过度解读“Old Deluder Satan Law”_from化学系 王皓东

aggronegotiator

Old Deluder Satan Law所指为马萨诸塞湾殖民地于1647年颁布的MassachusettsGeneral School Law. 与其内容相近的还有1642和 1648的两个法案。三个法案合称Massachusetts School Laws。其中Old Deluder Satan Law最为著名。这不仅是由于其得名原因，即较开头部分的“OldDeluder， Satan” 这样的表达，也是由于它阐述了要使儿童受教育的原因并且提出了具体的措施。

以下对Old DeluderSatan Law的内容进行解读。

首段中提到“撒旦总是试图阻止人们获得经典中的知识”“（撒旦）现在依靠貌似圣人实则虚伪的骗子的花言巧语隐藏、扭曲了经典的真实含义。”这些内容其实传达了新教信仰的核心之一，即以圣经为最高权威，看重个人对圣经的解读。[1]在法案中，其具体含义是人应通过个人学习获得阅读理解的能力，然后对经典做出自己的解读，而不是盲目的听从他人的教诲，因为那些“看似圣人的人”可能是受撒旦指使的“虚伪的骗子”。这样，阐明了学习的目的是为了对已有的“真理”做出自己的解读，是为了能进行独立、批判性的思考。虽然在法案中提到这些是受到宗教信仰的严重影响，但是也可从中看出殖民地的居民对将进行独立、批判思考作为教育的重要目的。反观我国，自古以来阅读经典就需阅读名家的注释并将这些也作为与经典本身不相上下的真理，缺乏学生的独立思考。到了近代以后，我国虽也开始进行现代教育，但由于急于追赶西方，以学习先进知识，应用先进技术作为教育、学习的目的，没有重视对独立、批判思考的培养。所谓创新，没有独立、批判的思考是不可能的。长期在教育中对独立、批判思考的不重视可能是我国创新人才较为缺乏的原因之一。

法案的二、三段阐述了为使儿童们接受教育所采取的具体措施，虽然文字不长，但规定十分具体，有很强的可执行性：不仅规定了达到多少户设立什么样的教育，也规定了支出的来源，甚至有需付费用不应过于高出其他镇的规定以及如不设立学校需要向邻近学校支付费用的规定。虽然当时把general law写得如此具体可能是出于无奈，但作为general school law没有大话、空话，内容都在阐述如火如何具体实施教育，确实也反映出了殖民地人在教育上的实干精神。教育不是立下目标做出大致规划就能办好的，一定要有具体的实施。这种实干精神应该值得借鉴。

• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1972). TheOxford History of the American People. New York City: Mentor. p. 102.
  
  

另附Old Deluder Satan Law原文

It being one chief project of that old deluder, Satan, to keep men from theknowledge of the Scriptures, as in former times by keeping them in an unknowntongue, so in these latter times by persuading from the use of tongues, that sothat at least the true sense and meaning of the original might be clouded andcorrupted with love and false glosses of saint-seeming deceivers; and to theend that learning may not be buried in the grave of our forefathers, in churchand commonwealth, the Lord assisting our endeavors.

It is therefore ordered that every township in this jurisdiction, after theLord hath increased them to fifty households shall forthwith appoint one withintheir town to teach all such children as shall resort to him to write and read,whose wages shall be paid either by the parents or masters of such children, orby the inhabitants in general, by way of supply, as the major part of thosethat order the prudentials of the town shall appoint; provided those that sendtheir children be not oppressed by paying much more than they can have themtaught for in other towns.

And it is further ordered, that when any town shall increase to the numberof one hundred families or householders, they shall set up a grammar school,the master thereof being able to instruct youth so far as they may be fittedfor the university, provided that if any town neglect the performance hereofabove one year that every such town shall pay 5 pounds to the next school till they shall perform this order.

aggronegotiator

17世纪的英语看还可以，翻译起来确实有点蛋疼