《道德原则研究·第五章·效用为何令人愉快》第4节
Frame the model of a praiseworthy character, consisting of all the most amiable moral virtues: Give instances, in which these display themselves after an eminent and extraordinary manner: You readily engage the esteem and approbation of all your audience, who never so much as enquire in what age and country the person lived, who possessed these noble qualities: A circumstance, however, of all others, the most material to self-love, or a concern for our own individual happiness. Once on a time, a statesman, in the shock and contest of parties, prevailed so far as to procure, by his eloquence, the banishment of an able adversary; whom he secretly followed, offering him money for his support during his exile, and soothing him with topics of consolation in his misfortunes. Alas! Cries the banished statesman, With What regret must I leave my friends In This city, Where Even enemies Are So generous! Virtue, though in an enemy, here pleased him: And we also give it the just tribute of praise and approbation; nor do we retract these sentiments, when we hear, that the action passed at Athens, about two thousand years ago, and that the persons' names were Eschines and Demosthenes. What Is That To me? There are few occasions, when this question is not pertinent: And had it that universal, infallible influence supposed, it would turn into ridicule every composition, and almost every conversation, which contain any praise or censure of men and manners. It is but a weak subterfuge, when pressed by these facts and arguments, to say, that we transport ourselves, by the force of imagination, into distant ages and countries, and consider the advantage, which we should have reaped from these characters, had we been contemporaries, and had any commerce with the persons. It is not conceivable, how a real sentiment or passion can ever arise from a known imaginary interest; especially when our real interest is still kept in view, and is often acknowledged to be entirely distinct from the imaginary, and even sometimes opposite to it.
注释摘要
休谟在这段文字里做的，是用一个思想实验和一个历史轶事接力驳倒自利论。他的靶子很清楚：那些想把一切道德赞许都归结为对私人利益的关切的哲学家。他的论证分三步推进。 第一步，思想实验。你试着勾画一个值得赞美的品格，把所有最可爱的道德德性都放进这个模型里，再举出这些德性以卓越方式表现出来的事例。休谟说，结果很确定——你立刻就能赢得听众的敬重与赞许，而没有人会追问这…