The average man who uses a telephone could not explain how a telephone works. He takes for granted the telephone, the railway train, the linotype, the airplane, as our grandfathers took for granted the miracles of the gospels. He neither question nor understand them. It is as though each of us investigated and made his own a tiny circle of facts. Knowledge outside the day’s work is regarded by most men as a gewgaw. Still we are constantly in reaction against our ignorance. We rouse ourselves at intervals and speculate. We revel in speculations about anything at all --- about life after death or about such questions as that which is said to have puzzled Aristotle, “Why sneezing from noon to midnight was good, but from night to noon unlucky?” One of the greatest joys known to man is to take such a flight into ignorance in search of the knowledge. The great pleasure of ignorance is, after all, the pleasure of asking questions. The man who has lost this pleasure or exchanged it for the pleasure of dogma, which is the pleasure of answering, is already beginning to stiffen. One envies so inquisitive a man as Jewell, who sat down to the study of physiology in his sixties. Most of us have lost the sense of our ignorance long before that age. We even become vain of our squirrel’s hoard of knowledge and regard increasing age itself as a school of omniscience. We forget that Socrates was famed for wisdom not because he was omniscient but because he realized at the age of seventy that he still knew nothing.

    一般用電話的人都不懂電話是怎樣工作的，他們總是把電話、鐵路
、排字機
、飛機等看成是自然而然的東西，就像我們的祖先覺得福音書裏的奇事都是很自然的一樣。他們不懂，也不問。似乎我們每個人都隻鑽研
、弄nong懂dong很hen小xiao範fan圍wei內nei的de一yi些xie事shi情qing。大da多duo數shu人ren都dou認ren為wei日ri常chang生sheng活huo之zhi外wai的de知zhi識shi是shi花hua裏li胡hu哨shao的de東dong西xi。然ran而er，我wo們men也ye在zai不bu停ting地di抗kang拒ju著zhe我wo們men的de無wu知zhi。有you時shi，我wo們men會hui振zhen奮fen起qi來lai，進jin行xing思si考kao。我wo們men會hui信xin手shou拈nian來lai一yi個ge問wen題ti
，然ran後hou沉chen浸jin在zai思si考kao中zhong――如死後的生活，或者其它問題，比如一個據說曾經困擾亞裏士多德的問題：“為什麼從中午到午夜打噴嚏是好運氣，而從午夜到中午打噴嚏代表壞運氣
？”在zai尋xun找zhao知zhi識shi的de過guo程cheng中zhong陷xian入ru無wu知zhi，是shi人ren類lei的de一yi大da樂le事shi。無wu知zhi的de快kuai樂le，說shuo到dao底di，是shi提ti問wen題ti的de快kuai樂le。一yi個ge已yi經jing不bu會hui提ti問wen的de人ren，一yi個ge用yong教jiao條tiao的de答da案an回hui答da問wen題ti並bing以yi此ci為wei樂le的de人ren
，他ta的de頭tou腦nao已yi經jing開kai始shi僵jiang化hua了le。我wo們men很hen羨xian慕mu裘qiu伊yi
，他ta在zai六liu十shi多duo歲sui的de時shi候hou居ju然ran開kai始shi做zuo下xia來lai學xue習xi生sheng理li學xue
，而er大da多duo數shu人ren在zai遠yuan未wei達da到dao這zhe個ge年nian齡ling就jiu已yi經jing不bu知zhi道dao什shen麼me是shi無wu知zhi了le。我wo們men甚shen至zhi會hui為wei我wo們men的de一yi點dian淺qian薄bo的de知zhi識shi而er沾zhan沾zhan自zi喜xi，甚shen至zhi覺jiao得de
，流liu逝shi的de時shi光guang本ben身shen就jiu會hui自zi然ran地di給gei我wo們men所suo有you的de知zhi識shi。我wo們men忘wang了le

，蘇su格ge拉la底di之zhi所suo以yi流liu芳fang百bai世shi

，不bu是shi因yin為wei他ta什shen麼me都dou懂dong，而er是shi他ta發fa現xian在zai他ta七qi十shi歲sui的de時shi候hou，仍reng然ran什shen麼me都dou不bu懂dong。