翻译练习：The untrained Mind

本文也发布在译言，译自 The untrained Mind。

原文：

People

1. Tend to believe what they want to believe

2. Tend to project their own biases or experiences upon situations

3. Tend to generalize from a specific event

4. Tend to get personally involved in the analysis of and issue and tend to let their feelings overcome a sense of objectivity.

5. Are not good listeners. They hear selectively. They often hear only what they want to hear.

6. Are eager to rationalize

7. Are often unable to distinguish what is relevant from what is irrelevant

8. Are easily diverted from the specific issue at hand.

9. Tend to oversimplify

10. Often judge from appearances. They observe something; misinterpret what they observe, and make terrible errors in judgment.

11. Often simply don’t know what they are talking about, especially in matters of general discussion. They rarely think before speaking

12. Rarely act according to a set of consistent standards. They tend to do whatever they want to do and then find whatever evidence will support their actions or their beliefs.

13. Often do not say what they mean and often do not mean what they say.

“Most people want to feel issues are simple rather than complex, want to have their prejudices confirmed, want to feel that they ‘belong’ with the implications that others do not, and need to pinpoint an enemy to blame for their frustrations.” J.A.C. Brown Techniques of Persuasion.

“The Untrained mind will usually take the path of least resistance.” Robert J. Gula Nonsense

“The tendency to avoid challenge is so omnipresent in human beings that it can properly be considered a characteristic of human nature. But calling it natural does not mean it is essential or beneficial or unchangeable behavior. It is also natural to defecate in our pants and never brush our teeth. Yet we teach ourselves to do the unnatural until the unnatural becomes itself second nature.” M. Scott Peck Road Less Traveled

译文：

人们──

1. 倾向于相信自己愿意相信的。

2. 倾向于将自己的偏见和经历强加于具体情况上。

3. 倾向于将特殊事件一般化。

4. 倾向于将自己个人牵扯到对事情的分析中，还倾向于让情绪支配对客观现实的感知。

5. 不是好的倾听者，有选择地听，常常只听到自己想要听的。

6. 热衷于使行为合理化。

7. 常常无法分清什么是有关的，什么是无关的。

8. 很容易分心，无法专注于手头的问题。

9. 倾向于过度简化。

10. 常常根据表面现象来判断。他们观察到一点点东西，又曲解了自己的观察，最终做出了严重错误的判断。

11. 常常根本就不知道自己在说什么，尤其在一般性的讨论中。他们很少先想再说。

12. 很少依据一组固定的标准来做事。他们随便想做什么就做什么，然后再找出随便什么能支持自己观点或行动的理由。

13. 常常言不由衷，辞不达意。

“大部分人都希望面对简单的东西，而不是复杂的东西，希望能让自己的成见得到证实，希望看到自己‘适合于’别人不适用的推论，还需要把自己的失意归咎于某个敌人才行。” J.A.C. Brown 的 Techniques of Persuasion 一书如是说。

“未经训练的头脑常常选择那条阻碍最小的路径。”Robert J. Gula 的 Nonsense 一书如是说。

“逃避挑战的倾向在人类中无所不在，完全可以看作是人的一种天性。但说它是天性并不意味着它就是必须的或有益的或无法改变的行为。把大便拉到裤子上，从来不刷牙，这也是天性。但我们教会了自己去做违反天性的事情，直到这种违反天性的行为变成了自己的第二天性。” M. Scott Peck 的 Road Less Traveled 一书如是说。