Chapter 6 psychological observation

In the languages ​​and writings of European countries, there is an imperceptible but appropriate word, which is the word for person, usually "person".In Latin, the true meaning of "persona" refers to "mask", just like the costumes used by actors on the ancient stage.Indeed, without showing their true colors, everyone seemed to be acting there wearing a false mask; indeed, all our ostentation can be compared to a farce that goes on and on.All ambitious people will find society indifferent, but those who are ignorant will find it easy. Reason, which should be called a prophet, does not also foretell the future for us when it points out to us the results of our present actions?Therefore, when we have despicable lust, once angry, and greedy desires, reason will come forward to make us feel that our actions are so indecent, regret arises spontaneously, and reason becomes a restraint at this time. the power of.

Resentment is rooted in the heart, contempt in the brain, but neither emotion is within our control, because we cannot change our hearts, and prejudice is determined by motives.In addition, our minds are often in contact with objective facts, and are also restricted by various rules, which are not easy to change.Any person is a combination of a special heart and a special brain. Resentment and contempt are two opposite and incompatible aspects.There are many examples of the fact that feelings of resentment toward others are rooted in the character of the individual.Moreover, if a man tries to hate all the hateful things that come his way, he will have no time for other things and will be exhausted.If one tries to despise everything, it is, so to speak, effortless.True contempt is the exact opposite of true arrogance, which is silent and unrevealed.If someone shows contempt for you, he will show it to get your attention.All such dispositions spring from resentment, and resentment cannot coexist with genuine contempt.On the contrary, to show real contempt only proves that he is really worthless for being contemptuous.Contempt is not incompatible with forgiveness and preferential treatment, such compatibility is necessary for the individual's own peace and security.Contempt prevents anger, and an irritated person will inevitably look for opportunities to hurt others.However, once this pure, cold, and unaffected contempt is revealed, it must be resisted by others with great anger, because the person who is despised can no longer use contempt as a weapon against him who despises him.

Melancholy and being in a bad mood are two very different things, but they are not far from the mood of optimism, except that being in a bad mood attracts attention and being in a bad mood produces disgust. Hypochondria is an affliction that not only causes us to inexplicably confuse present events, but also inexplicably agitates us about an unhappy future we have made up, leading us to unduly self-condemn our past . Nervous people often manifest their existence in self-inflicted troubles, and they are also depressed because of the existence of an inner pathology without satisfaction, which often coexists with the vagaries of nature, the result of which must lead to suicide .

Accidents, however small, once aroused by undesired emotions, must leave certain traces on our minds which for a time may prevent us from seeing our surroundings clearly and objectively, as if they were close to our eyes. Small things can limit our field of vision. It is possible for everyone to become cruel because of ruthlessness, or think that he has the ability to endure any hardship and trouble.Therefore, when a person suddenly finds himself in happiness, most people will feel sympathy for others because of this.If a person is always in a state of happiness and has never encountered other situations, then this happiness is regarded as normal, which has the opposite effect: it makes people difficult to bear hardships, so that they cannot have any compassion. emotion arises.For this reason, the poor often show more helpful qualities than the rich.

Sometimes, for the same thing, we seem to want it and don’t seem to want it, so that both joy and sorrow arise at the same time.Suppose, for example, that we are about to undergo a decisive test within a fixed period of time, and this test will be of great benefit to our success. In this way, we can't wait to wait for the test to begin immediately, but On the other hand, I shudder at the thought that the test is about to begin.And during this period, if we hear that the date of the test will be postponed, we will immediately have two emotions of excitement and annoyance.That's because the news is disappointing, but it provides us with instant relief.Similarly, if a letter with some kind of decision-making that we have been looking forward to and expected to understand suddenly fails to arrive in our hands as scheduled, we will also have such feelings.

In many events, people do have two distinct emotions.The stronger of the two but farther away is desire, the desire to stand the test and wait for a favorable decision; And in peace.When the feeling of looking forward to a test or a letter is aroused again, the wish will reappear. The result of this hope may be disappointing, but the wish still has a certain hope after all. There was always an opposition in my mind, and whenever I took any step, made any decision—although often only after deliberation—this opposition was bound to attack me after the fact, And none of them are justified.This opposition, which I thought was nothing more than a form of rectification as far as the censorship of the soul is concerned, has always condemned me, though I think I have nothing to blame.Doubtless the same thing happens to other people, and it is better for him who can stop thinking in this way to do something serious: you are so shrewd and thoughtful that you don't Regret the attempt to fulfill your wish?

Why is it contemptuous to say "ordinary" when it is gratifying to say "extraordinary," "extraordinary," or "ingenious"?How can ordinary things be despicable? The original meaning of the word "ordinary" is that all people have it, that is, all human beings can share it. "Ordinary" can be said to be an inherent component of human nature.Therefore, if a person does not have any otherworldly qualities, he is an authentic "ordinary person". The word "ordinary" seems to be milder. Generally speaking, it only refers to the characteristics of intelligence, and the word "ordinary" seems to have a more moral role.

What is the value of an individual who is exactly the same as millions of others of his kind?Of course, I am not limited to millions of individuals, but countless individuals, also beings that are passed down from generation to generation without end.The god of nature pours out the bubbling water from her inexhaustible spring generously, just as the blacksmith is not stingy with the sparks flying from the round drill. Obviously, an individual who has never surpassed the characteristics of his peers has to limit his own survival requirements entirely within the same range as his peers, and live a life conditioned by these ranges.

In several works of mine, I have argued many times that an imbecile has no characteristics superior to its kind, and that only man is the only creature that has the right to individuality.It's just that in practice, this kind of personality has no effect on most people, and almost all of them are placed in a certain class, which is the so-called feathers of a feather flock together.The thoughts and desires of their species, like their faces, are common to their species, or at least to the species of the class to which they belong; This is one of the many classes.Relatively speaking, you can see their intentions and plans at a glance. They are very similar to each other, like mass-produced products, making it difficult for people to distinguish them.

① That is, "Two Basic Questions of Ethics", page 48; Volume 1, page 338. Indeed, if their essence is deeply submerged in the essence of their kind, how can they survive beyond their kind?Since they only have this ordinary essence and way of life, the contemptible curses that are cast on low-energy animals can also be cast on others. Everything that is tall, sublime, or great must, like the mother, be, by its very nature, unique in all the world.In this world, no one can find a more appropriate expression to describe what is base and vulgar, and only the word "ordinary" that I propose for general use can solve the above problems.

As the basis of existence of all living beings, it is will as a "thing in itself", which is an important part of any living thing and an eternal element of all things.Therefore, this will is shared by all human beings and animals. Of course, it also includes those low-level beings.We are, so to speak, kin to all things--in this alone, all things are imbued with will.In addition, because of wisdom and knowledge, people can be superior to others, and at the same time, they can make people different from each other.Thus, in every self-expression we should give as much as possible to the independent role of wisdom.This is because, as we have said and seen above, the will is the "ordinary" part of us.Every strong expression of the will is common and vulgar, that is to say, the will reduces us to the level of our peers, it makes us mere members of the same race, from what we show, It is just a characteristic of the whole human being.Therefore, when emotions are so strong and beyond the rational factors within the scope of consciousness, human beings can only exercise willpower without knowing why.Every violent outburst of man is, therefore, only an ordinary expression—every free expression of joy, hatred, fear—in a word, every form of emotion, every act of will. If succumbed to such strong emotions, even the greatest genius will reduce himself to the rank of the most common man.On the contrary, if a man desires to be extraordinary, or to be great, he never allows the activities of the will to occupy and dominate his own consciousness, whatever temptations he may receive from it.For example: although he has already sensed that someone has bad intentions for him, he can not hate. Not only that, the most obvious sign of a great mind is that he does not mind intrusive and insulting words, and will As with countless other faults, it can be attributed to this man with only imperfect knowledge, so it can be turned a blind eye and turned a deaf ear.This is the essence of Gratian's remark, when he says that a person is worthless more than being alone in the eyes of others. Even in plays devoted to passion and emotion there is a great deal of vulgarity and meanness.This is especially prominent in the works of French tragedians, who mean nothing more than description, indulge now in absurdly pompous sorrow, and now overuse epigrammatic so-called punchlines and vulgarity of their subject.I remember seeing the famous actress Médémarcel Lacher, who played Maria Stewart, in which, when she raged against Elizabeth—albeit a good one—she could It still reminds me of the image of a washerwoman.By acting the final farewell scene in this way, she lost all real tragic emotion.It is true that the French do not know what tragedy is, and the same scene performed by the Italian actor Riestaoli is slightly better.In fact, although the Italians are essentially different from the Germans in many respects, in the appreciation of art, they have the same deep, solemn and real taste, and the French are different, showing that they have nothing at all. Tragedy comes. That sublime, i.e., extraordinary element in the theater—or rather the incomparably noble thing in it—can only be exercised with the intellect opposed to the will, only soaring above all the emotional activities of the will, as an intellect. The object of thinking can be achieved.Shakespeare, in particular, regards this as his general method of composition, and this is especially evident in Hamlet.Only when the intellect has sublimated to the point where all efforts are useless and the will has begun to sink will there be real tragedy; and only then can tragedy be admired and achieve its ultimate goal. It is a mistake of the mind that every man sees only the sphere of his own field of vision as the sphere of the world, as inescapable as the error of the human eye in thinking that the sky and the earth meet on the horizon.This explains many phenomena.It is a natural assumption that each one measures another by his own standard--like a tailor's size, and no one likes to be inferior to the other, leaving us helpless. No doubt many people think that their good fortune in life lies in facing the world with a happy face, so that others will like them. However, it is better to be careful!Always remember Hamlet's warning words—— Some people, despite their good smiles and good manners, are a villain. The real foundation and activity of the human heart, like natural forces, is unexpected by people, and then transformed into concepts or images after passing through the phenomena of the conscious level. Therefore, the phenomenon we want to express is actually its concepts and images. convey to others. Any permanent and genuine quality of mind and character, therefore, is unconscious on the whole, and can only be impressed when it operates unconsciously.However, if the same characteristic works consciously, it means that this characteristic has been artificially processed after conscious processing, and it is deceptive. If a man does what he does unconsciously, he will have no trouble, but if he does it consciously, it will lead to nothing.The same applies to the origin of those fundamental ideas, which constitute the essence of all real activity.Only what is innate is true and perfect.Whether in practical life or in literature and art, whoever wants to be successful must abide by the laws of nature without knowing it. People of extraordinary ability are always more willing to associate with the ignorant than with ordinary people; so are tyrants and mobs, grandfathers and grandsons, all natural allies. Ovid once said, please look out for other souls on earth with love.Physically, this statement applies only to lower animals, but in its metaphorical and spiritual sense, it can be applied to the whole human being.All people's plans and measures are immersed in the desire for physical pleasure and material abundance.They may indeed have personal interests and their scope is extremely wide, but this personal interest still derives its own value from its relationship with physical desires.This is not only evident in their manner and speech, but also in the look of their eyes and in their appearance, gait and gestures.All around them cried out: "Return to the earth!" Ovid went on to write: "Man looked up reverently at the high blue sky, and at the stars." The above verses are not for those who only know carnal and material enjoyment, but only for those who are noble and wise - who can really think and observe the world around them, and thus become the best of human beings. It is only through personal experience that people will truly understand their own capacity to act and endure pain. It is like a pool of water that is as calm as a mirror, and there is no sign of wind and thunder.Only when the wind roars and thunders, the water waves will rise and fall, otherwise it will still be a pool of still water; only when the thunderstorm blows, it will take off and jump like a fountain; It is believed that the water still contains potential warm mass. Although there are mirrors in the world, no one can really know what he looks like. What's the matter? A man can recall the countenance of his friend, but not himself.Therefore, the implementation of the aphorism of "self-knowledge" encountered resistance from the very beginning.Part of the explanation can no doubt be obtained from the following facts: From a physical point of view, it is impossible for a person to look at himself in a mirror unless he stands upright in front of the mirror and does not move. It won't work anymore.But I think there is also a moral impossibility that can coexist with a physical impossibility, which is similar in nature and has the same effect.It is impossible for man to see his own reflection, and his own reflection is like a stranger to him, but once he holds an objective point of view, this ending is inevitable.In short, an objective point of view means being deeply rooted in each person's emotions.As a moral individual, the object of his thinking is not only himself. ①And only when one adopts this point of view can he see things as they really are; this point of view becomes possible only when he notices the flaws in things themselves.Or else, when people look at themselves in the mirror, something beyond selfish nature whispers to him, remember that the stranger you see in the mirror is none other than yourself, it is like The warning not to touch is similarly effective in preventing him from knowing the reflection objectively.Indeed, this view seems impossible without that latent resentment. ① Please see p. 275 of "Two Basic Questions of Ethics". Life is so short, insignificant and even fleeting to a mentally drained and lethargic person, so there is nothing to worry about or matter to him, no joy, wealth or even fame , even if there are many failures, it is impossible for him to suffer a tragic loss for this—conversely, for a spiritually fulfilled person, life seems so tolerant, lengthy, so important, in a word, it is so important and full of difficulties danger.Therefore, if you want to capture the mysteries of life, judge the value of life, and implement your personal plans, you have to face ups and downs in difficulties.The latter is the universal, inner view of life that Gracian points out when he talks about how to see things—the tempering of sincerity and vitality.The former is the supernatural outlook on life, which is deeply expressed in Ovid's "It shouldn't be so". —Life is not worth such ups and downs, and according to Plato, the affairs of life are not worth worrying about.This kind of ideological state belongs to the superior state in the field of consciousness, and it is the intelligence that is free from the shackles of will. It looks at life phenomena objectively, so it will inevitably understand the emptiness and insignificance of life.On the contrary, in another state, the will is above all else, and the reason why there is intelligence is only to illuminate the way to satisfy desires in life. A person's greatness or insignificance is determined by his outlook on life. People of exceptional ability are often not afraid to admit their faults and deficiencies and make them public.He regards these as something worthy of reparation, not as disgrace to him, but as credit to himself, especially for those faults which correspond to their character—necessary conditions —or, as George Sand called it, the blemish of virtue. Men of good character and sound mind deny at all the slightest weakness, are always careful to conceal it, and are sensitive to even the slightest trace of it.The whole value of such people is that they are without fault, without defect, and their faults, if discovered, would be disreputable and demeaning. To those of mediocre intellect, humility is nothing but honesty; to those of extraordinary talent, humility is hypocrisy.The latter can be outspoken about the respect he receives, and will never deny his extraordinary abilities, while the former is always humble.In the chapter on self-confidence in the book "On Self-confidence", Maximus made a concise explanation and listed examples. Not going to the theater door is like dressing up without looking in the mirror, or worse, making a decision without consulting a friend.A man may show superhuman judgment in all matters, but is helpless when it comes to himself.This is because his will is working at this time, which immediately destroys his intelligence, so you must always remember that you must discuss things with your friends.A doctor can cure other people's diseases, but he is helpless in the face of his own diseases and can only turn to his colleagues for help. More or less we always want to be done with what we do, are eager to be done, and are elated when it is done.However, the usual ending is as illusory and elusive as the things we hope for. Every parting heralds death, and every repetition heralds recovery. Therefore, even those who are indifferent to each other will be ecstatic when they meet again after twenty or thirty years of separation. There are indeed thousands of differences in intelligence, but only general observations cannot make clear comparisons. Therefore, close and subtle observations must be made, otherwise the differences cannot be seen.It is also difficult to judge intelligence only from the external phenomena of things, such as education, entertainment, occupation, etc., but only from this point of view, it can also be seen that the living status of many people is at least 10 times higher than that of ordinary people. We do not speak here of the savages, whose subsistence is only slightly higher than that of the forest apes.For example, how the porters in Naples or Venice (where the winter is so long that people have more leisure to think) live, we can know how they live from the beginning to the end. They work hard for a living; they work tirelessly for daily and hourly livelihood; they run around, endure humiliation and seek jobs, and they don’t know if there will be another day after today; they will have a short rest after exhaustion; endless quarrels, they There is no time for thought; carnal pleasures are like warm climates, and there is not enough food and drink to keep them entertained.Finally, there is a little bit of religious belief in them, which is the only bit of metaphysics.All of the above are the life attitudes of the lower consciousness, who are busy all their lives for their livelihood.This chaotic and chaotic dream is the life of so many people. Only when willpower must be exercised, these people have momentary thinking. They do not see their lives as a related whole, and they do not even have time to take care of their own survival. It may be said that they are to a certain extent Just living in a muddle.Compared with ours, the unconscious existence of these pariahs and slaves is more animal-like, completely limited to the present.However, because of this, they suffer much less than we do.Since our joy, which is passive in nature, or consists in relief from some form of pain or desire; The lifelong companion of the human being is the enlarged form in which they pass from labor to rest and finally to the state of desire-gratification—a form which furnishes them with an inexhaustible and inexhaustible source of joy.But in fact, when we look at the happy faces of the poor, we find that they are more cheerful than the rich, which can indeed provide us with evidence and explain the problem better. Now let's leave this kind of person aside for a moment and look at the shrewd businessman.Their business is speculative, and they dream up their plans all day long, and then carry them out with the greatest care; they start a family, raise their own wives and children, and enjoy a certain place in the life of society.Therefore, it is obvious that their consciousness is much higher than that of the former, and their actual existence also has a lofty reality status. Then we look at the scholars.They may have researched history and surveyed the entire process of the world's historical development, so they realized that life is a whole, so they can observe things without being limited by their living time and personal interests. Finally we have to look at poets or philosophers.These people have a high degree of thinking ability, but they do not want to devote themselves to researching any special phenomenon of existence. They only sigh and marvel in front of existence itself, and take this profound mystery as their own research topic. It is also enough for them to realize how profound the whole world is, because their intelligence has completely abandoned the role of servants of the will, but unfolded the whole world before their eyes.The world asks poets or philosophers to examine, to think, but does not allow them to play any part in it.If the degree of consciousness is the degree of reality, then the existence of this kind of people can be said to have reached the pinnacle, and then the description of them is extraordinary and very meaningful. Generally speaking, human beings are higher than other animals, and their ability to receive training is stronger than other animals. Muslims must be trained to pray to the holy land of Mecca five times a day, and never stop; The training I received was to make the sign of the cross with my hands, bow my head silently and so on in everything.Religion can indeed be said to be a masterpiece of the art of training, because it trains people's way of thinking, and as we all know, they grasp this training from an early age.If people are indoctrinated with religious teachings from the age of five and are taught in a solemn atmosphere, then, no matter how false or otherwise the religion may be, it will also be deeply rooted in the in people's minds.Therefore, whether it is an animal or a human being, if you want to succeed in training, you have to start early. Nobles and gentlemen are trained to cherish and be great in honor--for honor they may ardently and unwaveringly believe in the preposterous laws of chivalry, and they may die for their beliefs, and This is a pledge of loyalty to the king. In addition, we praise the gentleness and elegance shown by the ladies, and hold an extremely reverent attitude towards it. The admiration for the sons and daughters of the dragon and the young, the admiration for the dignitaries and nobles, etc., all belong to training. trip.The same is true of our hatred for insults we receive, and the nature of the insult determines the degree of hatred.For example, if you say that an Englishman is not a gentleman, this is a language he will never bear; There are plenty of people who, on one particular issue, appear well-trained and decent, but on other matters they boast without shame.For example, he may not rob or steal your property, but once he finds that you have something that he likes very much, he will directly ask you for it without paying a penny; He scrupulously defrauds you, but denies his thieves. The brain that is in charge of thinking and observing is secretive, and it is active without sensory stimulation. At this time, people's imagination is particularly rich.So we find that the imagination is active only when the senses are not stimulated from outside.The long solitude, the stillness, the twilight of the prison or the ward—these heighten the activity of the imagination, and under their influence the imagination begins to do its work.On the other hand, when our powers of observation are directed against innumerable materials of reality, as on a journey, or in the noisy world, or in the bright sunshine, then the imagination seems to have nothing, even if Saying it will cause some kind of imagination, but this imagination is not active, as if it also knows that the timing is not good at this time. But when the imagination has produced some real result, it must also acquire innumerable materials from the external world. Only in this way can the treasure house of the imagination be enriched.Nourishing fantasy, like nourishing the body, does not work at all during the moment of eating and digesting.But the ability to function at the right moment is also due to this "nourishing". Opinion obeys the same laws as a pendulum clock: it crosses its center of gravity to one end, and likewise swings the same distance at the other end, so that it is only after a certain time that it really finds a stop. According to a contradictory process, the distance of space makes things smaller, so that their shortcomings are not seen, which is why the scenery presented on the zoom lens of the camera is more beautiful than the actual scenery.Temporal distance would have the same result.The places and events of the year, and the partners of the year have all painted a layer of seductive color on the surface of the memory.Memory can only see the outline of the past, and it is impossible to pay attention to those unpleasant details.And our present pleasures have so little of this beauty that they always seem imperfect. Furthermore, as far as space is concerned, objects that are close to us appear large, but when they are close to our eyes, we cannot see other objects, and when we move away from a certain distance, such objects become small but unrecognizable up.The same is true of time.The trivial things in daily life often make us excited, anxious, troubled, and enthusiastic, just because they are in front of our eyes, making us feel how huge, important and serious they are.However, once they all disappear in the long river of time, they lose any value of their own. As long as we don't think about it anymore, it will gradually disappear in our memory.The reason why they are so huge is because they are so close to us. Joy and pain are not concepts of the mind, but functions of the will, so they do not belong to the category of memory.It is impossible to recall joy and pain, mind you, I do not mean to re-experience.All we can recall are the notions that went along with the joys and pains, especially those we wanted to say, and these were the criteria that constituted our feelings at the time.Our recollection of joys and pains is therefore always incomplete, and we are indifferent to them once they have passed.From this it can be seen that all our attempts to experience joy and pain again are futile.In essence, joy and pain are the functions of the will. The will itself has no memory. Memory is a function of the intellect. What memory can gain and lose is only thoughts and ideas, which we do not want to discuss here. In the difficult days, we can still remember the good times we have experienced, but in the good days, we only have fragmented and vague memories of the difficult times we have experienced. This is the fact , is a puzzling fact. Our memories of objects or images are clearer than our memories of pure ideas.In this way, rich imagination makes language learning very easy. Due to the great help of imagination, when we see a new word, we can immediately connect it with the object it refers to.Without this, we would simply have to find the corresponding word in our native language. Mnemonics is not just an art by which something is remembered indirectly through direct puns or punchlines, but it is also applied to a systematic theory of memory, referring to the properties of memory and the interdependence of these properties of memory. relationship, which can explain the true properties of memory. Except on certain occasions in the circumstances of our life, our perceptions sometimes achieve a higher and unusual degree of clarity, which can only be explained on a psychological basis, as a result of heightened sensitivity , is an internal effect.It is such moments that leave their indelible marks on our memory and preserve them independently.But why, out of tens of thousands of moments, do we have a special liking for this moment?We can't come up with any reason, so we can't explain it.Speaking of it, it seems to be a kind of chance, or it seems that some kind of extinct animal fossils are found in the stone layer, or it seems that when we open the book, we see the shriveled insects accidentally caught in the pages of the book一样，这样的记忆总是让人愉快的。 在没有任何特殊理由的情况下，有些久已遗忘的事情会突然间在记忆中闪过，这样的事偶而也会发生的。也许是某种难以觉察的气味在起作用，因为这种气味原本是与那事情有联系，现在这种气味再次散发了出来。大家都知道，嗅觉对唤起记忆是有特殊功率的，它可以轻易地便引起一连串的联想来。这里要提一下，视觉与知性相联，听觉与理性相联，像我上边所说的，嗅觉则与记忆相联，而触觉与味觉是肉体的接触，所以与肉体相联。这些感官只和上述所说的发生关系而与其他任何事物无关。 人们都指望着用醉酒来增强记忆力，这是记忆的属性之一，当然，微微的醉酒是可以增强对过去时间与事物的追忆力的，而且增强的程度之大，致使一切与过去相关的情况，回忆起来却要比清醒时明晰得多，只是对于醉酒当时的一切举止言谈的记忆却只能是支离破碎的。甚至在醉得不省人事时，则一切都无从记起了。所以我们可以这样来说，醉酒是增强了对故事的记忆，而对当时的事却记忆甚少。 由于内部过于懒散，所以就需要某种外部的活动。反之，如果内心十分活跃，就不愿意走出自己的壁垒，因为它会破坏并妨碍自己的思想，从某种意义上说，甚至会毁掉他的一生。 有人孤独时会烦燥不安，这是毫不奇怪的，因为当人在独处时不会笑，而这种想法在他看来又似乎是可笑的。 难道我们笑是为了让人家看的吗？——难道笑像一个单词样纯粹是一种符号吗？孤独的人之所以不能露出笑脸来，说起来就是缺乏想象力，思想索然无味。低级动物从来不笑，不管它处于何种状态：独处还是结群。厌世主义者梅森曾使一个索居的人十分惊讶，然而他自己却笑了起来：“你为什么发笑？”那人问，“并没有人和你在一起啊！”“这就是我笑的原因。”梅森答道。 自然的手势，比如像伴随着生动的谈话而做的手势，是一种独特的诺言，它广泛传播，甚至远远超过形诸文字的语言——到这儿为止，我所指的，是一种与文字无关而在所有民族中都相似的语言。确实是这样，每一个民族所用手势的程度是由其生动活泼的程度决定的，当然也有特殊情况。像意大利人之间，说话的同时加入一些只有在本地区才有价值的传统的手势。 手势在世界范围内的运用，与逻辑学和语法有着某种相似之处。因为手势只是一种形式，并不是言语的交谈，但另一方面，由于手势和心理活动相关且与智力无关，所以说，手势反映了意志的活动，它又与逻辑和数学不尽相同。作为言语交谈的辅助，手势就像是一首优美旋律中的低音部，在整个演奏过程中，要是始终与高音部配合一致，就能大大增强演奏的效果。 在谈话中，手势取决于传达话题的方式。我们有趣地发现，无论是什么的话题，只要传达方式重复出现，所用的手势也会重复一遍。因此，当我偶然看到——通过窗户——有两个人在进行谈话，我不用去听一个字，我就能够将谈话的一般性质了解得清清楚楚，我所指的，只是他们谈话内容的表达形式，绝无半点差错。说话者一会儿据理力争，一会儿陈述理由，又提出论据以说服对方，最后归纳、定论；或者讲话者正在陈述他的经历并力求使人相信，他曾遭受了多么深重的伤害，同时还提出了一些明晰而又确凿的证据，以此说明其对手是多么蠢，多么顽固，竟不肯认输；或者讲话者正在大谈他的宏伟计划，谈他如何将其付之实施并取得了成功或是因命运不济而遭惨败；或者讲话者正在说他面临一棘手之事而束手无策，不知该如何下手，也许他已迅速觉察到给他设下的陷阱，也许他利用权威或稍带武力而成功地挫败并惩罚了敌人，等等，不一而足。 确切地说，不管我是以心理的还是以理智的观点来进行判断，只凭手势，我就能得到谈话要领的抽象概念。这概念就是精华所在，就是谈话的真正主题。所以，不管会引起怎样的话题，也不管谈话的内容究竟是什么，手势总是同样的，手势与谈话内容的关系，就是一般概念或类似概念与它所包含的个体间的关系。 上面说过，最令人感兴趣的是，不管使用手势的人的气质是如何的不同，在表示同一种情形时却具有完整的统一性和稳固性。因此，手势正如所有语言中的文字，只能根据不同的口音和教育作一些细微的改动。当然，不用怀疑的是，这些人人皆有的固定手势并不是事先商定的或是约好了的结果。它们是自然而然的——真正的自然语言，我想，可能是由于模仿和习俗的影响才使之固定下来的。 大家都知道，悉心研究手势是演员的本分，而演说家就不会像演员那样专业，但也相差无几。从事这种职业，就必须观察别人并模仿他们的动作，因为这种绝没有抽象的教条可循。但是也有例外，比如某种非常普遍但很重要的原则——举个例子说——决不许先开口后做手势，而是在开口前就先做出手势，这样就加强了语言的效果，从而吸引听众的注意力。 英国人看不上手势，把它当作是粗俗甚至轻佻的东西，依我看，这好像是他们愚昧的偏见在起作用，也是他们惯常装模作样的结果。我们每个人都有大自然赐于的大家都能明白的语言能力，如果就只是它与人们竭力吹捧的绅士情感相抵触，因而就摒弃它、禁止它，是否太令人费解呢？