
[法]笛卡爾 / [法]伏爾泰 / [法]盧梭 / [英]霍布斯
《哈佛經典》是哈佛大學校長查爾斯·艾略特於一九〇九年選定的五十卷西方名著,一百多年來始終是英語世界最著名的一套通識叢書;他當年那句「每天讀十五分鐘,一個五英尺長的書架足以給你一份完整的人文教育」,正是這套書的由來。本冊爲第 34 卷。笛卡爾的《談談方法》以「我思故我在」爲近代哲學立下起點;伏爾泰的《哲學書簡》借英國的宗教寬容與牛頓的科學反照法國的積弊,出版即遭焚燬;盧梭的《論人類不平等的起源》追問文明本身是否即不平等之源;霍布斯的《利維坦》則從「一切人對一切人的戰爭」推出主權的必要。本版專爲屏幕閱讀重排:正文用襯線字體、寬行距,章題之下第一段頂格,其後各段首行縮進而段間不留空行,一如英文書籍的傳統排法;詩行按原書分行,回行處作懸掛縮進;戲劇中說話人的名字加粗着色、舞臺提示作斜體灰字,滿屏黑字之中一眼可辨誰在說話;註釋做成彈出式腳註,點一下即見,不打斷閱讀。適於讀英文原著者,也適於以英文重讀名著、或與中譯對照細究其辭者。
Of authors there be two sorts. The first simply so called; which I have before defined to be him that owneth the action of another simply. The second is he that owneth an action or covenant of another conditionally, that is to say, he undertaketh to do it if the other doth it not at or before a certain time. And these authors conditional are generally called ‘sureties,’ in Latin, fidejussores, and sponsores, and particularly for debt, praedes; and for appearance before a judge or magistrate, vades.