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上节课Lasttime,我们讨论了自杀的理性问题wewerediscussingtherationalityofsuicide.我们把自杀的理性问题Weseparatedthequestionoftherationalityofsuicide和自杀的道德问题区分开来fromtheethicsofsuicideorthemoralityofsuicide.后面我们会谈到自杀的道德问题We'llbeturningtothemoralityofsuicidelatertoday.自杀的理性问题里首先谈到的是Butthefirstquestioninthinkingabouttherationalityofsuicidewas是否存在这种情况whetherornotitcouldactuallybethecase有些人死了会更好thatsomebodywouldbebetteroffdead.根据前面讲的Havingarguedthat,至少在我看来比较正确的说法是atleastonwhatstruckmeasthemoreplausibletheoryis,有这种可能thatwasapossibility.我们然后又谈论了在什么情况下Wethenturnedtothequestionofunderwhatcircumstances,更确切moreparticularly--可能也是更好的说法是orperhapsthebetterwaytoputit,在什么时间atwhatpoint--自杀可能是合理的woulditbetruethatsuicidemightberational?讨论这个问题Intacklingthequestion,我们先不考虑wewereinitiallybracketingthequestion你能否理性地判断aboutwhetheryoucouldeverreasonablyorrationallyjudge自己所处的境况thatthecircumstancesactuallyobtained.过几分钟我们再谈这个问题We'llturntothatquestioninafewminutes.我们开始关注的只是Thequestionwewerefocusingonoriginallywasjust,从客观的角度出发fromtheobjectiveperspective,asitwere,什么样的人生走向whatdoesthegraphneedtolooklike表明情况已经糟糕到inorderforittobethecase你死了会更好thatyou'dbebetteroffdead自杀会是合理的选择andsuicidewouldbearationalchoice?我画了些不同的图形和曲线Idrewavarietyofdifferentgraphs,differentlines代表你生活的起落沉浮aboutyourlifedoingbetterorworse,每个都标注了andnotedforeachoneofthem,在哪个时间点如果有的话atwhatpoint,ifever,自杀也许是合理的选择suicidemightbeareasonablechoice.在结束这个讨论之前Iwanttodrawacoupleofmoregraphs我想再多画几个图形beforeendingthisbitofthediscussion.先回忆一下坐标轴You'llrecalltheaxes.X轴代表时间Thexaxisrepresentstime.Y轴代表你的生活Theyaxisrepresents总的来说有多好或者多坏howgoodorbadyourlifeisoverall,如果你接受有价容器理论的话takingintoaccountthevalueofbeingalive,perse,这里还要考虑生命本身的价值ifyouacceptavaluablecontainertheory.线条越高你这时的生活就越好Thehighertheline,thebetteryourlifeisatthattime.线条越低你这时的生活就越差Thelowertheline,theworseyourlifeisatthattime.你也许会说比较简单的例子Youmightsay,theeasycases,至少从哲学上来看atleastinthephilosophicalpointofview,就是生活变得不好areoneswherethingsgetworse.最终你生不如死Eventually,yourlifebecomesworsethannothing.你死了会更好You'dbebetteroffdead.而且这种情况会持续下去Andit'sgoingtostaythatway直到你自然死亡untilsuchtimeasyoumightdiefromnaturalcauses.因自然原因死去Dyingfromnaturalcauses.在这种情况下Inasituationlikethis,在这个时间以后自杀都是合理的killingyourselffromhereonoutwouldmakesense,假设你了解事情的真相assumingyouknewthefacts,可以相信自己的判断等等couldtrustyourjudgment,andsoforthandsoon.这些问题我们一会儿再谈Someoftheissuesthatwe'llcomebacktoinaminute.正如大家看到的Andindeed,aswesaw,甚至有时therewillbeevencasesinwhich你早点自杀也可能是合理的itmightmakesensetokillyourselfearlier,如果这就是ifthiswasthelastchanceatwhich你能自杀的最后机会youhadtheabilitytokillyourselfornot,即使你放弃了一段eventhoughyou'dbegivingupsomelife值得过下去的日子thatwasworthliving,但这是避免更长一段thatwastheonlywaytoavoid不值得过下去的日子的唯一方法amuchlargerchunkoflifethatwasnotworthliving.所以自杀也还是合理的So,suicidemightstillmakesense.另一方面Ontheotherhand,如果你自杀的最后机会在这里ifthechoicewaswaybackhere,尽管这么早自杀althoughthisis--killingyourselfearlyon是避免将来那段wouldbetheonlywaytoavoid不值得过下去的日子的唯一方法thelaterchunknotworthliving,如果这段日子足够短atleastifthatchunk'ssmallenough--假设是这样的supposeitwaslikethis你会说这么早自杀不合情理you'dsayitdoesn'tmakesensetokillyourselfthisearly.因为你放弃的太多了You'dbethrowingawaytoomuch,即使这是避免坏事情的唯一方法eventhoughthat'stheonlywaytoavoidthebadstuff.像我说的Now,asIsay,这是个比较简单的图形that'stheeasygraph,你的生活从值得过下去whereyougofromalifeworthliving变成不值得过下去toalifenotworthliving并且一直持续下去anditstaysthere.但假如不是这样Butsupposeinstead,情况是这样的wehaveasituationlikethis.这里这个阶段你生不如死Here,lifebecomesworsethannothingforawhile,但后来又好了butyourecover.你重新过上有价值的生活You'regoingtoreturntoalifethat'sworthhaving.假设重新变好以后Andsupposethatafteryourecover,你第三阶段的生活非常好you'llhaveaverynicethirdstage,人生的第三幕thirdactofyourlife然后你寿终正寝自然死亡beforeyouwouldeventuallydieofnaturalcausesornaturaldeath.这里的关键在于Here,thecrucialpointtomake,ofcourse,即使有这么一段时间isthateventhoughforawhile你生不如死yourlifewillbeworsethannothing,总的来讲是负数negativeoverall,也不意味着itdoesn'tmeanthatit你在这时自杀是合理的makessensetokillyourselfatthispoint.因为当然Because,ofcourse,虽然你在这时自杀althoughit'struethatifyoudokillyourselfhere,确实能避免这段不好的日子you'reavoidingthisnegativechunk,在X轴下方的这一块thisbitbelowthexaxis,但你同时也放弃了美好的第三阶段doingthatalsothrowsawaytheverylargethirdact在这一阶段你的生活将重归幸福whereyourlifereturnstobeingbetterthannothing.由于这种选择同时获得或放弃两个阶段Sincethechoiceshaveneitherofthese,orboth,而美好的第三阶段andthepositivethirdact又大到足以抵消糟糕的第二阶段isgreatenoughtooutweighthenegativesecondact,所以总的来讲onbalance,你自杀就是不合理的itdoesn'tmakesense.但是当然Butofcourse--所以即使你有一段Soeventhoughyourlifemightbe生不如死的日子worsethannothingforsomestretch,自杀也不见得就是合理的选择suicidewouldn'tnecessarilybearationaldecision.但是得到这一结论的关键在于Butit'scrucialinmakingthatargument,我一直称它为三段理论thatthe--whatI'vebeencallingthethirdact.这是第一阶段这是第二阶段Here'sactone,here'sacttwo,这是第三阶段here'sactthree.得到这一结论的关键在于It'scrucialinmakingthisargument第三阶段要足够好isthatthethirdactwassufficientlygreat,时间足够长质量足够高sufficientlylongandsufficientlyhigh它抵消并超过了糟糕的第二阶段thatitoutweighsthebadofthesecondact.从我画的图上看确实如此Andalthoughthat'struethewayI'vedrawnthegraph,但我们可以想象另一种情况wecouldimaginethatitwasn'tquitelikethat.假设在不值得过下去的Supposethatafterthesecondact,第二阶段之后inwhichyourlifeisnotworthliving,你的生活又重新变好youwillrecoverand进入第三阶段haveathirdactin总的来说你的生活又有了价