11. The Story of Man (The Economist December 20, 2006)

Modern Darwinism paints a more flattering portrait of humanity than traditionalists might suppose

11-1-50
In those parts of the planet that might once have been described as 'Christendom', this week marks the season of peace on Earth and goodwill towards men. A nice idea in a world more usually thought of as seasoned by the survival of the fittest. But goodwill and collaboration are as much part of the human condition as ill-will and competition. And that was a puzzle to 19th-century disciples of Charles Darwin, such as Herbert Spencer.
It was Spencer, an early contributor to 'The Economist', who invented that poisoned phrase, 'survival of the fittest'. He originally applied it to the winnowing of firms in the harsh winds of high-Victorian capitalism, but when Darwin's masterwork, 'On the Origin of Species', was published, he quickly saw the parallel with natural selection and transferred his bon mot to the process of evolution. As a result, he became one of the band of philosophers known as social Darwinists. Capitalists all, they took what they thought were the lessons of Darwin's book and applied them to human society. Their hard-hearted conclusion, of which a 17th-century religious puritan might have been proud, was that people got what they deserved--albeit that the criterion of desert was genetic, rather than moral. The fittest not only survived, but prospered. Moreover, the social Darwinists thought that measures to help the poor were wasted, since such people were obviously unfit and thus doomed to sink.

A. 어휘
flatter 아부하다. portrait 초상화. paints a more flattering portrait of humanity 인간성에 대해서 보다 더 긍정적인 그림을 그린다. traditionalist 전통주의자.
Christendom 기독교국가, 기독교 세계. mark 표시하다. goodwill 溫情(온정), 호의.
might once have been described as Christendom 한 때는 기독교국가로 말해졌을 지도 모르는. cf. might+have+pp. 과거사실에 대한 추측. might는 추측의 조동사.
be thought of as 인 것으로 간주되다. seasoned 익숙해진, 길들여진.
collaboration 협력, 合作(합작). ill-will 악의, 敵意(적의). competition 경쟁.
puzzle 수수께끼, 골치 아픈 일. disciple 제자.
contributor (신문, 잡지의) 기고가. poisoned phrase 표독한 語句(어구).
apply to 적용하다. winnow (티끌, 겨를) 키질(체질)하여 가르다.
the winnowing of firms in the harsh winds 거친 바람으로 회사를 키질하는 것(경쟁력이 없는 회사는 도태시키는 것).
high-Victorian capitalism 전성기 빅토리아시대의 자본주의. master 걸작.
“On the Origin of Species' ”種(종)의 기원“. parallel 유사, 평행, 대등.
natural selection 자연도태. transfer 이동하다. bon mot 名言(명언).
process of evolution 진화과정. band 무리, 떼.
social Darwinist 사회적 다윈주의자(적자생존의 법칙을 인간사회에도 적용하는 학자들). hard-hearted 非情(비정)한, 냉혹한.
deserve ...을 받을 만하다. albeit(that)=although ...임에도 불구하고. criterion 기준.
desert 당연한 보답, 功過(공과), 공적. survive 살아 남다. prosper 번창하다.
measure 조치, 법. wasted 낭비되다. obviously 분명히.
unfit [육체적. 정신적으로] 부적당한, 결함이 있는. doom 운명지어지다.
sink-sunk-sunk 침몰하다.

B. 구문
-A nice idea in a world. . . the survival of the fittest.
cf. a world more usually thought of as→a world which is more usually thought of as being
[적자생존이라는 (살벌한)개념에 익숙해져 있는 것으로 더 많이 생각되어지는 세상에서 (그것은) (기분이)좋은 개념이다.]
-Their hard-hearted conclusion. . . rather than moral
[17세기 엄격한 종교적 청교도들이 자랑스러워했을지도 모를 그들의 비정한 결론은, 사람은 그들이 받을만한 것을 가지게 된다는 것이다. 비록 공적의 기준은 도덕적이기보다는 유전적이지만.(잘살고 못살고는 유전적으로 타고난다는 것)]

11-2-51
Sadly, the slur stuck. For 100 years Darwinism was associated with a particularly harsh and unpleasant view of the world and, worse, one that was clearly not true--at least, not the whole truth. People certainly compete, but they collaborate, too. They also have compassion for the fallen and frequently try to help them, rather than treading on them. For this sort of behaviour, 'On the Origin of Species' has no explanation. As a result, Darwinism had to tiptoe round the issue of how human society and behaviour evolved. Instead, the disciples of a second 19th-century creed, Marxism, dominated academic sociology departments with their cuddly collectivist ideas--even if the practical application of those ideas has been even more catastrophic than social Darwinism was.

Trust me, I'm a Darwinist
But the real world eventually penetrates even the ivory tower. The failure of Marxism has prompted an opening of mind, and Darwinism is back with a vengeance--and a twist. Exactly how humanity became human is still a matter of debate. But there are, at least, some well-formed hypotheses. What these hypotheses have in common is that they rely on Spencer's idea of individual competition, but on social interaction. That interaction is, indeed, sometimes confrontational and occasionally bloody. But it is frequently collaborative, and even when it is not, it is more often manipulative than violent.

A. 어휘
slur 비방, 오점. stick 떠나지 않다, 고착시키다, 찌르다.
the slur stuck 때가 묻게 되었다. particularly 특별히. view of the world 세계관. collaborate 협동하다. compassion 憐愍(연민).
the fallen 패배자, 전사자. cf. the+형용사→ 복수보통명사. ex. the poor→ 가난한 사람들.
tread-trod-trodden 짓밟다.
for this sort of behaviour 이런 종류의 행동(연민의 행동)에 대해서는.
tiptoe round 에 관해서는 조심스럽게 말하다. evolve 진화하다. creed 신조, 敎理(교리).
dominate 지배하다, 좌우하다. academic sociology departments 대학의 사회학 분야.
cuddle 껴안는, 포옹하는. cuddly collectivist ideas 응집력이 강한 집단주의적 사상.
application 적용. catastrophic 파멸적인. the real world 현실 세계. penetrate 침투하다.
prompt 재촉하다. vengeance 복수. twist 전환, 발전, 왜곡. debate 토론, 토의.
well-formed 모양이 좋은. hypothesis 假說(가설). rely on 의존하다.
social interaction 사회적 상호작용. confrontational 대결적인.
occasionally 때때로. collaborative 협동적인. manipulative 솜씨 있는, 효율적인.
more manipulative than violent 폭력적이기보다는 효율적이다.

B. 구문
-For 100 years Darwinism. . . not the whole truth.
cf. worse→what is worse 더욱더 나쁜 것은:(관용적 삽입절).
one=view of the world
[지난 100년 동안 다윈주의는 대단히 가혹하고 살벌한 세계관과 연관을 맺었고 더욱더 잘 못된 것은 분명히 사실이 아닌 것--적어도 부분적으로만 진실인 세계관과 연결되었다는 것이다.]
-Exactly how humanity . . . a matter of debate.
[정화하게 (현재의 인간성을 갖춘) 인류가 어떻게 인간답게 되었는지는 아직도 토론되고 있는 문제이다.]