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PHILOSOPHY & FUN OF ALGEBRA, Chapter 8, The Limits of the Teacher’s Function, part 2

Chapter 8, The Limits of the Teacher's Function, part 2

When you have found out a truth, then the question whether you shall or shall not tell it to other people is a matter of conscience. You will have to settle it alone with the Great Power which no man knows. Self-deception, slipshod logic, and bad algebra are things which it is the business of your elders to protect you from while you are young, in order that you may not lose the power of being honest in case you wish to be so. My business is not to judge what is good or bad conduct, but to see that you learn how to be perfectly honest with yourself. I wish you to notice this, because in the books of the Hebrew algebra you will sometimes find good kind people spoken of very harshly; and some of the most dishonest and selfish people in the world praised and spoken of as blessed. This puzzles many good people, because they choose to fancy that the Hebrew books are sermons about right and wrong feelings; and do not like to recognise that they are really about the algebra of logic. As I said before, people who really conduct their minds strictly according to the algebra of logic are very prone to grow kindness and honesty towards other people, without thinking about it, as a matter of taste, of choice. They like being kind and honest better than being selfish and dishonest, and they become kind and honest without thinking much about it. But honesty to other people and honesty to yourself are two different things, and must be kept apart in your mind, just as, in physiology class, you keep apart the flesh of an animal and its skin. You believe that if the flesh is thoroughly healthy it will grow a good skin; but, while you are studying, you do not mix up statements about the one with guesses about the other. If we find that a man's logic was good, and his conduct what we should call bad, we must do what a doctor would do if he found a spot on a patient's skin which he could not account for by anything wrong in his circulation or digestion. He ought not to say either, “That spot is not there,” or, “I suppose it is right that spot should be there,” nor, on the other hand, to jump to the conclusion that that patient had been eating some particularly unwholesome thing. He ought to register in his mind, as one of his data, the fact of his own ignorance of how that spot came there. I shall have to tell you in another chapter the story of one of the most selfish and deceitful persons that ever lived, as to his conduct towards other people, but who was said to be blessed, apparently for no reason except that he was absolutely straight with his logic and honest with himself. Besides, no one who is consciously and deliberately dishonest to serve his own selfish purposes can ever do as much harm to other people as is done every day by men and women who have muddled their own brains with crooked logic.


Chapter 8, The Limits of the Teacher’s Function, part 2 Chapitre 8, Les limites de la fonction d'enseignant, partie 2 第8章 教師機能の限界 その2 Capítulo 8, Os limites da função do professor, parte 2

When you have found out a truth, then the question whether you shall or shall not tell it to other people is a matter of conscience. Quando você descobriu uma verdade, então a questão de contá-la ou não a outras pessoas é uma questão de consciência. You will have to settle it alone with the Great Power which no man knows. Você terá que resolver isso sozinho com o Grande Poder que nenhum homem conhece. Self-deception, slipshod logic, and bad algebra are things which it is the business of your elders to protect you from while you are young, in order that you may not lose the power of being honest in case you wish to be so. Autoengano, lógica desleixada e álgebra ruim são coisas das quais os mais velhos devem protegê-lo enquanto você é jovem, para que você não perca o poder de ser honesto, caso deseje sê-lo. My business is not to judge what is good or bad conduct, but to see that you learn how to be perfectly honest with yourself. Meu negócio não é julgar o que é uma boa ou má conduta, mas fazer com que você aprenda a ser perfeitamente honesto consigo mesmo. I wish you to notice this, because in the books of the Hebrew algebra you will sometimes find good kind people spoken of very harshly; and some of the most dishonest and selfish people in the world praised and spoken of as blessed. Eu gostaria que você notasse isso, porque nos livros de álgebra hebraica você encontrará às vezes pessoas boas e bondosas, faladas com muita severidade; e algumas das pessoas mais desonestas e egoístas do mundo são elogiadas e ditas abençoadas. This puzzles many good people, because they choose to fancy that the Hebrew books are sermons about right and wrong feelings; and do not like to recognise that they are really about the algebra of logic. Isso confunde muitas pessoas boas, porque elas escolhem imaginar que os livros hebraicos são sermões sobre sentimentos certos e errados; e não gosto de reconhecer que eles são realmente sobre a álgebra da lógica. As I said before, people who really conduct their minds strictly according to the algebra of logic are very prone to grow kindness and honesty towards other people, without thinking about it, as a matter of taste, of choice. Como eu disse antes, as pessoas que realmente conduzem suas mentes estritamente de acordo com a álgebra da lógica são muito propensas a cultivar bondade e honestidade para com outras pessoas, sem pensar nisso, por uma questão de gosto, de escolha. They like being kind and honest better than being selfish and dishonest, and they become kind and honest without thinking much about it. Eles gostam mais de ser gentis e honestos do que egoístas e desonestos, e se tornam gentis e honestos sem pensar muito nisso. But honesty to other people and honesty to yourself are two different things, and must be kept apart in your mind, just as, in physiology class, you keep apart the flesh of an animal and its skin. Mas a honestidade para com as outras pessoas e a honestidade consigo mesmo são duas coisas diferentes e devem ser mantidas separadas em sua mente, assim como, na aula de fisiologia, você separa a carne de um animal de sua pele. You believe that if the flesh is thoroughly healthy it will grow a good skin; but, while you are studying, you do not mix up statements about the one with guesses about the other. Você acredita que, se a carne estiver completamente saudável, crescerá uma boa pele; mas, enquanto você está estudando, você não confunde afirmações sobre uma com suposições sobre a outra. If we find that a man's logic was good, and his conduct what we should call bad, we must do what a doctor would do if he found a spot on a patient's skin which he could not account for by anything wrong in his circulation or digestion. Se descobrirmos que a lógica de um homem era boa e sua conduta o que poderíamos chamar de ruim, devemos fazer o que um médico faria se encontrasse uma mancha na pele de um paciente que não pudesse ser explicada por qualquer problema em sua circulação ou digestão. . He ought not to say either, “That spot is not there,” or, “I suppose it is right that spot should be there,” nor, on the other hand, to jump to the conclusion that that patient had been eating some particularly unwholesome thing. Ele também não deve dizer: “Aquela mancha não está aí” ou “Acho que é certo que a mancha esteja ali”, nem, por outro lado, pular para a conclusão de que aquele paciente estava comendo alguma coisa particularmente coisa doentia. He ought to register in his mind, as one of his data, the fact of his own ignorance of how that spot came there. Ele deve registrar em sua mente, como um de seus dados, o fato de sua própria ignorância de como aquele ponto surgiu ali. I shall have to tell you in another chapter the story of one of the most selfish and deceitful persons that ever lived, as to his conduct towards other people, but who was said to be blessed, apparently for no reason except that he was absolutely straight with his logic and honest with himself. Terei de contar a vocês em outro capítulo a história de uma das pessoas mais egoístas e enganosas que já existiram, quanto à sua conduta para com outras pessoas, mas que se dizia ser abençoado, aparentemente sem motivo, exceto que ele era absolutamente heterossexual. com sua lógica e honesto consigo mesmo. Besides, no one who is consciously and deliberately dishonest to serve his own selfish purposes can ever do as much harm to other people as is done every day by men and women who have muddled their own brains with crooked logic. Além disso, ninguém que seja consciente e deliberadamente desonesto para servir a seus próprios propósitos egoístas pode causar tanto dano a outras pessoas quanto é feito todos os dias por homens e mulheres que confundiram seus próprios cérebros com uma lógica distorcida.