美國語文第五冊 第263期：人類與動物（01）

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The chief difference between man and the other animals consists in this,

人類與動物區(qū)別在于：

that the former has reason, whereas the latter have only instinct;

前者具有理性，而后者唯有本能，

but, in order to understand what we mean by the terms reason and instinct,

不過為了弄清我們所說的理性與本能的定義，

it will be necessary to mention three things in which the difference very distinctly appears.

在此，有必要闡述三點人與動物之間的顯見差異。

Let us first, to bring the parties as nearly on a level as possible, consider man in a savage state,

首先，讓我們將人類與動物盡可能置于同一范疇比較，

wholly occupied, like the beasts of the field, in providing for the wants of his animal nature;

與獸類雷同，完全處于野蠻狀態(tài)下的人類，就動物生存性需要而言，人類與動物無異；

and here the first distinction that appears between them is the use of implements.

這里，人類與動物關(guān)鍵差異在于工具的使用。

When the savage provides himself with a hut or a wigwam for shelter, or that he may store up his provisions,

當原始人出于自身考慮，搭建茅舍或者棚屋以遮風避雨，甚至存貯食物，

he does no more than is done by the rabbit, the beaver, the bee, and birds of every species.

其實，人類行為絕非具有超越野兔、海貍、蜜蜂或任何鳥類的本能意義。

But the man can not make any progress in this work without tools;

如果沒有工具，在原始生存環(huán)境下，人類不會獲取任何進步；

he must provide himself with an ax even before he can cut down a tree for its timber;

當原始人為獲取木頭而砍伐樹木前，他必須準備刀斧之類工具；

whereas these animals form their burrows, their cells, or their nests, with no other tools than those with which nature has provided them.

而動物打算挖建洞穴、筑造蜂巢、或壘搭鳥窩，無法利用自然界物件造出可供自己使用的工具。

In cultivating the ground, also, man can do nothing without a spade or a plow;

如果沒有木鍬或鏵犁，人類無法耕作或翻整土地；

nor can he reap what he has sown till he has shaped an implement with which to cut down his harvest.

甚而無法收獲播種的莊稼，除非他事先做出某種可以收割莊稼的工具。