The One Against the Many

----------Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

Teaching Aims: The teaching of this lesson aims to enable students to master:

• 1 20 key words and about 100 other new words

• 2 20 key phrases and their translations• 3 the way of analyzing the usage of contrast i

n this lesson• 4 the way of dividing the lesson • 5 the skills of translation in ten sentences• 6 the main idea stated by the author• The teaching of this lesson is divided into fiv

e parts

Part One: Background Information(in one period)

• In this part, the teacher and the students are working together to offer as much information as possible in one period. Information comes in all directions. In this way , views of the students can be broadened and versions of the world can be easily seen. We follow two procedures:

• I: The teacher gives a brief introduction about the background information and guides the students to the text by asking some questions.

• What is meant by “the one against the many”? What does the “one” stand for? What does “many stand for?

• What does the writer do?• How does the writer begin his essay? Why does he begin in this way?• How many sections can this essay be divided into?• How long is the American history?• II: Some students are asked to introduce some important notes because they have g

ot some relevant information from the internet to help understand the lesson.• 1 About the author:• 2 Note 5 :pragmatism• Pragmatism : a way of dealing with problems in a sensible and practical way in stea

d of a set of ideas.• Dogmatism : attitudes or behavior that are dogmatic.(dogmatic: having a set of idea

s or beliefs that you are completely certain about and expect others to accept without question; dogma: a fixed belief or set of beliefs that people are expected to accept without question.)

• 3 some other terms• Empiricism （经验主义，经验论） the belief in basing yo

ur ideas on practical experience.• Rationalism （理性主义）• Absolutism: the belief that there is one and only one trut

h.; （绝对论，他们知道或已拥有了这一绝对真理） a political system in which one ruler has complete power and authority. （专制主义制度，独裁政治）

• Determinism: the belief that what you do and what happens to you are caused by things that you cannot control.（决定论；宿命论。否定人定胜天）

• Altruism :the attitude of caring about the good of others, leading to acts that help them although you don’t gain anything by doing them. （利他主义）

• 4 Calvinist theology• Present the picture downloaded from the internet and try

to make the author impressive in the students’ minds.

Part Two Detailed Study of the Text(in six periods)

• In this part, the teacher finishes the explanation of words, sentences, grammar in six periods.

• Approaches used in this part:• 1 Raising questions to make the students think differently;• 2 Explaining some points;• 3 Discussing some topics in pairs or with the teacher• 4 Communicating with the students by repeating some words, some sentenc

es or some explanations.• 5 Asking volunteers to read each paragraph or asking them to read togeth

er.• 6 Asking them to summarize the main idea in each paragraph and in each s

ection separately• 7 Asking them to seek some transitional paragraphs or sentences• 8 Asking them to analyze the rhetorical speeches used in some sentences an

d master the skills used in organizing the ideas.• 9 Asking them to paraphrase as many sentences as possible• 10 Making them pay attention to the special usages of some common words

Key points• Part I(para.1)• Words to be learned before class:• Ideology: a set of ideas on which a political or economic system is based;

a set of ideas and attitudes that strongly influence the way people behave.• Dogmatism: dogma: a fixed belief or set of beliefs that people are expect

ed to accept without question. Dogmatic: having ideas or beliefs that you are completely certain about and expect other people to accept without question.

• Pragmatism: a way of dealing with a problems in a sensible, practical way instead of following a set of ideas.

• Questions to be asked• What is meant by “the one against the many”? What does the “one” sta

nd for? What does “many” stand for?• Why does the author think it is instructive to recall the American experi

ence?• 1 . in an epoch dominated by the aspirations of new states for national d

evelopment, it is• instructive to recall that the United States itself began as an underde

veloped country.•

• (]) Compare period, epoch, era and age.• Period is the general term for any portion of historical time.• Epoch and era are often used interchangeably, but in strict discri

mination, epoch applies• to the beginning of a new period marked by radical changes, new

developments, etc. ,• and era, to the entire period.• e. g.: The steam engine marked a new epoch in transportation.• The 20th century was an era of war and revolution.• Age is applied to a long period identified with some dominant pers

onality or distinctive• characteristic.• e. g.: the Stone Age the Victorian Age• (2) From this statement, will you be able to guess when this essay w

as written?• It is likely that the essay was written in the late 1960s or early 197

0s because many• countries in Asia and Africa won independence in this period and

wanted to develop their countries.

• Part II(para.2---6)• In what way is the American experience unique?• What are the elements fundamental to the American philosophy which facilitated Am

erican development?• Do you think the author is correct in stating that “America has had the food fortune n

ot to be an ideological society”? Why(not)? What is the author’s definition of ideology?• This part deals with the factors that facilitated the rapid social and economic develop

ment of the United States. The author points out in Para.6 that the fundamental factor has been the national rejection of dogmatic preconceptions about the nature of social and economic order.

• 1 The country was blessed by notable advantages---above all, by the fact that population was scarce in relation to available resources.

• *to be blessed by: to be favored by• e.g. This city is blessed by rich natural resources.• 2 Had that been so, the Indians, for whom the ratio was even more favorable, would h

ave developed the country long before the first settlers arrived from over the seas.• * This statement is in the subjunctive mood.• * Who were the first settlers?• The first settlers generally referred to were the founders of Jamestown(Virginia) in 1

607 and /or the 102 passengers who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 to plant the first colony at Plymouth in what is today southeastern Massachusetts. Spanish people(Colombia,1497) first arrived to the new continent, and then English people.

• 3 What mattered equally was the spirit in which these settlers approached the economic and social challenges offered by the environment. Several elements seemed fundamental to the philosophy which facilitated the rapid social and economic development of the American continent.

• * approach: to begin dealing with; to adopt a method for attaining a goal or purpose.

• * What were the challenges mentioned in the statement?• The challenges may refer to the diseases and hunger they faced after their

landing in the New World, their relationship with the neighboring Indians and their building of a “city on the hill”.(Which is an ideal world?)

• 4 It arose originally from a philosophical rather than an economic commitment---from a faith in the dignity of man and from the resulting belief that it is the responsibility of society to offer man the opportunity to develop his highest potentialities. But at the same time, it also helped produce the conditions essential to successful modernization.

• * The thinking of Thomas Jefferson exemplifies the position that state-supported education for all citizens is a basic requirement for democracy. He wrote in 1816, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

• Education was seen as the means to enable the public to make “right choices”(those consistent with democratic values) and maintain stability within the republic.(from American Public Policy by Clarke E. Cochran and others)

• The United States adopted a number of laws on education.• The Morrill Land Grant Act of 1958.• The G. I. Bill of 1944.• National Defense Education Act of 1958.• The elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

• The Higher Education Act of 1965.• In the academic year 1993—1994, 44.9 million students were enrolled in public elem

entary and secondary schools and another 5.5 million attended private schools. Between 1990 and 1995 over 8.5 million students enrolled every year in colleges and universities.

• In spite of the fact that economic commitment was not the major reason for respect for learning, wide literacy became a necessary condition for modernization. This statement also lends itself to smooth transition to the next para.

• * Max Weber points out that Protestant ethics paved the way for the development of capitalism.

• 5 self-government: is the principle that the people are the ultimate source of governing authority and that their general welfare is the only legitimate purpose of government.

• * The recent policies in China such as “nothing is trivial when it concerns the interests of the people”, “to govern for the people”, and “to represent the greatest interests of the largest number of people” represent the same spirit of self-government.

• 6 representative institutions: They refer to a system of government institutions that give citizens the opportunity to vote for representatives who will work on their behalf. In the United States today, every four years, the voters will vote for members of the electoral college who will, in turn, elect the president. Every two years, the voters will elect members of the House of Representatives and one third of the members of the Senate. It is anybody’s guess whether these people, once elected, work for the interests of the majority of the people. In the presidential election of 2000, about half of the qualified voters took part in vote, of which, half voted for George W. Bush. So when Bush was elected, he represented only about a quarter of American voters.

• *fulfill: to develop to the full• * We have found no better way than democracy to

fulfill man’s talents and release their energies.• 7America has had the good fortune not to be an id

eological society.• It is lucky that Americans are not keen on followin

g a body of rigid ideas or theories in their social, economic or political activities.

• It is true to say that America is not an ideological society. But in American history, ther have been times of aberration. The Witch Hunt and McCarthyism are examples of aberration. However, this kind of aberration did not last long because it was incompatible with American concept of pragmatism.

• PartIII(para.7—10)• Questions to be asked:• According to the author, how can the United States become a “a nation

of innovation and experiment”?• What does the author mean when he states that “ they rebelled against

British rule essentially for British reasons”?• The author offers his definition of ideology and points out that America

ns have not been immune to the temptation of ideology. However, in most of the time in American history, Americans have been skeptical about ideology and have accepted pragmatism. The author then uses the American Revolution as example to illustrate the difference between pragmatism and ideology.

• 1 What is the one big thing the hedgehogs know?• The one big thing is when hedgehogs encounter danger, they will invari

ably curl themselves up into balls with the sharp spines sticking out as defense. This is the only way they know to protect themselves. The hedgehog is here being compared to the ideologist who only follows the dogma he believes in.

• 2 What is the characteristic of the foxes?• The foxes do not stick to one way of protecting themselves. They use m

any different ways to deceive their chasers.

• 3 Calvinism: Reformer John Calvin(1509---1564) of Geneva encouraged Christian self-consciousness. God would have every reason to condemn all humans to hell as sinners, Calvin believed, but in his mercy God has chosen to save a few. To discover if one was among the few required constant attention to one’s inner motivation and also attentive reading of the Bible. Calvinism promoted literacy but also material success as a means of indirectly confirming an individual’s salvation. Though God’s predestined plan could not be known with certainty, it came to seem unreasonable that God would let a person profit in world only to condemn him to hell in the next world. It is perhaps no accident that Calvin’s influence was greatest in the most economically developed parts of Europe( Holland, England, France) and then in New England. Calvinism inspired people to seek profit and worldly success as a probable foretaste of God’s grace and eternal salvation. Work was no longer tied simply to material needs, but to spiritual uncertainties, a potentially limitless motivation.

• A mind influenced by Calvinist theology would surely find it somewhat difficult to resist other ideological temptation.

• 4 There have been hedgehogs---or another ultimate law.• (1) What have the hedgehogs in American history tried to do?• They have tried to make America accept a comprehensive set of pri

nciples, to turn Americanism into a series of assertions that have to be followed, and to interpret the national tradition according to some rigid, dogmatic theory.

• (2) translate: to change into another medium or form• 5 Our national faith has been not in propositions but in processes.• Americans believe in continuous development, in ways toward bette

r life of better society rather than in fixed ultimate goals.• 6 This skepticism about ideology has been a primary source of the s

ocial inventiveness which has marked so much of development.----a nation of innovation and experiment.

• (1) Why does the author say skepticism about ideology has been a primary source of social inventiveness?

• This is the author’s understanding of American experience. If the United States had stuck to one theory, she would not have been so flexible in policies. In economic policy, the United States in the 20thcentury moved from Laissesfaire to Keeyestianism to supply-side enonomics.

• (2) America, in consequence, has been at its most characteristic a nation of innovation and experiment. As a result, the most outstanding characteristic of the United States is innovation and experiment.

• (3) Is this statement correct in describing American character?• Yes. Two examples will suffice. One: The United States has the largest nu

mber of Nobel Prize winners in science and economics. Between 1950 and 1990, there were 249 Nobel Prize winners in the world, of whom 138 were Americans. In the year 1994, 8 in the world were awarded Nobel Prizes in Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Economics; 6 were Americans. Two: America has been known as the world’s testing ground of my religious-and social-reform plans.

• 7 The American Revolution-----the Bill of Rights.• (1) Why does the author mention the American Revolution? What does he

want to prove/• The author wants to show that the colonists used the ideals expounded by t

he British as reasons for their fight for independence. The origin of the ideas embodied in the Declaration of Independence can be traced to the two Treatises on Civil Government published by British political philosopher John Locke in 1689.

• (2) The author , in describing the American Revolution , uses the word “ideal”. This leads to the explanation of the differences between “ideology” and “ideals” in Paragraph 11.

• Part IV (Paras11---12)• In this part, the author uses Thomas Jefferson as an example to illustrate t

he distinction between ideals and ideology.

• Questions to be asked:• What are the definitions of ideals and ideology?• 1 As an ideologist, however, Jefferson is today remote--- a figure no

t of present concern but of historical curiosity.• As a man following a fixed set of beliefs, he is only an interesting hi

storical figure. His beliefs are out of date and are irrelevant to present-day reality.

• 2 As an ideologist, he believed------to national development.• (1) The author is here discussing Jefferson’s view on the political st

ructure of the republic and the economic policy it should pursue. Jefferson’s views were revealed in his attitude towards the Constitution and in his debate with Hamilton.

• (2) What, according to the author, were some of the views of Jefferson?

• According to the author, Jefferson held that agriculture should be the basis of the United States and farmers constituted the best citizens of a democratic state. He opposed the development of commerce and industry, the establishment of national bank, urbanization and a strong, federal government.

• 3 This was Jefferson’s ideology---- a strong modern state.• (1) According to Jefferson’s ideology, he was opposed to indu

strialization, hence modernization. So if the United States had accepted his ideology and put it into practice, there would not be a strong modern America.

• (2) Jefferson’s ideals were the innovative and creative ideas which found expression in the Declaration of Independence, in his founding of the University of Virginia. Some of the ideals embodied in the Declaration are still valid in today’s world. And it was in this spirit that the United States pursued its national goals and became successful.

• 4 …who said that one generation could not commit the next to its view of public policy or human destiny.

• Jefferson , the idealist, did not believe that one generation should impose on the next generation its view of what policy a nation should pursue or what should be the future goal of the nation.

• Part V (Para.13---14)• The part answers the question: what is wrong with ideology? The author p

oints out that the ideologists confuse ideology, an abstraction from reality, with reality itself. This confusion leads to two bad results, in the interpretation of history and the choice of public policy.

• Questions to be asked :• What is wrong with faith in ideology?• 1 What is ideology?• Ideology is not reality. It is an abstraction from reality. In other words, ide

ology leaves out part of reality in order to form a simplified picture or model.

• The earlier definition of the author stresses the composition and characteristic of ideology: a set of systematic, detailed, comprehensive and dogmatic principles. The current definition deals with the relationship between these principles and reality.

• 2 The ideological fallacy is to forget that ideology is an abstraction from reality and to regard it as reality itself.

• The mistake of ideologist is to take ideology for reality itself, forgetting that it is only theoretical summary of certain part of reality.

• 3 The besetting sin----of human experience.• (1) Does the author really think the ideologist has committed a sin?• No, he uses this word in a humoristic way meaning fault or bad habit.

• (2) Why is reality unpredictable , untidy?• Actual development in reality does not work according to plan, theory or arrangem

ent. The Asian financial crisis took people by surprise. The same with SARS. That is why we advance the ideas of “seeking truth from facts” and “keeping abreast of the times.”

• (3) Models are constructed on the basis of certain principles so they are neat and orderly in arrangement. Reality, however, develops and changes all the time. This is the difference.

• (2) Note the choice of words in the first four phrases beginning with “against”---belief, commitment, notion, interpretation.

• (3) the belief in the all-encompassing power of a single explanation: the belief that a single explanation has the power to give answers to all issues in history.

• (4) the commitment to the absolutism of ideology : the acceptance of the doctrines as the Truth

• (5) What is meant by “in the back of some sacred book”?• The author means in the last few pages or in the concluding part of some book whic

h the ideologists regard as authoritative. The author is being sarcastic about those books , hence the word “sacred.”

• (6) …where free men may find partial truths, but where no mortal man will ever get an absolute grip on Absolute Truth…

• In this universe a person whose mind is unconstrained may be able to discover relative truths but no man on earth can claim that he has already grasped the one and only Truth.

• (7) valid points:• The world is marked by growth and variety.• Man can come near to Truth but cannot grasp Absolute Truth.( That is why we nee

d to keep abreast with the times.)

• Part VI (Paras.15—19)• In this part, the author elaborates on the differences between the ideologist and the pragmati

st in their views of history and in their approaches to issues of public policy.• Questions to be asked:• How does the author contrast the ideologists’ view of history with the pragmatic view of histo

ry? Is the contrast convincing?• How does the author illustrate his view that humanity in the 20th century was led astray man

y times by ideology? Is his explanation sound? Why(not)?• Why does the author compare ideology to a drug? What does he want to stress with such a co

mparison?• 1The ideologist contends-----of an infallible priesthood.• What is the ideologist’s view of history?• His view is that history can be explained and predicted with the command of a body of clear-

cut, absolute social dogmas. And only the group of people who have mastered these dogmas can correctly interpret history.

• The essence of the theoretical system is put in the hands of a small group of people who can never go wrong.

• What is the tone of this statement?• The author is highly critical of this infallible priesthood. The tone is satirical.• 2 The American tradition has found this view of human history repugnant and false.• (1) This statement is a transition , leading to the view of the “many”• (2) This view is repugnant because it is inconsistent with the actual development of history. It

is false because it fails to five a true picture of history.• 3 Against the belief-----of unconstrained minds.• (1) This is a long sentence with five parallel phrases beginning with “ against” and three pare

nthetical structures. The purpose is to build up force and make the statement more powerful.

• 3 Para.17 is a transitional paragraph. The first sentence sums up the arguments in the previous two paragraphs. The second sentence brings the readers to the differences “in their approach to issues of public policy”.

• 4 Let us take an example----by experience and experiment.• (1) What is meant by “the choice between private and public means”?• It means the choice between nationalization, state ownership and planned

economy on the one hand and private ownership and market economy on the other.

• (2) Why has there been much discussion in underdeveloped countries?• After winning political independence in the 1960s, these newly independ

ent countries started looking for a path towards rapid economic development. Should they follow the path of former colonial powers or should they follow the path of the Soviet Union? There were serious debates. These countries later took different paths with different consequences.

• What is the author’s view on this issue?• The author thinks this is not a moral issue to be decided on absolutist gro

unds. It is a practical question as to which means can best achieve the desired goal. It can only be solved through experience and experiment.

• 5 some overloaded words:• What is the author’s suggestion?• The author’s suggestion is that certain words should not be allowed to us

e in discussion because they do not have clear meanings and can only arouse emotion.

• What , according to the author, are those words?• The author may refer to words like socialism, capitalism , democracy.• 6 What is mixed economy?• Mixed economy refers to an economy that embraces both private and pu

blic enterprises. Today most economies in the world accept the need of both market force and government regulation. This is, in a way, what we mean by “socialism with Chinese characteristics” or “socialist market economy”.

• 7 But ideology is a drug----to return to the womb.• (1) Ideology has the characteristic of a narcotic. In spite of the fact that i

t has been proved wrong many times by experience, people still long to commit themselves to ideology.

• (2) Why does the author draw an analogy between ideology and a drug?• A drug is habit-forming. Once you are addicted, it is hard to break away

from it. Ideology is also addictive. It is equally hard to rid oneself of ideology. Drugs satisfy certain physical desires while ideology satisfies certain intellectual desires.

• Part VII (Paras, 20—22)• This is the concluding part. The author sums up the conflict of our times. He analyses

the goal of ideologist and the goal of free men, leading to the conclusion that the “many” should be the choice.

• Questions to be asked:• Do you agree that the basic conflict of our times is the conflict between the one and the

many? Why or why not?• What do you think is the theme of the essay? As a historian, has the author grasped an

d brought out the most fundamental factor about the development of the United States? Has he left out any other important factors? Explain.

• 1 According to the author, what is the basic conflict of out times?• The author thinks that the basic conflict is the conflict between the one and the many.

In China, the conflict between the liberation of thought and the shackles of outdated concepts, policies and systems is still going on. That is why the report to the 16th Party Congress points out that creativeness is the soul of national progress and the inexhaustible source of development and prosperity. The report further states that as there is no limit to practice and experiment, so there is no limit to creativeness. This is the law of social progress. And everything has to be tested by practice.

• This can be regarded as a current version of the conflict between the one and the many in China.

• 2 The United States, according to the author, usually follows pragmatism. That would mean that she supports the view of the “many”. Unfortunately, in her foreign policy, she does not always support the view of the “many”. Does not the United States want to export its economic and political system? National Security Council Document 68 of the United States, approved in 1950, makes it clear that the goal of the United States in its relation with the Soviet Union is to change its political system.

• What is worth noting is after the end of the Cold War, it is the United States which has taken on the characteristics of ideology as described by the author.

• 3 Why do ideologists prevent free flow of ideas?• They sincerely think they have the only Truth in hand, which is all-embracing and all-

explanatory, so there is no need for a free flow of ideas. For those who claim to know the Truth, they are afraid of free flowing of ideas because their rule is built on indoctrination and deception. A free flow of ideas may bring to light the fallibility of their truth.

• Ideologists would not allow any development of modification of the theory they adhere to. They turn the theory into rigid dogma. Deviant ideas may bring tragic death to the holders. Today in the United States deviant views fro mainstream conservative ideology are under heavy pressure from the neo-conservatives. Noam Chomsky, an MIT professor, has been lambasted for his criticism of American foreign policy. The later Prof. Edward Said of Columbia University encountered the same fate.

• 4 Their objective-----of absolute abuse.• The only thing that is sure of a despotic system is the unrestricted exercise of power.• The repetition of “certainty” and “absolute” and the balanced structure lend force to t

he idea.• 5 Their religious -----for God.• Christian teaching stresses original sin and fallibility of Man. Western philosophy hol

ds that the nature of Man is fallen and flawed.• 6 They accept the limitations of---to strive nonetheless.• (1) The most outstanding achievement of humanity is they know that no matter how h

ard they try, they cannot achieve Absolute Truth, yet they continue to make great efforts and refuse to give up.

• (2) In the concluding part, the author contrasts the worst case of ideology with the openness, sensibility of free men. In presenting ideology, the author writes in a highly critical way. The effect is devastating. In this way, he achieves his purpose, that is, making the readers see that pragmatism is the better choice.

Part Three: Summary of the whole lesson and the discussion of the questions

( in two periods)

• In this part , the teacher is summarizing the whole lesson to make the students aware of the thoughts and ideas offered by the author and make the students know what we should learn from the lesson.

• Finish the quiz for Lesson 5

• I: Find the English explanations for the following words:• Aspiration ratio potentiality literate conviction empiricism formidable Tran

slate falsify expound virtuous impotent salient mortal heritageInfirmity frailty encompassing manifold fatalistic1 many and of different kinds

• 2 including everything, a wide range of ideas, subjects• 3 believing that there’s nothing you can do to prevent things happening• 4 belonging to a human• 5 qualities, customs and traditions that have been in a society for a long time• 6 important and noticeable• 7 unable to take effective action because of lack of power, strength or control• 8 behaving in a very honest and moral way• 9 explain or talk about sth in detail• 10 faith, belief• 11 the belief in basing your ideas on practical experience• 12 change figures or records• 13 powerful, impressive and remarkable• 14 change into another media or form• 15 ambition or desire• 16 relationship between two amounts• 17 power or quality that exists but hasn’t been developed• 18 cultured, well-read, educational • 19 weak , easily broken down• 20 lacking in strength or health; sth bad or weak

• II Phrases• 1 in consequence• 2 to be immune to• 3 to be devoid of• 4 dignity of man• 5 a set of binding propositions• 6 abundant and streaming life of man• 7 fatalistic view of history• 8 structures of analysis• 9 representative institutions• 10 capital goods• 11 strive to do sth• 12 on absolutist grounds• 13 salient features• 14 so to speak• 15 by ideology I mean• 16 in the process of• 17 attribute…to…• 18 in relation to• 19 first settlers• 20 develop potentialities

Part Four: Key to Exercises• Key to explanation• 1 As a nation, America has refused to cling to certain rigid principles concerning

social and economic development. America has been adaptable and flexible.• 2 No one can say that Americans have never been tempted by the approach of un

derstanding, preserving or transforming the world according to rigid dogmas.• 3 A mind influenced by Calvinist theology would surely find it somewhat difficult

to resist other temptations to ideological thinking.• 4 Abstract ideas have a place in pragmatism just as experience has a role in ideol

ogy.• 5 As a man following a fixed set of beliefs, Jefferson is only an interesting histori

cal figure. His beliefs are out of date and are irrelevant to present reality.• 6 The essence of the theoretical system is put in the hands of a small group of pe

ople who can never go wrong.• 7 In the universe a person whose mind is unconstrained may be able to discover

relative truths but no man on earth can claim that he has already grasped the one and only Truth.

• 8 Ideology has the characteristic of a narcotic. In spite of the fact that it has been proven wrong many times by experience, people still long to commit themselves to ideology.

• 9 The only thing that is sure of a despotic system is its unrestricted exercise of power.

• 10 The most outstanding achievement of humanity is they know that no matter how hard they try, they cannot achieve Absolute Truth, yet they continue to make great efforts and refuse to give up.

• Key to translation• A : Phrases• 1 人的尊严 2 提高智力• 3 生产资料 4 代议制政府机构• 5 教条式的偏见 6 分析问题的理论体系• 7 一系列必须遵循的主张 8 僵硬的先验理论• 9 是选择的范围变得十分狭小 10 宿命论的历史观• 11 封闭的世界 12 丰富的、永不停顿的人类生活• 13 独自掌握了绝对真理 14 自由思想不受约束的交流• 15 铁板一块的世界• B: Sentences• 1 美国的经验在许多方面都是独特的。• 2 这个国家有着得天独厚的优势 --- 主要是人口相对稀少而资源十分丰富。• 3 它源于对思想原则的信仰，而不是出于对经济利益的追求。• 4 我们发现民主是使人的才智得到充分施展、人的能量得以充分发挥的最好方式。• 5 在意识形态体系与经验主义斗争的历史上，意识形态体系曾吸引了人类历史上一些聪明

绝顶的人物。• 6 在她处于最佳时期时，美国可以说超越了所有的意识形态体系。• 7 政府管得越少越好。• 8 说实在的，杰斐逊一生在意识形态体系上所做的努力与他的性格是相矛盾的。他的性格

特征基本上是灵活的、从经验出发的。• 9 我甚至建议在思想界和学术界的讨论中摒弃某些用滥了的词语。这些词语只能使头脑发

热，而不会给人以智慧的光芒。• 10 自由人掌握许多具体的真理，但他们认为没有一个犯人能够掌握绝对真理。

Part Five: Assignments

• In this part, all the assignments will be listed , the teacher will assign them to the students after each two periods.

• 1 seek out some information about each note on the internet and hand them in to the teacher

• 2 read the whole lesson• 3 memorize the new words• 4 prepare for the discussions• 5 do the exercises• 6 pre-review of the next lesson• 7 prepare for the quiz• 8 prepare for the presentation of Lesson Six