OfStudies——byFrancisBaconStudiesservefordelight,forornament,andforability.Theirchiefusefordelight,isinprivatenessandretiring;forornament,isindiscourse;andforability,isinthejudgmentanddispositionofbusiness.Forexpertandexecute,andperhapsjudgeofparticulars,onebyone;butthegeneralcounsels,andtheplotsandmarshallingofaffairs,comebestformthosethatarelearned.Tospendtoomuchtimeinstudiesissloth;tousethemtoomuchforornament,isaffectation;tomakejudgementwhollybytheirrules,isthehumourofascholar.Theyperfectnature,andareperfectedbyexperience:fornaturalabilitiesarelikenaturalplants,thatneedproyning(pruning)bystudy;andstudiesthemselvesdogiveforthdirectionstoomuchatlarge,excepttheybeboundedin/byexperience.Craftymencontemnstudies,simplemenadmirethem,andwisemenusethem;fortheyteachnottheirownuse;butthatisawisdomwithoutthem,andabovethem,wonbyobservation.Readnottocontradictandconfute;nortobelieveandtakeforgranted;nortofindtalkanddiscourse;buttoweighandconsider.Somebooksaretobetasted,otherstobeswallowed,andsomefewtobechewedanddigested;thatis,somebooksaretobereadonlyinparts;otherstoberead,butnotcuriously;andsomefewtobereadwholly,andwithdiligenceandattention.Somebooksalsomaybereadbydeputy,andextractsmadeofthembyothers;butthatwouldbeonlyinthelessimportantarguments,andthemeanersortofbooks;elsedistilledbooksare,likecommondistilledwaters,flashythings.Readingmakethafullman;conferenceareadyman;andwritinganexactman.Andtherefore,ifamanwritelittle,hehadneedhaveagreatmemory;ifheconferlittle,hehadneedhaveapresentwit;andifhereadlittle,hehadneedhavemuchcunning,toseemtoknowthathedothnot.Historiesmakemenwise;poetswitty;themathematicssubtile;naturalphilosophydeep;moralgrave;logicandrhetoricabletocontend.Abeuntstudiainmorse.论读书读书足以怡情，足以傅彩，足以长才。其怡情也，最见于独处幽居之时；其傅彩也，最见于高谈阔论之中；其长才也，最见于处世判事之际。第1页，共19页练达之士虽能分别处理细事或一一判别枝节，然纵观统筹，全局策划，则舍好学深思者莫属。读书费时过多易惰，文采藻饰太盛则矫，全凭条文断事乃学究故态。读书补天然之不足，经验又补读书之不足，盖天生才干犹如自然花草，读书然后知如何修剪移接，而书中所示，如不以经验范之，则又大而无当。有一技之长者鄙读书，无知者羡读书，唯明智之士用读书，然书并不以用处告人，用书之智不在书中，而在书外，全凭观察得之。读书时不可存心诘难读者，不可尽信书上所言，亦不可只为寻章摘句，而应推敲细思。书有可浅尝者，有可吞食者，少数则须咀嚼消化。换言之，有只需读其部分者，有只须大体涉猎者，少数则须全读，读时须全神贯注，孜孜不倦。书亦可请人代读，取其所作摘要，但只限题材较次或价值不高者，否则书经提炼犹如水经蒸馏，淡而无味。读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记使人准确。因此不常做笔记者须记忆力特强，不常讨论者须天生聪颖，不常读书者须欺世有术，始能无知而显有知。读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数学使人周密，科学使人深刻，伦理学使人庄重，逻辑修辞之学使人善辩；凡有所学，皆成性格。（王佐良译）ThreePassionsIhaveLivedFor——byBertrandRussellThreepassions,simplebutoverwhelminglystrong,havegovernedmylife:thelongingforlove,thesearchforknowledge,andunbearablepityforthesufferingofmankind.Thesepassions,likegreatwinds,haveblownmehitherandthither,inawaywardcourseoveradeepoceanofanguish,reachingtotheveryvergeofdespair.Ihavesoughtlove,first,becauseitbringsecstasy—ecstasysogreatthatIwouldoftenhavesacrificedalltherestofmylifeforafewhoursforthisjoy.Ihavesoughtit,next,becauseitrelievesloneliness—thatterriblelonelinessinwhichoneshi...
