論工業社會及其未來-替代性活動

SURROGATE ACTIVITIES

38

But not every leisured aristocrat becomes bored and demoralized. For example, the emperor Hirohito, instead of sinking into decadent hedonism, devoted himself to marine biology, a field in which he became distinguished. When people do not have to exert themselves to satisfy their physical needs they often set up artificial goals for themselves. In many cases they then pursue these goals with the same energy and emotional involvement that they otherwise would have put into the search for physical necessities. Thus the aristocrats of the Roman Empire had their literary pretensions; many European aristocrats a few centuries ago invested tremendous time and energy in hunting, though they certainly didn’t need the meat; other aristocracies have competed for status through elaborate displays of wealth; and a few aristocrats, like Hirohito, have turned to science.

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替代性活動

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但並非每個悠閒的貴族都變得無趣和意志消沉。舉例來說，裕仁天皇並沒有沉浸於頹廢的享樂主義，而是投身於海洋生物學並在該領域取得卓越成就。當人們不需要費盡全力以滿足他們的生理需求時，他們常常為自己設定一些人造的目標。在許多案例中他們使用和找尋生活必需品相同的精力和情感投入追求這些目標。因此羅馬帝國的貴族有文學的抱負；許多幾個世紀前的歐洲貴族投入大量時間和精力在狩獵上，即使他們顯然不需要那些肉；其他貴族透過展示財富來競爭地位；而有些貴族，就像裕仁，轉向科學。