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托马斯·马尔萨斯:人口论·摘录 6

托马斯·马尔萨斯《人口论》· An Essay on the Principle of Population · 投资

The great and unlooked for discoveries that have taken place of late years in natural philosophy, the increasing diffusion of general knowledge from the extension of the art of printing, the ardent and unshackled spirit of inquiry that prevails throughout the lettered and even unlettered world, the new and extraordinary lights that have been thrown on political subjects which dazzle and astonish the understanding, and particularly that tremendous phenomenon in the political horizon, the French Revolution, which, like a blazing comet, seems destined either to inspire with fresh life and vigour, or to scorch up and destroy the shrinking inhabitants of the earth, have all concurred to lead many able men into the opinion that we were touching on a period big with the most important changes, changes that would in some measure be decisive of the future fate of mankind.

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4239
定位:Excerpt 6 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

近年来自然哲学领域出现了许多伟大而意外的发现,印刷术的推广让知识日益普及,有学问甚至没学问的人都热衷于自由探索,政治话题上涌现出令人目眩的新见解,尤其是法国大革命这个政治地平线上的巨大现象,像一颗燃烧的彗星,似乎注定要么给地球上的居民注入新的生命与活力,要么把他们烧焦毁灭。所有这些因素共同促使许多有才能的人认为,我们正接近一个充满重大变革的时期,这些变革将在某种程度上决定人类未来的命运。

上下文

马尔萨斯《人口论》1798年初版,当时工业革命与法国大革命激荡,知识界普遍相信人类即将进入新时代。

今日一问

今天有哪些看似进步的力量,可能同时带来生机与毁灭?我们该如何审慎看待?

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

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