《乌合之众·第二编·群体的意见与信念·群体信念与意见的变异限度》第6节
The philosophic absurdity that often marks general beliefs has never been an obstacle to their triumph. Indeed the triumph of such beliefs would seem impossible unless on the condition that they offer some mysterious absurdity. In consequence, the evident weakness of the socialist beliefs of to-day will not prevent them triumphing among the masses. Their real inferiority to all religious beliefs is solely the result of this consideration, that the ideal of happiness offered by the latter being realisable only in a future life, it was beyond the power of anybody to contest it. The socialist ideal of happiness being intended to be realised on earth, the vanity of its promises will at once appear as soon as the first efforts towards their realisation are made, and simultaneously the new belief will entirely lose its prestige. Its strength, in consequence, will only increase until the day when, having triumphed, its practical realisation shall commence. For this reason, while the new religion exerts to begin with, like all those that have preceded it, a destructive influence, it will be unable, in the future, to play a creative part.
注释摘要
勒庞在这段话中试图为“持久信念何以为持久”提供一个悖论式的解释。他认为，根本性信念在哲学上越是荒谬，往往越容易成功，甚至可以说，这些信念之所以能彻底支配人心，恰恰在于它们包含某种神秘而不可深究的荒谬成分。他举的例子是基督教核心教义中上帝因一人之罪而惩罚其子的逻辑，在理性审视下荒诞不经，却在长达十五个世纪里连最卓越的才智之士都未曾质疑。由此，他推导出一个多少…