Whereisthenewsleadingus?NormanCousins(1915-1990)1寬心是福BackgroundknowledgeTheauthor’spoliticalview

“NormanCousins

(1915–1990)wasanAmericanpoliticaljournalist,author,professor,andworldpeaceadvocate.”----Wiki“Cousins’longstandingleadershipasaglobalpeacemakerisexploredaswellasenvisioningaworldwithinwhichpeaceandmutualrespectcouldexistamongstallpeople&nations.”“thelegendaryeditor&authortoexplorethepowerofbelief.”

----2寬心是福3寬心是福4寬心是福Ina1984forumattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeleyentitled“QuestforPeace,”CousinsrecalledthelongeditorialhewroteonAugust6,1945,thedaytheUnitedStatesdroppedthebombinHiroshima.Titled“TheModernManisObsolete,”Cousins,whostatedthathefelt“thedeepestguilt”overthebomb’suseonhumanbeings,discussedintheeditorialthesocialandpoliticalimplicationsoftheatomicbombandatomicenergy.HerushedtogetitpublishedthenextdayintheReview,andtheresponsewasconsiderable,asitwasreprintedinnewspapersaroundthecountry,andenlargedintoabookthatwasreprintedindifferentlanguages.5寬心是福BackgroundknowledgeHishonor

CousinsreceivedtheAlbertSchweitzerPrizein1990.

(Itisaprizegiventopeoplewhomadeexemplarycontributionstohumanityandtheenvironment.Theprizewasestablishedin1986byaninternationalgrainGerman

merchant,AlbertToepfer.ItisnamedafternotedhumanitarianandphysicianAlbertSchweitzer)Otherprizesnamedafteraperson(knownintheworld)

尤金·史密斯人道主義攝影獎(jiǎng)(KnowninChina魯迅文學(xué)獎(jiǎng)、茅盾文學(xué)獎(jiǎng))6寬心是福Hiscombatwithhisdisease:Toldthathehadlittlechanceofsurviving,Cousinsdevelopedarecoveryprogramincorporatingmegadoses(大劑量)of

VitaminC,alongwithapositiveattitude,love,faith,hope,andlaughterinducedbyMarxBrothersfilms."Imadethejoyousdiscoverythattenminutesofgenuinebellylaughterhadananestheticeffectandwouldgivemeatleasttwohoursofpain-freesleep,"hereported."Whenthepain-killingeffectofthelaughterworeoff,wewouldswitchonthemotionpictureprojectoragainandnotinfrequently,itwouldleadtoanotherpain-freeinterval.“hisdignityasatoughfighteragainsthisdisease7寬心是福Hisnotablequotes:"Deathisnotthegreatestlossinlife.Thegreatestlossiswhatdiesinsideuswhilewelive.""Historyisavastearlywarningsystem.”Questionfordiscussion:

howdoessuchbackgroundrelatetothethemeinthetext?8寬心是福StructureofthetextThetextcanbedividedintotwomajorparts,withtheauthor’sargumentinthemiddle:Part1fromPara1toPara8

Para9containstheauthor’spositionPart2fromPara10toPara139寬心是福Part1.1.WhatisCousins’spurposeinthefirst8paragraphs?2.Hashesuccessfullyledhisreaderstohisconclusiveargument?Howdoeshedothat?3.HisargumentwaspresentedinPara.9.Canyouidentifyit?Theresponsibilityofthenewsmediaistosearchoutandreportonimportantevent---whetherornottheycomeundertheheadingofconflict,confrontation,orcatastrophe.10寬心是福Howdoeshebringouthisviewpointsuccessfully?Hebeginswithaquestiontotwojournalists:whyarethenewspapersandthetelevisionnewsprogramssodisaster-prone?(para.3)Hethenjudgestheiranswerstobemissingthepoint:hebelievesthatitisnottheresponsibilityofthejournalistsfortheexistenceofnegativenewsbut...Hethinksthereasonlieswiththedefinitionoftheterm“news”(para.4-6)11寬心是福TheconceptofnewsEruptivevs.non-eruptiveDisastersvs.humanprogresswhichhappensonlyinbitsandpieces.Totheauthor:humanprogresscontainseventsworthyofcoverage.(para.7-8)

12寬心是福Thelast4paragraphs:Cousinsstrengthenshisviewpointbycitingexamplesofwhatheconsiderspositivedevelopmentsoftheworld(para.10),andcallingattentiontotheresponsibilityjournalistshaveforaffectingthewaypeoplethinkandtherolethemediaplayinshapingthemindofthepeople.(para.11-13)13寬心是福DetailedanalysisLine5:Thepurposeofthesymposium,asIunderstoodit,wastoscrutinizetheobligationsofthemediaandtosuggestthebestwaystomeetthoseobligations.[Weneedfurtherinformationonthis.]14寬心是福ProfessionalEthicCodesofthejournalistPublicTrust：theirfirstobligationistothepublic-Understandthatanycommitmentotherthanservicetothepublicunderminestrustandcredibility.-Recognizeanobligationtoreflectthediversityofthecommunityandguardagainsttheoversimplificationoftheissuesandevents.Onthecontrary,theyshouldprovideafullrangeofinformationtoenablethepublictomakeenlighteneddecisions.-Notlibelothers.不損壞他人名譽(yù)……(tobecontinuedinthediscussionofTextII)15寬心是福Line15-16Hewasjustwonderingwhydistortionsaremostreported.Thenewsmediaseemtooperateonthephilosophythatallnewsisbadnews.Line21Newsissupposedtodealwithhappeningsofthepast12hours-24hoursatmost.Line28Themostimportantingredientinanycivilizationisprogress,whichisnoteruptiveandcomesinbitsandpieces.16寬心是福Line35-37(Para.8)“Anunrelieveddietoferuptivenewsdepletes(exhausts)theessentialhumanenergiesafreesocietyneeds.”Paraphrase:Acontinuousamountofnegativenewsreducesthehumanpotentialthatafreesocietyisinneedof.Question:Why?

17寬心是福Whereisthenegativenewsleadingus?Anexample:Inthepasttwoweeks,theworldhaswitnessedthedesecrationofthebodiesofAmericancitizensinIraqandseentheterrifiedfacesofkidnapvictimsofIraqiinsurgents.Onanygivenday,onecanopenthenewspaperandseethatsomeguymurderedhiswife,amotherislackingfoodinanurbanghettoorastudyappearssayingAIDSinfectionratesareskyrocketing.18寬心是福Iamavoracious（貪婪的）newsreader,andevenIcannottakethesaturationofviolenceandotherdepressingstoriesinthenewsanylonger.PeoplethatIhavecontactwithhaveaperceptionthattheworldisgoingdownthetoilet（徹底沒(méi)希望了）,butIbelieveit‘snotasbadasitmayseem.Thissaturation(浸潤(rùn)，滲透，飽和)ofthenewswithviolenceanddepressingstoriesisamischaracterizationoftheworldthatispoisoningthemindsofourchildren.Theyneedtolearnthatforeverybadanddishearteningstory,therearetrulyupliftingonesthatgoignoredeveryday.

……19寬心是福Line55(Para11)Weareonlywhatwethinkweare;wecanachieveonlythosegoalswedaretoenvision.Newspeopleprovideuswiththeonlypicturewehaveofourselvesandoftheworld.Differentlevelsofunderstandingwe/Iandthink

20寬心是福1st:areligiousunderstanding

Proverbs23:7states,“Forashethinkethinhisheart,soishe.”“Lifeconsistsinwhatamanisthinkingofallday,”saidRalphWaldoEmerson.Or,astheBuddhasaidintheopeninglineoftheDhammapada（《句法經(jīng)》）(1:1):“Wearewhatwethink.Allthatweareistheresultofourthoughts.”21寬心是福2ndlevel:aphilosophicalunderstanding

René

Descartes(1596-1650)Descartes'mostfamousstatementis:

Cogitoergosum

French:Jepense,doncjesuis;

English:Ithink,thereforeIam;OR

Iamthinking,thereforeIexist.Hehasbeendubbedthe"FatherofModernPhilosophy,"andmuchofsubsequentWesternphilosophyisaresponsetohiswritings,whichcontinuetobestudiedcloselytothisday.22寬心是福我思故我在意思是：“當(dāng)我懷疑一切事物的存在時(shí)，我卻不用懷疑我本身的思想，因?yàn)榇藭r(shí)我唯一可以確定的事就是我自己思想的存在”

23寬心是福3rdinterpretation:

Youarewhatyouthinkyouare:Theimpliedmeaning:yourattitudemanipulateyourwayofdoingthingsandyourfutureachievements.Yourattitudeinfluenceshowyourelateyourselftotheexternalworld.E.g.:Cousins’ownexampleofcombatingtheseriousdisease:thepowerofbelief24寬心是福L60(Para12)Theacquiredcultureisnottransmittedinourgenes.Theacquiredculture(i.e.,thegoodlifeinagoodsociety)canneverbeattainedandpossessedonceandforall.Itwillnotautomaticallybeingrainedinourblood/ourgeneticsystem.So,thewisdomofthegoodlifeinagoodsocietyneedstobetransmittedthroughthemedia.25寬心是福Para13BernarddeChartres(1080?-1167),suggestedthatweusedhistory—boostingourselvesuponourexperiences:“l(fā)ikedwarfsseatedontheshouldersofgiants”Humanistandphilosopher,headofthecelebratedschoolofChartres,inFrance,whoseattempttoreconcilethethoughtofPlatowiththatofAristotlemadehimtheprincipalrepresentativeof12th-centuryPlatonismintheWest.26寬心是福PlatowastheteacherofAristotle.Aristotleoncesaid:“Platoisdeartome,butdearerstillistruth”吾愛(ài)吾師，吾更愛(ài)真理。AristotlerefutesPlato'sTheoryofIdeasonthreebasicgrounds:thattheexistenceofIdeas

contradictsitselfbydenyingthepossibilityofnegations;thathisillustrationsofIdeasaremerelyemptymetaphors;andthatthetheoryusesimpermanentabstractionstocreateexamplesofperception.27寬心是福BernardisaPlatonistandyettherepresentativeofa"returntoNature"whichcuriouslyanticipatesthehumanismoftheearlyRenaissance.JohnofSalisbury(Metalogicus,iv.35)attributestohimtwotreatises,ofwhichonecontraststheeternityofideaswiththefinitenatureofthings,andtheotherisanattempttoreconcilePlatoandAristotle.

28寬心是福Dwarfsstandingontheshouldersofgiants(Latin:nanosgigantumhumerisinsidentes)

ThisisaWesternmetaphormeaning“Onewhodevelopsfutureintellectualpursuitsbyunde