文章来源：《卫报》
发表时间：2017年3月26日
文章标题：Why our emotions are cultural – not built in at birth （为什么情感与文化相关，并非与生俱来）
文章打破人们的惯有认知“情感是人类与生俱来的直觉反射”，树立新观点“情感与文化相关”。
原文
I ①The time-honoured story of emotion goes something like this: we all have emotions built in from birth. ②They are distinct, recognisable phenomena inside us.③When something happens in the world, whether it’s a gunshot or a flirtatious glance, our emotions come on quickly and automatically, as if someone has flipped a switch.
II ①Modern science has an account that fits this story, which I call the classical view of emotion. ②According to this view, we have many emotional circuits in our brains, and each is said to cause a distinct set of changes – that is, a fingerprint. ③Perhaps an annoying co-worker triggers your “anger neurons”, so your blood pressure rises – you scowl, yell and feel the heat of fury. ④Or an alarming news story triggers your “fear neurons”, so your heart races – you freeze and feel a flash of dread.
III ①Emotions are thought to be a kind of brute reflex, very often at odds with our rationality.②This internal battle between emotion and reason is one of the great narratives of western civilisation. ③It helps define you as human. Without rationality, you are merely an emotional beast.④This view of emotions has been around for millennia. ⑤Plato believed a version of it. So did Hippocrates, Aristotle, the Buddha, René Descartes, Sigmund Freud and Charles Darwin. ⑥Today, prominent thinkers such as Steven Pinker, Paul Ekman also offer up descriptions of emotions rooted in the classical view.
IV ①And yet there is abundant scientific evidence that this view cannot possibly be true. ②Research has not revealed a consistent, physical fingerprint for even a single emotion. ③When scientists attach electrodes to a person’s face and measure muscle movement during an emotion, they find tremendous variety, not uniformity.④They find the same variety with the body and brain. ⑤You can experience anger with or without a spike in blood pressure.⑥You can experience fear with or without a change in the amygdala, the brain region tagged as the home of fear.
V ①When scientists set aside the classical view and just look at the data, a radically different explanation for emotion comes to light. ②We find that emotions are not universal but vary from culture to culture. ③They are not triggered; you create them. ④They emerge as a combination of the physical properties of your body, a flexible brain that wires itself to whatever environment it develops in, and your culture and upbringing.
词汇短语
1. distinct [dɪ'stɪŋkt] a. 清楚的,明显的；截然不同的
2. *flirtatious [flɜː'teɪʃəs] a. 轻浮的，调情的
3. flip [flɪp] v. 快速地按动 (装置或开关)
4. account [ə'kaʊnt] n. （对思想、理论、过程的）解释，说明，叙述
5. trigger ['trɪgə] v. 触发，引起
6. *fury ['fjʊərɪ] n. 狂怒，暴怒
7. flash [flæʃ] n. 闪光，闪现
8. *brute [bruːt] a. 无理性的，动物的
9. *scowl [skaʊl] v. 作怒容; 绷着脸
10. at odds with 与…不一致，与…不和
11. narrative ['nærətɪv] n.叙述，描述
12. tremendous [trɪ'mendəs] a. 极大的，巨大的
12.*spike [spaɪk] n. (价格、数量的)突然上升，剧增
14.*amygdala [ə'mɪɡdələ] n.杏仁核，杏仁体（大脑中的两个区域之一，与记忆、情绪及嗅觉有关）
15.*upbringing ['ʌpbrɪŋɪŋ] n.养育，教养，培养
（注:标*号为超纲词）
点评
I ①The time-honoured story of emotion goes something like this: we all have emotions built in from birth. ②They are distinct, recognisable phenomena inside us.③When something happens in the world, whether it’s a gunshot or a flirtatious glance, our emotions come on quickly and automatically, as if someone hasflipped a switch.
翻译：关于情感，由来已久的说法是这样的：我们所有人自出生那一刻起，便带有各种情感。它们是我们内心明显的，可识别的现象。当这个世界上有事情发生，无论是一声枪响还是调情的一瞥，我们的情感都会迅速而自发地闪现，如同有人拨动了开关。
点评：Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ段为第一部分，论述传统的情感观——古典情感观（本文批驳对象）。
Ⅰ段指出人们对情感的长久认知：情感与生俱来。①句概述对情感由来已久的说法：情感与生俱来。time-honoured（由来已久的，古老而受尊重的）表明这种说法自古以来一直为人们所认同。②句进一步该观点所认为的情感特征：明显的，可识别的。③句进而借举例和比喻，说明情感快速、自动地产生。
II ①Modern science has an account that fits this story, which I call the classical view of emotion. ②According to this view, we have many emotional circuits in our brains, and each is said to cause a distinct set of changes – that is, a fingerprint. ③Perhaps an annoying co-worker triggers your “anger neurons”, so your blood pressure rises – you scowl, yell and feel the heat of fury. ④Or an alarming news story triggers your “fear neurons”, so your heart races – you freeze and feel a flash of dread.
翻译：现代科学对此有一种解释，我称之为古典情感观。这一观点认为，我们大脑中有许多情感回路，据说每一条情感回路都会引起一系列独特变化——也就是，情感指纹。一个恼人的同事可能会激发你的“愤怒神经元”，因此你血压升高——你皱眉，大喊，感到愤怒的冲动。或者，一则惊人的新闻报道会触发你的“恐惧神经元”，因此你心跳加速——你呆住且感到恐惧闪现。
点评：Ⅱ段基于上段，明确树立批驳靶子——古典情感观。①句从上文引出现代科学中描述的“古典情感观”。②-④句以According to this view引出古典情感观并说明其内涵。其中②句解释观点内涵，is said to 暗含不确定，暗示后文批驳。③④句以愤怒和恐惧时人体产生的反射性变化为例论证②句。
III ①Emotions are thought to be a kind of brute reflex, very often at odds with our rationality.②This internal battle between emotion and reason is one of the great narratives of western civilisation. ③It helps define you as human. Without rationality, you are merely an emotional beast.④This view of emotions has been around for millennia. ⑤Plato believed a version of it. So did Hippocrates, Aristotle, the Buddha, René Descartes, Sigmund Freud and Charles Darwin. ⑥Today, prominent thinkers such as Steven Pinker, Paul Ekman also offer up descriptions of emotions rooted in the classical view.
翻译：情感被认为是一种纯粹的反射，经常与我们的理性对立。这种情感与理性的内在斗争是西方文明的伟大叙事之一。借助于此，人之为人。如果没有理性，你只是一头情绪化的野兽。这种情感观已存在数几千年。柏拉图对此深信不疑。希波克拉底，亚里士多德，佛陀，勒内·笛卡尔、西格蒙德·弗洛伊德和查尔斯·达尔文也是如此。如今，史迪芬·平克和保罗·艾克曼等杰出思想家对情感的描述亦是植根于传统观点。
点评：Ⅲ段进一步强调古典情感观内容（情感是与理性相对的纯粹反射），并凸显其根深蒂固。①句顺承II指出情感被认为是一种与理性相对立的纯粹反射。②③句进一步说明这一对立观点。④⑤⑥句指出此观点已存在几千年，暗示其深入人心，同时回应I段“time-honoured”。其中⑤⑥句例证④句，指出古今多位伟大思想家均赞同这一观点。
IV ①And yet there is abundant scientific evidence that this view cannot possibly be true. ②Research has not revealed a consistent, physical fingerprint for even a single emotion. ③When scientists attach electrodes to a person’s face and measure muscle movement during an emotion, they find tremendousvariety, not uniformity.④They find the same variety with the body and brain. ⑤You can experience anger with or without a spike in blood pressure.⑥You can experience fear with or without a change in theamygdala, the brain region tagged as the home of fear.
翻译：然而，有大量科学证据表明这种观点不可能为真。研究揭示，即使是单一的情感，物理指纹也是不一致的。当科学家把电极连接到人的面部，测定情感发生时的肌肉活动，他们发现的是极大的多样性，而非一致性。他们发现人的身体和大脑都有同样的多样性。你经历愤怒时，血压可能达到峰值，也可能未必。你恐惧时，杏仁体(大脑感知恐惧的区域）可能会变化，也可能未必。
点评：Ⅳ、Ⅴ段为第二段，以研究数据批驳上述观点。Ⅳ段转折展开批驳，指出古典情感观缺乏科学依据。①句用And yet …this view cannot possibly be true明确亮出作者观点：不认同古典情感观，abundant scientific evidence 表明作者不是空虚来风，而是基于大量科学研究。②句指出古典情感观不符合科学之处：即使同一种情感的物理指纹也是不一致的（与II段②句形成对照）。③句说明研究方式及研究发现， tremendous variety 与古典情感观认为的uniformity形成对比，说明在科学研究面前古典情感观站不住脚。④句补充说明研究发现：身体和大脑的变化相同。⑤⑥句再次举“愤怒”和“恐惧”两种情感为例进行论证。
V ①When scientists set aside the classical view and just look at the data, a radically different explanation for emotion comes to light. ②We find that emotions are not universal but vary from culture to culture. ③They are not triggered; you create them. ④They emerge as a combination of the physical properties of your body, a flexible brain that wires itself to whatever environment it develops in, and your culture andupbringing.
翻译：当科学家抛开古典观点，只看数据时，对情感的解释就完全不同了。我们发现情感不是全体一致的，而是因文化不同而不同。情感不是被触发的，而是由你创造的。它们是你“身体的物理属性”、“连通成长环境的灵活大脑”，以及“你的文化和教养”的合成。
点评：Ⅴ段提出对情感的全新解释：情感是与文化相关的，人为生成的。①句顺承上段提出若只基于科学数据，对情感的解释则全然不同，radically different强调数据发现与古典情感观的差别之大。②-④句具体说明这一数据解释。②③句使用取舍结构（are not…but及 are not…），将科学发现(vary from culture to culture…you create them)与传统观点(universal…be triggered)进行对照，从而否定“情感是人类共通的反射作用”。④句最后总结指出:情感产生是机体物理属性，大脑对自身发展环境的翻译，文化及教养的共同作用。
本 文 脉 络：
首先：介绍传统观点
（情感是人类与生俱来的直觉反射）；
接着：对此观点展开批驳
（缺乏科学依据）；
最后：树立新观点
（情感是与文化相关的）。
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