句间停顿:
  • 1S
  • 3S
  • 5S
语速: x 1.0
  • 速度0.8X
  • 速度1.0X
  • 速度1.2X
  • 速度1.5X
  • 速度1.8X
  • 速度2X
始终显示原文
欢迎使用 KMF 精听精研
坚持练习精听,反复听、吃透每个句子,能够快速 提升听力能力
开始精听
或按 「 空格」开始播放

段落1

listen to part of a lecture in a philosophy class.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

So in the third century BCE,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

there were several schools of philosophy flourishing in Greece.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Now by school,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

I\'m referring to a set of philosophical teachings that gained a group of followers.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

I\'d like to talk a little bit about one of the most popular of these schools,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Epicureanism,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

which was founded by the philosopher

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Epicurus. Epicurus conducted most of his teachings in the garden outside of his house.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

This space where his followers came to learn from him was simply called

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

the garden. It\'s interesting because most philosophers around that time taught out in the open

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

in very public places,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

where they attracted the best students of the day.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

But not Epicurus,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

the garden was much more secluded,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

tucked away from public life.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

And as you\'ll see,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

that\'s in keeping with epicurean philosophy

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

professor. So is this where we get the term epicurean today,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

I\'ve heard it used to mean like someone who really enjoys indulging in good food or eating at expensive restaurants.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Ah, good question.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

The term does originate from epicurean philosophy,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

but eating at an expensive restaurant is a good example of something Epicurus would have considered unnecessary.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

So for example, people in the garden had a relatively modest diet.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

They drank water and ate bread made from barley.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

It was pretty plain

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

water and barley bread

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

not exactly what we think of when we use the term epicurean today.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Epicurus and his followers lived a rather simple life,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

and they believed that this simple life would help them obtain ataraxia.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Ataraxia refers to tranquility

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

or peace of mind.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

And many different schools of philosophy around this time were very interested in this concept.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Of course, they had different ideas about how to achieve it,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

but they all started with the same question,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

if ataraxia is so desirable,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

well, because, well, clearly we all want to have peace of mind,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

then why don\'t more people already have it?

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Epicurus believed that the answer to this question was that people were pursuing the wrong kinds of desires.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

So the key to peace of mind was in pursuing the right kinds of desires.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Epicurus argued that it was okay to pursue desires that are necessary,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

so like the desire to eat and drink,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

but when we pursue desires that are unnecessary,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

like, say, if you wanted to become famous

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

or live a public life in any way, even by running for public office,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

those kinds of desires prevent us from obtaining peace of mind.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

But doesn\'t somebody have to hold public office?

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Otherwise you\'d have no government.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Was Epicurus against government, or he wasn\'t against government,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

but he considered it best for your peace of mind if you could minimize the extent to which your life is public.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

So a life in politics wasn\'t ideal, in his view.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

It\'s interesting, though, Thomas Jefferson the third President of the United States,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

so clearly a politician

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

actually considered himself an epicurean.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

In fact, many political thinkers in the 17th and 18th centuries CE

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

echoed some of Epicurus ideas in their own writing.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

For example, Epicurus said

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

that a truly just society should ensure that all its members have the opportunity

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

to pursue their own happiness,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Jefferson and others were still discussing these ideas

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

centuries later,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

which shows how influential Epicureanism was.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

You said that there were other schools of philosophy that were interested in this

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

ataraxia, right?

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

So what did they think?

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Okay, one example is skepticism.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

The founder was the philosopher

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Piro. The skeptics essentially say that people don\'t have peace of mind because they hold on to opinions

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

or beliefs, and if people would suspend their judgment, essentially just get rid of their opinions,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

they would have no worries.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

But how do you even do that? Get rid of your opinions. It\'s not easy,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

and I think it might account for why epicurean philosophy has always been more popular than the skeptic philosophy.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Giving up an opinion like I prefer coffee to tea, maybe isn\'t so difficult, but skeptics believe you had to give up all opinions,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

even opinions like

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

it\'s better to be healthy than sick. There\'s actually an interesting story about Piro.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Some consider it a bit farfetched,

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

but the story says

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

that he would walk into busy streets without even looking first.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

Seems dangerous, of course, but that\'s the point.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

A true skeptic would have no opinion about whether walking into a busy street was dangerous or not.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=

So imagine what it would be like if you really followed that philosophy.

点击显示原文

隐藏原文=