The Importance of Independent Thinking

No one can be a great thinker who does not realize that asa thinker it is her first duty to follow her intellect to whatever conclusions it may lead. Truth gains more even by the errors of one who with due study and preparation, thinks for himself,than by the true opinions of those who only hold them becausethey do not suffer themselves to think. No that it is solely, ofchiefly, to form great thinkers that freedom of thinking isrequired. One the contrary, it is as much or even moreindispensable to enable average human beings to attain the mental stature which they are capableof. There have been and many again be great individual thinkers in a general atmosphere of mentalslavery. But there never has been, nor ever will be, in that atmosphere an intellectually activepeople. Where any of heterodox speculation was for a time suspended, where there is a tacitconvention that principles are not to be disputed: where the discussion of the greatest questionswhich can occupy humanity is considered to be closed, we cannot hope to find that generally highscale of mental activity which has made some periods of history so remarkable. Never whencontroversy avoided the subjects which are large and important enough to kindle enthusiasm wasthe mind of a people stirred up fro9m its foundation and the impulse given which raised evenpersons of the most ordinary intellect to something of the dignity of thinking beings.

She who knows only her own side of the case knows little of that. Her reasons may be food, andno one may have been able to refute them. But if she s equally unable to refute the reasons of theopposite side; if she does not so much as know what they are, she has no ground for preferringeither opinion. The rational position for her would be suspension of judgment, and unless shecontents herself with that, she is either led by authority, or adopts, like the generality of the worldthe side to which she feels the most inclination. Nor is it enough that she should heat thearguments of adversaries from her own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompaniedby what they offer as refutations, That is not the way to do justice to the arguments, or bringthem into real contact with her own mind. She must be able to hear them form persons whoactually believe them; who defend them in earnest, and do their very utmost for them. She mustknow them in their most plausible and persuasive form; she must feel the whole force of thedifficulty which the true view of the subject has to encounter and dispose of; else she will neverreally possess herself of the portion of truth which meets and removes that difficulty. Ninety-nine ina hundred of what are called educated persons are in this condition; even of those who can arguefluently for their opinions. Their conclusion may be true, but it might be false for anything theyknow; they have never thrown themselves into the mental position of those who think differentlyform them and considered what such persons may have to say; and consequently they do not, inany proper sense of the word, know the doctrines which they themselves profess.

1. The best title for this passage is
[A] The Age of Reason ? [B] The need for Independent Thinking
[C] The Value of Reason [D] Stirring People’s Minds

2. According to the author, it is always advisable to
[A] have opinions which cannot be refuted.
[B] adopt the point of view to which one feels the most inclination.
[C] be acquainted with the arguments favoring the point of view with which one disagrees,
[D] suspend heterodox speculation in favor of doctrinaire approaches.

3. According to the author, in a great period such as the Renaissance we may expect to find
[A] acceptance of truth ? ? [B] controversy over principles
[C] inordinate enthusiasm [D] a dread of heterodox speculation

4. According to the author, the person who holds orthodox beliefs without examination may bedescribed in all of the following ways EXCEPT as
[A] enslaved by tradition ? ? ? ? ? ?[B] less than fully rational
[C] determinded on controversy [D] having a closed mind

5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which ofthe following statements
[A] A truly great thinker makes no mistakes.
[B] Periods of intellectual achievement are periods of unorthodox reflection,
[C] The refutation of accepted ideas can best be provided by one’s own teachers.
[D] excessive controversy prevents clear thinking

答案詳解（反白可見）：
１. B 獨(dú)立思考的必要性。見難句譯注１。這里說明進(jìn)行獨(dú)立思考的人即使犯錯(cuò)誤，真理也能從中獲得東西，而那些懶于思考人，即使持有正確的觀點(diǎn)，真理也難以獲得東西。第一段還點(diǎn)明思想禁錮時(shí)期，即不能進(jìn)行獨(dú)立思考時(shí)期，難以討論重大議題，產(chǎn)生不了活躍的人民，絕不會(huì)出現(xiàn)像輝煌的文藝復(fù)興那種時(shí)期（見第二題注）。第二段也是圍繞獨(dú)立思考而寫，只是從具體點(diǎn)著眼：人只知自己，不知對方無法獲得真理，只有獨(dú)立思考兩方，才能不為權(quán)威所左右，不會(huì)跟著自己感覺走，最終知道自己的真正主張。
A. 理性時(shí)代?！　.　駁斥的價(jià)值?！　. 激發(fā)人民的思想。
２. C 熟悉有利于自己不同意／反對觀點(diǎn)的論點(diǎn)。這是作者在第二段講述的重要論點(diǎn)。他認(rèn)為一個(gè)人只知自己一方，推理極好，無人能反駁，卻不知對方的推理，也不能夠予以反駁的話，他就無權(quán)選擇兩方的任一論點(diǎn)，其理智位置是停止判斷。否則她就會(huì)（像世界上蕓蕓眾生那樣）不是為權(quán)威所“引導(dǎo)”，就是跟著感覺（的傾向）走。其二，作者提出：光聽自己的老師講述對立面的論點(diǎn)，以及他們所提出的反駁論點(diǎn)。只是不夠的，必須傾聽那些人（他們真正相信對立的觀點(diǎn)）的論點(diǎn)，并為此積極熱情，竭盡全力辯護(hù)，才能使自己的思想和獨(dú)立論點(diǎn)接觸，公正的作出公正的判斷。
A. 具有不能駁斥的觀點(diǎn)?！　. 采取個(gè)人感覺最傾向的觀點(diǎn)。 D. 停止有利于教條主義研究的異端思考。
３. B 辯論原則問題。答案在第一段：在思想禁錮的氣氛中，過去，現(xiàn)在可能會(huì)產(chǎn)生個(gè)別的思想家，但絕不會(huì)有思想活躍的人民，在那里有一種心照不宣的慣律：原則決不能討論——認(rèn)為占據(jù)人類心靈的最重大問題的討論應(yīng)封閉，我們不能期望看到一般高級(jí)的思想活動(dòng)。這種思想活動(dòng)曾使歷史上某些時(shí)期光輝燦爛。而文藝復(fù)興就是思想活動(dòng)的頂峰時(shí)期，必然會(huì)討論原則問題，所以選B 。
A. 接受真理，周經(jīng)過討論才能接受真理?！. 過度的熱情。 D. 害怕異端思考。
４. C.　在辯論上，堅(jiān)定不移。這是一道推斷題，一般講：持有未經(jīng)檢驗(yàn)的正統(tǒng)信仰的人不會(huì)獨(dú)立思考，更不會(huì)懷疑他所信仰的東西。
A. 為傳統(tǒng)所奴役?！. 不怎么理智?！. 頭腦閉塞。這種人必然受傳統(tǒng)思想控制，不理智更不愿接受外界新鮮事物。
５. B. 在思想方面取得成就的時(shí)期就是進(jìn)行非正統(tǒng)反思的時(shí)期。見３題注釋。
A. 一個(gè)真正的思想家不犯錯(cuò)誤。　C. 一個(gè)人的老師最能提供所接受思想觀點(diǎn)的反駁。　D. 過度的辯論會(huì)制止清晰的思考。?

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