社會生物學 Sociobiology
社會生物學 Sociobiology
● 字源
Sociobiology 由 socio- 加 biology 構成。Socio- 來自拉丁文 socius(夥伴),是 social 的複合詞形。Biology 由希臘文 bios(生命)加 -logia(學問、論述)構成,其中 bios 指「生命、生活方式」,-logia 源於 logos(話語、道理);這個詞在十九世紀初由拉馬克(Lamarck)與特雷維拉努斯(Treviranus)等人用來指研究生命的學問。同源詞有 biography、biome、antibiotic、amphibian(以上出自 bios),以及 psychology、geology、logic、dialogue(以上出自 logos),另有 society、associate、sociable、sociology(以上出自 socius)。這個詞指以演化論與族群生物學來研究動物與人類社會行為的學科,一九七五年由威爾森(Edward O. Wilson)的《社會生物學:新綜合》(Sociobiology: The New Synthesis)奠定名稱,主張利他、攻擊、親職與合作等行為有其遺傳與演化基礎,引發關於「基因決定論」的激烈爭論,漢彌爾頓(W. D. Hamilton)的親屬選擇理論是其重要來源。中文譯為「社會生物學」,是不可數名詞。
● 例句(90字長句)
Sociobiology, which biologists define as the discipline by which the social behavior of animals and humans is explained through the logic of evolution, holds not that cooperation springs chiefly from moral teaching but that individuals, favoring relatives who share many of their genes, often sacrifice themselves for kin whom they raised, so that a mother who risks her life for a child still advances the survival of her own genes, although critics, whom every attempt to rank human behavior by heredity troubles, object that the instincts that supposedly explain culture merely justify the customs that scientists already accept.
● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式
Sociobiology,
which biologists define as the discipline
by which the social behavior of animals and humans is explained through the logic of evolution,
holds
not that cooperation springs chiefly from moral teaching
but that individuals,
favoring relatives who share many of their genes,
often sacrifice themselves for kin whom they raised,
so that a mother who risks her life for a child
still advances the survival of her own genes,
although critics,
whom every attempt to rank human behavior by heredity troubles,
object
that the instincts that supposedly explain culture merely justify the customs that scientists already accept.
● 分解為原初的短小句
Sociobiology holds something.
(全句主幹:主詞 sociobiology,謂語 holds;後面的 not that ... but that ... 是 holds 的兩個並列受詞子句,說明這門學科的主張。)
Biologists define sociobiology as the discipline.
(which 為非限定關係代名詞,指 sociobiology,在子句中作 define 的受詞;define A as B 表「將 A 定義為 B」;discipline 指學科。)
The social behavior of animals and humans is explained through the logic of evolution by the discipline.
(by which 為「介系詞+關係代名詞」,which 指 discipline,還原後為 by the discipline;is explained 為被動語態;social behavior 指社會行為;logic 指邏輯、道理。)
Cooperation springs chiefly from moral teaching.
(not that 所否定的主張;此處 that 為連接詞,引導 holds 的受詞子句;spring from 表「源自」;chiefly 表「主要地」;moral teaching 指道德教化。)
Individuals often sacrifice themselves for kin.
(but that 引導肯定的主張,為 holds 的第二個受詞子句;sacrifice oneself for 表「為……犧牲自己」;kin 指親屬,為集合名詞,視為複數;often 為頻率副詞,置於動詞前。)
Individuals favor relatives.
(favoring ... 為現在分詞構句,主詞同為 individuals,相當於 as they favor relatives ...,說明犧牲行為背後的傾向;favor 表「偏袒、偏愛」。)
Relatives share many of their genes.
(who 為限定關係代名詞,指 relatives,在子句中作主詞,所以 who 後面直接接動詞 share;their 指 individuals,故共享的是個體的基因;many of 表「許多」。)
Individuals raised the kin.
(whom 為限定關係代名詞,指 kin,在子句中作 raised 的受詞,故用受格 whom,還原後 kin 置於句尾;they 指 individuals;raise 表「養育」。)
A mother still advances the survival of her own genes.
(so that 引導結果子句,表「以致」;advance 表「促進」;survival 指存續;her own genes 指她自己的基因;still 表「仍然」。)
A mother risks her life for a child.
(who 為限定關係代名詞,指 mother,在子句中作主詞,所以 who 後面直接接動詞 risks;risk one's life for 表「為……冒生命危險」。)
Critics object something.
(although 引導讓步副詞子句;object that ... 的 that 子句為 object 的內容。)
Every attempt to rank human behavior by heredity troubles critics.
(whom 為非限定關係代名詞,指 critics,在子句中作 troubles 的受詞,故用受格 whom;every attempt to rank ... 為單數主詞,動詞用 troubles;rank A by B 表「依 B 為 A 排序」;heredity 指遺傳。)
The instincts merely justify the customs.
(that 子句的主幹;merely 表「不過只是」;justify 表「替……辯護」;instincts 指本能;customs 指習俗。)
The instincts supposedly explain culture.
(第二個 that 為限定關係代名詞,指 instincts,在子句中作主詞,所以 that 後面直接接動詞 explain;supposedly 表「據稱」,帶有質疑口吻;culture 指文化。)
Scientists already accept the customs.
(that 為限定關係代名詞,指 customs,在子句中作 accept 的受詞,故 accept 後面不再接受詞;scientists 指科學家;already 表「早已」。)
● 文法解析
非限定 which 子句與 by which:
Sociobiology, which ... evolution, holds 先以 which 子句補充定義,再以 holds 交代主幹。子句內的 by which the social behavior of animals and humans is explained through the logic of evolution 是「介系詞+關係代名詞」結構,意思是「動物與人類的社會行為藉以被解釋的學科」。which 指 discipline,不是指 sociobiology,閱讀時要把兩層 which 分清楚。
not that ... but that ... 與現在分詞構句 favoring:
否定與肯定的是 holds 的兩個受詞子句:先否定「合作主要來自道德教化」,再提出真正的主張:個人因偏愛帶有自己基因的親屬而犧牲自己。but that 之後,主詞 individuals 與謂語 sacrifice 之間插入 favoring relatives who share many of their genes,交代犧牲的演化動機。relatives who share ... 的 who 是限定關係代名詞,作子句主詞;kin whom they raised 的 whom 則作 raised 的受詞,這兩個關係代名詞的格不同,要分清楚。
so that 結果子句與限定 who:
so that a mother who risks her life for a child still advances the survival of her own genes 以 so that 表結果:因為偏愛親屬,母親為孩子冒險,在演化上仍促進了自己基因的存續。who risks her life for a child 是限定子句,who 作子句主詞,限定「哪一種」母親,點出利他行為底下的基因邏輯。
although 讓步子句、非限定 whom 與雙重 that:
although critics ... object 引出轉折:社會生物學雖然解釋了利他,批評者仍質疑它替既有習俗背書。whom every attempt to rank human behavior by heredity troubles 是非限定關係子句,whom 在子句中作 troubles 的受詞,主詞 every attempt to rank human behavior by heredity 置於 whom 之後,是受格關係子句的典型語序。最後 object that the instincts that supposedly explain culture merely justify the customs that scientists already accept 出現三個 that:第一個是引導名詞子句的連接詞,第二個是限定關係代名詞,在子句中作 explain 的主詞,第三個也是限定關係代名詞,但在子句中作 accept 的受詞,所以後面接主詞 scientists,不能直接接動詞,這與第二個 that 的用法正好相對。
● 參考翻譯
社會生物學(生物學家將它定義為藉由演化邏輯來解釋動物與人類社會行為的學科)所主張的,並非合作主要源自道德教化,而是個人(偏愛與自己共享許多基因的親屬)常常為自己所養育的親人犧牲自己,以致為孩子冒生命危險的母親,仍促進了自己基因的存續;儘管批評者(每一種依遺傳為人類行為排序的嘗試都令他們不安)反駁說,那些據稱能解釋文化的本能,其實只是在為科學家早已接受的習俗辯護。
● 逆向工程
不要看原來的整個長句,只看分解出來的短句小句,試試倒頭回去寫出完整的長句。
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