① A HISTORY OF FREEDOM OF THOUGHT part1

先ず、第1回目の英文読解として、A HISTORY OF FREEDOM OF THOUGHT を扱う. アイルランド人の歴史家、John Bagnell Bury (ジョン・バグネル・ベリー)：1861-1927：によって著されたものである. 冒頭個所を2つのパートに分けた1回目.

A History of Freedom of Thought by John Bagnell Bury

It is a common saying that thought is free. A man can never be hindered from thinking whatever he chooses so long as he conceals what he thinks. The working of his mind is limited only by the bounds of his experience and the power of his imagination. But this natural liberty of private thinking is of little value. It is unsatisfactory and even painful to the thinker himself, if he is not permitted to communicate his thoughts to others, and it is obviously of no value to his neighbors. Moreover it is extremely difficult to hide thoughts that have any power over the mind. If a man’s thinking leads him to call in question ideas and customs which regulate the behavior of those about his, to reject beliefs which they hold, to see better ways of life than those they follow, it is almost impossible for him, if he is convinced of the truth of his own reasoning, not to betray by silence, chance words, or general attitude that he is different from them and does not share their opinions. Some have preferred, like Socrates, some would prefer to-day, to face death rather than conceal their thoughts. Thus freedom of thought, in any valuable sense, includes freedom of speech.

At present, in most civilized countries, freedom of speech is taken as a matter of course and seems a perfectly simple thing. We are so accustomed to it that we look on it as a natural right. But this right has been acquired only in quite recent times, and the way to its attainment has lain through lakes of blood. It has taken centuries to persuade the most enlightened peoples that liberty to publish one’s opinions and to discuss all questions is a good thing and not a bad thing. Human societies (there are some brilliant exceptions) have been generally opposed to freedom of thought or in other words, to new ideas, and it is easy to see why.

解説と訳文は、4.解説編の 1. A HISTORY OF FREEDOM OF THOUGHT part1 解説をご確認下さい.