名篇背诵：Acts and Morality 行为与道德

Acts and Morality 行为与道德

B. 罗素(B. Russell)

In every community, even the crew of a pirate ship, there are acts that are enjoined and acts that are forbidden, acts that are applauded and acts that are reprobated . A pirate must show courage in attack and justice in the distribution of the spoils ; if he fails in these respects, he is not a “good” pirate. When a man belongs to a larger community, the scope of his duties and possible sins becomes greater, and the considerations involved become more complex, but there is still a code to which he must conform on pain of public obloquy. Most acts, it is true,are considered morally indifferent,provided a man is not a slave or in a semi-servile condition. A man of independent means may get up when he likes and go to bed when he likes; he may eat and drink whatever he chooses, provided he avoids excess; he may marry the lady of his choice if she is willing. But he must perform his military duty when called upon by the State to do so, and he must abstain from crime, as well as from kinds of behavior that make a man unpopular. Men without independent means have much less freedom.

- enjoin [ɪnˈdʒɔɪn] v. 命令，告诫

- reprobate [ˈreprəbeɪt] v. 非难；拒绝

the distribution of the spoils 分赃

- conform [kənˈfɔːm] v. 遵守，符合

- abstain [əbˈsteɪn] v. 自制；放弃；避免

在每个社区中，哪怕是海盗船上的船员之中，有些行为得到赞赏，有些遭到禁忌；有些让人喝彩，有些受人谴责。海盗攻击时要勇敢，分赃时要公正，不这样就不是“好”海盗。当一个人属于一个更大的社区时，责任范围也扩大，可能产生的罪过也更深重，要考虑的事情也更复杂，但仍然有道德规范要遵循，否则就要受到公众的指责。事实上，大多数行为在道德上被认为是无关紧要的，只要一个人不是奴隶或不处于半奴隶状态。有独立经济来源者可以自由安排起床、睡觉、吃喝（只要不过量）、娶妻（只要对方同意）。但是在国家召唤时，他必须服兵役，必须不违法犯罪，必须避免做伤风败俗使自己名声扫地之事，经济上没有独立条件者自由度就小得多。