 聆聽朗讀
I would like to propose four verbs serve as a guide for you as you begin a new year of study: Read, Mark, Learn and Inwardly Digest.
1.Read
Perhaps this seems so obvious that it is ridiculous for me to even mention it. If we are to study, then, of course we must read. And yet, I cannot emphasize strongly enough here, at the beginning, how important it is for you to read well and read widely.
How much do you read? Do you read what is assigned? Do you read more than is assigned? And what is the scope of your reading? When was the last time you read a work of literature? History ? A novel ? Philosophy ? Do you read books from diverse languages and cultures? When was the last time you read a book that was written before 1900?
One of my favorite essays on the value of reading was written by C. S. Lewis. He begins by pointing out how strange it is that students only want to read modern books. He learned from his own experience as a professor that, if a student wanted to learn something about Platonism, the last thing he would do is to read what Plato himself wrote. Thinking himself not qualified to read Plato on his own, he searches out books written by modern writers that attempt to explain Plato; but as Lewis notes, “The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism.”
A new book is still on its trial and the non-expert is not in a position to judge it. It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones. Reading old books, Lewis points out, is the only way to escape the blind spots of our own age. Earlier writers had their blinds spots, too; but they are not the same as ours. As we learn from their mistakes, they can help point out our own.
2.Mark
The more we read, however, the more important it is for us to read carefully and with discernment. The word suggests more than simply paying careful attention to what we read. It also suggests reading with discernment.
How often do you read a book because you know that it is wrong? A good teacher not only needs to be able to proclaim the truth, he also needs to be able to see through the arguments of those who oppose the truth. He must be able to explain why they are wrong, exposing their fallacies and weaknesses, and denying them their ability to mislead the faithful.
To carefully “mark” what we read, however, to discern true from false, good from bad, important from trivial, we must have some foundation and your teacher will try to help you acquire it while you are here to study.
| .. | 字彙
1. Platonism柏拉圖主義
2. discernment洞察力
3. oppose反對
4. fallacies錯誤(複數)
5. trivial旁枝末節
在新學年的開始，我願意提出四個動詞作為「為學之道」的指引：讀書、注意、學習與消化。
一、讀書
這一點實在太明顯了，我連提出來都有點可笑。我們為學，當然要讀書了。然而在一開始，我就得特別強調沒有什麼比讀得好、讀得廣更重要的了。
論到讀書的價值，我最欣賞魯益師所寫的一篇文章，他一開始就指出學生只讀現代作品是很奇怪的。身為教授，魯益師的經驗是，如果學生想知道柏拉圖主義是什麼，他一點不會想去讀柏拉圖的作品。學生認為自己不夠資格，就去找解釋柏拉圖的現代作品，但就像魯益師說的，「頭腦最簡單的學生也能明白柏拉圖說的大部分東西，可是現代講柏拉圖主義的書，幾乎沒人看得懂。」
你讀書的份量有多少？ 老師指定的書你讀嗎？ 還是讀得比指定的多？ 你讀書的範圍呢？上一次讀文學作品是什麼時候？歷史方面的呢？小說、哲學呢？ 你讀不同語言不同文化的書嗎？ 最近讀過寫於二十世紀前的書嗎？
新書還在評估當中，不是專家很難判斷好壞。讀了一本新書之後，別准許自己又讀新書，而要讀一本古書，這是不錯的原則。如果這樣還太多，每讀了三本新書之後，至少要讀本古書。魯益師指出，讀古書是避免這世代盲點的唯一途徑。早期作者也有他們的盲點，但與我們的是不同的，從他們的錯誤中學習，能指出我們的盲點。
二、注意
書讀得越多，閱讀所需要的謹慎與洞察力就越重要。「注意」這個詞不僅是說對所讀的東西要注意，也說到帶著洞察力去閱讀。
如果你知道一本書是錯誤的還會去讀嗎？好老師不僅能宣揚真理，也要能看穿違背真理者的狡辯。好老師能解釋他們為什麼錯，揭露錯誤與缺點，拒絕他們誤導忠實讀者。
要能注意所閱讀的，能分辨真假好壞，區分重要的或旁枝末節，我們得有一些根基，這也是老師在你為學期間能幫助你獲得的。
思考與應用
1.除了聖經，你看過一百年前寫的書嗎？
2.你通常是照單全收，還是會「注意」所閱讀的東西？ |
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