雙語智慧書·別為免俗而玩弄詭辯之術

143．別為免俗而玩弄詭辯之術
　　別為免俗而玩弄詭辯之術。落俗和詭辯這兩個極端都有損我們的名譽。任何不合理之事都近乎愚蠢。詭辯即欺騙：它先因新奇刺激而贏得掌聲，之后當欺騙被預知，當其虛妄無實顯而易見，就會名譽掃地。詭辯是一種花招，用在政治上可以毀滅國家。不能或者不敢以德成就偉業(yè)之人轉(zhuǎn)而走向詭辯的歧途，讓愚人驚羨，卻讓智者警覺。詭辯表明判斷錯亂。它要不是完全建立在虛假之上，就肯定存在于不確定之中，使人生之要事面臨危險。



143．Never become paradoxical in order to avoid the trite
　Never become paradoxical in order to avoid the trite. Both extremes damage our reputation. Every undertaking which differs from the reasonable approaches foolishness. The paradox is a cheat: it wins applause at first by its novelty and piquancy, but afterwards it becomes discredited when the deceit is foreseen and its emptiness becomes apparent. It is a species of jugglery, and in political matters it would be the ruin of states. Those who cannot or dare not reach great deeds on the direct road of excellence go round by way of Paradox, admired by fools but making wise men true prophets. It argues an unbalanced judgment, and if it is not altogether based on the false, it is certainly founded on the uncertain, and risks the weightier matters of life.