关于信念、自信和权威的一点看法当人们不敢在一个有争议的问题上选择立场时，他们有时会以这样的问题和观点含糊的话做掩护：“你是怎样认为的？”“容我们再讨论讨论。”“他们都是相对的，不是吗？”
I catch myself doing this more often than I like. 我发现我经常这样，到了我难以忍受的地步。 In general, it’s easier to ask open questions than to give confident answers. There’s no social penalty for appearing open-minded – but if you take a stand and get it wrong (or just different), better watch out. 总的来说，提出开放式的问题确实比自信地给出答案来得更容易。因为表现得思想开明不会招致别人的责难，但倘若你选错了立场，站错了队（或者仅仅是不同的观点），你就最好小心了。 Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting input from other people, especially people you respect. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with admitting you don’t have all the facts. 当然，想要听听他人的意见，尤其是你所尊重的人的意见没什么不对。而承认你并不了解全部事实也绝对没错。 But it’s equally important to recognize the difference between genuinely not knowing the answer and lacking the conviction to accept the answer you already have. 但认清你是真不知道答案还是无法确信你已有的答案也同样重要。 *** *** Dictionary.com defines an authority as (among other things): “an accepted source of information, advice, etc.” Dictionary.com是这样定义“权威”的（除去其他意思）：“公认的信息源、意见等。” Authority is a social safety net. It’s okay to be wrong, as long as you can blame it on an authoritative source that is also wrong. It’s not as embarrassing to botch a basic scientific fact, if you can say that you were misled by an incorrect entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica. 权威像是一张社交安全网。即使你犯了错也没关系，只要你可以将其归责于一个权威的信息源，指出它也错了就行。弄错一个基本的科学事实也没什么可尴尬的，你大可以说你被大英百科全书中的某个错误条目误导了。 Most of the time, when people ask broad questions about difficult issues, they’re not so much looking for answers as for authority, for a safety net to fall back on. 大多数情况下，当人们对一些棘手话题提出开放式问题的时候，他们并不意图得到答案，而更多地是在寻求一个权威，一张保护网来作为犯错时的退路。 Thus, people who are good at appearing authoritative often have a lot of power and influence. These people are willing to take the risk of having an opinion, and so others flock to them, like pedestrians running for shelter during a downpour. 因此，那些善于扮演成权威人士的人也就有了更大的权力和影响力。这些人甘冒风险大胆发表自己的意见，其他人就会随之聚集在其周围，就像行人在下暴雨时寻求遮蔽物一样。 This power can be abused – see political punditry – or it can be an opportunity. Wherever there’s rampant uncertainty, those who are willing to be certain (at the risk of being wrong) are given the chance to lead. This works in politics, in office politics, and in pretty much every social context. 这种权力可能被滥用——看看政治上的权威专家的意见便知——但也可能是个机遇。不管什么时候，当人们陷入不确定时，那些愿意给出确定意见的人（尽管有犯错的风险）便有机会成为意见领袖。这在政坛、职场以及其他很多社会场合都适用。 *** *** Conviction is the strength to hold onto your personal opinion. 信念就是坚持自我主张的力量。 Confidence is the strength to share and defend that opinion in public. 自信是在公众中传播和维护这一主张的力量。 Authority is the power you get as a result. 权威则是这之后你能得到的权力。 How can you apply this to what you do? 怎样将这个法则运用到行动中呢？ *** *** Even if you plan on having an open discussion, it’s usually better to go in armed with a point of view. You can always change it later if there’s a compelling reason. Here’s a good example of that approach in action. 即便是在你打算展开自由讨论的时候，你也最好带着自己的观点参与进去。当一个有说服力的理由出现时，你随时可以再改变你的观点。这里有一个在实践中运用此法的优秀案例。 *** *** George Crane once said, “You can have such an open mind that it is too porous to hold a conviction.” 乔治·科瑞恩（George Crane）曾说过：“你可以有一个开阔的心胸，但它可能开阔到无法承载信念。” Where do you draw the line with what you believe? How far are you willing to entertain opposing points of view, and when do you say enough? 你会在什么地方发表你所信奉的观点呢？对于相反的观点你能容忍到什么时候？你容忍的极限又在哪里呢？ |
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