The Ionians in the colonial outposts may have been ahead of them here,
在殖民地的伊安尼爾人已經(jīng)比他們先走了一步,
for they had already reflected on what the world was actually made of, and what might be the cause of all events and experiences.
因?yàn)樗麄円呀?jīng)在考慮世界究竟由什么組成,什么是一切事件和事情的原因。
This sort of reflection is what we call philosophy.
這種思考就是我們稱為哲學(xué)的東西。
In Athens, however, their reflecting – or philosophizing – went much further.
但是在雅典,他們的思考——或哲學(xué)——更深入。
They also wanted to know how people should act, what was good and what was evil, and what was just and what was unjust.
他們也想知道人們應(yīng)該做些什么,什么是善什么是惡,什么是公正什么是不公正。
They wanted to find an explanation for human existence and discover the essence of all things.
他們想找出人類為什么存在的解釋,發(fā)現(xiàn)一切事物中的本質(zhì)。
Of course, not everyone agreed on matters as complex as these,
當(dāng)然不是人人對所有這些復(fù)雜的事物都有同樣的看法
there were various theories and opinions that were argued back and forth1, just as in the people's Assembly.
他們有各種不同的理論和意見,他們互相討論,就像在公民大會(huì)上那樣。
And since that time, the sort of reflection and reasoned argument we call philosophy has never stopped.
自從那個(gè)時(shí)期以來,這種思考以及這種被稱之為哲學(xué)的探討就再也沒有終止過。
But the Athenians didn't only pace up and down their porticos and sports fields talking about things like the essence of life and how to recognize it, and where it came from.
但雅典人不只是在他們的圓柱式大廳里和在運(yùn)動(dòng)場上走來走去,對諸如:何為生命的本質(zhì),如何能認(rèn)識(shí)生命,生命的源泉是什么這樣的問題發(fā)表意見。
They didn't just picture the world in a new way in their minds, they saw it with new eyes.
他們不僅用他們的思想以新的方式描繪世界,他們還用新的眼光看待世界。