2012年3月16日星期五

古德明: 「道德高地」、學業



問:十九世紀英國哲學家米爾(John Stuart Mill)《自由論》(On Liberty)第一章說:The only case in which the higher ground has been taken on principle and maintained with consistency, by any but an individual here and there, is that of religious belief。句中的higher ground是什麼意思?

答:Higher ground即「較高的地方」,常用來比喻道德上勝人一籌,或作moral higher ground,例如:When the communists have lost their moral higher ground, they can only resort to brute force(共產黨不能再標榜其所謂道德,只能靠暴力)。今天中共常說的什麼「道德高地」,就是英文為骨的洋奴口吻。

讀者示下那一句是說:「原則上始終堅信自己道義居上頭者,只見於宗教信仰一事,偶然有例外而已。」

問:「學業」應是studystudies還是studying?以下一句,哪個選擇正確?─Pay attention to your study / studies / studying

答:綜言所習科目的「學業」,叫studies;說「學習」這種活動,名詞是study,不說studying,例如:(1Don't neglect your studies(不要荒疏學業)。(2This subject requires many years of study(這科目要花很多年研習)。讀者說的那一句,要說「做學問須專心」,用study;要說「你要注意學業」,則用studies

【代郵】某讀者:日前閱電郵,見「冒昧問中文問題」一語,因誤觸鍵盤,下文未及閱讀,郵件已刪除。煩再示下,為盼。