We live in a society obsessed with music.
我们生活的社会对音乐无比着迷。
We use music to worship, tell stories, to celebrate, to work, exercise,
伴随着音乐，我们举行宗教仪式，讲述故事，庆祝，工作，锻炼，
declare our love and sometimes our hatred, and, arguably most importantly, to dance.
表达爱意，有时也表达愤恨，而最重要的也许是跳舞。
And, of course, we play music ourselves because, well, it's a pleasant thing to do.
当然，我们也弹奏音乐，因为，这是件愉悦的事。
Thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece, when it came to music, things weren't much different.
几千年前，在古希腊提起音乐和今天并无二致。
They might have had lyres and tunics instead of MP3 players and jeans,
他们有的可能是里拉琴和长罩衫，而不是MP3和牛仔裤，
but the Ancient Greeks were just as obsessed with music as we are today.
但古希腊也和当今社会一样，音乐无处不在。
In fact, music was such an important part of Ancient Greek society that it makes us seem tame by comparison.
实际上，音乐之于古希腊社会的重要程度让我们觉得相形见绌。
To really understand just how integral music was to the Ancient Greeks,
要理解为什么音乐对于古希腊如此不可或缺，
let's begin by acquainting ourselves with a bit of their mythology.
我们首先来了解他们的神话。
In Ancient Greek mythology, it was believed that
在古希腊神话中，人们相信
human creativity was the result of divine inspiration from a group of goddesses known as the Muses.
创造力是神灵启发的，这些神灵就是今天所指的缪斯。
While scholars have argued over the years that there are anything between 3 and 13 Muses,
学者一直在讨论到底有3个还是13个缪斯，
the standard number accepted today is 9.
今天广为接受的标准数字为9个。
Each Muse oversees her own specific area of artistic expertise,
缪斯们在其各自的艺术专业领域各司其职，
ranging from song and dance to history and astronomy.
从唱歌到跳舞，到历史和天文。
It might seem strange to categorize history and astronomy as creative pursuits,
历史和天文被当作一种创造性的学科，这种分类看起来也许有点儿奇怪，
but the Ancient Greeks saw these disciplines as more than just school subjects.
但是古希腊人认为这些领域不仅仅是一种学科。
These were the hallmarks of civilization in what, to their eyes, was a pretty barbaric world.
它们被当作是文明的特征。在他们看来，世界是很野蛮的。
An educated, civilized person was expected to be proficient in all aspects of creative thought inspired by the Muses,
每一个受过教育的文明人都应该精通所有由缪斯启迪的创造性思想，
and the common medium through which these disciplines were taught, studied, and disseminated was music.
其中的常见媒介，即传授、学习和传播的介质便是音乐。
You see, it's no coincidence that the word Muse is very similar to the word music.
你看，单词缪斯和单词音乐十分形似，这并非偶然。
It's where the word originates.
而是因为它是该单词的词源。
Poetry, be it a love poem or an epic poem about a dragon-slaying hero, was sung with a musical accompaniment.
诗歌，无论是爱情诗还是刺杀巨龙的英雄史诗，都在音乐伴奏下吟唱。
Dancing and singing, obviously, were accompanied by music.
当然，跳舞和唱歌也离不开音乐伴奏。

Theater was always a combination of spoken word and music.
戏剧就是口头语言和音乐的结合。
History was recounted through song.
历史通过歌曲讲述。
Even the study of astronomy was linked to the same physical principles as musical harmony,
甚至天文学研究都和音乐和声的物理法则紧密相连，
such as the belief held by many Greek thinkers that each of the planets and stars created their own unique sound
很多希腊思想家认为每个行星和恒星都创造了自己的音调，
as they traveled through the cosmos, thrumming like an enormous guitar string light-years long.
当它们在宇宙运动时，就像在弹拨无数的吉他弦，琴弦有数光年长。
However, music pervaded more aspects of their lives than just education.
音乐对他们生活的渗透不仅仅局限于教育。
Ancient Greeks considered music to be the basis for understanding the fundamental interconnectedness of all things in the universe.
古希腊人认为音乐是理解宇宙万物相互运动的基本。
This concept of connectivity is known as harmonia, and it's where we get the word harmony.
这种万物相关联的思想就是和声，也是单词和谐的来源。
Music was used as a form of medicine to treat illnesses and physical complaints,
音乐也曾被当作良药，用来治疗疾病和生理疼痛，
as a vital accompaniment to sporting contests,
如体育比赛时热闹的伴唱，
and as a means to keep workers in time as they toiled away on monotonous or menial tasks.
也用来协调工人从事单调或繁重的劳役。
One of the most important applications of music in Ancient Greek society
古希腊社会音乐最重要的应用之一
is found in the belief that music can affect a person's ethos.
就是认为音乐可以影响气质。
A word we still use today, ethos is a person's guiding beliefs or personal ethics,
我们今天仍然用这个词，气质是人的信仰或个人的伦理观，
the way that one behaves towards oneself and others.
是他们独处或和他人相处的方式。
The Greek philosopher Plato, one of the most famous and influential Greek thinkers of the time,
希腊哲学家柏拉图，那个时期希腊最富盛名和影响力的希腊思想家，
asserted that music had a direct effect on a person's ethos.
坚称音乐对个人气质有直接影响力。
Certain kinds of music could incite a person to violence while others could placate a person into a benign, unthinking stupor.
某几种音乐可以煽动暴力，而有些音乐可以麻木心智，让人精神恍惚，没有灵魂。
According to Plato, only very specific types of music were beneficial to a person's ethos.
柏拉图说，只有特定的几种音乐对人气质有益。
One should only listen to music that promotes intelligence, self-discipline, and courage,
人们应该只听对促进智力、自律和勇气有益的音乐，
and all other kinds of music must be avoided.
应该回避其他所有音乐。
Furthermore, Plato fervently denounced any music that deviated from established musical conventions,
此外，柏拉图强烈地指责任何背离已成型的音乐惯例的音乐，
fearing that doing so would lead to the degradation of the standards of civilization,
担心这样的音乐将导致文明标准的堕落，
the corruption of youth, and eventually complete and utter anarchy.
青少年的腐化，最终导致彻底的无政府状态。
While Plato's fears can seem extreme,
柏拉图的担忧也许很极端，
this argument has appeared in modern times to condemn musical trends such as jazz or punk or rap.
但现代也有此类争论，有些音乐潮流受到谴责，如爵士、朋克或Rap。
What do you think Plato would say about the music you listen to?
你觉得柏拉图会对你所听的音乐有什么见解呢？
Is it beneficial to your ethos, or will it degenerate you into a gibbering, amoral barbarian?
这有助于提升你的个人气质吗，还是会导致你堕落，成为愚蠢、不道德的野蛮人呢？