1.凡事不要抱绝对肯定的态度;
Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2.不要试图隐瞒证据,因为证据最终会被暴露;
Do not think it worthwhile to produce belief by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3.不要害怕思考,因为思考总能让人有所补益;
Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.
4.有人与你意见相左时,即使这些意见来自你的丈夫或孩子,也应该用争论去说服他们,而不是用权威去征服,因为靠权威取得的胜利 是虚幻而自欺欺人的;
When you meet with opposition, even if it is from your family, endeavour to overcome it with argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
5.不用盲目地崇拜任何权威,因为你总能找到相反的权威;
Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
6.不要用权力去压制你认为有害的意见,因为如果你采取压制,其实只说明你自己受到了这些意见的压制;
Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do, the opinions will suppress you.
7.不要为自己持独特看法而感到害怕,因为我们现在所接受的常识都曾是独特看法;
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
8.与其被动地同意别人的看法,不如理智地表示反对,因为如果你信自己的智慧,那么你的异议正表明了更多的赞同;
Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
9.即使真相并不令人愉快,也一定要做到诚实,因为掩盖真相往往要费更大力气;
Be scrupulously truthful even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
10.不要嫉妒那些在蠢人的天堂里享受幸福的人,因为只有蠢人才以为那是幸福。
Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that is happiness.
(摘自伯特兰德•罗素《自传》)
from “Reflections on Ethics”