Plato Today

The modern Plato, like his ancient counterpart, has an unbounded contempt for oliticians and statesmen and party leaders who are not university men. He finds politics a dirty game, and only enters them reluctantly because he knows that at the very least he and his friends are better than the present gang. Brought up in the traditions of the ruling classes, he has a natural pity for the common people whom he has learnt to know as servants, and observed from a distance at their work in the factory, at their play in the parks and holiday resorts. He has never mixed with them or spoken to them on equal terms, but has demanded and generally received a respect due to his position and superior intelligence. He knows that if they trust him, he can give them the happiness which they crave. A man of culture, he genuinely despises the self-made industrialist and newspaper-king: with a modest professional salary and a little private income of his own, he regards money-making as vulgar and avoids all ostentation. Industry and finance seem to him to be activities unworthy of gentlemen, although, alas, many are forced by exigencies of circumstance to take some part in them. intellectual, he gently laughs at the superstitions of most Christians, but attends church regularly because he sees the importance of organized religion for the maintenance of sound morality among the lower orders, and because he dislikes the scepticism and materialism of radical teachers. His genuine passions are for literature and the philosophy of science and he would gladly spend all his time in studying them. But the plight of the world compels his unwilling attention, and when he sees that human stupidity and greed are about to plunge Europe into chaos and destroy the most glorious civilization which the world has known, he feels that it is high time for men of good sense and good will to intervene and to take politics out of the hands of the plutocrats of the Right and the woolly-minded idealists of the Left. Since he and his kind are the only representatives of decency combined with intelligence, they must step down into the arena and save the masses for themselves.

New words and expressions

1.Plato柏拉图Platonic love: friendship between woman and man of mind and spirit

西方文明由1、christianity 2、苏格拉底，亚里士多德，柏拉图构成

2.counterpart相对立的人

3.Resort 度假胜地 retreat 胜地summer resort 避暑山health resort 疗养胜地spot 胜地

4.mix 相混合 He mixes well./ He is a good mixer.他左右逢源。

5.Crave 混合 crave for fresh air渴望新鲜空气 craving贪婪

6.Genuinely真正的 genuine=pure 纯正的 real=true真的

authentic 正宗的，真品Sincere真诚

7.vulgar粗陋的

8.ostentation卖弄、炫耀 ostentatious adj pretentious adj showy adj flashy adj

9.alas 哎呀 10.exigency 紧迫 emergency紧迫，急诊

11.Christian基督教徒Christianity基督教 Christ基督 Islam/Moslem伊斯兰教Buddhism佛教Buddha如来佛

12.religion宗教 religious宗教的 enter into religion 出家

13.morality道德 moral道德

14.Scepticism怀疑论

15.materialism唯物主义 materialist务实者，唯物主义者 idealist理想主义者，唯心者dialectical materialism辩证唯物主义 historical materialism历史唯物主义

16.radical激进的

17.plight困境trap/plunge/sink into plight陷入困境 dilemma左右为难的

18.greed贪婪avaricious贪婪的 insatiable不知足的

19.plunge使陷入 I plunge myself into poverty 我陷入贫困

Gambling plunged him into failure in business.赌博使他陷入商业失败的境地。

20.chaos混乱chaotic混乱的anarchy无政府状态 lawlessness无法无天 bedlam疯人院

21.plutocrat富豪 Pluto 冥王星

22.the Right 右翼 the Left左翼 rightist右派 leftist左派

23.decency体面 decent体面的

for the seek of decency为了面子

Notes on the text

1.the modern Plato :the person who is like Plato in our modern society.

2.stateman 政治家 plitician政客

3.A university is a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who pursue truth who strike to make others see.大学是憎恶无知的人求知之所,是寻求真理的人诲人之处.

4.them :political activities.

5.at the very least说句公道话

6.gang :group of people 在英文中,一般无褒义.

7.bring up: bring sb. up

grow up

8.on equal terms平等的地位

on speaking terms 泛泛之交

They keep good terms with each other.

The two neighbors are not on borrowing term.这两个邻居从不来往

9.newspaper-king 报业巨子

10.modest适当的

11.sound:good,healthy

12.teacher=advocator说教者

13.genuine passions一种热切的激情plight n.情况

14.compet=win

15be about to do: do sth very soon

16.high time =good time早就该

17.intervene干涉 woolly-minded 糊涂脑袋的

18.mob乌合之众

19.arena舞台新概念英语3mp3下载

20.课文短语

unbound contempt for sb

a natural pity

on equal terms

superior intelligence

a man of culture

self-made industrialist

newspaper-king

unworthy of gentlemen

plunge into

high time

man of good sense

his kind