《乌合之众·第二编·群体的意见与信念·群体意见的直接因素》第11节
Notwithstanding all its progress, philosophy has been unable as yet to offer the masses any ideal that can charm them; but, as they must have their illusions at all cost, they turn instinctively, as the insect seeks the light, to the rhetoricians who accord them what they want. Not truth, but error has always been the chief factor in the evolution of nations, and the reason why socialism is so powerful to-day is that it constitutes the last illusion that is still vital. In spite of all scientific demonstrations it continues on the increase. Its principal strength lies in the fact that it is championed by minds sufficiently ignorant of things as they are in reality to venture boldly to promise mankind happiness. The social illusion reigns to-day upon all the heaped-up ruins of the past, and to it belongs the future. The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim. Experience constitutes almost the only effective process by which a truth may be solidly established in the mind of the masses, and illusions grown too dangerous be destroyed. To this end, however, it is necessary that the experience should take place on a very large scale, and be very frequently repeated. The experiences undergone by one generation are useless, as a rule, for the generation that follows, which is the reason why historical facts, cited with a view to demonstration, serve no purpose. Their only utility is to prove to what an extent experiences need to be repeated from age to age to exert any influence, or to be successful in merely shaking an erroneous opinion when it is solidly implanted in the mind of the masses.
注释摘要
勒庞在这一段里要证明一个他自认为颠扑不破的命题：不是真理，而是谬误与幻觉，才是推动民族演进的首要力量。为了支撑这个命题，他直接把当时正在兴起的社会主义运动拿来当作最新的例证。在他看来，哲学和科学虽然取得了进步，却无法为大众提供任何具有魅惑力的理想；大众既然必须要有幻觉才能活下去，就会像飞蛾扑火一般，本能地投向那些巧舌如簧的政客和煽动家。社会主义之所以在那个…