4 Characteristics of a Scholar # 1– Am I curious? 學者的四個特質之一：我好奇嗎？
從事學術寫作一段時間後，寫作者難免自問一個基本問題：我是學者嗎？如果性格不適合學術界，卻立志以學術研究為業，終究會徒勞無功。即使是剛踏進這個領域的學生，若能好好檢視自己是否適合走學術路，也不失為明智之舉。假使個性與學術研究並不契合，往後漫長的學術著述工作只會成為惱人的苦差事，讓人不斷感到挫敗沮喪。本文提供幾項檢視方式供您參考。
At some point, an academic writer should ask a fundamental question: Am I a scholar? Pursuit of an academic career will be in vain if a person is ill-suited for academia. Even students who are just passing through the realm are wise to examine if they are a good fit for academic scholarship. If not, the academic writing will forever be fitful and the writer frustrated. Hereafter are ways to examine thyself.
Characteristic # 1: Am I curious?
特質一：我好奇嗎？
An old maxim is, curiosity killed the cat. It is a warning against being too inquisitive, about a person not poking his nose into affairs that don't concern him. It is decidedly the wrong counsel for a scholar and writer of scholarly material. Being curious is where scholarship begins, as a mind considers an unknown and methodically begins to explore it. There would be no scholarly discovery without curiosity, and there would be no scholarly curiosity without the intellectual satisfaction that comes from discovery.
有句老話說：「好奇心會害死貓」，旨在警告大家對於別人的私事不要過份好奇，但對學者與撰寫學術文章的人來說，這個建議恰好適得其反。作研究的首先條件就是旺盛的好奇心，能進而思索未知的範疇，再以條理分明的方法尋找答案。沒有好奇心，就沒有研究成果，而且，如果無法從研究成果中獲得滿足感，也無從激發學術好奇心。
Curiosity is as much a habit as a genetic gift. It is true that some people are born with an innate need to master a subject, to parse a topic till it gives up all its secrets. Yet life can instill in a person a sense of wonder that is as durable as anything rooted in instinct or genetic constitution. Being curious is a mental trait, after all, and good minds can be trained to function according to a person's will. If a person resolves to not stopping asking questions till all possibilities are exhausted, he becomes pragmatically curious.
好奇不僅是一種習慣，也是一種天賦。有些人確實天生就特別渴望精通某個學科，解析問題時非得查個水落石出才善罷干休。但是好奇心也能經由後天培養而成，且完全不亞於與生俱來的稟賦，畢竟，好奇是一種心理特質，而健全的心智若經過訓練，其實也能依照個人意志運作，一個人若能下定決心，抱持上窮碧落下黃泉的態度尋求解答，這便是充分展現好奇精神。
The curious state of mind is easier to develop when a person is interested in a subject. Disinterest in a field of study might lead a young academic to conclude that he suffers from lack of curiosity. In fact, only Renaissance thinkers are truly interested in many areas of study. The rest of us are better off focusing on an area of inquiry that vitally interests us, for that is where the habit of curiosity can most easily be cultivated. Finding our intellectual niche lets us proceed unfettered in our quest for knowledge.
對於有興趣的主題學科，我們比較容易培養好奇心。年輕學者如果對某個學術領域興致索然，可能會誤以為自己缺乏求知欲，其實，只有文藝復興時代的思想家才會對多種不同學科產生廣泛興趣，多數人最好還是專注於某個自己深感興趣的學習領域，因為從興趣中培養好奇的習慣最容易。若能找出自己的才智特長，在求知路上便更能盡情發揮。
At some point, an academic writer should ask a fundamental question: Am I a scholar? Pursuit of an academic career will be in vain if a person is ill-suited for academia. Even students who are just passing through the realm are wise to examine if they are a good fit for academic scholarship. If not, the academic writing will forever be fitful and the writer frustrated. Hereafter are ways to examine thyself.
Characteristic # 1: Am I curious?
特質一：我好奇嗎？
An old maxim is, curiosity killed the cat. It is a warning against being too inquisitive, about a person not poking his nose into affairs that don't concern him. It is decidedly the wrong counsel for a scholar and writer of scholarly material. Being curious is where scholarship begins, as a mind considers an unknown and methodically begins to explore it. There would be no scholarly discovery without curiosity, and there would be no scholarly curiosity without the intellectual satisfaction that comes from discovery.
有句老話說：「好奇心會害死貓」，旨在警告大家對於別人的私事不要過份好奇，但對學者與撰寫學術文章的人來說，這個建議恰好適得其反。作研究的首先條件就是旺盛的好奇心，能進而思索未知的範疇，再以條理分明的方法尋找答案。沒有好奇心，就沒有研究成果，而且，如果無法從研究成果中獲得滿足感，也無從激發學術好奇心。
Curiosity is as much a habit as a genetic gift. It is true that some people are born with an innate need to master a subject, to parse a topic till it gives up all its secrets. Yet life can instill in a person a sense of wonder that is as durable as anything rooted in instinct or genetic constitution. Being curious is a mental trait, after all, and good minds can be trained to function according to a person's will. If a person resolves to not stopping asking questions till all possibilities are exhausted, he becomes pragmatically curious.
好奇不僅是一種習慣，也是一種天賦。有些人確實天生就特別渴望精通某個學科，解析問題時非得查個水落石出才善罷干休。但是好奇心也能經由後天培養而成，且完全不亞於與生俱來的稟賦，畢竟，好奇是一種心理特質，而健全的心智若經過訓練，其實也能依照個人意志運作，一個人若能下定決心，抱持上窮碧落下黃泉的態度尋求解答，這便是充分展現好奇精神。
The curious state of mind is easier to develop when a person is interested in a subject. Disinterest in a field of study might lead a young academic to conclude that he suffers from lack of curiosity. In fact, only Renaissance thinkers are truly interested in many areas of study. The rest of us are better off focusing on an area of inquiry that vitally interests us, for that is where the habit of curiosity can most easily be cultivated. Finding our intellectual niche lets us proceed unfettered in our quest for knowledge.
對於有興趣的主題學科，我們比較容易培養好奇心。年輕學者如果對某個學術領域興致索然，可能會誤以為自己缺乏求知欲，其實，只有文藝復興時代的思想家才會對多種不同學科產生廣泛興趣，多數人最好還是專注於某個自己深感興趣的學習領域，因為從興趣中培養好奇的習慣最容易。若能找出自己的才智特長，在求知路上便更能盡情發揮。
Posted at 2014-07-07 17:17:28
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