Then there’s some things that are just valued for themselves.
有些东西只因其本身被重视。
I’m a musician, not a professional musician; I just play a musical instrument for fun.
我是音乐家,不是专业的,我玩乐器只是为了好玩。
Why do I value playing music? Well, like most amateur musicians, I only play because, well, I just enjoy it.
我为什么重视玩音乐?想所有的业余音乐家一样,我玩音乐只是因为我喜欢。
It’s something that’s an end in itself.
最终的目的就是它本身。
Now, something else I value is teaching. Why?
我重视的另外一件事是教学。为什么呢?
Well, it brings in a modest income, but I could make more money doing other things.
它能带来一份适中的收入,但我做其他事情的话能赚更多的钱。
I’d do it even if they didn’t pay me. I just enjoy teaching. In that sense it’s an end to itself.
即使没有人付钱给我我也会做这件事。我就是享受教学。从那个角度来说,它本身就是最终目的。
But teaching’s not something that has intrinsic value for all people—and that’s true generally.
但教学并不是对每个人来说都有内在价值——普遍是这样。
Most things that are enjoyed in and of themselves vary from person to person.
多数令人自得其乐的事情是因人而异的。有些人内在地重视教学。
Some people value teaching intrinsically, but others don’t.
但其他人不是。
So how does all this relate to human happiness?
所以这些和人类的幸福有什么关系呢?
Well, Aristotle asks: is there something that all human beings value...
亚里士多德问:有没有什么东西是全人来都重视的。
and value only intrinsically, for its own sake and only for its own sake?
并且只是内在地重视,为其本身且只为其本身?
If you could find such a thing, that would be the universal final good, or truly the ultimate purpose or goal for all human beings.
如果你能找到那样一件事物,它绝对是普世的终极大善,或是全人类最后的目标。
Aristotle thought the answer was yes. What is it? Happiness.
亚里士多德认为答案是肯定的。是什么呢?幸福。
Everyone will agree, he argues, that happiness is the ultimate end to be valued for itself and really only for itself.
他说,每个人都会认同幸福是为其本身且仅为其本身而被重视的最终目的。
For what other purpose is there in being happy? What does it yield?
幸福还有其他的目的么?它能带来什么?
The attainment of happiness becomes the ultimate or highest good for Aristotle.
成就幸福即成为亚里士多德的终极或最高大善。
The next question that Aristotle raises is: what is happiness?
亚里士多德提出来的下一个问题是:什么是幸福?
We all want it; we all desire it; we all seek it. It’s the goal we have in life.
我们都想要幸福;都渴望得到幸福;都在寻找幸福。幸福是我们人生的目标。
But what is it? How do we find it? Here he notes, with some frustration, people disagree.
但是幸福是什么呢?我们如何找到幸福?他写道,有些无奈,有人不认同。
But he does give us a couple of criteria, or features, to keep in mind as we look for what true human happiness is.
但是他给了我们一些标准或特征,让我们在找寻什么是人类真正的幸福的时候牢记在心。
True human happiness should be, as he puts it, complete. Complete in that it’s all we require.
人类真正的幸福应该是,如他所说,全面的。幸福的全面性是我们都想要的。
Well, true human happiness...if you had that, what else do you need? Nothing.
如果你拥有了真正的幸福,你还会需要什么吗?什么也不需要了。
And, second, true happiness should be something that I can obtain on my own.
第二,真正的幸福应该是我靠自己就能获得的。
I shouldn’t have to rely on other people for it. Many people value fame and seek fame. Fame for them becomes the goal.
我不应该依靠别人来获得幸福。很多人沽名钓誉。对于这些人来讲,名誉即目的。
But, according to Aristotle, this won’t work either, because fame depends altogether too much on other people.
但是,根据Aristotle的理论,名誉也非幸福。因为名誉很大程度上需要靠别人的帮助。
I can’t get it on my own, without help from other people.
没有别人帮助,我得不到它。
In the end, Aristotle says that true happiness is the exercise of reason—a life of intellectual contemplation...of thinking.
最后,Aristotle说真正的幸福是理解力的练习,是一种缜密思考的生活。
So let’s see how he comes to that.
下面,我们看看他是怎么得出这个结论的。