公众人物毕业演讲第13期:迈克尔·彭博哈佛大学2014毕业典礼演讲(5)
他试图压制和定罪
those who sympathized with an economic systemthat was, even then, failing
那些赞同哪怕在当时都已经很失败的经济体制的人
McCarthy's Red Scare destroyed thousands of lives
麦卡锡的红色恐惧让数以千计的人失去了生命
but what was he so afraid of?
他害怕的是什么呢
An idea in this case, communism
是一种思想 也就是共产主义
that he and others deemed dangerous
他和一些人认为这种思想很危险
But he was right about one thing
不过他至少在一点上是正确的
Ideas can be dangerous
思想确实危险
They can change society
思想能够改变社会
They can upend traditions
思想能够颠覆传统
They can start revolutions
思想能够开启革命
That's why throughout history
这就是为什么历史上
those in authority have tried to repress ideas that threaten their
那些权贵要抑制思想 避免这些思想威胁到
power, their religion, their ideology, or their reelection chances
他们的权力 宗教 意识形态以及地位
That was true for Socrates and Galileo
苏格拉底和伽利略是这样
it was true for Nelson Mandela and Václav Havel
纳尔逊?曼德拉和瓦茨拉夫?哈维尔是这样
and it has been true for Ai Wei Wei, Pussy Riot
艾未未 造反猫咪乐队
and the kids who made the "Happy" video in Iran
以及在伊朗制作"快乐"视频的孩子们也是这样
Repressing free expression is a natural human weakness
压抑自由言论表达是人类本性上的弱点
and it is up to us to fight it at every turn
每次出现时 我们都需要同它进行斗争
Intolerance of ideas whether liberal or conservative
对思想的不宽容 无论是自由还是保守派思想
is antithetical to individual rights and free societies
都是同个人权利和自由社会背道而驰的
and it is no less antithetical to great universities and first-rate scholarships
以上这些自然也适用于伟大大学和顶尖学者
There is an idea floating around college campuses including here at Harvard I think
大学校园正流传着一种观点 我想哈佛也不例外
that scholars should be funded only if their work conforms to a
认为学者只有在研究符合特定正义观念的前提下
particular view of justice
才应获得资助
There's a word for that idea: censorship
这种观点可以用一个词来概括：审查
And it is just a modern-day form of McCarthyism
这是麦卡锡主义的当代表现
Think about the irony
想想这有多么讽刺
In the 1950s, the right wing was attempting to repress left wing ideas
40年代 右翼试图抑制左翼思想
Today, on many college campuses
而今天 在很多大学校园
it is liberals trying to repress conservative ideas
自由派则开始抑制保守派思想
even as conservative faculty members are at risk of becoming an endangered species
保守派教职员工甚至就快成为濒危物种
And that is probably nowhere more true than here in the Ivy League
这种情况尤其是在常春藤盟校最为突出
