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海天飞跃资料 2013武汉海天英语高辅课程讲义(13) Text 1 Many of the philosophers we have been reading in class seem to me to be hopelessly dated. Of course, it's easy to become trapped in writing only for the period a person lives in, and a philosophy is necessarily dependent on the historical situation and the extent of man's knowledge. And many of the philosophers who have existed over the course of the centuries have necessarily had to worry about governmental, church, or societal disapproval, censorship, or punishment. However, Victor Hugo said that if he were writing for his own time only, he would have to break his pen and throw it away. And so, it seems to me that, in order for a philosopher to be relevant for the future as well as the present, he must take into account all of the objections to his philosophy which can be anticipated at the present time. And it seems to me that the most frequent objections to modern and pre-modern philosophers come from the incompatibility of their philosophies with what is considered to be established scientific fact. For instance, Plato's theory of forms does not, to me, seem to jibe with modern physics and cosmology. And although I can only vaguely glimpse the psychology which underlies Kant, it seems to be highly questionable. And so, it seems to me, the best way that a philosopher can keep from being dated is to be aware of scientific knowledge, and integrate it into philosophy. Of course, this necessitates an independent evaluation of the merits and drawbacks of a given scientific idea, which necessitates, in turn, a thorough knowledge of that theory. After all, physics can give us insights into metaphysics, since both seek different ways to do the same thing; psychology, sociology, anthropology, and archeology can give us insights into epistemology; various "soft" sciences dealing with comparative cultures can provide food for thought in ethnics, and so on. History is, of course, necessary to any understanding of a philosophy: how it came about, what people did with it, etc. Sartre, although he developed some of his ideas from Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, probably could not have expounded those same ideas of existentialism in their times; Nietzsche, who popularized the idea that "God is dead", could not have written in the time of Descartes; and Descartes could not have expressed his radically individualist ideas during the time of Plato. I suppose that my point, which I am being exceedingly long-winded about, is that philosophy does not (and should not, and must not) stand apart from the rest of the sciences. Rather, philosophy should be integrated with the rest of the sciences through a method of rational judgment. Rather than sailing behind, or next to but away from, the rest of the sciences, philosophy should be the flagship of the group. Although the other sciences can provide us with data, observations, and theories, only philosophy can integrate those into a coherent whole, tell us what to do with them, or provide a meaningful context for using these facts in our daily lives. Text 2 The high-tech revolution has inspired a seemingly endless stream of new and exciting electronic products that we just can’t live without. In fact, the dizzying speed of technological innovation can make last year’s must-have this year’s junk. And that’s the problem. The average life span of a personal computer has shrunk to around 18 months——and this had nothing to do with worn-out mice or damaged disk drives. Simply put, electronic products can become obsolete before you’ve even figured out how they work. However, out-fashioned electronic machines are disposed in ways disagreeable. Old keyboards, monitors, organizers and CPUs are stashed away in the attic or forgotten in a corporate warehouse, taking up valuable space. Many end up in landfills and that is where the trouble really begins. Computer monitors can contain up to 3.5kg of lead and can actually be considered hazardous waste once they are no longer in use. Circuit boards in electronic products contain cadmium, chromium and mercury, all of which are toxic substances that can leach into groundwater if left in a landfill. Unfortunately, disposal problem is growing by the minute. In Japan alone, consumers throw away some 20 million TVs, washing machines, refrigerators and air conditioners each year. In Europe, 6 million metric tons of electrical and electronic equipment were generated in 1998 alone, and that volume is expected to increase three to five percent per year——which means by 2010 it could nearly double. Actions are taken to answer the problem raised by techno-trash. The European Commission has proposed a directive that would require all electronic manufacturers to take back and properly dispose of all electronic products, regardless of their age. The details are still being ironed out, but some version of the directive will most probably become law in the next few years. Similar legislation is in preparation in the U.S. and has already been passed in Japan. Companies are searching for new ways of tackling disposal issues before they become a problem, thus eliminating the need for legislative solutions. One way to reduce waste is to avoid throwing this away in the first place. Many companies reuse parts from old products in new models. This is not cheating——it makes both environmental and economic sense. Canon, for example, has adopted a corporate philosophy known as “kyosei”. In Canon’s context it means “living and working together for the common good” ——including a fundamental goal of achieving sustainable economic development and harmony between the environment and corporate activities. The company has even gone so far as to say that environmental assurance should come before all business activities, and that companies incapable of achieving such assurance do not deserve to remain in business. Electronic products garbage cannot necessarily be reined in during only one phase. One concept, called “design for the environment” is in evidence at Kyocera Mita, whose Ecosys laser printers do not use disposable toner cartridges. Using advanced ceramics technology, these printers include a durable print drum with a super-hard coating that can produce up 300,000 pages of high-quality printing. Not only does this make ecological sense and keep cartridges out landfills, but also it saves the customer money. IBM, meanwhile, recently unveiled programs in Canada and the U.S. that, for a small fee, will take back not just an IBM but any manufacturer’s computer. Depending on the age and condition, the equipment will then be either refurbished and donated to charity, or broken down and mined for reusable parts and recyclable materials.