《乌合之众·第一编·群体的心理·群体的观念、推理与想象力》第6节
A long time is necessary for ideas to establish themselves in the minds of crowds, but just as long a time is needed for them to be eradicated. For this reason crowds, as far as ideas are concerned, are always several generations behind learned men and philosophers. All statesmen are well aware to-day of the admixture of error contained in the fundamental ideas I referred to a short while back, but as the influence of these ideas is still very powerful they are obliged to govern in accordance with principles in the truth of which they have ceased to believe. It cannot absolutely be said that crowds do not reason and are not to be influenced by reasoning. However, the arguments they employ and those which are capable of influencing them are, from a logical point of view, of such an inferior kind that it is only by way of analogy that they can be described as reasoning. The inferior reasoning of crowds is based, just as is reasoning of a high order, on the association of ideas, but between the ideas associated by crowds there are only apparent bonds of analogy or succession. The mode of reasoning of crowds resembles that of the Esquimaux who, knowing from experience that ice, a transparent body, melts in the mouth, concludes that glass, also a transparent body, should also melt in the mouth; or that of the savage who imagines that by eating the heart of a courageous foe he acquires his bravery; or of the workman who, having been exploited by one employer of labour, immediately concludes that all employers exploit their men.
注释摘要
勒庞在这一段中试图证明一个他自己反复强调的矛盾处境：观念要进入群体的心灵，需要漫长的时间，一旦在那里扎下根，要连根拔除同样需要漫长的时间。因此从观念层面看，群体永远比学者和哲学家落后好几代。他进而引入了一个在十九世纪末相当典型的观察：政治家们明明已经不再相信某些根本观念，却因为群众仍然深信不疑，而不得不在这些他们已不信任的观念框架下施政。这一论点实际上反映…