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1、WHATISLIFE?ThePhysicalAspectoftheLivingCell.ERWINSCHRODINGERFirstpublished1944BasedonlecturesdeliveredundertheauspicesoftheDublinInstituteforAdvancedStudiesatTrinityCollege,Dublin,inFebruary1943.TothememoryofMyParentsPrefaceAscientistissupposedtohaveacompleteandthoroughIofknowledge,a
2、tfirsthand,ofsomeHomolibernulladereminusquamdemortesubjectsand,therefore,isusuallyexpectednottocogitat;etejussapientianonmortissedvitaewriteonanytopicofwhichheisnotalife,meditatioest.SPINOZA'SEthics,PtIV,Prop.master.Thisisregardedasamatterofnoblesse67oblige.ForthepresentpurposeIbegto
3、renouncethenoblesse,ifany,andtobethefreedofthe(Thereisnothingoverwhichafreemanpondersensuingobligation.Myexcuseisasfollows:Welessthandeath;hiswisdomis,tomeditatenotonhaveinheritedfromourforefathersthekeendeathbutonlife.)longingforunified,all-embracingknowledge.Theverynamegiventothehi
4、ghestinstitutionsoflearningremindsus,thatfromantiquitytoandthroughoutmanycenturiestheuniversalaspecthasbeentheonlyonetobegivenfullcredit.Butthespread,bothinandwidthanddepth,ofthemultifariousbranchesofknowledgebyduringthelasthundredoddyearshaveconfronteduswithaqueerdilemma.Wefeelclear
5、lythatweareonlynowbeginningtoacquirereliablematerialforweldingtogetherthesumtotalofallthatisknownintoawhole;but,ontheotherhand,ithasbecomenexttoimpossibleforasinglemindfullytocommandmorethanasmallspecializedportionofit.Icanseenootherescapefromthisdilemma(lestourtruewhoaimbelostforeve
6、r)thanthatsomeofusshouldventuretoembarkonasynthesisoffactsandtheories,albeitwithsecond-handandincompleteknowledgeofsomeofthem-andattheriskofmakingfoolsofourselves.Somuchformyapology.Thedifficultiesoflanguagearenotnegligible.One'snativespeechisacloselyfittinggarment,andoneneverfeelsqu
7、iteateasewhenitisnotimmediatelyavailableandhastobereplacedbyanother.MythanksareduetoDrInkster(TrinityCollege,Dublin),toDrPadraigBrowne(StPatrick'sCollege,Maynooth)and,lastbutnotleast,toMr.S.C.Roberts.Theywereputtogreattroubletofitthenewgarmentonmeandtoevengreatertroublebymyoccasional
8、reluctanceto
