教授最后的那段话,其中有部分可以作为他的最新反思。先前用“大象”来比喻的人际交流,得到的回应是女学生展示用卷发棒烫伤自己以求得“专注”的痕迹,她一方面痛恨这个用devices来应对所有日常大小事的inhuman的时代,一方面又痛恨自己无法和这个时代的他人交流。achinglyalone因为并非无心交流,而是交流无能无力finallyalone,因为科技扫荡先前的体系,便利的日常早就了交流的假象至于beautifully,他把它放在定语的第一位,这本身就让孤独的本质尽显无遗Attheoutsetofacenturythatwouldconstitutethebloodiestinhumanhistory.AlongwithscientificandtechnologicaladvancementsthatwouldliterallymakeuslikeGods.EvenaswebegantodismantletheverymeaningofGod.Theyask,whatisalife?Doestoliveanylongerhaveahow?Doesitanylongerhaveawhy?Againstabackdropofindustrialization,peoplewillcontendwithalienation,dislocation,populationonamassscale,andmurderonamassscale.They'llconsidertheconstraintsoftruth.Whethermetaphororparadigm,withmanyconcludingactualtruthhasneverexisted.Anexusinthegreathumansaga,whenwedaredtotradetheorganizingbliss,ofgoodandevil,rightandwrong,asdeterminedbyacreatorforotheropiates:communism,socialism,capitalism,psychology,technology,anylearnablesystemtoreplacewhathadbeguntoevaporate:the20thcentury.Myown.Butalsotheoneintowhicheachofyouwasborn.Formany,aneraofhopeliberation,possibility.Forothersofabandonmentanddespair.AmosthumancenturyinwhichwebeginreallytounderstandthatNietzschewasright:wearebeautifully,finally,achingly,alone.Inthisvoid,philosophyatitsworstbecomesself-reflective,linguistic,semantic,relativismhavingrenderedanydiscussionofrightandwrong,goodandevil,tobethequaintconcernsofanotherage.Atitsmostprovocative,itasksotherquestions.Thoseconcernedwithlocatingourstrandedselves,whenmeaningseemstohavedied,nothingless,inshort,then'whydoweliveatall?'and'whatmakesuswhoweare?'Theyask,'whatnow?'Andwe'restillaskingit.Whatwillfortifyusasanothercentury,yourcentury,commences?Doweabandonfinallythesearchfortruthsthatseemevermoreelusive,evensillytosome?Theethical?Themoral?Thegood?Principlesthatbydefinitioncanneverbeprovewhensomuchnowcanbeproved?Orisallthisfinallyandforeverpointless?Arewedone?Wecandestroycities,altertheplanetirreversibly,speakinstantaneouslyface-to-facefromacrosstheglobe,createlifewheretherewastobenone,evenwhileintoxicatingourselveswithitall.Andyet,howdowestillseekpurpose?Andwheredowehopetofinditifwe'resobusyconvincingourselvesthereneedn'tbeany?Andsowewander,eyesclosedtothedark,whiletechnology,science,medicineandgodlessnessblazeillusionsaroundus,withlesstoguideusnowthanever,seeminglyomnipotent,butmorehumanandjustasafraid.Thesequandariesdonotendwiththiscourseinaweekfromtoday.Theybegin.AndIcertainlyhaven'ttaughtthesewritersfor30yearsjustsoyoucandropreferencestoexistentialthinkersandtheirantecedentsatdinnerparties.Thecrowdisuntruth.Inaneradarkenedbythefalseshadeofimperviousness,youandthosewhopausetoquestion,carrythelight.It'sbeenawonderful34years.Let'snotbestrangers,eithertooneanother,ormoreimportantly,toeverythingwe'velearnedfromoneanother.Mayyourbestyearsbeyettocome.Andsoforusall.