On the Uses of Philosophy
THERE IS A PLEASURE in philosophy, and a lure even in the mirages of metaphysics, which every student feels until the coarse necessities of physical existence drag him from the heights of thought into the mart of economic strife and gain.
Most of us have known some golden days in the June of life when philosophy was in fact what Plato calls it, "that dear delight"; when the love of a modestly elusive Truth seemed more glorious, incomparably, than the lust for the ways of the flesh and the dross of the world.
And there is always some wistful remnant in us of that early wooing of wisdom.
"Life has meaning," we feel with Browning—"to find its meaning is my meat and drink."
So much of our lives is meaningless, a self-cancelling vacillation and futility; we strive with the chaos about us and within; but we would believe all the while that there is something vital and significant in us, could we but decipher our own souls.
We want to understand; "life means for us constantly to transform into light and flame all that we are or meet with"; we are like Mitya in The Brothers Karamazov—"one of those who don't want millions, but an answer to their questions"; we want to seize the value and perspective of passing things, and so to pull ourselves up out of the maelstrom of daily circumstance.
We want to know that the little things are little, and the big things big, before it is too late.
[ 01’20” ] practice (习，学而时习之)
[ 02’02” ] lure (有吸引力)
[ 02’16” ] mirages (海市蜃楼)
[ 02’22” ] metaphysics (形而上学)
[ 02’26” ] meta (在……之后)
[ 04’13” ] physical existence (物理存在)
[ 04’26” ] coarse necessities (粗俗的必要性)
[ 04’46” ] mart (market的变体)
[ 04’49” ] the mart of economic strife and gain (相当于柴米油盐酱醋茶，生活中的琐碎之事)
[ 05’56” ] Oscar Wilde (奥斯卡·王尔德，英国作家，艺术家)
[ 06’05” ] We are all in the gutter, but some of us are still looking at the stars.
[ 07’12” ] golden days
[ 07’16” ] the June of life (六月的生命，形容生命的繁茂)
[ 07’45” ] call sth (称呼某物……)
[ 09’17” ] elusive Truth (难以名状的真理)
[ 09’57” ] glorious (光荣的，辉煌的)
[ 10’14” ] lust (欲望)
[ 10’19” ] dross (糠，谷物脱下的外壳，糟粕)
[ 10’42” ] flesh (肉身)
[ 11’05” ] incomparably (难以相比的，无敌的)
[ 13’09” ] wistful remnant (伤感的残迹，残心)
[ 14’16” ] feel with (赞同，感同身受)
[ 14’24” ] meat and drink (一饭一蔬)
[ 14'38" ] Marguerite Duras (玛格丽特·杜拉斯，法国作家，编导)
[ 14'57” ] so much of (绝大多数的)
[ 15’41” ] vacillation and futility (犹豫和无用之感)
[ 15'55” ] strive with (与……抗争)
[ 16'03" ] the chaos about us and within
[ 16'39" ] all the while (all the time，一直)
[ 17’29” ] could but (能够，只能够，but表示强调)
[ 17'53" ] decipher (解密)
[ 17'54" ] cipher (密码)
[ 18’32” ] constantly (一直)
[ 18'38” ] light and flame (文学中美好的意象：智慧与热情)
[ 19’20” ] The Brothers Karamazov (《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》是俄国作家陀思妥耶夫斯基创作的长篇小说。)
[ 19’30” ] "One of those who don't want millions, but an answer to their questions"
[ 21’09” ] the value and perspective of... (事物的价值和观点)
[ 21’21” ] passing (转瞬即逝的)
[ 22’58” ] and so to (in order to，为了)
[ 23'18” ] maelstrom (混乱，turbulence，chaos)
[ 23’31” ] We want to know that the little things are little, and the big things big, before it is too late.
[ 24’33” ] We want to know what earth is earth, and human human,before it is too late.
