|
今天介紹一本U字首的世界名著，單看標題的一句，各位大概已猜到是哪本好書吧？不錯，就是Utopia，中譯《烏托邦》，作者是英國文藝復興時期（Renaissance）的著名人文主義者（humanist）兼政治家托馬斯．摩爾（Thomas More，1478-1535）。大家對「烏托邦」一詞應當不會陌生，它泛指任何構想出來的理想社會，而出處便是摩爾這本舉世聞名的小說。Utopia一字，後部分-topia解作「地方」，而前部分有說指ou-（沒有），有說指eu-（好），因此「烏托邦」既可指「不存在的地方」，也可指「理想的地方」，現時則常指兩個意思兼備。
共享物資 全民皆富
現實社會實行私有產權制度，摩爾批評人們勢必把個人利益放在別人利益之上。他因而提出共產主張：
But in Utopia, where every man has a right to everything, they all know that if care is taken to keep the public stores full, no private man can want anything（相反，在烏托邦，一切歸全民所有，因此只要公倉裝滿糧食，就絕無人懷疑任何私人會感到甚麼缺乏）; for among them there is no unequal distribution, so that no man is poor, none in necessity, and though no man has anything, yet they are all rich（原因是，這兒對物質分配十分慷慨。這兒看不到窮人和乞丐。每人一無所有，而又每人富裕）.
無憂無慮 世代幸福
For what can make a man so rich as to lead a serene and cheerful life, free from anxieties; neither apprehending want himself, nor vexed with the endless complaints of his wife? He is not afraid of the misery of his children, nor is he contriving how to raise a portion for his daughters, but is secure in this, that both he and his wife, his children and grand-children, to as many generations as he can fancy, will all live both plentifully and happily？（當人們毫無憂慮，快樂而安靜地生活，不為吃飯問題操心，不因妻子有所需索的吵鬧而煩惱，不怕因孩貧困，不愁女兒沒有妝奩，而是對於自己以及家中的妻、兒、孫、曾孫、玄孫，以及綿綿不絕的無窮盡後代的生活和幸福都感到放心，那麼，還有甚麼對他們來說是更大的財富呢）; since, among them, there is no less care taken of those who were once engaged in labour, but grow afterwards unable to follow it, than there is, elsewhere, of these that continue still employed.（我們還要考慮到，那些曾經從事勞動而現在已經喪失勞動力的人，和仍然從事勞動的人受到同樣的照顧）.
這樣的無私世界，的確很令人嚮往，但人類何時才能進化至此地？ ■余 功
逢周五見報
|
