プライバシー窃盗に関する西洋の古典的倫理観について
Epicurus: The role of God in Human Affairs
Athenian religion held that the gods dwell in unchangeable blessedness. From this Epicurus concludes that any being who genuinely dwells in unchanging blessedness could have no concern with the world, nor with human affairs that tend to be brutish and nasty. To assume that a god who dwells in peace and blessedness focuses his attention on the sordid dealings of human being is to make a voyeur or “peeping Tom” out of that god. [・・平安で満ち足りた神様が人間の下世話なやりとりばかり気にしているとするなら、その神様は、人のスキャンダルや性行為(あるいは性器)までをも覗いて満足を得る、ノゾキ趣味の変態ということだ。これでは神様が「ピーピングトム(窃視症者・ノゾキ魔)」になってしまう・・] Concern with human affairs would be an imperfection in a divinity, like someone we think to be profoundly religious yet we find the person morbidly facinate with the bloody scene of an accident, or the lurid details of backyard gossip(59).
Zeuschner, Robert B. Classical Ethics, East and West: Ethics from a Comparative Perspective. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print.
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「ピーピング・トム」 (Wiki「ゴダイヴァ夫人」より抜粋)
イングランドに伝わる伝説によると、夫レオフリックの圧政に苦しむコヴェントリーの領民を哀れみ、彼女はことあるごとに夫を諌めたという。美しい妻の度重なる要請にうんざりしたレオフリックは、彼女を諦めさせるため、「裸で馬に乗り城下を巡回するのであれば言い分を認めよう」と応えた。しかし夫の思惑に反し、彼女は「当日は外出せず戸や窓を閉めよ」とする布告を発した上で、本当に裸身で馬に乗り城下を練り歩いた。
領民たちは彼女を支持し、布告の通り屋内に引き籠った。しかし、ひとり仕立て屋のトムという男(=Peeping Tom)がこっそり夫人の裸身を覗き見たために、神罰を受けて失明した。
Lady Godiva took pity on the people of Coventry, who were suffering grievously under her husband's oppressive taxation. Lady Godiva appealed again and again to her husband, who obstinately refused to remit the tolls. At last, weary of her entreaties, he said he would grant her request if she would strip naked and ride through the streets of the town. Lady Godiva took him at his word and, after issuing a proclamation that all persons should stay indoors and shut their windows, she rode through the town, clothed only in her long hair. Just one person in the town, a tailor ever afterwards known as Peeping Tom, disobeyed her proclamation in one of the most famous instances of voyeurism. In the story, Tom bores a hole in his shutters so that he might see Godiva pass, and is struck blind (Wiki).
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「パンドラの箱」(Wiki「見るなのタブー」より抜粋)
人間に火を使うことをもたらしたプロメーテウスを懲らしめるために、ゼウスはあえて彼の弟であるエピメーテウスの元へパンドーラー(パンドラ)という女性を壺を持たせ贈った。その時、「この壺だけは決して開けるな」と言い含めていた。エピメーテウスはパンドーラーに惚れ、結婚した。パンドーラーもエピメーテウスと満足した生活を送っていたが、ふとしたときに「この壺は何かしら」と気になり、壺を開けてしまった。そこからは、恨み、ねたみ、病気、猜疑心、不安、憎しみ、悪徳など負の感情が溢れ出て、世界中に広まってしまった。パンドーラーは慌ててその箱を閉めるが、既に一つを除いて全て飛び去った後であった。最後に残ったものは希望とも絶望とも、未来を全て分かってしまう災い(予兆)ともいわれる。それによって人類は希望だけは失わずにすんだと言われる。こうして、以後人類は様々な災厄に見舞われながらも希望だけは失わず(あるいは絶望することなく)生きていくことになった。
In classic Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on earth. Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create her, so he did—using water and earth. The gods endowed her with many gifts: Athena clothed her, Aphrodite gave her beauty, and Hermes speech.
When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother. With her, Pandora was given a beautiful jar which she was not to open under any circumstance. Impelled by her curiosity given to her by the gods, Pandora opened the jar, and all evil contained escaped and spread over the earth. She hastened to close the lid, but the whole contents of the jar had escaped, except for one thing that lay at the bottom, which was Hope.
Today, to open Pandora's box means to create evil that cannot be undone (Wiki).
When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother. With her, Pandora was given a beautiful jar which she was not to open under any circumstance. Impelled by her curiosity given to her by the gods, Pandora opened the jar, and all evil contained escaped and spread over the earth. She hastened to close the lid, but the whole contents of the jar had escaped, except for one thing that lay at the bottom, which was Hope.
Today, to open Pandora's box means to create evil that cannot be undone (Wiki).
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なお1960年代に在モスクワ米大使館員がソ連の電磁波凶器によって病死させられた。この事件に対応するため、CIAによるハイテク凶器やマインドコントロール機器に関する調査・研究が行なわれたが、その名を「パンドラ計画」という。
Pandora project:
The Pandora project is one of the CIA Mind control programs. In 1962, the CIA discovered that the US embassy in Moscow was "bombarded" with EMR (electro magnetic radiation). The signal was composed of several frequencies.
The Pandora Project was intended to investigate and gather data on this Russian experiment. The embassy personnel was not informed of the existence of the beam, or of the pandora project.
According to later testimonies of Russian scientists, the signal was intended to produce blurred vision and loss of mental concentration. Investigation on the effects on the embassy personnel, however, showed that they developed blood composition anomalies and unusual chromosome counts. Some people even developed a leukemia-like blood disease.
The name 'Pandora' comes from Greek mythology: Prometheus stole the fire from the Gods. As a revenge the Gods sent a beautiful woman with the name of Pandora (which means 'All gifts') to visit his brother. Pandora had a box with her, that, so she said, was filled with gifts for Prometheus. When the box was opened, it became clear that in reality, it contained diseases, that spread rapidly over the Earth.
The Pandora Project was intended to investigate and gather data on this Russian experiment. The embassy personnel was not informed of the existence of the beam, or of the pandora project.
According to later testimonies of Russian scientists, the signal was intended to produce blurred vision and loss of mental concentration. Investigation on the effects on the embassy personnel, however, showed that they developed blood composition anomalies and unusual chromosome counts. Some people even developed a leukemia-like blood disease.
The name 'Pandora' comes from Greek mythology: Prometheus stole the fire from the Gods. As a revenge the Gods sent a beautiful woman with the name of Pandora (which means 'All gifts') to visit his brother. Pandora had a box with her, that, so she said, was filled with gifts for Prometheus. When the box was opened, it became clear that in reality, it contained diseases, that spread rapidly over the Earth.
I acknowledge Dr. Zeuschner for his work cited above. Also I thank Dr. Zeuschner as the professor who opened my eye to the excitment of persuing deep insight into humanity when I was taking his philosophy classes at Pasadena City College.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, now in the U.S., the COINTELPRO crime is so rampant that good / innocent / honest people suffer while evil doers enjoy thier free life. I am very sorry when I think of those numerous number of innocent Americans under severe stress by COINTELPRO crime. Besides, I feel so sad that the America that I admired and respected so much in my youth now became the "mentally-sickest" nation in the world, which is governed and controled by psychopathic people.
However, I cannot stress enough how much relief it provides to see a few Americans like Professsor Zeuschner who still possess conscience and good common sense. Thanks a lot!