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Unit Eight

Knowledge and Wisdom

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Athena ： She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things. She is Wisdom Incarnate, the Goddess of all those who are wise.

Personification of wisdom

(in Greek, “Σοφία”

or "Sophia")

at the Celsus Library

in Ephesus(以弗所 ),

Turkey.

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Content 1. Pre-reading questions 2. Background information 3. Text Structure analysis 4. Detailed study of Text I 5. Comprehension questions Text I

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Questions for Discussion

How do you define wisdom in your life?

Is it necessarily true that a knowledgeable man is wise?

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What is wisdom? Wisdom is a concept of personal gaining of

knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion, and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity to apply these qualities well towards finding solutions to problems.

To some extent the terms wisdom and intelligence have similar and overlapping meanings.

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Proverbs about Wisdom1. Wisdom is more to be envied than riches.

2. Wisdom is to the mind what health is to the body.

3. Wisdom in the mind is better than money in the hand.

4. Learn wisdom by the follies of others.

5. Wisdom comes form extensive observation and broad knowledge.

6. If you want knowledge, you must toil for it.

智慧来自于见多识广 .

知识可羡，胜于财富。

胸中有知识，胜于手中有钱。

从旁人的愚行中学到聪明。

知识之于精神，一如健康之于肉体。

若要求知识，须从勤苦得。

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Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

British philosopher, historian, logician, mathematician, advocate for social reform, and pacifist.

Although usually regarded as English, as he spent the majority of his life in England, he was born and raised in Wales.

Russell was twice imprisoned for activities associated with advocacy of pacifism(1918), and with the anti-nuclear movement (1961).

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His Major Works He was one of the outstanding

figures of 20th century British philosophy, and was especially important for his work in mathematical logic and notable for his support humanitarian causes.

In 1950, Russell was made a Nobel Laureate in Literature, "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought.”

1950年，罗素获得诺贝尔文学奖，以表彰其“多样且重要的作品，持续不断的追求人道主义理想和思想自由”。

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell

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Quotations from Russell

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love , the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.

三种既简单但又极为强烈的激情一直支配着我的一生：对爱的渴望，对知识的追求和对人类苦难不堪忍受的悲哀 .

－－－罗素

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Text Structure Analysis Part 1. Introduction to the topic: wisdom. Part 2. What is wisdom?

Para. 2 :

Para. 3

Para. 4.

Para. 5

There must be, also, a certain awareness of the ends of human life.

Of these I should put first a sense of proportion: the capacity to take account of all the important factors in a problem and to attach to each its due weight.

It is needed in the choice of ends to be pursued and in emancipation from personal prejudice.

I think the essence of wisdom is emancipation, as far as possible, from the tyranny of the here and now.

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Detailed Study of Text I correlative. adj. having or showing a relation to something elsee.g. Rights are correlative with duties.

correlation n.e.g. a high correlation between the climate and crops.

cease: to come to an ende.g. He never ceased from his activities as a pacifist.e.g. 他们终于由于缺乏资金而停工了。

e.g. The old German Empire ceased to exist in 1918.

At last they ceased working for lack of capital.

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Means: by fair means or foul a means to an end by all means by no means man of means within /beyond one’s means Refer to: Exercise , P76Ⅲ

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Proportion: n. 比例 ,比率e.g. a proportion of three to one e.g. 他们的收入与技术成比例。

e.g. a woman of beautiful proportions （均衡）e.g. obtain a proportion of the profit (部分 ) a sense of proportion: 良好的比例感

Their earnings are in proportion to their skill.

vt. 使… 相称 , 使… 成比例 , 使… 调和[to] e.g. These rooms are well proportioned.

e.g. You must proportion your spending to your salary.

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take account of:• to take into consideration; to consider a

specified thing along with other factors before reaching a decision or taking action.

e.g. We must take account of different opinions from all groups.

*similar expressions:take…into consideration take…into account pay attention to…

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due:1) proper, adequate

e.g. They will surely meet with due punishment.

Due care must be taken while one is driving.

2) planned to come

e.g. The train is due at 9:10.

3) that you must pay / return at once

e.g. The debt is due on March 5.

e.g. 我从图书馆借的书明天到期。

The book I borrowed from sthe library is due tomorrow.

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populous:

• densely populated

-ous: characterize by; of the nature

other examples: mountainous, poisonous

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eminent:• (of a person) famous and respected within a

particular sphere or profession. 卓越的e.g. He is eminent for his knowledge.

e.g. 他既是著名的雕刻家又是杰出的肖像画家。

NOTE: eminent 只指某人活着的时候很出众卓越，不指死后的名誉。如可以说李白是唐朝的 eminent poet（著名诗人），却不可以说他现在还 eminent(卓越 )，但可以用 famous来形容他现在也很出色。

He is eminent both as a sculptor and as a portrait painter.

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inculcate1. 灌输 < 思想、知识等 > , 谆谆教诲… e.g. They fail to inculcate student with love of knowledge.

他们未能谆谆教诲使学生们爱好知识。

2. 将 < 思想、知识等 > 灌输 [ 给人 ][on,upon] ; 使 < 思想、知识等 > 植于 [ 人心 ] [in, into] e.g. inculcate knowledge on a person inculcate ideas in a person's mind

e.g. 将这些观念灌输给年轻人很重要。

n. inculcation

Synonyms: teach, impart, preach

It's important to inculcate these ideas in the minds of the young people.

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confer: • to grant, give

e.g. The queen conferred knighthoods on several distinguished men.

conferred a medal on the hero;

e.g. 剑桥大学授予了她名誉学位。

confer with sb. on [about] sth. ： dicusse with sb. On sth.

e.g. I'll confer with the manager about your suggestion.

e.g. 我们跟他们就共同关心的问题进行了商量。

Cambridge university conferred an honorary degree on her.

We conferred with them on (about) matters of mutual concern.

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descend:Vi. 1) come down; go down

e.g. She even descended to nagging. e.g. Rivers descend to the sea. 千条江河归大海。

2) visit suddenly and unexpectedly ·

e.g. They descended on us at lunch time.

Vt. come down; go down

e.g. It is easier to descend a mountain than to climb up it. 下山比上山容易。

e.g. She descended the stairs.

e.g. 玛丽从台阶上下到游泳池里。 Mary descended the steps into the swimming pool.

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ego

id—ego—superego 本我– 自我 – 超我（ Freud ）

egoism 自我主义；利己主义 egoist 自我主义者 egoistic 自我中心的；自私自利的

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Comprehension Questions of Text I

1. What message does the writer try to convey with the example of technicians?

2. How can wisdom help one in his/her pursuit of a life-long career?

3.What, according to Russell, is the essence of wisdom? And how can one acquire the very essence?

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Comprehension Questions of Text I

• 1. What message does the writer try to convey with the example of technicians?

•Key: Refer to Paragraph 2. The writer tries to tell us knowledge itself cannot save the world. Knowledge without wisdom will not benefit the world and in some cases will even pose a serious threat to humanity. So a wise person has to have a comprehensive view.

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2. How can wisdom help one in his/her pursuit of a life-long career?

•Key: Refer to Paragraph 4. Wisdom can help one in his choice of a life-long pursuit. When one has to make a major career decision, he has to consider whether it is possible to achieve what he aims at. If it is too high to be achieved, he should learn to give it up and turn to an attainable goal.

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• 3.What, according to Russell, is the essence of wisdom? And how can one acquire the very essence?

•Key: Refer to Paragraph 5. According to Russell, the essence of wisdom lies in impartiality, the ability to defy the physical world. Russell believes the process of growing wise is that of tearing oneself away from the physical and emotional worlds and moving into a higher stage, the spiritual world.

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Factors that constitute wisdom:

1. comprehensiveness mixed with a sense of proportion;

2. a full awareness of the goals of human life;

3. understanding;

4. impartiality

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Translation1.The result surpasses their expectations.2. We should take account of the cost of the project.3. The fair weather contributed to the success of the scientific

expedition.4. Ronaldo, one of the football stars from Brazil, scored several

spectacular goals in 2002 FIFA World Cup.5. Many honorary degrees from different colleges and

universities in America were conferred upon Robert Frost for his remarkable contributions to poetry.

6. Patience and perseverance are required in emancipation from bad habits.

7. They tried to instill such new ideas into students’ minds.8. You should demonstrate impartiality in your assessment of

the employeers.

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Dictation

Science, especially twentieth-century science, has provided us with a glimpse of something we never really knew before, the revelation of human ignorance. We have been used to the belief, down one century after another, that we more or less comprehend everthing, and that we have never lacked for explanations of the world and its ways. Now we are being brought up short, and this has been the work of science.

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We have a wilderness of mystery to make our way through in the centuries ahead, and we will need science for this but not science alone. Science will, in its own time, produce the data and some of the meaning in the data, but never the full meaning. For getting a full grasp, we shall need minds at work from all sorts of brains outside the fields of science, most of all the brains of poets, of course, but also those of artists, musicians, philosophers, historians, writers in general.

(Source: “Humanities and Science”, The Norton Reader, p. 333