约翰·洛克的教育思想(中英对照)-22: 诚实

LYING | Lying is so ready and cheap a cover for any miscarriage, and so much in fashion among all sorts of people, that a child can hardly avoid observing the use is made of it on all occasions, and so can scarce be kept without great care from getting into it. But it is so ill a quality, and the mother of so many ill ones that spawn from it, and take shelter under it, that a child should be brought up in the greatest abhorrence of it imaginable. It should be always (when occasionally it comes to be mentioned) spoke of before him with the utmost detestation, as a quality so wholly inconsistent with the name and character of a gentleman, that no body of any credit can bear the imputation of a lie; a mark that is judged the utmost disgrace, which debases a man to the lowest degree of a shameful meanness, and ranks him with the most contemptible part of mankind and the abhorred rascality; and is not to be endured in any one who would converse with people of condition, or have any esteem or reputation in the world. The first time he is found in a lie, it should rather be wondered at as a monstrous thing in him, than reproved as an ordinary fault. If that keeps him not from relapsing, the next time he must be sharply rebuked, and fall into the state of great displeasure of his father and mother and all about him who take notice of it. And if this way work not the cure, you must come to blows; for after he has been thus warned, a premeditated lie must always be looked upon as obstinacy, and never be permitted to escape unpunished.

撒谎 |  撒谎是掩盖任何不良行为的简便而廉价的方法，它在各种各样的人群中形成风气，很难不让小孩看到各种情况下的说谎，所以不非常当心，很难不让他学会撒谎。但是撒谎是一个极坏的品质，是许多坏品质的根源和庇护所，因此要让小孩从小到大养成对撒谎极其的深恶痛绝。(如果有机会谈到撒谎的时候)应该当着他的面一直表现出极度的憎恶，把它看作与一个绅士的名声与品格完全不相容的品质，任何一个有声誉的人都不能忍受说谎的嫌疑；它是一个最可耻的标记，把人降低到最低级的可耻卑劣的地步，与人类中最可鄙的部分、最可憎的流氓归为一类；任何与有地位的人交往的人，或自己受尊敬、有声誉的人，是不会容忍撒谎的。发现小孩第一次撒谎，要把它作为发生在他身上的一件骇人听闻的事情而惊讶，而不是把它当作普通过失来指摘。假如那还不能阻止他再犯，下一次必须狠狠地斥责他，让他的父母及周围注意到此事的人对他表示极大的不快。如果这还不能纠正，那你必须要借助鞭笞了；因为他在被如此警告之后，还有意说谎，那必然是一种顽梗的表现，是绝对不允许轻易逃脱惩罚的。

EXCUSES | Children, afraid to have their faults seen in their naked colours, will, like the rest of the sons of Adam, be apt to make excuses. This is a fault usually bordering upon, and leading to untruth, and is not to be indulged in them; but yet it ought to be cured rather with shame than roughness. If therefore, when a child is questioned for any thing, his first answer be an excuse, warn him soberly to tell the truth; and then, if he persists to shuffle it off with a falsehood, he must be chastised; but, if he directly confess, you must commend his ingenuity, and pardon the fault, be it what it will; and pardon it so, that you never so much as reproach him with it, or mention it to him again: for, if you would have him in love with ingenuity, and by a constant practice make it habitual to him, you must take care that it never procure him the least inconvenience; but, on the contrary, his own confession, bringing always with it perfect impunity, should be, besides, encouraged by some marks of approbation. If his excuse be such at any time, that you cannot prove it to have any falsehood in it, let it pass for true, and be sure not to show any suspicion of it. Let him keep up his reputation with you as high as is possible; for, when once he finds he has lost that, you have lost a great and your best hold upon him. Therefore let him not think he has the character of a liar with you, as long as you can avoid it without flattering him in it. Thus some slips in truth may be overlooked. But, after he has once been corrected for a lie, you must be sure never after to pardon it in him, whenever you find, and take notice to him, that he is guilty of it: for it being a fault, which he has been forbid, and may, unless he be wilful, avoid, the repeating of it is perfect perverseness, and must have the chastisement due to that offence.

借口 | 小孩害怕他们的过失被人看清楚，就象亚当(Adam)的其余子孙一样倾向于找借口。这个缺点跟谎言差不多，而且常常导致谎言，你不能对其迁就纵容；然而纠正它的办法应该用羞辱而不是粗暴。所以如果问到小孩什么事情，他最初的回答是托辞，严肃地警告他讲真话；假如他仍然用假话推脱，必须严厉训斥他；但是如果他直接坦白，你应当赞扬他的诚实，并且不管怎样的过失都加以原谅；既然你已经原谅，你就不再以此去责备他，也不再向他提起它：因为如果你想让他爱诚实，并且让他通过不断的实践养成诚实的习惯，你必须当心不要因为诚实导致他一点点的为难；相反，他自己的坦白，除了总让他完全免受惩罚，还使他受到赞许鼓励。如果任何时候你不能确定他的借口中是否有谎话，就把它当作真实，绝不要表示任何怀疑。让他在你面前保持尽可能高的声誉；因为一旦他发现他失去他的声誉，你就失掉了对他的一个重要的和最好的支配手段。所以只要你能避免鼓励他说谎，你不要让他觉得他在你面前是一个说谎者。所以有时与真实情况有出入，可以忽略。但是一旦他因为说谎而被惩戒之后，你发现与注意到他又撒谎，你绝不能原谅他；因为这是一个他被禁止去犯的过失，除非他有意去犯，那是可能避免的，重复再犯完全是顽固不化，必须使用与那过犯相应的惩罚。

 

摘自Some Thoughts Concerning Education (English-Chinese Edition)(ISBN-10: 1537479857)