Issue 201

"The best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the character of the men and women that the society chooses as its heroes or its heroines."
“理解某一社会的特征的最好方法是去审视被该社会推崇为英雄人物的那些男人和女人的性格。

Issue 202

"We learn through direct experience; to accept a theory without experiencing it is to learn nothing at all."
“我们通过直接经验而学习到知识。在没有体验过一种理想的情况下接受该理论，这意味着什么都没学到。”

Issue 203

"As societies all over the world have more and more access to new information, the effects on life-long learning can only be positive."
“随着世界上的各个社会能越来越多地获得新信息，对终生学习所产生的作用无疑是具有积极意义的。”

Issue 204

"People are too quick to take action; instead they should stop to think of the possible consequences of what they might do."
“人们在采取行动时过于迅速。相反，他们应该停下来思索一下他们有可能做的事情所会带来的后果。”

Issue 205

"Rituals and ceremonies help define a culture. Without them, societies or groups of people have a diminished sense of who they are."
“仪式和礼仪有助于来界定一个社会的特色。没有了它们，社会或人类群体就会越来越难以意识到他们究竟是什么样的人。”

Issue 206

"The way people look, dress, and act reveals their attitudes and interests. You can tell much about a society's ideas and values by observing the appearance and behavior of its people."
“人们穿着、打扮和行动的方式可暗示出他们的态度与兴趣爱好。通过观察某个社会中人们的外表和行为，我们就能知悉很多关于这个社会的思想和价值观的内容。”

Issue 207

"Progress is best made through discussion among people who have contrasting points of view."
“持不同观点的人们彼此间进行讨论，这是取得进步的最佳途径。”

Issue 208

"Most people choose a career on the basis of such pragmatic considerations as the needs of the economy, the relative ease of finding a job, and the salary they can expect to make. Hardly anyone is free to choose a career based on his or her natural talents or interest in a particular kind of work."
“大多数人在选择其职业生涯时，所依据的往往是一些实用主义的考虑，如经济上的需要，找工作是否相对容易，以及他们所能期望获得的薪酬。几乎很少有人能随心所欲地依据自己的天赋或对某种特定工作的兴趣去选择一种职业生涯。”

Issue 209

"Any decision-whether made by government, by a corporation, or by an individual person-must take into account future conditions more than present conditions."
“任何决定，无论是由政府、公司或由个人作出的，应该更多地考虑到未来的情况而非目前的状况。”

Issue 210

"If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it is justifiable."
“如果某一目标是值得的，那么，用来达到这一目标的任何手段都是正当的。”

Issue 211

"Too much emphasis has been placed on the need for students to challenge the assertions of others. In fact, the ability to compromise and work with others—that is, the ability to achieve social harmony—should be a major goal in every school."
“我们过分强调学生应该质疑他人的论断。实际上，能够做出妥协让步并能够与他人肩并肩地合作，换言之，能够去实现社会和谐，这种能力应该成为每所学校的重要目标。”

Issue 212

"Society should identify those children who have special talents and abilities and begin training them at an early age so that they can eventually excel in their areas of ability. Otherwise, these talents are likely to remain undeveloped."
“社会应该辨别出那些拥有特殊才华和能力的孩子，并开始对他们实施早期训练，从而使他们最终能在他们所擅长的领域中出类拔萃。否则，这些天赋有可能一直无法得到发展。”

Issue 213

"The bombardment of visual images in contemporary society has the effect of making people less able to focus clearly and extensively on a single issue over a long period of time."
“当代社会中，视觉形象的轰炸所起到的作用是使人们越来越无法在一个较长的时间内将注意力明确而又广泛地集中在单个问题上。”

Issue 214

"Most important discoveries or creations are accidental: it is usually while seeking the answer to one question that we come across the answer to another."
“大多数重大发现或创造都是偶然的：情况往往是这样，当我们正在为一个问题寻找答案时，我们碰巧发现了另一个问题的答案。”

Issue 215

"In order to produce successful original work, scholars and scientists must first study the successful work of others to learn what contributions remain to be made."
“为了能创作出成功的原创作品，学者和科学家必须首先学习其他人的成功作品，以便了解哪些贡献还有待于去实现。”

Issue 216

"In order for any work of art—whether film, literature, sculpture, or a song—to have merit, it must be understandable to most people."
“为了使一部分艺术作品——无论是电影、文学、雕塑，还是歌曲——具有价值，它必须能为大多数人所理解。”

Issue 217

"Now that computer technology has made possible the rapid accessing of large amounts of factual information, people are less likely than ever to think deeply or originally. They feel unable to compete with—much less contribute to—the quantity of information that is now available electronically."
“由于计算机技术使人类得以快速地获取大量事实性信息，人们就不太可能象以前那样去进行深刻的和富有创造性的思维。他们觉得无法与人们现在通过电子手段所能获得的大量信息相匹敌，更说不上为之作出贡献了。”

Issue 218

"The increase in knowledge is forcing people to specialize. As a result, the distance between fields of specialization has become so vast that specialists in different areas are rarely able to influence each other."
“知识的增加迫使人们进行专业化的分工。如此一来，各个专业领域之间的距离变得如此之大，以致于不同领域中的专家们很少能相互影响。”

Issue 219

"The chief benefit of the study of history is to break down the illusion that people in one period of time are significantly different from people who lived at any other time in history."
“史学研究的主要益处在于去打破这样一种幻觉，即生活在一个历史时期的人们迥然有别于任何其他历史时期的人们。”

Issue 220

"Learning for learning's sake is an outdated concept. Today, education must serve an ulterior purpose and be directed toward clear goals."
“为了学习的缘故而去学习，这是一个陈旧过时的观念。今天，教育必须服务于一种外部的目的，面向明确的目标。”

Issue 221

"Education is primarily a personal matter; it has little to do with school or college."
“教育主要是一种个人事务；它与学校或学院鲜有联系。

Issue 222

"Censorship is rarely, if ever, justified."
“审查制度，即使有任何合理性，也很少是合理的。”

Issue 223

"People often look for similarities, even between very different things, and even when it is unhelpful or harmful to do so. Instead, a thing should be considered on its own terms; we should avoid the tendency to compare it to something else."
“人们经常寻找共同点，即使在非常不同的事物之间，甚至在这样做没甚益处或有害的时候，人们还是乐此不疲。但恰恰相反，我们应该就事论事地考虑一件事情。我们应避免将它与其他事情进行比较的倾向。”

Issue 224

"People are mistaken when they assume that the problems they confront are more complex and challenging than the problems faced by their predecessors. This illusion is eventually dispelled with increased knowledge and experience."
“当人们以为他们所面临的问题要比其前人所面对的问题来得更为复杂且更具挑战性时，他们便错了。这种幻觉会随着其知识与阅历的增加而最终烟消云散。”

Issue 225

"To remain vigorous, any academic field needs to be led by truly independent thinkers who are willing to ignore established boundaries and challenge long-standing assumptions."
“为了保持其生机和活力，任何学术领域必须由真正独立的思想家来领导，这些思想家应心甘情愿去忽视既存的樊篱，并挑战由来已久的假设。”

Issue 226

"The best way to teach—whether as an educator, employer, or parent—is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones."
“最好的教育方法——无论是作为一位老师，雇主，还是作为父母——是去赞扬正面的行为而忽视负面的行为。”

Issue 227

"The best way to learn a new subject or skill is to study small segments or details in great depth rather than to start by trying to develop a sense of the whole."
“学习一门新学科或新技能的最佳途径是深入学习小的片断或细节，而不是一上来就去培养一种整体感。”

Issue 228

"College students—and people in general—prefer to follow directions rather than make their own decisions. Therefore, colleges should eliminate as many choices as possible in order to offer students clear direction."
“大学学生——以及普通民众——宁肯服从指令也不愿意自己作出决定。因此，大学应该尽量多地去除选择，以便给学生提供清晰的指令。”

Issue 229

"'Moderation in all things' is ill-considered advice. Rather, one should say, 'Moderation in most things,' since many areas of human concern require or at least profit from intense focus."
“‘全面实现现代化’实乃一种考虑欠妥的建议。相反，我们应该说，‘在大多数方面实现现代化’，因为许多领域的人类事务需要强烈的关注，或至少能从强烈的关注中获益。”

Issue 230

"The purpose of education should be to create an academic environment that is separate from the outside world. This kind of environment is ideal because it allows students to focus on important ideas without being held back by practical concerns."
“教育的目的在于创造一个独立于外界的学术环境。这种环境是十分理想的，因为它能够让学生将注意力集中于重要的思想，而不必为实用的考虑而分散精力。”

Issue 231

"Although innovations such as video, computers, and the Internet seem to offer schools improved methods for instructing students, these technologies all too often distract from real learning."
“虽然诸如录像机、电脑及因特网等发明似乎为学校提供了更加完善的教学手段，但这些技术非常频繁地分散着学生的注意力，使其无法专注于真正的学习。”

Issue 232

"Most people prefer restrictions and regulations to absolute freedom of choice, although they would probably deny such a preference."
“大多数人更喜欢限制和规则，而不喜欢绝对的选择自由，尽管他们有可能否认这样一种偏爱。”

Issue 233

"Most people are taught that loyalty is a virtue. But loyalty—whether to one's friends, to one's school or place of employment, or to any institution—is all too often a destructive rather than a positive force."
“大多数人受过这样的教育，即忠诚乃美德。但忠诚——无论是对于自己的朋友、学校、工作单位，还是对任何机构的忠诚——在太多的时候是一种具有破坏性的而非建设性的力量。”

Issue 234

"Encouraging young people to believe that they can accomplish great things if they try hard enough is both misleading and potentially harmful."
“鼓励年轻人相信，只要他们勤于努力，就能实现重大成就，这不仅仅会产生误导作用，而且具有潜在的危害性。”

Issue 235

"Computers and video technology can make facsimiles of original works such as paintings and historical documents available to everyone. The great advantage of this new technology is that it will enable anyone—not just scholars—to conduct in-depth research without having access to the original works."
“计算机和录像技术使诸如绘画和历史文件的原作的复制品能为所有人所获得。这一新技术的优越之处在于，它能使每个人，而不仅仅是学者，进行深入的研究，而不一定要占有原作。

Issue 236

"Conformity almost always leads to a deadening of individual creativity and energy."
“与他人保持一致几乎总是会导致个人创造力和精力的窒息。”

Issue 237

"Much of the information that people assume is 'factual' actually turns out to be inaccurate. Thus, any piece of information referred to as a 'fact' should be mistrusted since it may well be proven false in the future."
“人们自认为‘事实性的’许多信息实际上都是不精确的，因此，任何一条被称为‘事实性的’信息不应该被信以为真，因为它在未来很有可能被证谬。”

Issue 238

"Although it is easy to respond positively to the work of another person or group, it is far more worthwhile to give negative feedback."
“虽然对另一个人或另一个团体所做的工作作出正面回应是极为容易的，但提供负面的反馈会更有价值。”

Issue 239

"An individual's greatness cannot be judged objectively by his or her contemporaries; the most objective evaluators of a person's greatness are people who belong to a later time."
“某个个人是否伟大，无法由这个人的同代人作出客观的评判。衡量一个人是否伟大的最客观的评判者是那些属于下一个时代的人们。”

Issue 240

"Societies should try to save every plant and animal species, regardless of the expense to humans in effort, time, and financial well-being."
“全社会应竭尽全力挽救每一个植物与动物物种，无论人类在精力，时间和财力方面耗费多大的代价。”

Issue 241

"The true value of a civilization is reflected in its artistic creations rather than in its scientific accomplishments."
“文明的真正价值所反映在它的艺术创作中，而非反映在它的科学成就中。”

Issue 242

"Most societies do not take their greatest thinkers seriously, even when they claim to admire them."
“大多数社会不会认真对待他们那个时代最伟大的思想家，尽管他们声称他们十分崇拜这些思想家。”

Issue 243

"Unfortunately, the media tend to highlight what is sensational at the moment. Society would be better served if the media reported or focused more fully on events and trends that will ultimately have the most long-term significance."
“不幸的是，媒体倾向于凸现那些只在此时此际轰动性的事件。如果媒体更全面充分地报道或关注那些终将产生最为深远意义的事件和趋势，那么，社会便能得到更好的回报。”

Issue 244

"Contemporary art (painting, music, literature, etc.) is absent from the lives of most people, since it is primarily created only for the enjoyment of other artists. Art should instead be created purely for popular understanding and appreciation."
“当代艺术（绘画、音乐、文学等）已从大多数人的生活中消失，因为它主要是为了其他艺术家的享受而创作出来的。相反，艺术创作应该纯粹为了大众的理解和欣赏。”

Issue 245

"No amount of information can eliminate prejudice because prejudice is rooted in emotion, not reason."
“再多数量的信息也无法消除人们的偏见，因为偏见植根于情感而非理性。”

Issue 246

"What is called human nature is really a reflection of the human condition: if all people had a reasonable share of territory and resources, such products of 'human nature' as war and crime would become extremely rare."
“所谓人性实际上是人类生存条件的反映：如果所有的人都可以适当地分享土地和资源，那么诸如战争和犯罪等等‘人性’的产物就会极其罕见了。”

Issue 247

"International relations can never be completely harmonious because many cultures do not share the same values."
“国际关系永远也无法做到彻底的和谐，因为许多文化并不分享相同的价值观。”

Issue 248

"We live under the illusion that we know what we want, when actually we merely want what we are supposed to want."
“我们生活在这样一种幻觉中，即我们似乎知道我们想要什么；但实际上，我们所想得到的东西只是社会允许我们去获取的那些东西。”

Issue 249

"The function of art is not to keep pace with science and technology but rather to provide an escape from these forces."
“艺术的作用不是与科技保持同步，而是去提供一种逃避这些力量的途径。”

Issue 250

"Too much time, money, and energy are spent developing new and more elaborate technology. Society should instead focus on maximizing the use of existing technology for the immediate benefit of its citizens."
“太多的时间、金钱和精力被用于发展全新的和更为复杂的技术。相反，社会应该集中力量来最大限度地应用现有技术，来使它的公民直接受益。”

Issue 251

"Imprisonment for violent crimes should be made as unpleasant as possible in order to deter potential offenders from committing such crimes."
“对犯有暴力罪行的人实施的囚禁，应该尽可能地使它变得难以忍受，从而对潜在的作恶者产生威慑作用，使其不敢去犯下这样的罪行。”

Issue 252

"Most cultures encourage individuals to sacrifice a large part of their own personalities in order to be like other people. Thus, most people are afraid to think or behave differently because they do not want to be excluded."
“大多数文化鼓励个人牺牲其相当一部分个性以便与他人保持相似。因此，大多数人便不敢有不同的思想和行为，因为他们不希望被排除在群体之外。”

Issue 254

"Most of the people we consider heroic today were, in fact, very ordinary people who happened to be in the right place at the right time."
“事实上，大多数在今天被我们视为英雄的人们都是一些普通人而已，他们只是凑巧在恰当的时机出现在恰当的地方。”

Issue 255

"A person's own habits and attitudes often limit that person's freedom more than do restrictions imposed by others."
“一个人自身的习惯与态度往往要比由他人施予的禁令更能限制这个人的自由。”

嘉文博译郑重声明：