約翰·洛克的教育思想(中英對照)-22: 誠實

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.

撒謊 |  撒謊是掩蓋任何不良行為的簡便而廉價的方法，它在各種各樣的人群中形成風氣，很難不讓小孩看到各種情況下的說謊，所以不非常當心，很難不讓他學會撒謊。但是撒謊是一個極壞的品質，是許多壞品質的根源和庇護所，因此要讓小孩從小到大養成對撒謊極其的深惡痛絕。(如果有機會談到撒謊的時候)應該當著他的麵一直表現出極度的憎惡，把它看作與一個紳士的名聲與品格完全不相容的品質，任何一個有聲譽的人都不能忍受說謊的嫌疑；它是一個最可恥的標記，把人降低到最低級的可恥卑劣的地步，與人類中最可鄙的部分、最可憎的流氓歸為一類；任何與有地位的人交往的人，或自己受尊敬、有聲譽的人，是不會容忍撒謊的。發現小孩第一次撒謊，要把它作為發生在他身上的一件駭人聽聞的事情而驚訝，而不是把它當作普通過失來指摘。假如那還不能阻止他再犯，下一次必須狠狠地斥責他，讓他的父母及周圍注意到此事的人對他表示極大的不快。如果這還不能糾正，那你必須要借助鞭笞了；因為他在被如此警告之後，還有意說謊，那必然是一種頑梗的表現，是絕對不允許輕易逃脫懲罰的。

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 | 小孩害怕他們的過失被人看清楚，就象亞當(Adam)的其餘子孫一樣傾向於找借口。這個缺點跟謊言差不多，而且常常導致謊言，你不能對其遷就縱容；然而糾正它的辦法應該用羞辱而不是粗暴。所以如果問到小孩什麽事情，他最初的回答是托辭，嚴肅地警告他講真話；假如他仍然用假話推脫，必須嚴厲訓斥他；但是如果他直接坦白，你應當讚揚他的誠實，並且不管怎樣的過失都加以原諒；既然你已經原諒，你就不再以此去責備他，也不再向他提起它：因為如果你想讓他愛誠實，並且讓他通過不斷的實踐養成誠實的習慣，你必須當心不要因為誠實導致他一點點的為難；相反，他自己的坦白，除了總讓他完全免受懲罰，還使他受到讚許鼓勵。如果任何時候你不能確定他的借口中是否有謊話，就把它當作真實，絕不要表示任何懷疑。讓他在你麵前保持盡可能高的聲譽；因為一旦他發現他失去他的聲譽，你就失掉了對他的一個重要的和最好的支配手段。所以隻要你能避免鼓勵他說謊，你不要讓他覺得他在你麵前是一個說謊者。所以有時與真實情況有出入，可以忽略。但是一旦他因為說謊而被懲戒之後，你發現與注意到他又撒謊，你絕不能原諒他；因為這是一個他被禁止去犯的過失，除非他有意去犯，那是可能避免的，重複再犯完全是頑固不化，必須使用與那過犯相應的懲罰。

 

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