Apology

苏格拉底/Socrates

苏格拉底（公元前470—公元前399），古希腊的哲学家和演说家，雅典人。其父是雕刻匠，早年随父学艺，后从事哲学研究和教学。他认为哲学的目的是认识自己，研究自己，教导人们的生活。他无著作传世，其言行均辑于弟子柏拉图的《苏格拉底言行回忆录》。公元前399年以“渎神违教”之罪被控入狱，不久被判死刑，服毒而死。

如果换一种方式来思考，我们就会发现我们完全有理由相信死亡是件好事；而我们的理由就在于死亡只有两种可能性——一种是进入虚无或者彻底无知觉的状态，另一种是人们常说的灵魂从一个世界移居到另一个世界。假如你认为死亡是一种失去知觉的状态，就像一种安详得连梦都不会来打搅的沉睡，那么死亡就真是一种难以言说的收获了。如果要某人将这样一个安然无梦的夜晚，与生命中度过的其他日日夜夜相比，然后说出他一生中有多少日夜能比这样的夜晚更加愉快，我想，任何人——且不说是平民，就是国王也无法做出回答。所以我说，如果死亡果真如此，那么死亡就是一种收获——永恒也不过就是一夜。而如果死亡像大家所说的，是所有的死者迁往另一个世界永居，那么，我的朋友们，还有法官们，难道还有比这更妙的事情吗？假如当这些朝圣者们到达地底的世界后，真的能够摆脱这尘世的判官，见到据说是在那里主持正义的法官米诺斯、拉达曼堤斯、爱考斯，以及特立普托勒摩斯和其他一些一生公正无私的上帝之子，那么这次死亡朝圣之行就物有所值了。如果有机会同奥菲士、缪萨尤斯、赫西奥德以及荷马谈话，那还有什么不能付出的代价呢？不仅如此，如果死亡真是这样，我甚至愿意死了又死。我很想在那里和帕拉默底斯、忒拉蒙的儿子埃阿斯以及其他受不公平审判而死的古代英雄们见面，和他们交谈。我相信，把我自己的苦难跟他们所遭受苦难的相比，肯定能带给我极大的快乐和安慰。最要紧的是，我可以像在这个世界中一样，继续在新的世界里进行我关于真理和谬误的研究。我就可以知道谁是真正的智者，谁只是自作聪明，以及谁不是。法官们，如果可以检验远征特洛伊的伟大领袖，奥德修斯、西西弗斯和其他无数的人们，不仅是男人还是女人，那么还有什么不能付出的代价呢？与他们谈话，向他们请教，将会是一件多么快乐的事！如果传言属实，那儿的人们绝不会因为提出问题而被处死，他们比我们更加快乐，而且他们都将永生！

因此，法官们，为死亡欢呼吧！要相信，不管是生前还是死后，善良的人们都不会遭到恶报。他和他的人民都不会被上帝遗弃，我即将到来的死亡也绝不是偶然。但是我很清楚，我现在最好的出路就是死亡，它会把我从困境中解救出来；因此，神谕并未显现。也是因为这个原因，我不会怨恨我的宣判者和控诉者；尽管他们对我不怀好意，但也没有对我造成伤害。不过，对于他们的不怀好意，我也许会稍加指责。

我还有一件事要请你们帮忙。朋友们，当我的儿子们长大以后，请你们惩罚他们。如果他们把财富或者别的什么看得比品德还重要，请给他们制造点麻烦，就像我曾经给你们制造麻烦那样，因为他们不知道该注重什么；如果他们一无是处却又自命不凡，请谴责他们，就像我曾经谴责你们那样，因为他们不知道自己是什么。如果你们能够做到，我和我的儿子们都能从你们手中得到公正。

分离的时刻到了，我们各自上路吧——我走向死亡，你们继续活下去。至于生死孰优孰劣，只有上帝知道。

Let us reflect in another way， and we shall see that there is great reason to hope that death is a good；for one of two things—either death is a state of nothingness and utter unconsciousness， or， as men say， there is a change and migration of the soul from this world to another. Now if you suppose that there is no consciousness， but a sleep like the sleep of him who is undisturbed even by dreams， death will be an unspeakable gain.For if a person were to select the night in which his sleep was undisturbed even by dreams， and were to compare with this the other days and nights of his life， and then were to tell us how many days and nights he had passed in the course of his life better and more pleasantly than this one， I think that any man， I will not say a private man， but even the great king will not find many such days or nights， when compared with the others.Now if death be ofsuch a nature， I say that to die is a gain；for eternity is then only a single night.But if death is the journey to another place， and there， as men say， all the dead abide， what good， O my friends and judges can be greater than this？If indeed when the pilgrim arrives in the world below， he is delivered from the professors of justice in this world， and finds the true judges who are said to give judgment there， Mino and Rhadamanthus and Aeacus and Triptolemus， and other sons of God who were righteous in their own life， that pilgrimage will be worth making.What would not a man give if he might converse with Orpheus and Musaeus and Hesiod and Homer？Nay， if this be true， let me die again and again.I myself， too， shall have a wonderful interest in there meeting， and conversing with Palamedes， and Ajax the son Telamon， and any other ancient hero who has suffered death through an unjust judgment；and there will be no small pleasure， as I think， in comparing my own suffering with theirs.Above all， I shall then be able to continue my search into the true and false knowledge；as in this world， so also in the next；and I shall find out who is wise， and who pretends to be wise， and is not.What would not a man give， O judges， to be able to examine the leader of the great Trojan expedition；or Odysseus or Sisyphus， or numberless others， men and women too！What infinite delight would there be in conversing with them and asking them questions！In another world they do not put a man to death for asking questions：assuredly not.Forbesides being happier than we are， they will be immortal， if what is said is true.

Wherefore， O judges， be good cheer about death， and know of a certainty， that no evil can happen to a good man， either in life or after death. He and his are not neglected by the gods；nor has my own approaching end happened by mere chance.But I see clearly that the time had arrived when it was better for me to die and be released from trouble；wherefore the oracle gave no sign.For which reason， also， I am not angry with my condemners， or with my accusers；they have done me no harm， although they did not mean to do me any good；and for this I may gently blame them.

Still I have a favour to ask of them. When my sons are grown up， I would ask you， O my friends， to punish them；and I would have you trouble them， as I have troubled you， if they seem to care about riches， or anything， more than about virtue；or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing，—then reprove them， as I have reproved you， for not caring about that for which they ought to care；and thinking that they are something when they are really nothing.And if you do this， both I and my sons will have received justice at your hands.

The hour of departure has arrived， and we go our ways—I to die， and you to live. Which is better God only knows.