群体的推理与想像力 ——选录自古斯塔夫·勒庞《乌合之众——大众心理研究》外文翻译资料

The Reasoning Power, and Imagination of Crowds

——The extracts from The Crowd - A Study of the Popular Mind by Gustave Le Bon

sect;1. The Reasoning Power of Crowds.

It cannot absolutely be said that crowds do not reason and are not to be influenced by reasoning.

However, the arguments they employ and those which are capable of influencing them are, from a logical point of view, of such an inferior kind that it is only by way of analogy that they can be described as reasoning.

The inferior reasoning of crowds is based, just as is reasoning of a high order, on the association of ideas, but between the ideas associated by crowds there are only apparent bonds of analogy or succession. The mode of reasoning of crowds resembles that of the Esquimaux who, knowing from experience that ice, a transparent body, melts in the mouth, concludes that glass, also a transparent body, should also melt in the mouth; or that of the savage who imagines that by eating the heart of a courageous foe he acquires his bravery; or of the workman who, having been exploited by one employer of labour, immediately concludes that all employers exploit their men.

The characteristics of the reasoning of crowds are the association of dissimilar things possessing a merely apparent connection between each other, and the immediate generalisation of particular cases. It is arguments of this kind that are always presented to crowds by those who know how to manage them. They are the only arguments by which crowds are to be influenced. A chain of logical argumentation is totally incomprehensible to crowds, and for this reason it is permissible to say that they do not reason or that they reason falsely and are not to be influenced by reasoning. On reading certain speeches, astonishment is felt at their weakness, and yet they had an enormous influence on the crowds which listened to them, but it is forgotten that they were intended to persuade collectivities and not to be read by philosophers. An orator in intimate communication with a crowd can evoke images by which it will be seduced. If he is successful his object has been attained, and twenty volumes of harangues— always the outcome of reflection—are not worth the few phrases which appealed to the brains it was required to convince. It would be superfluous to add that the powerlessness of crowds to reason aright prevents them displaying any trace of the critical spirit, prevents them, that is, from being capable of discerning truth from error, or of forming a precise judgment on any matter. Judgments accepted by crowds are merely judgments forced upon them and never judgments adopted after discussion. In regard to this matter the individuals who do not rise above the level of a crowd are numerous. The ease with which certain opinions obtain general acceptance results more especially from the impossibility experienced by the majority of men of forming an opinion peculiar to themselves and based on reasoning of their own.

sect;2. The Imagination of Crowds.

Just as is the case with respect to persons in whom the reasoning power is absent, the figurative imagination of crowds is very powerful, very active and very susceptible of being keenly impressed. The images evoked in their mind by a personage, an event, an accident, are almost as lifelike as the reality. Crowds are to some extent in the position of the sleeper whose reason, suspended for the time being, allows the arousing in his mind of images of extreme intensity which would quickly be dissipated could they be submitted to the action of reflection. Crowds, being incapable both of reflection and of reasoning, are devoid of the notion of improbability; and it is to be noted that in a general way it is the most improbable things that are the most striking.

This is why it happens that it is always the marvellous and legendary side of events that more specially strike crowds. When a civilisation is analysed it is seen that, in reality, it is the marvellous and the legendary that are its true supports. Appearances have always played a much more important part than reality in history, where the unreal is always of greater moment than the real.

Crowds being only capable of thinking in images are only to be impressed by images. It is only images that terrify or attract them and become motives of action.

For this reason theatrical representations, in which the image is shown in its most clearly visible shape, always have an enormous influence on crowds. Bread and spectacular shows constituted for the plebeians of ancient Rome the ideal of happiness, and they asked for nothing more. Throughout the successive ages this ideal has scarcely varied. Nothing has a greater effect on the imagination of crowds of every category than theatrical representations. The entire audience experiences at the same time the same emotions, and if these emotions are not at once transformed into acts, it is because the most unconscious spectator cannot ignore that he is the victim of illusions, and that he has laughed or wept over imaginary adventures. Sometimes, however, the sentiments suggested by the images are so strong that they tend, like habitual suggestions, to transform themselves into acts. The story has often been told of the manager of a popular theatre who, in consequence of his only playing sombre dramas, was obliged to have the actor who took the part of the traitor protected on his leaving the theatre, to defend him against the violence of the spectators, indignant at the crimes, imaginary though they were, which the traitor had committed. We have here, in my opinion, one of the most remarkable indications of the mental state of crowds, and especially of the facility with which they are suggestioned. The unreal has almost as much influence on them as the real. They have an evident tendency not to distinguish between the two.

The power of conquerors

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群体的推理与想像力

——选录自古斯塔夫·勒庞《乌合之众——大众心理研究》

1.群体的理性

　　不能完全绝对地说，群体没有理性或一点儿不受理性的影响。

　　然后，从逻辑上来看，群体所接受的论争，以及能够对它产生影响的论据，是比较低劣的一种，它们被称为推理，但实际上只能算是一种比喻。正如高阶的推理一般，群体拙劣的推理能力是建立在观念的基础上的，但是，在群体相关的观念中，仅有表面的相似或连续。群体的推理模式与爱斯基摩人类似，他们从经验中获知，透明的冰放在嘴里可以融化，推理出同样是透明的玻璃，放进嘴里也会融化；或者像那些野蛮人，认为吃下英勇的敌手的心脏，就能得到他的胆量；或是像一些苦力，他们受到了雇主的剥削，于是便认为所有雇主都在剥削苦力。

群体推理的特征，就是把本来不相似，仅表面上有些相同的事物联系起来，并立刻上升到普遍化。那些知道如何操纵群体的人，所支撑的正是这种论证。这是能够影响群体的唯一论据。一系列逻辑论争对群体来说完全是费解的，因此我们可以说，他们并不会推理或只能错误地推理，更不受推理过程的影响。因此当读到某些演说词时，我们常惊异于其间的弱点，然而它们却对听众产生了巨大的影响。但是人们却忘记一点，它们本意是劝服集体，而不是让哲学家去阅读的。一个与群体有密切沟通的演说家，可以激发出对他所面对的群体产生诱惑力的形象。只要他成功做到了这点，他就达到了自己的目的。20卷长篇大论是有逻辑的思考的产物，但在群众面前，远不如迎合群众大脑里所需要的几个短语来得让人信服。

　　没有必要再进一步指出群体没有能力进行正确的推理，并且这阻止了它们表现出任何批判精神的痕迹，也就是说，阻止它们有能力从错误中辨别真理，或在任何事情上形成一个精确的判断。被群体所接受的判断仅仅是强加在他们身上的判断，而不是在讨论之后做出的判断。在这件事上，那些没有超过群体水平的个体数量众多。某些观点获得普遍接受的十分容易，尤其是由于大多数人都不可能形成自己的观点，而且基于自己的推理而得出的结论是不可能的。

2.群体的想像力

相对于那些没有推理能力的人，群体形象化的想像力非常强大、充满活力，并且非常敏感容易被打动。一个人物，一个事件，一个事故，在他们头脑中唤起的形象，几乎和现实一样逼真。群体在一定程度上就像一个理性暂时被悬置的睡眠者，他的脑海里会产生一种极端强烈的、但也会迅速消散的画面，它们会反射到行动中去。群体没有思考能力和推理能力，缺乏不可能的概念，另外需要注意的是，一般来说，它们也认为最不可思议的事情是最引人注目的。

这也是为什么总是事件的令人惊奇的、传奇式的一面更容易吸引群体的目光。当我们分析一种文明的时候，人们会发现，实际上，文明得以存在的基础正是那些不可思议的、传奇的内容。在历史中，表象总是扮演比现实更重要的角色，在现实中，虚幻总是比现实更重要。

只能形象化思维的群体，也只能被形象打动。只有形象能恐吓或吸引群体，并成为它们行为的动机。

正因如此，剧场的形象因其展示出最清晰可见的形式，才总能对观众产生巨大的影响。面包和壮观的表演构成古罗马庶民的幸福理想，此外他们别无所求。在接下来的几世纪里，这种理想几乎没有变化。没有什么比戏剧表演更能影响各种群体的想象力了。整个剧院的观众同时体验了相同的情绪,如果这些情绪不立刻转化为动，那么全无意识的观众就不能忽视他是幻觉的受害者，只能在虚构的故事中付出欢笑或泪水。然而，有时候，这些形象所暗示的情绪太过强烈，以至于他们倾向于习惯性地将这些暗示转变为行为。这类故事使得大众剧场的经理有所警醒，他们在上演了让人情绪低沉的戏剧后，不得不护送那些扮演叛徒的演员离开剧院，为了保护他不受观众的暴力伤害，观众们对这些罪行感到愤怒，尽管故事是虚构的。在我看来，群体心理状态有一个最显著的迹象，尤其是对其施以影响的技巧，就是虚幻对他们的影响和真实的一样大。他们明显倾向于不区分这两者。

征服者的力量和国家的威权是建立在大众的想象基础上的。尤其是要注意如何通过这种想象力来领导群体。所有重大的历史事实，佛教、基督教与伊斯兰教的兴起，宗教改革，法国大革命，加上在我们这个的时代，社会主义入侵的威胁，都是对群众的想象产生强烈影响的直接或间接的结果。

此外,每个时代和每个国家的伟大政客，包括具有无上权威的暴君,都以群体的想象力为权力的基础,他们也从没有试图与此作对。拿破仑对国会说，“通过成为一名天主教徒,我终止了旺代战争；成为穆斯林，我获得了在埃及统治的基础；成为一个教皇绝对权力主义者,我赢得了意大利神父的支持；如果我要统治一个犹太人国家，我就会重建所罗门的神殿。”自亚历山大和凯撒以来，再没有什么伟人人在了解如何影响群体想象力上比得过他们了。在他胜利时,在他长篇大论时,他演讲时,在他所有的行动中，他都将这一点铭记在心。在他临终的时候，这样的想法仍然在他的脑海里。

群众的想象力是如何被影响的呢?我们接下来就会知道。这里需要说明的是，这一壮举永远都不会通过智力或推理能力来实现，也就是说，通过论证的方式来实现。通过巧妙的修辞,安东尼成功地让民众反对谋杀凯撒的人，他的意图通过他指向凯撒的尸体来让民众了解到。

无论刺激群体想象力的是什么，它都以一种令人吃惊的、非常清晰的形象存在，从所有的附属解释中解脱出来，或者仅仅是一些不可思议或神秘的事实; 比如一个伟大的胜利，一个伟大的奇迹，一个大犯罪，或者一个宏大的希望。这些例子必须摆在群众面前，但永远不能指明他们的起源。数百件轻微犯罪或轻微事故不会冲击人群的想象力,而一个大罪恶或一个大事件却会深深地打动他们,即使造成的灾难性的结果比几百次的小事故少很多。就在几年前，仅在巴黎就有5000人死亡于流行性感冒，在大众的想象中给人的印象却不大。原因是这个名副其实的大屠杀不以在任何可见的形象体现,只能是从每周提供的统计信息获悉。如果一个事故造成的死亡只有五百而不是五千人,但一天之内,在公开场合,作为强烈吸引人的眼睛的事故结果展示出来,例如,埃菲尔铁塔的倒塌,相反,会对群体的想象力产生巨大的冲击。

在没有消息的情况下，一艘横渡大西洋的轮船可能已经在大洋中沉没，此事对群体的想象的影响持续整整一周。然而,官方统计数据显示,单单1894年一年，就有850艘帆船和203艘轮船失事,但群众从来没有关注这些事件，尽管就损失来说它们更严重。

然而，这些事实本身并没有引起大众的想象，而是它们发生并引起了人们的注意的方式。如果要我表达我自己的观点的话，它们的凝缩是必要的，这样才会产生一种令人吃惊的形象，使人的头脑充满了想象。要知道掌握了吸引群体的想象力的艺术，也就同时掌握了管理他们的艺术。

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