I'm sure all of today's graduates have read
我敢肯定 今天毕业的学生肯定都读过
John Stuart Mill's On Liberty
约翰.斯图尔特.密尔的《论自由》
But just let me read a short passage from it
请允许我将其中的一小段读给大家听
"The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is
"强迫别人不能发表意见的邪恶"
that it is robbing the human race
"乃是对整个人类的掠夺"
posterity as well as the existing generation
"对后代和当代人类的掠夺"
those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it"
"对不同意于那个意见的人掠夺更多"
He continued: "If the opinion is right
他继续道 "假如那意见是对的"
they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth
"那么他们是被剥夺了以错误换真理的机会"
if wrong
"假如那意见是错的"
they lose, what is almost as great a benefit
"那么他们是失掉了一个差不多同样大的利益"
the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth
"那就是从真理与错误冲突中产生出来的对于真理的"
produced by its collision with error"
"更加清楚的认识和更加生动的印象"
Mill would have been horrified to learn of university students
密尔如果知道大学学生强迫别人不发表意见
silencing the opinions of others
肯定会痛心疾首
He would have been even more horrified that faculty members
密尔如果知道连教职团队都通常成为
were often part of the commencement censorship campaigns
毕业演讲审查活动的一部分 肯定会更痛心疾首
For tenured professors
如果是终身教职教授
to silence speakers whose views they disagree with
强迫观点同自己不一致的发言者不发表言论
is the height of hypocrisy
那就真是莫大的讽刺了
especially when these protests happen in the northeast
特别是发生在东北的那些抗议
a bastion of self-professed liberal tolerance
自称的自由宽容显得尤为伪善
Now I'm glad to say that
不过我很高兴的是
Harvard has not caved in to these commencement censorship challenges
哈佛没有陷入这些毕业典礼审查之中
If it had, Colorado State Senator Michael Johnston
否则的话 科罗拉多州参议员迈克尔?约翰斯顿
would not have had the chance to address the Education School yesterday
昨天就没有机会在教育学院发表演讲了
Some students called on the administration to rescind the invitation to Johnston
不少学生号召管理层撤回对约翰斯顿的邀请
because they opposed some of his education policies
因为他们反对他的一些教育政策
But to their great credit, President Faust and Dean Ryan stood firm
不过 佛斯特校长和赖安院长都非常鉴定
As Dean Ryan wrote to students
赖安院长写信给这些学生说
"I have encountered many people of good faith
"我碰到过很多怀有良好愿望的人"
who share my basic goals
"他们都有相同的目标"
but disagree with my views when it comes to the question of
"只是同我在教育如何改善的问题上"
how best to improve education
"观点存在分歧"
In my view
"在我看来"
those differences should be explored, debated, challenged, and questioned
"这些分歧应当经过探讨和辩论 受到挑战和质疑"
But they should also be respected and indeed, celebrated"
"同时也应受到尊敬和庆贺"
He could not have been more correct
他完全是正确的
and he could not have provided a more valuable final lesson to the class of 2014
他以自身言行为2014届毕业生上了最为宝贵的最后一课
