【洛文塔尔】谎言的先知

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1、PROPHETSOFDECEITAStudyoftheTechniquesoftheAmericanAgitatorbyLEOLOWENTHALandNORBERTGUTERMANHARPER&BROTHERSNEWYORKFOREWORDTOSTUDIESINPREJUDICEAtthismomentinworldhistoryanti-Semitismisnotmanifestingitselfwiththefullandviolentdestructivenessofwhichweknowittobecapable.Evenasocialdiseasehasitsperiodsofq

2、uiescenceduringwhichthesocialscientist,likethebiologistorthephysician,canstudyitinthesearchformoreeffectivewaystopreventorreducethevirulenceofthenextoutbreak.Todaytheworldscarcelyremembersthemechanizedpersecutionandexterminationofmillionsofhumanbeingsonlyashortspanofyearsawayinwhatwasonceregardeda

3、sthecitadelofWesterncivilization.Yettheconscienceofmanymenwasaroused.Howcoulditbe,theyaskedeachother,thatinacultureoflaw,orderandreason,thereshouldhavesurvivedtheirrationalremnantsofancientracialandreligioushatreds?Howcouldtheyexplainthewillingnessofgreatmassesofpeopletotoleratethemassexterminatio

4、noftheirfellowcitizens?Whattissuesinthelifeofourmodernsocietyremaincancerous,anddespiteourassumedenlightenmentshowtheincongruousatavismofancientpeoples?Andwhatwithintheindividualorganismrespondstocertainstimuliinourculturewithattitudesandactsofdestructiveaggression?Butanarousedconscienceisnotenoug

5、hifitdoesnotstimulateasystematicsearchforananswer.Mankindhaspaidtoodearlyforitsnaivefaithintheautomaticeffectofthemerepassageoftime:incanta-tionshavereallyneverdispelledstorms,disaster,pestilence,diseaseorotherevils;nordoeshewhotormentsanotherceasehistortureoutofsheerboredomwithhisvictim.Prejudice

6、isoneoftheproblemsofourtimesforwhicheveryonehasatheorybutnooneananswer.Everyman,inasense,believesthatheishisownsocialscientist,forsocialscienceisthestuffofeverydayliving.Theprogressofsciencecanperhapsbechartedbytheadvancesthatscientistshavemadeovercommonsensenotionsofphenomena.Inanefforttoadvanceb

7、eyondmerecommonsenseapproachestoproblemsofintergroupconflict,theAmericanJewishCommitteeinMay,1944,invitedagroupofAmericanscholarsofvariousbackgroundsanddis-ciplinestoatwo-dayconferenceonreligiousandracialprejudic