? Lesson 18 ——Diogenes and Alesander

他躺在光溜溜的地上，赤着脚，胡子拉茬的，半裸着身子，模样活像个乞丐或疯子。可他就是他，而不是别的什么人。大清早，他随着初升的太阳睁开双眼，搔了搔痒，便像狗一样在路边解手。他在公共喷泉边抹了把脸，向路人讨了一块面包和几颗橄榄，然后蹲在地上大嚼起来，又掬起几捧泉水送入肚中。他没工作在身，也无家可归，是一个逍遥自在的人。街市上熙熙攘攘，到处是顾客、商人、奴隶、异邦人，这时他也会在其中转悠一二个钟头。人人都认识他，或者都听说过他。他们会问他一些尖刻的问题，而他也尖刻地回答。有时他们丢给他一些食物，他很有节制地道一声谢；有时他们恶作剧地扔给他卵石子，他破口大骂，毫不客气地回敬。他们拿不准他是不是疯了。他却认定他们疯了，只是他们的疯各有各的不同；他们令他感到好笑。此刻他正走回家去。

他没有房子，甚至连一个茅庐都没有。他认为人们为生活煞费苦心，过于讲究奢华。房子有什么用处？人不需要隐私；自然的行为并不可耻；我们做着同样的事情，没什么必要把它们隐藏起来。人实在不需要床榻和椅子等诸如此类的家具，动物睡在地上也过着健康的生活。既然大自然没有给我们穿上适当的东西。那我们惟一需要的是一件御寒的衣服，某种躲避风雨的遮蔽。所以他拥有一张毯子——白天披在身，晚上盖在身上——他睡在一个桶里，他的名字叫狄奥根尼。人们称他为“狗”，把他的哲学叫做“犬儒哲学”。他一生大部分时光都在希腊的克林斯城邦度过，那是一个富裕、懒散、腐败的城市，他挖苦嘲讽那里的人们，偶尔也把矛头转向他们当中的某个人。

他的住所不是木材做成的，而是泥土做的贮物桶。这是一个破桶，显然是人们弃之不用的。住这样的地方他并不是第一个，但他确实是第一个自愿这么做的人，这出乎众人的想法。

狄奥根尼不是疯子，他是一个哲学家，通过戏剧、诗歌和散文的创作来阐述他的学说；他向那些愿意倾听的人传道；他拥有一批崇拜他的门徒。他言传身教地进行简单明了的教学。所有的人都应当自然地生活，他说，所谓自然的就是正常的而不可能是罪恶的或可耻的。抛开那些造作虚伪的习俗；摆脱那些繁文缛节和奢侈享受：只有这样，你才能过自由的生活。富有的人认为他占有宽敞的房子、华贵的衣服，还有马匹、仆人和银行存款。其实并非如此，他依赖它们，他得为这些东西操心，把一生的大部分精力都耗费在这上面。它们支配着他。他是它们的奴隶。为了攫取这些虚假浮华的东西，他出卖了自己的独立性，这惟一直实长久的东西。

有好多人对社会生活感到厌倦，都逃避到小小的农庄上、静静的乡村里，或隐居的山洞中，在那里过着简朴的生活。狄奥根尼不这样做。他是一个传教士。他明确自己的生活目标，那就是“重铸货币”②：拭去人类生活上面的金银蒙尘，揭除陈规陋习的假面具，重新印上人类生活的真正价值。

公元前4世纪，其他伟大的哲学家如柏拉图和亚里士多德，他们主要是在自己的私塾里教学。但对狄奥根尼来说，实验室和标本，大课堂和学生，这些都存在于芸芸众生中间。因此他决定住在雅典或科林斯，那里来自地中海一带的游客络绎不绝。他故意在大庭广众中这样做，目的是向世人显示什么是真正的生活。

他认为世人大都是半死不活的，大多数人只是个半人。在中午，光天化日下，他打着一盏点着的灯笼穿过市井街头，碰到谁他就往谁的脸上照。他们问他何故这样，狄奥根尼回答：“我想试试能否找出一个人来。” 有一次，见到一个达官贵人正让仆人帮他穿鞋，狄奥根尼对他说：“他为你揩鼻涕的时候，你才会真正感到幸福：不过这要等到你的双手残废以后。”

曾经爆发过一场严重的战争，连浑浑噩噩、醉生梦死的科林斯人都不禁惊恐万状。他们开始厉兵秣马，重新修建荒废已入的防御工事。狄奥根尼也推着他那破旧的木桶在地上滚来滚去，“看到你们忙得不亦乐乎，”他说，“我想我也该干点毫无用处的事情啦！”

他就这样生活着——像一条狗，有些人这样说，因为他全然不顾社会规范，而且还朝他

所鄙视的人咧嘴叫喊。此刻他正躺在阳光下，心满意足，乐也悠悠，比波斯国王还要快活（他常这样自我吹嘘）。他知道他将有贵客来访，但仍然无动于衷。

狭小的广场开始充满黑压压的人群。僮仆、士兵、文书、官员、外交家，他们逐渐在狄奥根尼的四周围成一个圈子。他抬眼望去，就像一个清醒的人审视一群蹒跚的醉鬼，然后他摇了摇头。他知道他们是谁。他们是亚历山大的奴仆。这位马其顿国王、希腊的征服者正在视察他新的王国。

年仅20岁，亚历山大比他的年龄要成熟和睿智得多。他像所有的马其顿人一样嗜酒，但他一般能够适可而止；他对待妇女彬彬有礼，不失骑士风度。像所有的马其顿人，他热衷打仗；他是一个非常出色的指挥官，但并非只是一部军事自动机器。他善于思考。亚历山大13岁就师从希腊最伟大的思想家亚里士多德，汲取希腊访华精华。

亚里士多德教授他诗歌、哲学，特别是政权的形态结构和应用；此外还向他传授科学研究的方法。的确，正是从亚里士多德那里，亚历山大学会了从错综复杂的事物中找到富有启发性的东西。

眼下亚历山大在科林斯担任他父亲腓力二世所创建的希腊城邦联盟的首脑。他到处受欢迎受尊崇受奉承。他是一代英雄。他新近被一致推举为远征军司令，准备向那古老、富饶而又腐败的亚洲进军。几乎人人都涌向科林斯，为的是向他祝贺，希望在他麾下效忠，甚至只是想看看他。惟独狄奥根尼，他身居科林斯，却拒不觐见这位新君主。亚里士多德教给他的宽容大度是一个真正胸襟宽阔的人才具备的品质，正是怀着这样宽阔的胸襟，亚历山大决心造访狄奥根尼。

亚历山大相貌英俊，眼光炯炯有神，一副强健的身躯，披着带金的紫色斗篷，器宇轩昂，胸有成竹，他穿过两边闪开的人群走向“狗窝”。他走近的时候，所有的人都肃然起敬。狄奥根尼只是一肘支着坐起来。他进入每一个地方，所有的人都向他鞠躬敬礼或欢呼致意。狄奥根尼一声不吭。

一阵沉默。亚历山大先开口致以和蔼的问候。打量着那可怜的破桶，孤单的烂衫，还有躺在地上那个粗陋邋遢的形象，他说：“狄奥根尼，我能帮你忙吗？”

“能，”“狗”说，“站到一边去，你挡住了阳光。”

一阵惊愕的沉默。慢慢地，亚历山大转过身。那些穿戴优雅的希腊人发出一阵窃笑，马其顿的官兵们判定狄奥根尼不值一提，也互相用肘轻推着哄笑起来。亚历山大仍然沉默不语。最后他对着身边的人平静地说：“假如我不是亚历山大，我一定做狄奥根尼。”他们以为这话自相矛盾，无非是以一句彬彬有礼的收场话来结束这令人尴尬的闹剧。但亚历山大说此话自有他的道理。他理解别人所不能理解的犬儒主义。他是狄奥根尼所自称的“世界公民”。像狄奥根尼一样，他崇拜海格立斯③的英雄形象，当别人只为自己的利益费尽心机之时，这位英雄却在为人类而摩顶放踵。他知道世上活着的人当中只有征服者亚历山大和乞丐狄奥根尼是自由的。

第二篇：Greek Culture

Greek Culture Ancient Greece--- no fixed dates for the beginning or the end of the period. In common usage it refers to all Greek history before the Roman Empire.

Its history is usually divided into several periods, among which we introduce three of them. ? 1600 BC to about 1100 BC

History of Mycenaean Greece

This period is known for the reign of King Agamemnon, and the wars against Troy.

It is the historical setting of the epics of Homer and much other Greek mythology.

? 1100 BC to the 8th century BC

The word ―dark‖ here refers to the period of Greek prehistory. No primary texts, and only scant archaeological evidence, survive.

8th century BC to 323 BC

The reign of Alexander the Great

This period ended with his death in 323 BC.

Alexander III, commonly known in the West as Alexander the Great or Alexander of Macedon, King of Macedon (336 BC-323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders of the ancient world. He is known in some eastern traditions such as the Middle-Persian literature as Alexander the Cursed due to his burning of the Persian capital and national library. How to appraise him? He was on a divinely-inspired(神授) mission to unite the human race. He was the ancient world’s equivalent of Napoleon I of France or Adolf Hitler, a megalomaniac(自大狂的) bent on world domination.

A great deal of controversy about the identity of Homer.

? First recorder of former oral, epic poems served to entertain the ancient Greeks ? author of The Iliad and The Odyssey

? The two major epics of ancient Greece, a major part of ancient history, especially

that of Ancient Greece, thought by some to have been the backbone of an ancient Greek youth's education.

The Iliad is set in the final year of the Trojan war.

The odyssey describes the return of the Greek hero Odysseus(Ulysses) from the Trojan war.

A famous war waged by the Greeks against the city of Troy in Greek legend.

A golden apple, inscribed“for the fairest‖ was thrown by Eris, goddess of discord, among the heavenly guests at the wedding of Peleus, and Thetis. Paris was asked to decide, among three goddesses, Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera, which is the most beautiful. The apple goes to Aphrodite and in turn Paris gains Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, who was wife of Menelaus of Sparta. An expedition under the command of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, set out and

therefore the Trojan War. The siege lasted ten years. The first nine of which were uneventful. In the tenth year, trojan horse, an instrument of war used by the Greeks to gain access to the city of Troy, leading to the Fall of Troy. A handful of armed Greeks climbed into the hollow belly of the giant wooden horse and the Trojans seized it and brought it into the city. That night the Greek army emerged from the horse and sacked the city.

? The epic tells of Odysseus's ten years of traveling.

? The second half of the poem: Odysseus's arrival at his home island of Ithaca.

Calypso - The sea nymph(仙女) who keeps Odysseus captive for seven years and who, in hope of making him her husband, offers him immortality. The inhabitants of Land of the Lotus Eaters were amiable, but those of Odysseus' men who ate of the lotus, a local plant, quickly lost all memory of home and duty. Odysseus and his men who did not eat the plant dragged the men who did eat it back to the ship and sailed on., Polyphemus were the Cyclops who confined Odysseus and his companions in a cave until Odysseus blinded him and escaped. The sorceress Circe transformed the crew of Odysseus into swine. When she found that she could not conquer Odysseus, took him as a lover and helped him with advice and supplies on his voyage home. The Sirens, one of a group of sea nymphs who by their sweet singing lured mariners to destruction on the rocks surrounding their island.

Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, is serious and industrious, a perfect wife and mother in many aspects. Exercising infinite patience and self-control, Odysseus tests the loyalty of his servants; plots and carries out a bloody revenge on Penelope's suitors; and is reunited with his son, his wife, and his aged father.

Greeks performed plays at religious festivals. A powerful drama developed in the 5th century B.C. Performances were given in open-air theatres, with the audience sitting on stone benches and looking down at the stage from three sides.

? Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.)---noted for his vivid character portrayal and majestic poetry. Prometheus Bound

-composed almost entirely of speeches;

-identified Zeus as a tyrant（暴君） and criminal

? Sophocles (496-406 B.C.)--- has had a strong impact on European literature, contributed

greatly to tragic art.

Oedipus the King

-“the Oedipus complex” Austrian psychiatrist Freud’s term.

? Euripides (484-406)---more of a realist, concerned with conflicts, may be called the first

writer of ―problem plays, ―the most tragic of the poets‖, ―Euripides the human‖.

-Characters are less heroic,

-more like ordinary people.

Medea

It’s from Greek Mythology. A princess and sorceress(女巫) of Colchis (科尔喀斯国) who helped Jason (伊阿宋) obtain the Golden Fleece (金羊毛), lived as his consort妻子, and killed their

children as revenge for his infidelity. Medea left in a chariot drawn by dragons.

? The Boy Who Cried Wolf (Even when liars tell the truth, they are never believed.)

? The Fox and the Grapes (It is easy to despise what you cannot get.)

? The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Appearances are deceptive) Mythology/abbr. Myth: specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings

In Greek myth, all the gods live on Mount Olympus. The chief god is called Zeus who keeps order with thunderbolts. His wife, Hera, is the goddess responsible for marriage and family. His brother, Poseidon, is the god looking after the seas. Another brother Hades reigns the under world. His daughter, Athena, is a deity of wisdom. Apollo is Zeus’ son, who is the god of the sun. Apollo’s twin sister Artemis is the goddess of the moon. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, is said to be Zeus’ daughter. Hephaestus, the husband of Aphrodite, is the god of metal-working. Hermes is the son of Zeus and works as Zeus’ messenger and servant. Eros is the god of love. Dionysus is the god of wine, intoxication, and creative ecstasy. Hercules, son of Zeus, is a hero of extraordinary strength who won immortality by performing 12 labors demanded by Hera.

? Pandora’s box 万恶之源

? Achilles' heel 致命弱点

? Penelope's web 完不成的任务

? Gordian knot; 难题，僵局cut the Gordian knot 快刀斩乱麻

? odyssey: 长期的漂泊[冒险旅行]; (思想探索变化等的)漫长历程

Socrates

? no written accounts of his real life. his accomplishments shown through his disciples’

writing.

? Socrates’ elenctic（辩驳的） method was often imitated by the young men of Athens,

which greatly upset the established moral values and order.

? He questioned everything, everyone. He questioned influential figures of his day of their

wisdom and virtue.

? Socrates’ thinking: 1. Scant regard for material wealth. 2. Keenness on probing into

definition of ethical and behavioral terms like ―friendship‖ ―courage‖. Ignorance is a source of evil and wrongdoing. Virtue is a source of knowledge.

? He was tried for corrupting the youth of Athens. He was sentenced to drink hemlock,

which cost him his life.

Plato

? ca. 427 BC – ca. 347 BC

? an immensely influential classical Greek philosopher

? founded one of the earliest known organized schools in Western civilization--Academy ? Plato Quotes: At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet. Ignorance, the root and the

stem of every evil. I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.

? Plato’s Dialogues

1. Apology: Socrates’ defense of himself at trial

2. Symposium: beauty and love

3. Republic: the ideal state ruled by a philosopher but barring poets.

Aristotle

? Aristotle is known for being one of the few figures in history who studied almost every

subject possible at the time.

? Established Peripatetic School逍遥学派in Athens with the financial support from

emperor Alexander. (cf. Platonic school’s Academy)

? Politics: political concerns

? Poetics: a treatise on literary theory

? Rhetoric: the art of persuading an audience

Contending Schools of thought

? Stoicism斯多葛学派,淡泊主义Indifference to pleasure or pain

? Epicureanism伊壁鸠鲁学说considering happiness, or the avoidance of pain and

emotional disturbance, to be the highest good.

? Cynicism犬儒主义 A scornful, bitterly mocking attitude. Diogenes戴奥真尼斯and

Alexander the Great. ―only to stand out of my light‖ showed Diogenes was Impatient with the rich and powerful. He stressed self-control and the pursuit of virtue. He is said to have once wandered through the streets of Athens with a lantern, searching for an honest man.

? Scepticism怀疑主义A doubting or questioning attitude

Pythagoras

? he was considered the first true mathematician

? Pythagorean theorem/Proposition勾股定理,毕达哥拉斯定理

Archimedes

? The ratio of radius of a circle

? Relationship between the volume and surface of a sphere

? principle of the lever

? credited with inventing the compound pulley.

Euclid

? Greek mathematician

? Euclidean geometry—father of geometry

? greatly influenced Western art through the present day.

? only a minor assortment（分类）of ancient Greek art has survived.

? in the forms of sculpture, architecture, coin design, pottery and gem engraving

The Parthenon in Athens

An enduring symbol of Greek culture

? It has stood atop the Acropolis of Athens for nearly 2,500 years

? It was built to give thanks to Athena, the city's patron goddess

? The building was officially called the Temple of Athena the Virgin. Its popular name

derives from the Greek word (parthenos), a virgin.

Erechtheum

? notable for an elegant and unusual design. on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens ? built between 421 BC and 407 BC

? a replacement for an older temple

? on the site of some of the most ancient and holy relics of the Athenians

? with columns known as caryatids女像柱sculpted as figures of women

Discus thrower

by Myron米伦, Greek sculptor (circa 460 B.C.)

Venus de Milo

? Melos: the Cyclades islands

? of the late Hellenistic period, which revives classical themes while innovating.

Laocoon and his sons

Fear, Sympathy, terror– subject for discussion

The Great Altar of Zeus

? constructed by Eumenes II (197-159 BC) as a memorial of his victory against the

Galatians.

? the shape of a horseshoe

? the high reliefs depicting the war between the giants and the gods.

? Reconstruction of the great altar at Pergamum in Berlin， famous for its elaborate frieze

檐壁

The Impact of Greek Culture

1. Spirit of Innovation

? ―They invented mathematics and science and philosophy;

? They first wrote history as opposed to mere annals（编年史）;

? They speculated freely about the nature of the world and the ends of life, without being

bound in the fetters of any inherited orthodoxy.‖

---by Bertrand Russell

2. Supreme Achievement

The Greeks achieved supreme achievements in nearly all fields of human endeavor: philosophy, science, epic poetry, tragedy, comedy, lyric poetry, historical writing, architecture, sculpture, etc

3. Lasting Effect

? The Greeks set an example to understand the world by the use of human reason.

? In literature, the influence can still be felt today.