4 Characteristics of a Scholar # 2– Am I a skimmer? 學者的四個特質之二：我做學問是否有如蜻蜓點水？
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 # 2: Am I a skimmer?
特質二：我做學問是否有如蜻蜓點水？
If there is an adjective that is found in any description of a scholar it is "deep," as in, "She is a deep thinker." The word is pretentious when used that way, yet it describes a necessary condition for any person claiming to be a scholar. For embedded in any scholarly work is the concept of depth. True exploration of a topic in an academic paper always involves diving below the surface. Genuine academic exploration absolutely requires a researcher to mine the topical substrata. Skimming a topic won't do.
所有對於學者的描述中，有個共通的形容詞就是「深入」，比如「她的思考很深入」，這種說法有些矯情，但「深入」確實是成為學者的必要條件，因為學術工作講究深度。在學術文獻中就某個主題進行探索時，必須突破表層，展開深入研究，真正的學術探討，是指挖掘潛藏於表面之下的深層含意，如果研究方式流於浮泛膚淺，便很難有所成就。
A skimmer is the antithesis of a scholar. Yes, there is value in being able to skim pertinent facts from research material, to evaluate a paper in a cursory way and accurately determine its value to a project. An hour wasted plumbing extraneous material is a baneful exercise for a researcher. But any scholar with deep understanding of a subject can quickly determine the worth of research material. The opposite does not hold true: One cannot be an academic skimmer and develop such insight about material.
浮泛可說是學者二字的反義詞。當然，如果能從研究材料中先概略找出相關資料，或是經由粗淺評估，便能確認某篇論文對手邊的研究是否具有價值，這些能力確實有其用處，畢竟，對於研究者而言，耗費一小時讀無關的資料實在是有百害無一利。但是只要對所擅長學科的理解夠深刻，任何學者都能在短時間內判定資料的價值，反之則不然，如果抱持浮泛粗淺的態度作研究，則不可能對研究資料有任何深刻理解。
So the successful scholarly pursuit of knowledge requires a scholar to be "all in" to a project. He must commit to follow threads of information wherever they may lead him. If they plunge into tomes of centuries past, plunge ahead. If they connect with tangential paths of inquiry, evaluate the detours. Determining beforehand just how far and wide a lead will be pursued can be a fatal mistake, for it can preclude new findings and original theories. Don't let the unexpected stop your search. That's what skimmers do.
因此，學者追求知識必須「全力以赴」才會成功，追尋線索時必須發揮堅持的精神，無論追到天涯或海角都要堅持到底。如果投身研究數世紀前的浩瀚書海，不妨勇往直前，如果在循線追查線索時走上岔路，亦不妨繞行遠路。若在投入研究之前便預先設定探索的廣度與深度，可能已經犯下最致命的錯誤，因為這也許會扼殺新的發現或創新的理論，別因為看到意料之外的風景而中止探尋的腳步，習慣蜻蜓點水式研究的人才會這樣做。
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 # 2: Am I a skimmer?
特質二：我做學問是否有如蜻蜓點水？
If there is an adjective that is found in any description of a scholar it is "deep," as in, "She is a deep thinker." The word is pretentious when used that way, yet it describes a necessary condition for any person claiming to be a scholar. For embedded in any scholarly work is the concept of depth. True exploration of a topic in an academic paper always involves diving below the surface. Genuine academic exploration absolutely requires a researcher to mine the topical substrata. Skimming a topic won't do.
所有對於學者的描述中，有個共通的形容詞就是「深入」，比如「她的思考很深入」，這種說法有些矯情，但「深入」確實是成為學者的必要條件，因為學術工作講究深度。在學術文獻中就某個主題進行探索時，必須突破表層，展開深入研究，真正的學術探討，是指挖掘潛藏於表面之下的深層含意，如果研究方式流於浮泛膚淺，便很難有所成就。
A skimmer is the antithesis of a scholar. Yes, there is value in being able to skim pertinent facts from research material, to evaluate a paper in a cursory way and accurately determine its value to a project. An hour wasted plumbing extraneous material is a baneful exercise for a researcher. But any scholar with deep understanding of a subject can quickly determine the worth of research material. The opposite does not hold true: One cannot be an academic skimmer and develop such insight about material.
浮泛可說是學者二字的反義詞。當然，如果能從研究材料中先概略找出相關資料，或是經由粗淺評估，便能確認某篇論文對手邊的研究是否具有價值，這些能力確實有其用處，畢竟，對於研究者而言，耗費一小時讀無關的資料實在是有百害無一利。但是只要對所擅長學科的理解夠深刻，任何學者都能在短時間內判定資料的價值，反之則不然，如果抱持浮泛粗淺的態度作研究，則不可能對研究資料有任何深刻理解。
So the successful scholarly pursuit of knowledge requires a scholar to be "all in" to a project. He must commit to follow threads of information wherever they may lead him. If they plunge into tomes of centuries past, plunge ahead. If they connect with tangential paths of inquiry, evaluate the detours. Determining beforehand just how far and wide a lead will be pursued can be a fatal mistake, for it can preclude new findings and original theories. Don't let the unexpected stop your search. That's what skimmers do.
因此，學者追求知識必須「全力以赴」才會成功，追尋線索時必須發揮堅持的精神，無論追到天涯或海角都要堅持到底。如果投身研究數世紀前的浩瀚書海，不妨勇往直前，如果在循線追查線索時走上岔路，亦不妨繞行遠路。若在投入研究之前便預先設定探索的廣度與深度，可能已經犯下最致命的錯誤，因為這也許會扼殺新的發現或創新的理論，別因為看到意料之外的風景而中止探尋的腳步，習慣蜻蜓點水式研究的人才會這樣做。
Posted at 2014-08-04 22:40:18
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