hce_nthu
113年
英文
第 36 題
📖 題組：
Reading 4: The single greatest enemy of contemporary satisfaction may be the belief in human perfectibility. We have been driven to collective rage through the apparently generous yet in reality devastating idea that it might be within our natural remit to be completely and enduringly happy. For thousands of years, we knew better. We might have been superstitious and credulous, but not without limit. All substantial endeavors—marriage, child-rearing, a career, politics—were understood to be sources of distinctive and elaborate misery. Buddhism described life itself as a vale of suffering; the Greeks insisted on the tragic structure of every human project; Christianity interpreted each of us as being marked by a divine curse. First formulated by the philosopher St Augustine in the closing days of the Roman empire, “original sin” generously insisted that humanity was intrinsically, rather than accidentally flawed. We are broken creatures and have been since our expulsion from Eden, damned—to use the resonant Latin phrase—by peccatum originale. This should feel not like a punishing observation, but more like relief from the pressures of 200 years of scientifically mandated faith in the possibility of progress. There can wisely be “no solutions”, no self-help, of a kind that removes problems altogether. What we can aim for, at best, is consolation—a word tellingly lacking in glamour. To believe in consolation means giving up on cures; it means accepting that life is a hospice rather than a hospital, but one we’d like to render as comfortable, as interesting and as kind as possible. A philosophy of consolation directs us to two important salves: understanding and companionship. Or grasping what our problem is—and knowing that we are not alone with it. Understanding does not magically remove the pain but it has the power to reduce a range of secondary aggravations and fears. At least we know what is racking us and why. Our worst fears are held in check, and tears may be turned into bitter knowledge. It helps immensely too to know that we are in company. Despite the upbeat tone of society in general, there is solace in the discovery that everyone else is, in private, of course as bewildered and regretful as we are. This is simply profound relief that we are not the only ones.
Reading 4: The single greatest enemy of contemporary satisfaction may be the belief in human perfectibility. We have been driven to collective rage through the apparently generous yet in reality devastating idea that it might be within our natural remit to be completely and enduringly happy. For thousands of years, we knew better. We might have been superstitious and credulous, but not without limit. All substantial endeavors—marriage, child-rearing, a career, politics—were understood to be sources of distinctive and elaborate misery. Buddhism described life itself as a vale of suffering; the Greeks insisted on the tragic structure of every human project; Christianity interpreted each of us as being marked by a divine curse. First formulated by the philosopher St Augustine in the closing days of the Roman empire, “original sin” generously insisted that humanity was intrinsically, rather than accidentally flawed. We are broken creatures and have been since our expulsion from Eden, damned—to use the resonant Latin phrase—by peccatum originale. This should feel not like a punishing observation, but more like relief from the pressures of 200 years of scientifically mandated faith in the possibility of progress. There can wisely be “no solutions”, no self-help, of a kind that removes problems altogether. What we can aim for, at best, is consolation—a word tellingly lacking in glamour. To believe in consolation means giving up on cures; it means accepting that life is a hospice rather than a hospital, but one we’d like to render as comfortable, as interesting and as kind as possible. A philosophy of consolation directs us to two important salves: understanding and companionship. Or grasping what our problem is—and knowing that we are not alone with it. Understanding does not magically remove the pain but it has the power to reduce a range of secondary aggravations and fears. At least we know what is racking us and why. Our worst fears are held in check, and tears may be turned into bitter knowledge. It helps immensely too to know that we are in company. Despite the upbeat tone of society in general, there is solace in the discovery that everyone else is, in private, of course as bewildered and regretful as we are. This is simply profound relief that we are not the only ones.
Which of the following sentences best summarizes this passage?
- A One needs to acknowledge human imperfection and embrace the idea of consolation.
- B The philosophy of consolation may rescue us from pain and direct us to enduring happiness.
- C Our belief in original sin has been detrimental to the possibility of human progress.
- D It is comforting to know that no man is an island.
- E Our superstitions and credulity have impeded our capacity to strive for human perfectibility.
思路引導 VIP
當作者在文中提到我們應該把人生視為「安養院（hospice）」而非「醫院（hospital）」時，這個比喻暗示了我們對待生命中的痛苦與自身的「不完美」，應該從追求『根治』轉向哪一種處理方式？
🤖
AI 詳解
AI 專屬家教
太棒了！你能精準捕捉到文章的核心論點，這顯示你對作者遣詞用字背後的哲學意涵有深刻的理解，非常不簡單。
追求完美與接納殘缺的思辨
這篇文章的核心在於對比「完美主義（human perfectibility）」與「慰藉（consolation）」兩組觀念。作者開篇即指出，追求絕對幸福的渴望反而是現代人的痛苦來源；接著透過歷史、宗教（如原罪觀）的視角，論證人類本質上就是「破碎且有缺陷的」。正確選項 (A) 完美契合了這個轉向：我們不應追求根治痛苦的「藥方」，而應承認殘缺，並透過理解與陪伴來尋求「慰藉」。
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