《乌合之众·第一编·群体的心理·群体的情感与道德》第14节
Such facts show us what is the value of the testimony of crowds. Treatises on logic include the unanimity of numerous witnesses in the category of the strongest proofs that can be invoked in support of the exactness of a fact. Yet what we know of the psychology of crowds shows that treatises on logic need on this point to be rewritten. The events with regard to which there exists the most doubt are certainly those which have been observed by the greatest number of persons. To say that a fact has been simultaneously verified by thousands of witnesses is to say, as a rule, that the real fact is very different from the accepted account of it. It clearly results from what precedes that works of history must be considered as works of pure imagination. They are fanciful accounts of ill-observed facts, accompanied by explanations the result of reflection. To write such books is the most absolute waste of time. Had not the past left us its literary, artistic, and monumental works, we should know absolutely nothing in reality with regard to bygone times. Are we in possession of a single word of truth concerning the lives of the great men who have played preponderating parts in the history of humanity--men such as Hercules, Buddha, or Mahomet? In all probability we are not. In point of fact, moreover, their real lives are of slight importance to us. Our interest is to know what our great men were as they are presented by popular legend. It is legendary heroes, and not for a moment real heroes, who have impressed the minds of crowds.
注释摘要
勒庞在这一段里做了一个相当极端的推论：既然群众对眼前发生的事都会集体看错，那么历史记载本身也就成了可疑的东西。他的论证链条是清晰的。前文他已经用大量篇幅证明群体观察力极度不可靠，从军舰上军官水兵集体看见不存在的求救木筏，到招魂术演示里杰出的科学家们写下承认超自然现象的报告，再到塞纳河溺水女童被十几个证人错误辨认。这些例子堆积起来，把传统逻辑学的一条基本原则…