《论美国的民主·卷二·二部·第五章·美国人在市民生活中的结社》第5节
Nothing, in my opinion, is more deserving of our attention than the intellectual and moral associations of America. The political and industrial associations of that country strike us forcibly; but the others elude our observation, or if we discover them, we understand them imperfectly, because we have hardly ever seen anything of the kind. It must, however, be acknowledged that they are as necessary to the American people as the former, and perhaps more so. In democratic countries the science of association is the mother of science; the progress of all the rest depends upon the progress it has made. Amongst the laws which rule human societies there is one which seems to be more precise and clear than all others. If men are to remain civilized, or to become so, the art of associating together must grow and improve in the same ratio in which the equality of conditions is increased.
注释摘要
托克维尔在这一段里把观察的重心从政治结社和工商结社移开，转到一种更不容易被外人看见的结社，即他所说的智识结社与道德结社。政治结社和工商结社因为规模大、目的明确、结果可见，对一个欧洲观察者来说反而容易抓得住；但正是那些不直接指向政权更迭或商业利益的结社，才格外值得注意。他的思路是：美国人之所以不是只在选举期间才合作，而是把合作变成日常生活的一部分，关键在于他…