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本杰明·富兰克林:本杰明·富兰克林自传·补录 34

本杰明·富兰克林《本杰明·富兰克林自传》· The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin · 领导

I believe I have omitted mentioning that, in my first voyage from Boston, being becalm'd off Block Island, our people set about catching cod, and hauled up a great many. Hitherto I had stuck to my resolution of not eating animal food, and on this occasion consider'd, with my master Tryon, the taking every fish as a kind of unprovoked murder, since none of them had, or ever could do us any injury that might justify the slaughter. All this seemed very reasonable. But I had formerly been a great lover of fish, and, when this came hot out of the frying-pan, it smelt admirably well. I balanc'd some time between principle and inclination, till I recollected that, when the fish were opened, I saw smaller fish taken out of their stomachs; then thought I, "If you eat one another, I don't see why we mayn't eat you." So I din'd upon cod very heartily, and continued to eat with other people, returning only now and then occasionally to a vegetable diet. So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/148
定位:Additional excerpt 34 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

富兰克林从波士顿出海时,船在布洛克岛附近停航,船员钓了很多鳕鱼。他原本坚持不吃肉,认为杀鱼是无端谋杀,因为鱼从未伤害人。但煎鱼香味太诱人,他犹豫时想起鱼肚里还有小鱼,便想:你们互相吃,为什么我们不能吃你们?于是痛快吃了鳕鱼,之后偶尔才吃素。核心是:人很会为自己想做的事找理由。做法是:做决定前先问自己,这个理由是真的,还是为了满足欲望临时编的?把原则和借口分开,才能少自欺。

上下文

《富兰克林自传》中他回忆自己从素食者到吃鱼的转变,自嘲理性常为欲望服务。

今日一问

你最近一次为破例找的理由,如果换别人用,你会信吗?

公版传记;原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg,仅摘录段落并附全书链接。

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