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1/7Lesson6DisappearingThroughtheSkylightOsborneBennetHardisonJr.1Scienceiscommittedtotheuniversal.Asignofthisisthatthemoresuccessfulasciencebecomes,thebroadertheagreementaboutitsbasicconcepts:thereisnotaseparateChineseorAmericanorSovietthermodynamics,forexample;thereissimplythermodynamics.ForseveraldecadesofthetwentiethcenturytherewasaWesternandaSovietgenetics,thelatterassociatedwithLysenko'stheorythatenvironmentalstresscanproducegeneticmutations.TodayLysenko'stheoryisdiscredited,andthereisnowonlyonegenetics.2Asthecorollaryofscience,technologyalsoexhibitstheuniversalizingtendency.Thisiswhythespreadoftechnologymakestheworldlookevermorehomogeneous.Architecturalstyles,dressstyles,musicalstyles--eveneatingstyles--tendincreasinglytobeworldstyles.Theworldlooksmorehomogeneousbecauseitismorehomogeneous.Childrenwhogrowupinthisworldthereforeexperienceitasasamenessratherthanadiversity,andbecausetheiridentitiesareshapedbythissameness,theirsenseofdifferencesamongculturesandindividualsdiminishes.Asbuildingsbecomemorealike,thepeoplewhoinhabitthebuildingsbecomemorealike.Theresultisdescribedpreciselyinaphrasethatisalreadyfamiliar:thedisappearanceofhistory.3TheautomobileillustratesthePointWithgreatclarity.Atechnologicalinnovationlikestreamliningorall-weldedbodyconstructionmayberejectedinitially,butifitisimportanttotheefficiencyoreconomicsofautomobiles,itwillreappearindifferentwaysuntilitisnotonlyacceptedbutuniversallyregardedasanasset.Today'sautomobileisnolongeruniquetoagivencompanyoreventoagivennationalculture,itsbasicfeaturesarefound,withvariations,inautomobilesingeneral,nomatterwhomakesthem.4AfewyearsagotheFordMotorCompanycameupwiththeFiesta,whichitcalledtheWorldCar.Advertisementsshoweditsurroundedbytheflagsofallnations.FordexplainedthatthecylinderblockwasmadeinEngland,thecarburetorinIreland,thetransmissioninFrance,thewheelsinBelgium,andsoforth.5TheFiestaappearstohavesunkWithoutatrace.Buttheideaofaworldcarwasinevitable.ItwastheautomotiveequivalentoftheInternationalStyle.TenyearsaftertheFiesta,allofthelargeautomakerswereinternational.AmericanshadPlants2/7inEurope,Asia,andSouthAmerica,andEuropeansandJapanesehadplantsinAmericaandSouthAmerica,andintheSovietUnionFiatFiat(=FabbricaItalianaAutomobileTorino)workersrefreshedthemselveswithPepsi-Cola).InthefullnessoftimeinternationalautomakerswillhaveplantsinEgyptandIndiaandthePeople'sRepublicofChina.6Asinarchitecture,soinautomaking.Inagivencostrange,thesametechnologytendstoproducethesamesolutions.Thevisualevidenceforthisisasobviousforcarsasforbuildings.Today,ifyouchoosemodelsinthesamepricerange,youwillbehardputat500pacestotellonemakefromanother.Inotherwords,thespecificallyAmericantraitsthatlingeredinAmericanautomobilesinthe1960s--traitsthatlinkedAmericancarstoAmericanhistory--aredisappearing.EventheVolkswagenBeetlehasdisappearedandhastakenwithitthevisibleevidenceofthehistoryofstreamliningthatextendsfromD'ArcyThompsontoCarlBreertoFerdinandPorsche.7Ifmancreatesmachines,machinesinturnshapetheircreators.Astheautomobileisuniversalized,ituniversalizesthosewhouseit.LiketheWorldCarhedrives,modernmanisbecominguniversal.Nolongerquiteanindividual,nolongerquitetheproductofauniquegeographyandculture,hemovesfromoneclimate-controlledshoppingmalltoanother,fromoneairporttothenext,fromoneHolidayInntoitssuccessorthreehundredmilesdowntheroad;butsomehowhislocationneverchanges.Heiscosmopolitan.Thepricehepaysisthathenolongerhasahomeinthetraditionalsenseoftheword.Thebenefitisthathebeginstosuspecthomeinthetraditionalsenseisanothernameforlimitations,andthathomeinthemodernsenseiseverywhereandalwayssurroundedbyneighbors.8Theuniversalizingimperativeoftechnologyisirresistible.Barringthecatastropheofnuclearwar,itwillcontinuetoshapebothmoderncultureandtheconsciousnessofthosewhoinhabitthatculture.9Thisbringsustoartandhistoryagain.ReminiscingontheearlyworkofFrancisPicabiaandMarcelDuchamp,MadameGabrielleBuffet-Picabiawroteofthediscoveryofthemachineaestheticin1949:Irememberatime...wheneveryartistthoughtheowedittohimselftoturnhisbackontheEiffelTower,asaprotestagainstthearchitecturalblasphemywithwhichitfilledthesky....Thediscoveryandrehabilitationof...machinessoongeneratedpropositionswhichevadedalltradition,aboveall,amobile,extrahumanplasticitywhichwasabsolutelynew....”3/710Artis,inonedefinition,simplyanefforttonametherealworld.Aremachinestherealworldoronlyitssurface?Istherealworldthateasytofind?Sciencehasshowntheinsubstantialityoftheworld.Ithasthusunderminedanarticleoffaith:thethinglinessofthings.Atthesametime,ithasproducedimagesofordersofrealityunderlyingthethinglinessofthings.Areimagesofcellsorofmoleculesorofgalaxiesmoreorlessrealthanimagesofmachines?Sciencehasalsoproducedimagesthatarepureartifacts.Areimagesofself-squareddragonsmoreorlessrealthanimagesofmolecules?11TheskepticismofmodernscienceaboutthethinglinessofthingsimpliesanewappreciationofthehumanityofartentirelyconsistentwithKandinsky'sobservationinOntheSpiritualinArtthatbeautifulartspringsfrominnerneed,whichspringsfromthesoul.Modernartopensonaworldwhoserealit
本文标题:高级英语Lesson-6-(Book-2)-Disappearing-Through-the-Sky
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