Natural History（6 自然史第6卷）_（法）布封著_9787040483161

　　布封是18世纪法国著名的博物学家和作家。他坚持以唯物主义的思想看待地球与生物的起源和发展，被誉为“和大自然一样伟大的天才”。

　　《自然史》是一部博物志，书中以大量的科学观察为基础，从唯物主义的角度对自然界的各种现象做了详细的描述。书中提到的“物种可变”和“进化”的思想对当时的社会具有积极的启蒙作用，也对后来达尔文提出“物种起源”与“进化论”产生了深远影响。

　　《自然史》原著为法文，共44卷。本版为英国学者James Smith Barr在1797-1807年翻译出版的10卷册，是原著中*精华的部分，主要包括地球的理论、动物史、人类史、家畜驯养史，并简单介绍了矿物和植物等内容。

　　《Natural History（6 自然史第6卷）》可供生物学、生态学、地质学等专业的高校师生和相关科研人员以及博物爱好者阅读。

　　在已探知的星球中，唯地球有人类。人类社会和自然界构成了这颗星球的整个世界。人类来源于自然，依赖于自然，不断地探索自然，了解自己从何而来，向何而去？为什么在这万物共生的自然界脱颖而出，成为这个世界的主宰？又怎样与这个世界大家庭和睦相处，适应客观发展？……只有了解过去，才能更好地认识现在；懂得了过去和现在，才能主动地面对未来。历史是最好的教科书，在《地球简史》《人类简史》《时间简史》等纷纷面世的当代，人们不由地把目光又投向260多年前就诞生了的《自然史》，这部洋洋数百万字的旷世巨著，开辟了科学史作的先河，它从行星到地球，从空气到海洋，从动物到人类，……天、地、生、人，无所不包，海、陆、空，面面俱到，是一部记述自然的百科全书。

　　书中全面论述了地球理论和地球历史，展现了风、火、水、潮、雷、震（地震）、光、热等各种自然现象；对人和生物的论述更是生动形象，丰富多彩。从生命的起源、器官的发育、青春期的特点，到机能的退化，直至死亡，把人类生息繁衍的过程讲得有声有色。对生物，特别是动物的描绘投下了重重笔墨，占据了大量篇幅，天上飞的，地上长的，野生的，驯养的，食肉的，食草的，大到熊、马，小至鼠、兔，畜、禽，鸟、兽，花、草、树、木，样样俱全，活灵活现，既有理性，又有情趣，好像无论哪种野性的动物都可以成为人类的宠物和朋友。法国著名思想家卢梭是这样评价的：“布封以异常平静而又悠然自得的语言歌颂了自然界中所有的重要物品，呈现出造物者的尊严与灵性。他具有那个世纪最美的文笔。”

　　万物皆有道，自然最奇妙。几乎所有涉及自然的事物都可以从《自然史》汲取营养，得到启示。读这类名著，既能增长知识，丰富阅历，又能赏心悦目，闲情逸致。即使历史已过去了几百年，社会发生了巨变，也未失去这部历史巨著的价值和魅力。这就是一部不朽之作的历史地位。布封在书中提出“物种可变”和“进化”的思想，被生物进化论创始人达尔文称为“以现代科学眼光对待这个问题的第一人”。

　　哲语说，文如其人。《自然史》的作者布封，全名乔治，路易，勒克莱尔.布封（Georges-Louis Leclerc，Comtede Buffon，1707-1788），如同他的不朽著作一样，也有一部不寻常的经历。他生于法国，自幼喜好自然科学，特别是数学。1728年法律专业毕业后，又学了两年医学。20岁时就先于牛顿发现了二项式定理；26岁成为法兰西科学院机械部的助理研究员，翻译并出版了英国博物学者海尔斯的著作《植物生理与空气分析》和牛顿的《微积分术》；1739年，32岁的他转为法兰西科学院数学部的副研究员，并被任命为“巴黎皇家植物园及御书房”的总管；1753年成为法兰西科学院院士。他用40年的时间写出了长达36卷的《自然史》，后又由他的学生整理出版了8卷，共44卷。此书一出版，就轰动了欧洲的学术界，各国很快有了译本。1777年，法国政府给布封建了一座铜像，上面写着：“献给和大自然一样伟大的天才。”这是对布封的崇高评价。

　　《自然史》原著为法文，这里出版的是英国学者James Smith Barr在1797-1807年翻译的英文版10卷册，选取的是原著中最精华的部分。发行这样的英文版高级作品、高级读物，就像外文书籍、外文刊物一样，自然面对的也是高水平的读者和馆藏者，希望他们既可以接近原汁原味地欣赏原著，感受自然的魅力，受到自然科学和文学艺术的熏陶，同时又能自然而然地提高英文素养和写作水平。在广大知识分子外语水平普遍提高的今天，这样的科学传播形式也许会受到越来越多读者的青睐。

　　《Natural History（6 自然史第6卷）》：

　　Some animals， and they are the most mild， innocent， and tranquil， are contented with remaining at a certain distance from us， and living in our fields； others more fierce and distrustful， conceal themselves in the recesses of woods； others， as if they knew there was no safety on the surface of the earth， dig themselves subterraneous abodes， take shelter in caverns， or gain the summits of most inaccessible mountains； and others， the most ferocious and most powerful， inhabit deserts only， and reign like sovereigns in those burning climates， where man， as savage as themselves， is unable to dispute the empire with them.

　　As all beings， even the most independent， are subjected and governed by physical laws， and as brute animals， as well as man， experience the infiuences of the air and soil， so it appears， that the same causes which have softened and civilized the human species in our climates， have produced similar effects upon all other species. The wolf， which is perhaps the most ferocious animal in the temperate zone， is by no means so terrible or cruel as the tiger， the panther， and the lion of the torrid zone； or as the white bear， the lynx， and the hyaena of the frozen zone. And this difference is not only general， as if Nature， to give a degree of harmony to her productions， had calculated the climate for the species， or the species for the climate， but in each particular species the climate is calculated for the manner， and the manners for the climate. In America， where the heat is less violent， and the air and soil more benign than in Africa， though under the same line， the lion， tiger， and panther， have nothing terrible in them but the name. They are no longer tyrants of the forests， intrepid enemies of mankind， monsters which delight in blood and carnage： but they usually run from before man， and instead of waging open war even against other animals， employ stratagem and artifice to take them by surprise； in a word， they may be rendered subservient and almost domestic； therefore were ferocity and cruelty the characteristic of their natures， they must have degenerated， or rather felt the influence of the climate； under a milder sky their dispositions have become milder； every excess in them has been tempered， and by these changes they have become more conformable to the nature of the country which they inhabit.

　　The vegetables which cover this earth and are more connected with it than the animal that feeds upon them， partake in a superior degree of the nature of the climate. Every country， every degree of temperature， has its particular plants. At the foot of the Alps we find those of France and Italy， and on their summit those of the northern regions， which very plants we also meet with on the frozen pinnacles of the African mountains. On the south side of the mountains which separate the Mogul empire from the kingdom of Cashmire， we see all the plants，of the Indies， and on the other side we are surprised to find none but those of Europe. It is from intemperate climates that we also derive drugs， perfumes， poisons and all the plants whose qualities are excessive. The productions of temperate climates， on the contrary are always mild. Of such happy spots， herbs and roots the most wholesome， the sweetest fruits， the gentlest animals and the most polished men， are the delightful appurtenances. Thus the earth produces plants， the earth and plants make animals， and of the earth， plants， and animals， are formed men； for the qualities of vegetables， proceed immediately from the soil and air； the temperament and other relative qualities of animals which feed on herbs， have a close affinity to the particular kinds they use， and the physical qualities of men， and other animals which subsist on flesh， as well as on vegetables， depend， though more remotely， on the same causes， whose infiuence extends even to disposition and manners. Size and form， which appear to be absolute and determined qualities， depend， nevertheless， like the relative qualities upon the influence of the climate. The size of our largest animals are greatly inferior to that of the elephant， thinoceros， or hippopotamus； our largest birds are but small if we compare them with the ostrich， condor， or the cassowary； and what comparison can be made between the fishes， lizards， and serpents of our regions， and the whale， the walrus， and manati， which inhabit the northern seas； or the crocodiles， large lizards， and enormous adders which infest the southern climes， both by land and water?

　　……

你还可能感兴趣

我要评论