思；如果做动词，则是“自愿提供”之意。

3. In order to save one type of race, you wipe out the other.
为了救活一个种族，你杀害其他的种族。

wipe out: 消灭、推倒。

4. ...leaning over the bridge is a very fat man...
一个胖子靠在桥边……

lean over: 斜倚着、靠着

6.Who else can find a way of reconciling the reaction in the majority in these two cases?
 

reconcile:调和、协调

7. a split second choice 迅速的选择、考虑很少的选择

8.  You are about to see thenm die.
你即将看着他们死去。、

about to do sth. 即将做某事

9. ...yank out the five organs that person would die...
你可以取出五个器官，而这个人会因此死亡……

yank out：取出、拔出

10.These risks spring from the fact that pholosophy teaches us and unsettles us by confronting us with what we already know.

11. We didn't resolve once and for all.
我们不能一劳永逸地解决事情。

12. Utilitarian 功利主义道德理论
—— 请大家小心，文字本身有它的力量。“功利主义”这四个字在中文里天生就带了贬义，但我们要注意的是它的英文原文其实是中性的。这是翻译所不能解决的事情。

13. He meant by utility the balance of pleasure over pain, happiness over suffering.
他认为“功利”的定义是让愉快高于痛苦、让幸福高于煎熬。
 

14. The greatest good for the greatest number.
为最多数人谋取最大的利益

15....he motioned to Stevens...
他示意斯蒂芬……

motion to sb. 向某人示意

16. Why would you morally exonerate them? 为什么你会在道义上赦免他们？