On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 15
事实上，整个古生物学的知识体系，如果我们不承认扎迪格那一伟大原则的有效性，就会彻底崩溃——即相同的结果意味着相同的原因；而从一枚贝壳、一颗牙齿或一块骨骼推断其所属动物的性质，这一推理过程完全建立在以下假设之上：这枚贝壳、这颗牙齿或这块骨骼，与我们已知的某种动物的相应部分如此相似，以至于我们有理由推断两个生物体的其余部分也具有相应程度的相似性。
The whole fabric of palaeontology, in fact, falls to the ground unless we admit the validity of Zadig's great principle, that like effects imply like causes, and that the process of reasoning from a shell, or a tooth, or a bone, to the nature of the animal to which it belonged, rests absolutely on the assumption that the likeness of this shell, or tooth, or bone, to that of some animal with which we are already acquainted, is such that we are justified in inferring a corresponding degree of likeness in the rest of the two organisms.
古生物学家所谓的"复原"，正是建立在这一极为简单的原则之上，而并非建立在所谓的生理相关性定律之上——因为在大多数情况下，我们对那些定律根本一无所知。
It is on this very simple principle, and not upon imaginary laws of physiological correlation, about which, in most cases, we know nothing whatever, that the so-called restorations of the palaeontologist are based.
每一位熟悉古生物学的人，都会想到许多能够说明这一真理的例子；其中最为典型的，莫过于所谓"箭石"的案例。
Abundant illustrations of this truth will occur to every one who is familiar with palaeontology; none is more suitable than the case of the so-called Belemnites.
在化石研究的早期，这个名称被用来指称某些细长的石质物体，一端呈锥形尖状，另一端截平，人们通常认为它们是雷电的产物，并由此从天而降。
In the early days of the study of fossils, this name was given to certain elongated stony bodies, ending at one extremity in a conical point, and truncated at the other, which were commonly reputed to be thunderbolts, and as such to have descended from the sky.
这类物体在英格兰某些地区相当常见；而且，由于它们通常以那种状态被发现，若要令人信服地说明它们并非单纯的矿物体，恐怕并非易事。
They are common enough in some parts of England; and, in the condition in which they are ordinarily found, it might be difficult to give satisfactory reasons for denying them to be merely mineral bodies.
Vocabulary
- whole
- 整个的、完整的
- fabric
- 织物；结构或框架
- palaeontology
- 古生物学，研究化石的科学
- fact
- 事实、真相
- falls
- 掉落、下降或失败
- ground
- 地面、基础或根据
- unless
- 除非、如果不
- admit
- 承认、允许进入
- validity
- 有效性、合法性
- great
- 伟大的、很大的
- principle
- 原则、基本原理
- like
- 喜欢；相似的
- effects
- 效果、影响或结果
- imply
- 暗示、意味着
- causes
- 原因、事业或导致
- process
- 过程、处理或加工
- reasoning
- 推理、论证
- shell
- 壳、外壳
- tooth
- 牙齿
- bone
- 骨头、骨骼
- nature
- 自然、本质或特性
- animal
- 动物
- belonged
- 属于、归属
- rests
- 休息或依赖
- absolutely
- 绝对地、完全地
- assumption
- 假设、承诺
- likeness
- 相似、相似性
- already
- 已经、早已
- acquainted
- 熟悉的、认识的
- such
- 这样的、如此的
- justified
- 合理的、正当的
- inferring
- 推断、推论
- corresponding
- 相应的、一致的
- degree
- 程度、学位
- rest
- 休息或剩余部分
- organisms
- 生物、有机体
- simple
- 简单的、朴素的
- upon
- 在...上、基于
- imaginary
- 想象的、虚构的
- laws
- 法律、法则
- physiological
- 生理的、关于生理的
- correlation
- 相关性、关联
- cases
- 情况、案例
- know
- 知道、了解
- nothing
- 没有、无
- whatever
- 无论什么、任何
- so-called
- 所谓的、号称的
- restorations
- 恢复、重建或修复
- palaeontologist
- 古生物学家
- based
- 以...为基础、基于
- Abundant
- 丰富的、大量的
- illustrations
- 插图、例证
- truth
- 真理、真相
- occur
- 发生、出现
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