Chapter 42

Cheng Xiaoyu was first taken aback, then he recalled the philosophical conversation he had with Su Yuxi, forgetting that the powerful Su Yuxi was a philosophy girl.

If we were to ask what the greatest enemy of poetry is, it would certainly not be politics, which stands above poetry. Fundamentally, philosophy is the greatest enemy of poetry. (Stanley Rosen points out: "In Book X of the Republic, Socrates mentions the long-standing dispute between philosophy and poetry." "From a political perspective, both philosophy and poetry are tools of the city-state, neither superior to the other." "Philosophy is superior to poetry because it can explain what it understands with intelligence. However, poetry is superior to philosophy in ordinary poetic intelligence." Stanley Rosen, translated by Zhang Hui, The Quarrel Between Poetry and Philosophy. Of course, the debate between poetry and philosophy is not something we will delve into here, as it is an incredibly complex issue.)

So when Cheng Xiaoyu, the most outstanding poet in the school, answered the questions of Su Yuxi, the most formidable philosopher in the school, with poetry, it was like a Chinese chef pointing to Chinese cuisine to answer a French chef about what the best dish in the world is.

More terrifying is the love view of philosophers, which, when spoken, is a history of blood and tears.

Cheng Xiaoyu remembered a story a teacher told in college: She had a senior sister who was a philosophy professor at a university, very beautiful, with a car and a house, and a good family background, but she never married. Many people felt sorry for her, but she never took it seriously. The teacher said that true philosophers have a "mad" appearance, distinctly different from ordinary people. A fellow townsman was a famous philosophy professor at a university, one of the "Northern Li and Southern Zhao" in today's academic world. He passed away a few years ago at the age of seventy-four, never having married.

We are also familiar with Schopenhauer, Kant, and others who lived their entire lives alone. To Cheng Xiaoyu, this phenomenon is understandable and not surprising. Is the phenomenon of philosophers not marrying and living alone an individual case or a common one? Do philosophers have love? In Cheng Xiaoyu's view, this is indeed a topic worth exploring, even a thesis topic.

The great master of philosophy, Socrates, chose a "shrew" as his wife, saying it was to exercise and test his endurance and tolerance. Historical records state that Socrates "was born ugly and died beautifully," with no more detailed descriptions of his appearance, suggesting he might have been quite abstract. His love and marriage are briefly mentioned. He himself did not write, and his fame is entirely due to his two disciples. Why did he choose a "shrew" as his wife? Was it really to test himself, or just an excuse?

If Socrates was too ugly to find anyone else, then Kant was completely different. It is said that Kant was quite handsome. An article in the German newspaper Die Welt introduced that the young ladies of Königsberg always followed the elegant and witty Kant with their eyes, but Kant always kept a certain distance from women. It is said that Kant once had a secret crush on the widowed Countess Kiesewetter, and this dignified and beautiful noblewoman also had feelings for Kant. However, due to the class system, they never came together. After the countess remarried another nobleman, Kant never had any contact with any woman again. This can't help but remind one of the story of Jin Yuelin and Lin Weiyin. Kant was a legendary giant in the fields of philosophy and thought, but in his personal life and love, there was nothing legendary, as Heine said, "He had neither life nor experience."

The love of philosophers for wisdom is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. This love surpasses their love for everyone else, and they can even "martyr" themselves for knowledge and wisdom. In the prefaces of many philosophical masterpieces, one often sees sentences like, "He devoted his boundless energy to a certain field," "He dedicated his life to a certain discipline." This is not just a formality or flattery, at least not in the world of philosophy, where there are many such "martyrs."

The history of philosophy is a history of war, and the philosophical world is always a battlefield of fierce debate. Later generations always stand on the bones of their predecessors: theoretical systems and doctrines are repeatedly overturned and rebuilt, endlessly. Every philosopher is a warrior and a martyr. They build their own doctrines on the basis of overturning others' doctrines, and a fierce battle is inevitable; the doctrines they build are inevitably attacked by others and will eventually fall, making them martyrs.

Looking at Su Yuxi's incredibly serious face, Cheng Xiaoyu realized that the most terrifying middle schooler in the school was not someone else but his not-at-all-cute sister.

Cheng Xiaoyu pushed up his glasses, which he had recently replaced with a stylish black PRADA square frame, but it did not add much scholarly air to his chubby face. If someone else had questioned him like this, he might have laughed it off. But facing this proud sister, he did not want to back down.

Cheng Xiaoyu thought for a moment and said, "Your point is that I should use rational philosophy to think about emotional love? Like Nietzsche said, telling you that women are 'dangerous, sneaky, and small carnivores.' The foundation of love is 'the irreconcilable hatred between the sexes,' and it is 'a pair of impoverished souls.' Marriage is 'the end of a brief madness, replaced by a long stupidity.' Look, as a philosopher, I must gain freedom by摆脱职业、女人、孩子、祖国和信仰。对那些伟大的哲学家来说，爱情就是最好的优生学。因为爱情是大自然的骗术，所以，婚姻就是对爱情的消灭，并必将导致幻灭。只有哲学家才能获得婚姻上的幸福，可是哲学家从不结婚。”说到最后，程晓羽还朝苏虞兮露出了“瞧，这就是个冷笑话！”这样的表情。

苏虞兮根本不理程晓羽自以为是的幽默，冷声道：“爱情的实质不是互相爱慕，而是互相占有。性是人的动物本能，后来通过文化的包裹，有了爱的外壳，再后来社会制度化，便有了婚姻。所以，请别把爱情描写的那么美好，那么伟大，那么可遇而不可求，爱就是欲望，意识中的一般性#欲表现，若不是针对着某一定的异性，那他只是为本身着想而已，离开现象来看，不过是求生的欲望(性#欲的本能)。但若是性#欲的意识，向着某特定的个人，则是‘传宗接代’的生存意志。(后一段话是叔本华的观点）”

程晓羽快速地答道：“我从来没有把性与爱剥离开来看，在《性学三论》结尾，弗洛伊德将人类的爱情分为三种层次，简单地说，第一层次是完全由性冲动产生的对异性的欲望，第二类是基于性吸引，外加相互精神层面欣赏喜爱的异性间一一对应的情感，第三类就是完全脱离性欲，柏拉图那种精神恋爱的思想情感。当然弗洛伊德提倡的是第二种，基于性吸引前提上的，加之精神世界互相沟通欣赏，并且希望长时间共同生活的异性之间情感。而现代的价值观让我们鄙视第一种，向往第二种，歌颂第三种。或许美好灿烂的感情不能够永恒，但那不是你否定它存在的理由。不论爱情缘何而起，爱情是没有逻辑的，模模糊糊的，有些时候甚至是无理而妙的。你如若用是有逻辑，是清楚的，是有假设的哲学来解释，是否太过幼稚？再说了，你说我未曾恋爱过，那么你恋爱过？在你看来丑陋的欲望（性）你经历过？”

对于程晓羽的讥讽，苏虞兮则反唇相讥道：“我没有时间体验那种原始的动物本能，那是你们男人的爱好。你们恋爱的主要目的，不是爱的交流，而是占有一具肉体的享乐。所以，纵是却有纯洁的爱，若缺乏肉欲的享乐，前者也无法给予弥补或慰藉。反之，对某一异性怀着强烈喜爱的人，若得不到爱情的交流，也能以占有肉体的享乐而自甘。这可由所有的前置结婚获得证明，也可以由金钱或物质买来的爱情，甚至是强行发生关系，恭为左证。恋爱当事者的意识中，即使还没有‘产生特定的子女’这回事，但实则它也是全体恋爱的真正目的，达到此目的的方法，不过是陪衬的事情而已。而那些从一而终的爱不过是习惯而已，他们习惯了这个社会灌输给他们的道德观，他们习惯了背负这个社会强加给他们的责任，他们只是循规蹈矩而不是因为爱。”

“你在说你爸妈。”程晓羽沉默了片刻，又轻轻说道，“你觉得你不是爱的结晶，而是性的惩罚。”

苏虞兮脸色有点苍白，眼神里的倔强让人怜惜。聪明的哲学家往往喜欢钻牛角尖，他们偏执地以圣徒精神自律。然而当他们以自己的精神层次去理解世人的话，会发现这个世界满是罪恶。

苏虞兮指尖捻着裙子的边缘，白皙的手上有一条条清晰的经络浮现，她扭头道：“看来爱情并是一个具有探究价值的哲学命题。”接着转身就走。

程晓羽看着那孤单的背影不知为何有点心疼，他不清楚他身处的这个表面无比和睦的家庭发生过什么。对于这样智商已经完全碾压普通人的苏虞兮也无从劝慰。作为一个穿越者，他也有种深切的类似苏虞兮一样的孤单感。苏虞兮的孤独是众人皆醉我独醒，是一匹千里马却被圈养在羊群。

见苏虞兮渐渐走远，程晓羽大声地喊道：“黑夜给了我黑色的眼睛，我却用它来寻找光明。这才是我们学习哲学的意义！”

听见程晓羽这句话，苏虞兮稍微停了停，却没有回头。

冬天的阳光像透明而寒冷的冰棱，刺入漫无边际的雾霭之中，缓缓地吸允它的躯体。程晓羽看着那美好的背影，荡漾的马尾消失在视界的边际，才撕下那篇《世界上最遥远的距离》，朝另一个方向走去。

世界上最遥远的距离，是一个哲学家和一个诗人站在一起，却在讨论爱情。

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**Translation:**

Cheng Xiaoyu was first taken aback, then he recalled the philosophical conversation he had with Su Yuxi, forgetting that the powerful Su Yuxi was a philosophy girl.

If we were to ask what the greatest enemy of poetry is, it would certainly not be politics, which stands above poetry. Fundamentally, philosophy is the greatest enemy of poetry. (Stanley Rosen points out: "In Book X of the Republic, Socrates mentions the long-standing dispute between philosophy and poetry." "From a political perspective, both philosophy and poetry are tools of the city-state, neither superior to the other." "Philosophy is superior to poetry because it can explain what it understands with intelligence. However, poetry is superior to philosophy in ordinary poetic intelligence." Stanley Rosen, translated by Zhang Hui, The Quarrel Between Poetry and Philosophy. Of course, the debate between poetry and philosophy is not something we will delve into here, as it is an incredibly complex issue.)

So when Cheng Xiaoyu, the most outstanding poet in the school, answered the questions of Su Yuxi, the most formidable philosopher in the school, with poetry, it was like a Chinese chef pointing to Chinese cuisine to answer a French chef about what the best dish in the world is.

More terrifying is the love view of philosophers, which, when spoken, is a history of blood and tears.

Cheng Xiaoyu remembered a story a teacher told in college: She had a senior sister who was a philosophy professor at a university, very beautiful, with a car and a house, and a good family background, but she never married. Many people felt sorry for her, but she never took it seriously. The teacher said that true philosophers have a "mad" appearance, distinctly different from ordinary people. A fellow townsman was a famous philosophy professor at a university, one of the "Northern Li and Southern Zhao" in today's academic world. He passed away a few years ago at the age of seventy-four, never having married.

We are also familiar with Schopenhauer, Kant, and others who lived their entire lives alone. To Cheng Xiaoyu, this phenomenon is understandable and not surprising. Is the phenomenon of philosophers not marrying and living alone an individual case or a common one? Do philosophers have love? In Cheng Xiaoyu's view, this is indeed a topic worth exploring, even a thesis topic.

The great master of philosophy, Socrates, chose a "shrew" as his wife, saying it was to exercise and test his endurance and tolerance. Historical records state that Socrates "was born ugly and died beautifully," with no more detailed descriptions of his appearance, suggesting he might have been quite abstract. His love and marriage are briefly mentioned. He himself did not write, and his fame is entirely due to his two disciples. Why did he choose a "shrew" as his wife? Was it really to test himself, or just an excuse?

If Socrates was too ugly to find anyone else, then Kant was completely different. It is said that Kant was quite handsome. An article in the German newspaper Die Welt introduced that the young ladies of Königsberg always followed the elegant and witty Kant with their eyes, but Kant always kept a certain distance from women. It is said that Kant once had a secret crush on the widowed Countess Kiesewetter, and this dignified and beautiful noblewoman also had feelings for Kant. However, due to the class system, they never came together. After the countess remarried another nobleman, Kant never had any contact with any woman again. This can't help but remind one of the story of Jin Yuelin and Lin Weiyin. Kant was a legendary giant in the fields of philosophy and thought, but in his personal life and love, there was nothing legendary, as Heine said, "He had neither life nor experience."

The love of philosophers for wisdom is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. This love surpasses their love for everyone else, and they can even "martyr" themselves for knowledge and wisdom. In the prefaces of many philosophical masterpieces, one often sees sentences like, "He devoted his boundless energy to a certain field," "He dedicated his life to a certain discipline." This is not just a formality or flattery, at least not in the world of philosophy, where there are many such "martyrs."

The history of philosophy is a history of war, and the philosophical world is always a battlefield of fierce debate. Later generations always stand on the bones of their predecessors: theoretical systems and doctrines are repeatedly overturned and rebuilt, endlessly. Every philosopher is a warrior and a martyr. They build their own doctrines on the basis of overturning others' doctrines, and a fierce battle is inevitable; the doctrines they build are inevitably attacked by others and will eventually fall, making them martyrs.

Looking at Su Yuxi's incredibly serious face, Cheng Xiaoyu realized that the most terrifying middle schooler in the school was not someone else but his not-at-all-cute sister.

Cheng Xiaoyu pushed up his glasses, which he had recently replaced with a stylish black PRADA square frame, but it did not add much scholarly air to his chubby face. If someone else had questioned him like this, he might have laughed it off. But facing this proud sister, he did not want to back down.

Cheng Xiaoyu thought for a moment and said, "Your point is that I should use rational philosophy to think about emotional love? Like Nietzsche said, telling you that women are 'dangerous, sneaky, and small carnivores.' The foundation of love is 'the irreconcilable hatred between the sexes,' and it is 'a pair of impoverished souls.' Marriage is 'the end of a brief madness, replaced by a long stupidity.' Look, as a philosopher, I must gain freedom by摆脱职业、女人、孩子、祖国和信仰。For those great philosophers, love is the best eugenics. Because love is nature's deception, marriage is the destruction of love and will inevitably lead to disillusionment. Only philosophers can achieve happiness in marriage, but philosophers never marry." At the end, Cheng Xiaoyu gave Su Yuxi a look that said, "See, this is a cold joke!"

Su Yuxi completely ignored Cheng Xiaoyu's self-righteous humor and coldly said, "The essence of love is not mutual admiration but mutual possession. Sex is a human animal instinct, later wrapped in culture, with a shell of love, and then institutionalized by society, leading to marriage. So, please don't describe love as so beautiful, so great, so rare and hard to find. Love is desire, a general expression of desire in consciousness. If it is not directed at a specific opposite sex, it is only for itself. Beyond the phenomenon, it is merely the desire for survival (sexual desire). But if the awareness of sexual desire is directed at a specific individual, it is the will to survive and reproduce (Schopenhauer's view)."

Cheng Xiaoyu quickly replied, "I have never separated sex from love. In the conclusion of 'Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality,' Freud divides human love into three levels. Simply put, the first level is the desire for the opposite sex entirely driven by sexual impulses. The second level is the mutual emotional connection between the opposite sex based on sexual attraction, plus mutual spiritual appreciation. The third level is a completely sex-free, Platonic spiritual love. Of course, Freud advocates the second level, which is based on sexual attraction, plus mutual spiritual communication and appreciation, and the desire to live together for a long time. Modern values make us despise the first level, yearn for the second level, and praise the third level. Perhaps beautiful and brilliant feelings cannot last forever, but that is not a reason to deny their existence. Regardless of how love begins, love is illogical, vague, and sometimes even absurdly wonderful. If you use logical, clear, and hypothetical philosophy to explain it, isn't that too naive? Besides, you say I have never been in love. Have you been in love? Have you experienced the ugly desire (sex) you see as so repulsive?"

In response to Cheng Xiaoyu's sarcasm, Su Yuxi retorted, "I don't have time to experience that primitive animal instinct; it's your men's hobby. Your main purpose in love is not the exchange of love but the enjoyment of possessing a body. So, even if there is pure love, if it lacks the pleasure of physical desire, the former cannot make up for or comfort the latter. Conversely, a person who strongly likes a specific opposite sex can be satisfied with the pleasure of physical possession even if they cannot exchange love. This is proven by all premarital relationships, love bought with money or material goods, and even forced relations. In the consciousness of the parties in love, even if they have not yet 'produced specific offspring,' it is actually the true purpose of all love, and the methods to achieve this purpose are just secondary. And those who love only one person are just habitual; they are accustomed to the moral values society has instilled in them, and they are accustomed to bearing the responsibilities society has imposed on them. They are just following the rules, not because of love."

"You are talking about your parents," Cheng Xiaoyu said after a moment of silence, then added softly, "You feel that you are not the fruit of love but the punishment of sex."

Su Yuxi's face turned a bit pale, and the stubbornness in her eyes was touching. Smart philosophers often get stuck in their ways, adhering to the spirit of a saint. However, when they try to understand the world from their own spiritual level, they find the world full of sin.

Su Yuxi fiddled with the edge of her skirt, the veins on her white hands clearly visible. She turned her head and said, "It seems that love is not a philosophical proposition worth exploring."