《乌合之众·第一编·群体的心理·群体的观念、推理与想象力》第4节
Ideas being only accessible to crowds after having assumed a very simple shape must often undergo the most thoroughgoing transformations to become popular. It is especially when we are dealing with somewhat lofty philosophic or scientific ideas that we see how far-reaching are the modifications they require in order to lower them to the level of the intelligence of crowds. These modifications are dependent on the nature of the crowds, or of the race to which the crowds belong, but their tendency is always belittling and in the direction of simplification. This explains the fact that, from the social point of view, there is in reality scarcely any such thing as a hierarchy of ideas--that is to say, as ideas of greater or less elevation. However great or true an idea may have been to begin with, it is deprived of almost all that which constituted its elevation and its greatness by the mere fact that it has come within the intellectual range of crowds and exerts an influence upon them. Moreover, from the social point of view the hierarchical value of an idea, its intrinsic worth, is without importance. The necessary point to consider is the effects it produces. The Christian ideas of the Middle Ages, the democratic ideas of the last century, or the social ideas of to-day are assuredly not very elevated. Philosophically considered, they can only be regarded as somewhat sorry errors, and yet their power has been and will be immense, and they will count for a long time to come among the most essential factors that determine the conduct of States.
注释摘要
勒庞在这一段里试图证明一个核心主张：任何思想，不论起初多么精密、崇高，要真正进入群体的头脑并产生社会影响，都必须先经历一场彻底的简化，甚至可以说是降格。他区分了两种状态——思想在哲学家或科学家手中的本来面貌，与它被群体接受时的形态，并认为后者几乎不可避免地丧失原先的深度与精细结构，只剩下某种绝对、不妥协、近乎图像般简单的轮廓。这是他整个群体心智理论的逻辑延…