Knowledge and Progress

Why does the idea of progress loom so large in the modern world? Surely because progress of a particular kind is actually taking place around us and is becoming more and more manifest. Although mankind has undergone no general improvement in intelligence or morality, it has made extraordinary progress in the accumulation of knowledge. Knowledge began to increase as soon as the thoughts of one individual could be communicated to another by means of speech. With the invention of writing, a great advance was made, for knowledge could then be not only communicated but also stored. Libraries made education possible, and education in its turn added to libraries: the growth of knowledge followed a kind of compound - interest law, which was greatly enhanced by the invention of printing. All this was comparatively slow until, with the coming of science, the tempo was suddenly raised. Then knowledge began to be accumulated according to a systematic plan. The trickle became a stream; the stream has now become a torrent. Moreover, as soon as new knowledge is acquired, it is now turned to practical account. What is called "modern civilization" is not the result of a balanced development of all man's nature, but of accumulated knowledge applied to practical life. The problem now facing humanity is: What is going to be done with all this knowledge? As is so often pointed out, knowledge is a two - edged weapon which can be used equally for good or evil. It is now being used indifferently for both. Could any spectacle, for instance, be more grimly whimsical than that of gunners using science to shatter men's bodies while, close at hand, surgeons use it to restore them? We have to ask ourselves very seriously what will happen if this two - edged weapon falls into the hands of those who would use it for evil purposes. Newspapers and broadcasters, as well as individuals, now spread that information quickly and widely. Disarmament negotiations in Geneva have been going on for years without accomplishing anything. But suppose we succeed in disarming the atom, our work as moral beings is not yet done. It is a problem that calls for very serious consideration. What is the use of disarming the atom if we do not also disarm the mind? It is not enough to take this weapon out of the hands of the soldiers. We must take it out of the hands of the politicians as well. The more knowledge men have, the more responsible they should be. It is only when we are very much more intelligent than we are at present that we shall be able to realize all that knowledge implies.

为什么进步这个概念在现代世界显得如此突出？无疑是因为有一种特殊的进步实际上正在我们周围发生，而且变得越来越明显。虽然人类在智力和道德上没有得到普遍提高，但在知识积累方面却取得了巨大的进步。一旦一个人的思想能够借助语言传递给另一个人，知识便开始增长了。随着书写的发明，又迈进了一大步，因为这样一来，知识不仅能交流，而且能储存了。图书馆使教育成为可能，而教育反过来又丰富了图书馆：知识的增长遵循着一种复利法则，印刷术的发明又大大提高了知识增长的速度。在科学出现之前，所有这些发展都相当缓慢；随着科学的到来，速度突然加快了。于是，知识开始按照系统的计划积累起来。涓涓细流汇成了小溪，小溪现已变成了奔腾的江河。而且，新知识一旦获得，马上就得到实际应用。所谓“现代文明”并非人的全部天性均衡发展的结果，而是把积累的知识应用于实际生活的结果。现在人类面临的问题是：用这些知识去做什么？正如人们常常指出的，知识是一把双刃剑，既可以用于行善，也可以用于作恶。现在人们正不加区别地把知识用于这两个方面。例如：炮兵利用科学毁坏人的身体、而外科医生就在附近用科学抢救被炮兵毁坏的人体，还有比这更荒诞离奇的情景吗？我们不得不非常严肃地问自己：如果这把双刃剑落入那些想用它来作恶的人手中，将会发生什么情况呢？现在，报纸、广播电台以及个人都在迅速而广泛地传播着这种信息。日内瓦裁军谈判已经进行了多年，但毫无成果。但是，即使我们成功地解除了原子的武装，我们作为道德存在者的工作还没有完成。这是一个需要非常认真考虑的问题。如果我们不同时解除思想上的武装，解除原子的武装又有什么用呢？仅仅把这种武器从士兵手中拿走是不够的。我们还必须把它从政治家手中拿走。人们的知识越多，他们就应该越有责任感。只有当我们比现在聪明得多的时候，我们才能认识到知识所包含的全部意义。