作者： 三十一世纪原住民

导读：

一个世界并非死板的资源堆砌，而是充盈着无数“人”——树木低语、河流诉说、甚至塑料袋也可能在抗议人类的粗暴。Graham Harvey，这位英国宗教人类学家，在他的《一个万物有灵论者的宣言》（An Animist Manifesto，2012）中，以简洁而激进的笔触，颠覆了我们对“生命”的狭隘认知。他宣称：“万物皆有生命；所有生命皆值得尊重。”

但这不是浪漫的诗意，而是深刻的伦理召唤：尊重不等于喜爱，也不妨碍我们进食或利用他人——前提是带着对话和互惠。

Harvey 的作品源于他对土著文化（如奥吉布瓦人、毛利人和澳大利亚原住民）的深入田野考察，以及对生态危机的警醒。

他的其他力作，如《万物有灵：尊重活的世界》（Animism: Respecting the Living World，2005），更像一幅生动画卷：从萨满的灵魂之旅，到图腾的亲缘纽带，再到现代环保主义者的“异类”联盟。他挑战二元论（人类 vs. 自然），主张“关系性”——万物通过互动而互相“成为”。

本文不是忠实译文，对原文有变动，自行发挥不少！读的时候记得哦！

万物有灵小妖精宣言 / An Animist Manifesto

All that exists lives
凡是存在的，都是活生生的小妖精。

All that lives is worthy of respect
凡是活生生的，咱都尊重。

You don't have to like what you respect
咱尊重这些小妖精，不代表咱们就得全都喜欢。

Not liking someone is no reason for not respecting them
Respecting someone is no reason for not eating them
不喜欢某个小妖精，不耽误咱们尊重它；
尊重某个小妖精，也不耽误咱们把它下了锅吃了。

Reasons are best worked out in relationship - especially if you are looking for reasons to eat someone or if you are looking for reasons not to be eaten
为啥？这个问题最好是在咱们俩你来我往的时候慢慢琢磨——
特别是当咱想找个借口把它吃了，或者不想让它把咱吃了的时候。

If you agree that all that exists is alive and worthy of respect, it is best to talk about 'persons' or 'people' rather than 'beings' or 'spirits', let alone 'biomechanisms', 'resources', 'possessions', and 'objects'
要是你觉着万物都是活生生的，都值得尊重，那最好把它们也当人，别整那些“存在体”、“灵体”这种虚头巴脑的词儿，更别提什么“生物机器”、“资源”、“财产”和“物件”这种冷冰冰的玩意儿了。

The world is full of persons (people if you prefer), but few of them are human
这世上到处都是小妖精（或者叫广义的“人”也行），但没几个是长着两条腿的人类。

The world is full of other-than-human persons
The world is full of other-than-oak persons
这世上挤满了不是人类的小妖精。
这世上挤满了不是橡树的小妖精。

The world is full of other-than-hedgehog persons
The world is full of other-than-salmon persons
这世上挤满了不是刺猬的小妖精。
这世上挤满了不是鲑鱼的小妖精。

The world is full of other-than-kingfisher persons
这世上挤满了不是翠鸟的小妖精。

The world is full of other-than-rock persons...
这世上挤满了不是石头的小妖精……

'other-than' has at least three references:
说“不是啥啥的”，这里头至少藏着三层意思：

it reminds us that we are persons in relationship with others,
它提醒咱们，咱们自己也是个妖精，活在跟其他小妖精七拐八绕的关系网里，

it reminds us that many of our closest kin are human, while the closest kin of oaks are oaks, so we talk most easily with humans while rocks talk most easily with other rocks...
它提醒咱们，咱们最亲的七大姑八大姨大多是人类，而橡树那帮亲戚都是橡树，所以咱们跟人最顺溜，而石头跟石头凑一块儿才最对劲……

it reminds us to speak first of what we know best (those closest to us)
它提醒咱们，先聊咱们自个儿最门儿清的事儿（就是离咱们最近的那些）。

Make that four references:
得了，算四层意思吧：

it reminds us to celebrate difference as an opportunity to expand our relationships rather than seeing it as a cause of conflict or conquest
它提醒咱们，看到跟自己不一样的小妖精得乐呵，这是个扩充朋友圈的好机会，别老想着矛盾啦征服啦啥的。

All life is relational and we should not collapse our intimate alterities into identities
所有的生命都是一团乱麻似的关系，咱们可别把那些跟咱们亲密但又完全两样的别样的小妖精，硬生生捏成跟自己一个模子刻出来的同类。

Others and otherness keep us open to change, open to becoming, never finally fixed in being
那些“别样”和“别样的劲儿”，让咱们能随时准备变个身，永远不会像块死木头一样定型。

Alterities resist entropy and encourage creativity through relationality, sociality (or, as William Blake said, 'enmity is true friendship')
这些“怪模怪样”的能抵抗世界的死气沉沉，世界的慢慢变烂——通过拉帮结派、互相串门来激发出点新鲜玩意儿（或者像威廉·布莱克说的，“跟你对着干的才是真朋友”）。

Animism is neither monist nor dualist, it is only just beginning when you get beyond counting one, two... At its best it is thoroughly, gloriously, unashamedly, rampantly pluralist
“小妖精的世界观”既不说“万物归一”，也不说“非黑即白”，等你数完一、二，它才刚伸个懒腰准备开场呢。说到底，它就是个热热闹闹、光彩照人、没皮没脸、野蛮生长的万花筒。

Respect means being cautious and constructive
尊重，意思就是既要觉察，又要建造。

It is cautiously approaching others and our own wishes,
是蹑手蹑脚地靠近别的小妖精，也靠近咱们自己心里那点小九九，

It is constructing relationships, constructing opportunities to talk, to relate, to listen, to spend time in the face-to-face presence and company of others
是搭起关系的小桥，创造机会去瞎聊、去攀亲戚、去竖起耳朵听、去花时间跟别的小妖精大眼瞪小眼地待着，

It is taking care of, caring for, caring about, being careful about...
可以是伺候着、惦记着、在乎着、留神着……

It can be shown by leaving alone and by giving gifts
可以是躲得远远的来敬献礼物啥的。

believers in 'human rights', for example, demonstrate their belief in rights not only by supporting legislation to protect individuals from states, companies and majorities, but by not insisting on hogging the whole road or pavement, not insisting on another human getting out of the way on a busy street...
信“人权”？不光是咋呼着立法保护个人不受国家、公司和大多数人的欺负，还在于不在大马路上横着走、霸着道，不在人挤人的街上非逼着别人给自己腾地儿……

You don't have to hug every tree to show them respect but you might have to let trees grow where they will you might have to move your telephone lines or greenhouse You might have to build that road away from that rock or that tree
你不用非得去抱着每一棵树亲一口来表示尊重，但你可能得让树爱在哪儿扎根就在哪儿扎根，你可能得挪挪你的电话线或者温室大棚。你可能得把那条路修得绕开那块大石头或者那棵老树。

Hugging trees that you don't know may be rude - try introducing yourself first
去抱你不认识的树，就像大街上随便抱人一样没礼貌——先上去打个招呼自我介绍吧。

Just because the world and the cosmos is full of life does not make it a nice and easy place to live. Lots of persons are quite unfriendly to others. Many see us as a good dinner. They might respect us as they eat us. Or they may need education. Like us, they might learn best in relationship with others who show respect even to those they don't like, and especially to those they like the taste of.
世界和宇宙里塞满了生命，但这不代表它就是个舒坦窝。好多妖精对别的小妖精可没啥好脸色。好多小妖精看咱们就像看一盘红烧肉。它们可能一边啃着咱们的骨头一边尊重咱们。或者它们就是欠教育。就像咱们一样，它们也得在跟别人的磨合里学习，学着尊重那些自己看不顺眼的小妖精，尤其是那些它们觉得想要吃掉的小妖精。

Although evolution has no aim, life is not pointless. The purpose of life is to be good people and good humans or good rocks or good badgers. What we have to find out is what 'good' means where we are, when we are, with whom we are, and so on. It is certainly wrapped up with the word 'respect' and all the acts that implies.
虽然进化这玩意儿没个准头，但活这一遭不是瞎折腾。活着的奔头就是当个好人、好人类，或者好石头、好獾子。咱们得琢磨清楚，在此时、此地、跟这帮小妖精混在一起的时候，“好”到底是个啥滋味。这肯定跟“尊重”这俩字儿，还有它带出来的那些事儿脱不了干系。

Since all that exists lives-and since all that lives is, in some senses, to some degree, conscious, communicative and relational-and since many of the persons with whom we humans share this planet have a far better idea of what's going on than we do-we can now stop all the silliness about being the pinnacle of creation, the highest achievement of evolution, the self-consciousness of the world or cosmos... We're just part of the whole living community and we've got a lot to learn. Our job isn't to save the planet, or speak for the animals, or evolve towards higher states. Many other-than-human people are already happily self-aware, thank you very much, and if we paid attention we might learn a few things ourselves. By the way, we're probably not alone in mistaking ourselves for the most important people in the world: hedgehogs probably think they are (but they're spiky flea-ridden beasts so why believe them?!).
既然万物都是活生生的——既然凡是活生生的在某种意义上、某种程度上都有点意识、能沟通、有点瓜葛——既然跟咱们挤在一个星球上的许多妖精比咱们更清楚这世道是咋回事——咱们现在可以闭上那张吹嘘自己是「万物之灵」、「进化顶峰」、「宇宙自我意识」的臭嘴了……

咱们只是这生命大杂院里的一户人家，还得夹着尾巴学做人。咱们的活儿不是拯救地球，也不是代表动物，更不是进化到更高等级——许多非人类的妖精早就活得明明白白、乐乐呵呵了，劳您费心。

顺便说一句，以为自己是世界上最重要的大人物，这毛病可能不止咱们人类有：刺猬估计也觉得自己是老大（但它们浑身是刺还长跳蚤，谁听它们的啊？！）。

Um, when I said that 'all that exists lives', I'm not sure about plastic bags. But I am certain that we should not treat objects as mere resources, somehow available or even given to us, or humanity, to use as we will or wish. There is a difference between 'things' and 'objects'. The way we speak is part of the way we treat others. Things can thing with us (that's a cunning if obscure reference to the Saxon word for a council or parliament, a 'thing'). Objects just get looked at, used, throw. Relating with things is different to relating to objects.
呃，我说“凡是存在的都是活生生”的时候，塑料袋那玩意儿我可说不准。但我敢打赌，咱们不该把物件仅仅当成用完就扔的资源，好像它们天生就是给咱们、给人类随意糟践的。

“事物”（Things）和死板的“物件”（Objects）是有区别的。咱们嘴上怎么说，就代表咱们心里怎么待人家。有些“事物”能跟咱们一起“搞事情”。而“物件”就只能被干瞪眼、被使唤、被扔进垃圾堆。跟有灵性的“事物”交朋友，和跟死“物件”打交道，那根本是两码事。

By the way, there is no 'away' to throw things to.
顺便提一句，这世上根本没有什么“九霄云外”可以让你把垃圾扔过去就不管了的。

Similarly, with words like 'substances', especially those that exist within plant and fungal persons. There are substances, but they aren't ours until they are given, gifted to us. And then we'd better find out why we've been given whatever gifts we get. And we'd better ask how those gifts might be best used (whether it's for pleasure, power, wisdom or whatever). This is especially true if the plant or mushroom person who offers us the gift substance has to lose their life in the process.
同样的，像物质或者东西这种干巴巴的词儿，特别是那些长在植物和蘑菇妖精肚子里的好东西，东西是有，但这不归咱们，除非人家乐意送给咱们当礼物。要是收了礼，咱们最好琢磨琢磨为啥人家要送这礼。

最好问问这礼怎么用才不糟践（不管是用来找乐子、练本事、长见识还是别的啥）。要是给你送礼的植物或蘑菇妖精得把自个儿小命都搭上，那你更得掂量掂量了。

Maybe sometimes the mushrooms just want to help us join in the big conversation that's going on all around us. But not all rocks, fish, plants, fungi, birds, animals or humans want to talk with us:
也许有时候蘑菇只是想拉咱们一把，让咱们能听懂周围那场热火朝天的大唠嗑。但不是所有的石头、鱼、草、菌子、鸟、兽或者人都乐意搭理咱们：

Sometimes they want to be quiet
Sometimes they want to be rude
Sometimes they have other concerns
Sometimes they don't understand
Sometimes we don't speak the language
Sometimes we don't know the appropriate gift
有时候它们就想自个儿静静
有时候它们就想给你甩个脸子
有时候它们有自个儿的烦心事
有时候它们听不懂你在嘚啵啥
有时候咱们跟人家根本不在一个频道上
有时候咱们根本不知道该送点啥人家才稀罕

The precise and proper way to show respect depends where you are, who you are, who you are respecting and what they expect. Gifts, like swords and words, have more than one side. Alcohol is a gift in one place, a poison somewhere else. Handshakes are friendly in one place, shows of strength elsewhere. Kissing is respectful to some people, an assault on others. Respectful etiquette is hard work but its reward is fuller participation in a large and exciting community of life.
要表达尊重，怎么才算得体，那得看你蹲在哪个山头、你是哪路神仙、你在拜哪尊佛，还有人家指望啥。礼物这玩意儿，跟刀剑和唾沫星子一样，两面都能伤人。

酒在一个地界儿是美意，在另一个地界儿就是毒药。握手在一个地儿是“哥俩好”，在别处就是“扳手腕”。亲一口对某些人是尊重，对另一些人就是耍流氓。讲究尊重的规矩是个累人的活儿，但好处是能让你真正混进这个又大又刺激的生命万物大江湖里。

Sometimes we need shamans to do the talking for us
Sometimes we need shamans to do the talking to us
有时候咱们得请个萨满替咱们去递话
有时候咱们得请个萨满替它们来传话

Animism is just over the bridge that closes the Cartesian gap by knowing how to answer the question, what is your favourite colour? Perhaps it is the bridge. Perhaps there is no gap and animists are people who refuse to collude with the illusion.
笛卡尔觉得，物质和精神是分开的，怎么把这两个东西重新合起来？也许合起来的“小妖精之道”就是知道怎么回答这个傻问题：你最喜欢什么颜色？
也许本来就是合起来的，信奉“小妖精之道”的人只是一群不知道不接受那个二元论鬼把戏的明白人。

Animism is often discovered by sitting beneath trees, on hills, in rivers, with hedgehogs, beside fires... Animism is better communicated in trickster tales, soulful songs, powerful poems, rousing rituals, and/or elemental etiquette than in manifestos.
“小妖精之道”常常是在树荫底下、山旮旯里、河沟子里、跟刺猬大眼瞪小眼、守着火塘发呆的时候被撞见的…… 要传这道儿，与其写些干巴巴的宣言，不如讲讲那些捣蛋鬼的鬼故事、唱唱那些钻心窝子的歌、念念那些带劲的诗、跳跳大神、或者学学怎么跟金木水火土打交道的规矩。