《论自由·第二章·思想与讨论的自由》第24节
If, however, the mischievous operation of the absence of free discussion, when the received opinions are true, were confined to leaving men ignorant of the grounds of those opinions, it might be thought that this, if an intellectual, is no moral evil, and does not affect the worth of the opinions, regarded in their influence on the character. The fact, however, is, that not only the grounds of the opinion are forgotten in the absence of discussion, but too often the meaning of the opinion itself. The words which convey it, cease to suggest ideas, or suggest only a small portion of those they were originally employed to communicate. Instead of a vivid conception and a living belief, there remain only a few phrases retained by rote; or, if any part, the shell and husk only of the meaning is retained, the finer essence being lost. The great chapter in human history which this fact occupies and fills, cannot be too earnestly studied and meditated on.
注释摘要
密尔在这里将论证推向了一个更微妙的层次。在第二章的总体结构中，他刚刚论证完，即使被人压制的意见是错误的，压制它依然有害，因为它会使人们失去通过与错误碰撞来获得“对真理更清晰的感知与更鲜活的印象”的机会。这仍然是一个相对偏重认知的层面，仿佛伤害主要在于理性根基的缺失。密尔现在要表明，这种看法过于乐观，伤害远不止于此。他引入了一个更具穿透力的观点：如果缺乏自由…