Unit Nineteen
The Modern Plato

The modern Plato, like his ancient counterpart has an unbounded contempt for politicians and statesmen and party leaders who are not university men. He finds politics a dirty game, and only enters them reluctantly because he knows that at the very least he and his friends are better than the present gang. Brought up in the traditions of the ruling classes, he has a natural pity for the common people whom he has learnt to know as servants, and observed from a distance at their work in the factory, at their play in the parks and holiday resorts. He has never mixed with them or spoken to them on equal terms, but has demanded and generally received a respect due to his position and superior intelligence. He knows that if they trust him, he can give them the happiness which they crave¹. A man of culture, he genuinely despises the self-made industrialist² and newspaper-king: with a modest professional salary and a little private income of his own, he regards money-making as vulgar and avoids all ostentation³. Industry and finance seem to him to be activities unworthy of gentlemen, although, alas⁴, many are forced by exigencies⁵ of circumstance to take some part in them. An intellectual, he gently laughs at the superstitions⁷ of most Christians⁸, but he attends church regularly because he sees the importance of organized religion for the maintenance of sound morality among the lower orders, and because he dislikes the skepticism and materialism⁹ of radical¹⁰ teachers. His genuine passions are for literature and the philosophy of science and he would gladly spend all his time in studying them. But the plight¹¹ of the world compels his unwilling¹² attention, and when he sees that human stupidity and greed are about to plunge¹³ Europe into chaos¹⁴ and destroy the most glorious civilization which the world has known, he feels that it is high time for men of good sense and good will to intervene and to take politics out of the hands of the plutocrats of the Right and the woolly-minded idealists of the Left. Since He and his kind are the only representatives of decency¹⁵ Combined with intelligence, they must step down into The arena¹⁶ and save the masses for themselves.

counterpart n.与对方地位相当的人
[联想词]               duplicate vt.1.复制,复印 2.重复
               clone n.1.克隆2.复制品vt.克隆

contempt n.轻视
[联想词]               disdain¹⁷ n.鄙视 vt.鄙视,不屑做
               disgrace n.1.丢脸,耻辱,不光彩 2.丢脸的人(或事) vt.使丢脸
               scorn n.鄙视 vt.1.轻视 2.拒绝
               esteem¹⁸ n.vt.尊重

statesman n.政治家

superior a.1.上级的,较高的 2.较好的,优于…的 3.优良的,有优越感的n.上级,长官
superiority n.优越感,优等
subordinate a.1.下级的,级别低的 2.次要的,从属的n.部属,下级 vt.使处于次要地位,使从属于

crave vt.1.渴望得到,迫切要求 2.恳求,请求
[联想词]    lust¹⁹ n.1.性欲 2.渴望,欲望 vi.对….有强烈的欲望

despise vt.鄙视,看不起

vulgar a.1.粗野的,下流的 2.庸俗的,粗俗的

ostentation n.炫耀的,卖弄

exigency²⁰ n.1.紧急(状态),危急(关头) 2.急切需要,迫切要求

superstition⁶ n.迷信,迷信行为

morality n.道德 2.德行,品行 3.道德观

plight n.困境,苦境
dilemma²¹ n.窘境,困境

greed n.1.贪食 2.贪心,贪婪

intervene vt.1.干涉,干预 2.干扰,阻挠

plutocrat n.1.富豪(或财阀)统治阶级成员 2.富豪
[联想词]               millionaire n.百万富翁

decency n.1.合宜,得体 2.宽容,和气 3.正派,庄重

arena n.1.表演场地,竞技场 2.活动场所
[联想词]               rehearsal²² n.排练,排演
               repertoire²³ n.全部节目