要不要生孩子的哲学思考

1941年12月，居住在阿姆斯特丹的年轻犹太女子埃蒂·希勒斯姆发现自己意外怀孕了。

双语精读

In December 1941, Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman living in Amsterdam, found herself unexpectedly pregnant.

1941年12月，居住在阿姆斯特丹的年轻犹太女子埃蒂·希勒斯姆发现自己意外怀孕了。

Hers was not a wanted pregnancy; we know from her diaries that she had never desired children, and had even considered a hysterectomy "in a rash and pleasure-loving moment."

她并不想怀孕，从她的日记中我们可以知道，她从来都不想要孩子，甚至 “在轻率和贪图享乐的时候”考虑过切除子宫。

Like many women before (and after) her, Hillesum self-managed her abortion. She left behind an account not just of her methods, but of her reasoning.

和在她之前（以及之后）的许多女性一样，希勒斯姆自行堕胎。她留下了一份自述，其中不仅描述了她的堕胎方法，也阐述了她对堕胎的思考。

"All I want is to keep someone out of this miserable world. I shall leave you in a state of unbornness, rudimentary being that you are, and you ought to be grateful to me. I almost feel a little tenderness for you," she wrote.

“我只想让某人远离这个悲惨的世界。我会让你处于现在的未出生、未发育完全的状态，你应该感激我。我对你几乎产生了一丝柔情。”她写道。

Hillesum was aware of the dire political circumstances around her, but her rationale was entirely personal. As she explained to the entity growing within her, her "tainted family" was "riddled with hereditary disease."

赫列斯姆意识到了她周围可怕的政治环境，但她的理由完全是个人的。她向自己体内正在成长的实体解释说，她那“有污点的家族充满了遗传病”。

Eighty-three years later, the Dutch philosopher Mara van der Lugt looks to Hillesum in contemplating a central question she believes that everyone must attempt to answer for themselves: that of whether or not to have children.

83年后，荷兰哲学家玛拉·范德卢格特在思考一个核心问题时，将目光投向了希勒斯姆。她认为，每个人都必须尝试自己回答这个问题：是否要孩子。

In her new book, Begetting: What Does It Mean to Create a Child? van der Lugt locates in Hillesum's words no less than "the beginning of an ethics of creation," an earnest wrestling with the act of bringing a new person into the world.

在她的新书《生育：创造一个孩子意味着什么？》中，范德卢格特在赫勒瑟姆的话语中发现的就是“创造伦理学的开端”，这是对将一个新生命带入世界这一行为的认真思考。

She argues that childbearing is too often framed as a matter of desire and capacity-wanting or not wanting children, being able or unable to have them-when it should be a moral one.

她认为，生育问题往往被描述为是关于愿望和能力的问题——想要或不想要孩子，能够或不能够要孩子——而实际上它应该是一个道德问题。

Asking such a question in an era when two-thirds of the global population live in places with fertility rates below replacement level may seem counterintuitive (and to pronatalist policymakers, downright counterproductive).

现在全球三分之二的人口都生活在生育率低于自然更替水平的地方，在这个时代提出这样的问题似乎违反直觉(对鼓励生育的政策制定者来说，提出这个问题也只会起到反作用)。

Clearly, many people of reproductive age have decided against parenthood, even though it is still the far more common path. But van der Lugt is less interested in the outcomes, and even in the reasons people give for having or not having children, than in the question itself.

显然，许多育龄人已经决定不做父母，尽管生育子女仍然是更普遍的选择。但是范德卢格特对结果不太感兴趣，甚至对人们要孩子或不要孩子的原因也不太感兴趣，她更感兴趣的是这个问题本身。

At the core of her argument are two facts: First, that a person cannot consent to being born, and second, that there is a high likelihood they will experience at least some suffering in their lifetime.

她的论证中有两个核心事实：第一，一个人无法同意自己的出生，第二，他们一生中至少会经历一些痛苦的可能性很高。

These two facts, van der Lugt maintains, should be sufficient to trouble common assumptions about begetting - chief among them the notion that having children is inherently good.

范德卢格特认为，这两个事实足以动摇人们对生育的普遍假设，其中最主要的是生儿育女本来就是好事的观念。

She wants her readers to reconsider the language people use about childbearing, which usually revolves around choice or preferences.

她希望读者重新审视人们用于描述生育的语言，这些语言通常围绕着选择或偏好。

Instead, she argues, begetting "should be seen as an act of creation, a cosmic intervention, something great, and wondrous - and terrible": Hardly something one should undertake without pausing to examine why.

相反，她认为，生育“应被视为一种创造行为、一种无比重大的干预、一件伟大、奇妙、而又可怕的事情”：绝不是一件无需停下来思考原因就可以做的事情。

词汇预习

creation [高考]
美[kriˈeɪʃn] | 英[kriˈeɪʃn]
n. 创造；创作
entirely [高考]
美[ɪnˈtaɪərli] | 英[ɪnˈtaɪəli]
adv. 完全地；全部地
capacity [高考]
美[kəˈpæsəti] | 英[kəˈpæsəti]
n. 容量；容积；能力；职位；资格
core [高考]
美[kɔːr] | 英[kɔː(r)]
n. 核心, 精髓, （水果的）果心, （物体的）中心部分 adj. 最重要的, 主要的, 基本的, 核心（信念、价值、原则等） v. 去掉（水果）的果心, 去（水果）的核儿
replacement [高考]
美[rɪˈpleɪsmənt] | 英[rɪˈpleɪsmənt]
n. 更换；接替者
unexpectedly [高考]
美[ˌʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdlɪ] | 英[ˌʌnɪk'spektɪdlɪ]
adv. 未料到地；意外地
philosopher [高考]
美[fəˈlɑːsəfər] | 英[fəˈlɒsəfə(r)]
n. 哲学家；思想家；达观者
reconsider [高考]
美[ˌrikənˈsɪdɚ] | 英[ˌri:kənˈsɪdə(r)]
v. 重新考虑；再斟酌
suffering [高考]
美[ˈsʌfərɪŋ] | 英[ˈsʌfərɪŋ]
n. 痛苦；受难
sufficient [高考]
美[səˈfɪʃnt] | 英[səˈfɪʃnt]
adj. 足够的；充分的
miserable [高考]
美[ˈmɪzrəbl] | 英[ˈmɪzrəbl]
adj. 痛苦的；悲惨的；贫乏的；狼狈的
within [高考]
美[wɪˈðɪn] | 英[wɪˈðɪn]
prep. 在(某段时间、距离或范围)内；在…里面 adv. 在…里面 n. 内部
desire [高考]
美[dɪˈzaɪər] | 英[dɪˈzaɪə(r)]
n. 渴望；愿望；欲望 v. 渴望；向往；要求
aware [高考]
美[əˈwer] | 英[əˈweə(r)]
adj. 知道的；意识到的
grateful [高考]
美[ˈɡreɪtfl] | 英[ˈɡreɪtfl]
adj. 感激的；令人愉快的
political [高考]
美[pəˈlɪtɪkl] | 英[pəˈlɪtɪkl]
adj. 政治的；政治上的；政党的；人事的；争权夺利的
chief [高考]
美[tʃiːf] | 英[tʃiːf]
adj. 主要的；首要的 n. 首领
ought [高考]
美[ˈɔːt] | 英[ˈɔːt]
aux. 应该；应当；本该 vi. 应该，应当；大概
undertake [高考]
美[ˌʌndərˈteɪk] | 英[ˌʌndəˈteɪk]
v. 承担；从事；保证；答应
self [高考]
美[self] | 英[self]
n. 自己；本性；自我 pron. 我自己；你自己；他或她自己 adj.同一的；纯净的；单一的 v. 近亲繁殖；自花授粉
pregnant [高考]
美[ˈpreɡnənt] | 英[ˈpreɡnənt]
adj. 怀孕的；充满的；意味深长的
abortion [高考]
美[əˈbɔːrʃn] | 英[əˈbɔːʃn]
n. 流产；堕胎；（计划等）失败
answer for [高考]
美[ˈænsər fɔːr] | 英[ˈɑːnsə(r) fɔː(r)]
对 ... 负责，为 ... 担保，因 ... 受责备
living [高考]
美[ˈlɪvɪŋ] | 英[ˈlɪvɪŋ]
adj. 活着的；生动的 n. 生活；生计
ought to [高考]
美[ˈɔːt tə] | 英[ˈɔːt tə]
应该；应当
moral [高考]
美[ˈmɔːrəl] | 英[ˈmɒrəl]
adj. 道德的；精神上的 n. 寓意；道德；品行；伦理
intervention [高考]
美[ˌɪntərˈvenʃn] | 英[ˌɪntəˈvenʃn]
n. 介入；干预；调停
era [高考]
美[ˈɪrə] | 英[ˈɪərə]
n. 纪元；时代；年代
consent [高考]
美[kənˈsent] | 英[kənˈsent]
n. 同意；赞成 v. 同意；答应
earnest [高考]
美[ˈɜːrnɪst] | 英[ˈɜːnɪst]
adj. 认真的；真诚的 n. 定金；预示；保证 n. 认真；诚挚
notion [高考]
美[ˈnoʊʃn] | 英[ˈnəʊʃn]
n. 观念；概念；想法；主张
van [高考]
美[væn] | 英[væn]
n. 客货车；厢式送货车；面包车（通常为 12 座左右） v. 用车搬运(货物)
wrestling [高考]
美[ˈreslɪŋ] | 英[ˈreslɪŋ]
n. 摔跤；扭斗；格斗
Jewish [四级]
美[ˈdʒuːɪʃ] | 英[ˈdʒuːɪʃ]
adj. 犹太的；犹太人的
entity [四级]
美[ˈentəti] | 英[ˈentəti]
n. 实体；存在；本质
likelihood [四级]
美[ˈlaɪklihʊd] | 英[ˈlaɪklihʊd]
n. 可能性
inherently [四级]
美[ɪnˈhɪrəntli] | 英[ɪnˈhɪərəntli]
adv. 天性地；固有地
reproductive [四级]
美[ˌriprəˈdʌktɪv] | 英[ˌri:prəˈdʌktɪv]
adj. 复制的；生殖的 n. (尤指群居昆虫的)母体
counterproductive [四级]
美[ˌkaʊntərprəˈdʌktɪv] | 英[ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv]
adj. 反生产的；适得其反的；使达不到预期目标的
live in [四级]
美[liv ɪn] | 英[liv in]
v. 住进
aware of [四级]
美 | 英
知道的, 察觉到的, 意识到的
a matter of [四级]
美[e ˈmætɚ ʌv] | 英[ə ˈmætə ɔv]
关于 ... 的问题；大约
no less than [四级]
美[noʊ les ðən] | 英[nəu les ðæn]
不少于；多达
ethics [四级]
美[ˈɛθiks] | 英['eθɪks]
n. 道德规范；道德标准；伦理学
fertility [六级]
美[fərˈtɪləti] | 英[fəˈtɪləti]
n. 【C】肥沃；(人)繁殖力；(思想等的)丰富
rash [六级]
美[ræʃ] | 英[ræʃ]
n. 疹子；大量 adj. 鲁莽的；轻率的
cosmic [六级]
美[ˈkɑːzmɪk] | 英[ˈkɒzmɪk]
adj. 宇宙的；广大无边的；无限的
out of [六级]
美[aʊt ʌv] | 英[aut ɔv]
prep. 离…一段距离；从…里；离开 ...；出于
decided [专四]
美[dɪˈsaɪdɪd] | 英[dɪˈsaɪdɪd]
adj. 确定的；坚决的
hereditary [专四]
美[həˈredɪteri] | 英[həˈredɪtri]
adj. 世袭的；遗传的
downright [专八]
美[ˈdaʊnˌraɪt] | 英[ˈdaʊnraɪt]
adv. 彻底地；完全地 adj. 彻底的；明白的；率直的
rudimentary [专八]
美[ˌruːdɪˈmentri] | 英[ˌruːdɪˈmentri]
adj. 基本的；初步的；未充分发展的
parenthood [考研]
美[ˈperənthʊd] | 英[ˈpeərənthʊd]
n. 父母的身份
childbearing [考研]
美[ˈtʃaɪldberɪŋ] | 英[ˈtʃaɪldbeərɪŋ]
n. 分娩 adj. 分娩的
less than [雅思]
美[les ðən] | 英[les ðən]
不到；少于

重点讲解

In December 1941, Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman living in Amsterdam, found herself unexpectedly pregnant.

1941年12月，居住在阿姆斯特丹的年轻犹太女子埃蒂·希勒斯姆发现自己意外怀孕了。

rash adj. 轻率的；鲁莽的

【例】to make a rash decision 草率地做出决定

Don’t be rash. 别胡来。

He uttered a rash word that he would regret for years to come.

他一时性急说错了话，之后好久都为此感到后悔。

【近义词】reckless adj. 鲁莽的；不计后果的

imprudent adj. 轻率的；不谨慎的

【辨析】rush v. 匆忙行事；草率行事

Hers was not a wanted pregnancy; we know from her diaries that she had never desired children, and had even considered a hysterectomy “in a rash and pleasure-loving moment.”

她并不想怀孕，从她的日记中我们可以知道，她从来都不想要孩子，甚至 “在轻率和贪图享乐的时候”考虑过切除子宫。

rash adj. 轻率的；鲁莽的

【例】to make a rash decision 草率地做出决定

Don’t be rash. 别胡来。

He uttered a rash word that he would regret for years to come.

他一时性急说错了话，之后好久都为此感到后悔。

【近义词】reckless adj. 鲁莽的；不计后果的

imprudent adj. 轻率的；不谨慎的

【辨析】rush v. 匆忙行事；草率行事

Like many women before (and after) her, Hillesum self-managed her abortion. She left behind an account not just of her methods, but of her reasoning.

和在她之前（以及之后）的许多女性一样，希勒斯姆自行堕胎。她留下了一份自述，其中不仅描述了她的堕胎方法，也阐述了她对堕胎的思考。

account n. 描述；说明

【例】He gave an interesting account of his travels in Asia.

他精彩有趣地描述了他在亚洲的旅行。

【搭配】by one’s own account 据某人所说

by all accounts 据（人们）说

reason v. 逻辑思考；推理

【例】What is the reasoning behind this decision?

做出这个决定的依据是什么？

【拓展】reasonable adj. 合理的；理智的

rudimentary adj. 基础的；未发展完全的

【例】rudimentary knowledge of physics

物理学的基础知识

the rudimentary wings of penguins

企鹅的发育不完全的翅膀

【近义词】basic adj. 基本的

【拓展】rudiment n. 基础；基本原理

“All I want is to keep someone out of this miserable world. I shall leave you in a state of unbornness, rudimentary being that you are, and you ought to be grateful to me. I almost feel a little tenderness for you,” she wrote.

“我只想让某人远离这个悲惨的世界。我会让你处于现在的未出生、未发育完全的状态，你应该感激我。我对你几乎产生了一丝柔情。”她写道。

account n. 描述；说明

【例】He gave an interesting account of his travels in Asia.

他精彩有趣地描述了他在亚洲的旅行。

【搭配】by one’s own account 据某人所说

by all accounts 据（人们）说

reason v. 逻辑思考；推理

【例】What is the reasoning behind this decision?

做出这个决定的依据是什么？

【拓展】reasonable adj. 合理的；理智的

rudimentary adj. 基础的；未发展完全的

【例】rudimentary knowledge of physics

物理学的基础知识

the rudimentary wings of penguins

企鹅的发育不完全的翅膀

【近义词】basic adj. 基本的

【拓展】rudiment n. 基础；基本原理

Hillesum was aware of the dire political circumstances around her, but her rationale was entirely personal. As she explained to the entity growing within her, her “tainted family” was “riddled with hereditary disease.”

赫列斯姆意识到了她周围可怕的政治环境，但她的理由完全是个人的。她向自己体内正在成长的实体解释说，她那“有污点的家族充满了遗传病”。

dire adj. 可怕的；及其严重的

【例】dire poverty 赤贫

dire consequences 严重后果

be in dire needs 急需

be riddled with 充满（不好的事物）

【例】His essay is riddled with spelling mistakes.

他的作文里面有很多拼写错误。

【近义词】be fraught with 充满（不好的事物）

hereditary adj. 遗传性的；可继承的

【例】hereditary hatred 世仇

a hereditary title 世袭的头衔

【拓展】heir n. 继承人

inherit v. 继承；遗传

【例】He has inherited his mother's patience.

他的耐心是母亲遗传给他的。

83年后，荷兰哲学家玛拉·范德卢格特在思考一个核心问题时，将目光投向了希勒斯姆。她认为，每个人都必须尝试自己回答这个问题：是否要孩子。

earnest adj. 严肃的；认真的；真诚的

【例】She made an earnest effort to resolve the conflict.

她尽心尽力地想要解决冲突。

I thought he was joking. I didn't realize he was in earnest.

我以为他在开玩笑，我没想到他是认真的。

【近义词】serious adj. 严肃的

In her new book, Begetting: What Does It Mean to Create a Child? van der Lugt locates in Hillesum’s words no less than “the beginning of an ethics of creation,” an earnest wrestling with the act of bringing a new person into the world.

在她的新书《生育：创造一个孩子意味着什么？》中，范德卢格特在赫勒瑟姆的话语中发现的就是“创造伦理学的开端”，这是对将一个新生命带入世界这一行为的认真思考。

earnest adj. 严肃的；认真的；真诚的

【例】She made an earnest effort to resolve the conflict.

她尽心尽力地想要解决冲突。

I thought he was joking. I didn't realize he was in earnest.

我以为他在开玩笑，我没想到他是认真的。

【近义词】serious adj. 严肃的

She argues that childbearing is too often framed as a matter of desire and capacity—wanting or not wanting children, being able or unable to have them—when it should be a moral one.

她认为，生育问题往往被描述为是关于愿望和能力的问题——想要或不想要孩子，能够或不能够要孩子——而实际上它应该是一个道德问题。

frame sth as 以某种方式表达某事

【例】She framed her decision as a step towards personal growth.

她把自己的决定描述为是向个人成长迈进的一步。

【辨析】formulate sth 确切表达某事

counterproductive adj. 起到相反效果的

【例】Skipping meals in an attempt to lose weight can be counterproductive, as it slows down your metabolism.

通过不吃饭来减肥只会适得其反，因为不吃饭会降低身体代谢。

【拓展】backfire v. 产生了反作用

现在全球三分之二的人口都生活在生育率低于自然更替水平的地方，在这个时代提出这样的问题似乎违反直觉(对鼓励生育的政策制定者来说，提出这个问题也只会起到反作用)。

frame sth as 以某种方式表达某事

【例】She framed her decision as a step towards personal growth.

她把自己的决定描述为是向个人成长迈进的一步。

【辨析】formulate sth 确切表达某事

counterproductive adj. 起到相反效果的

【例】Skipping meals in an attempt to lose weight can be counterproductive, as it slows down your metabolism.

通过不吃饭来减肥只会适得其反，因为不吃饭会降低身体代谢。

【拓展】backfire v. 产生了反作用

显然，许多育龄人已经决定不做父母，尽管生育子女仍然是更普遍的选择。但是范德卢格特对结果不太感兴趣，甚至对人们要孩子或不要孩子的原因也不太感兴趣，她更感兴趣的是这个问题本身。

consent v. & n.

1. 作动词：同意；允许

【例】He consented to his daughter's marriage.

他同意了女儿的婚事。

2. 作名词：同意；允许

【例】to give consent to medical treatment

同意接受治疗

At the core of her argument are two facts: First, that a person cannot consent to being born, and second, that there is a high likelihood they will experience at least some suffering in their lifetime.

她的论证中有两个核心事实：第一，一个人无法同意自己的出生，第二，他们一生中至少会经历一些痛苦的可能性很高。

consent v. & n.

1. 作动词：同意；允许

【例】He consented to his daughter's marriage.

他同意了女儿的婚事。

2. 作名词：同意；允许

【例】to give consent to medical treatment

同意接受治疗

These two facts, van der Lugt maintains, should be sufficient to trouble common assumptions about begetting — chief among them the notion that having children is inherently good.

范德卢格特认为，这两个事实足以动摇人们对生育的普遍假设，其中最主要的是生儿育女本来就是好事的观念。

inherent adj. 内在的；本身的

【例】There are inherent risks involved in surfing.

冲浪本身就有危险。

【辨析】inherit v. 继承；遗传

She wants her readers to reconsider the language people use about childbearing, which usually revolves around choice or preferences.

她希望读者重新审视人们用于描述生育的语言，这些语言通常围绕着选择或偏好。

inherent adj. 内在的；本身的

【例】There are inherent risks involved in surfing.

冲浪本身就有危险。

【辨析】inherit v. 继承；遗传

Instead, she argues, begetting “should be seen as an act of creation, a cosmic intervention, something great, and wondrous — and terrible”: Hardly something one should undertake without pausing to examine why.

相反，她认为，生育“应被视为一种创造行为、一种无比重大的干预、一件伟大、奇妙、而又可怕的事情”：绝不是一件无需停下来思考原因就可以做的事情。

undertake v. 从事；负责

【例】University professors both teach and undertake research.

大学教授既要教学又要负责研究工作。

【拓展】undertaking n. 重大或艰巨的项目

【例】He is interested in buying the club as a commercial undertaking.

他有意购买那个俱乐部作为商业投资项目。

课后练习

What was Etty Hillesum's primary reason for deciding to have an abortion?
A. She was poor and unable to provide financially for a child.
B. She was pressured by the political circumstances of her time.
C. She wanted to prevent bringing a child into a miserable world.
D. She believed it was medically unsafe to continue the pregnancy.
What does Mara van der Lugt suggest about the decision to have children in her book?
A. It should primarily be based on personal desire and physical ability.
B. It should be considered a moral decision and given serious thought.
C. It is an outdated concept that should no longer be practiced.
D. It should be determined by the accepted social conventions.
What might be a worrying outcome of asking the question about whether to have children?
A. It could discourage people from having babies and lead to low fertility rate.
B. It may result in an increase in government intervention in personal decisions.
C. It might lead to a misunderstanding about the reasons for declining birth rates.
D. It could suggest that individual choices are responsible for demographic trends.
What does Mara van der Lugt argue should be considered when deciding to have children?
A. The potential benefits and joys of raising children.
B. The fact that having children is not completely good.
C. The economic implications of childbearing on society.
D. The personal choice or preference of having children.

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