詞匯：

1. stature 高度，境界，狀況
2. heterodox 不合乎公認的標準的，異端的，異教的
3. tacit 心照不宣
4. refute 反駁
5. adversary 對立面，對手，敵人
6. plausible 善于花言巧語的/辭令的，似乎有理的/有可能的
7. doctrine 教義，學說
8. profess 表示，明言，承認，自稱，信奉

難句譯注：

1. True gains more even by the errors of one who with due study and preparation, thinks forhimself, then by the true opinions of those who only hold them because they do not sufferthemselves to think.
[參考譯文] 真理甚至從一個經過恰當研究和準備進行獨立思考的人的錯誤中獲得更多的東西，而從那些只是因為不予思考卻持有正確的觀點中獲得的少（一種經過恰當?shù)难芯亢蜏蕚溥M行獨立思考的人犯的錯誤，另一種人是不予思考的卻持有正確的觀點，真理從前者錯誤中獲得的東西比從后者的正確觀點中獲得的要多）。

2. mental slavery 思想禁錮，精神受奴役狀態(tài)

3. Never when controversy avoided the subjects which are large and important enough to kindle enthusiasm was the mind of a people stirred up from its foundation and the impulse givenwhich raised even persons of the most ordinary intellect to something of the dignity of thinkingbeings.
[結構簡析] 這是一句以Never否定詞開頭的倒裝句，正常的句序應把never放在句中，形成：themind of people was never stirred up from its foundations
[參考譯文] 當辯論比開重大課題，重大到足以燃起/激起人們激/熱情的課題時，那么一個民族的思想絕不會從天賦的情感和原始的基礎上升華，甚至使最普通智力的人上升到優(yōu)點莊嚴的思想家水平上。

4. The rational position for her would be suspension of judgement, and unless she contents herselfwith that, she is either led by authority, or adopts, like the generality of the world, the side to whichshe feels the most inclination.
[參考譯文] 對她來說理智的立場是停止判斷，而且除非她滿足于這一點，否則，她不是為權威人物的觀點所左右，后者就像世界上蕓蕓眾生一樣，倒向她感覺最傾向的一邊。

5. That is not the way to do justice to the arguments, or bring them into teal contact with her ownmind.
[結構簡析] do justice to 公平對待，適當處理。 Bring……into contact with 　使和……接觸／聯(lián)系。
[參考譯文] 這不是對正確觀點評價的方法，也不能使自己的思想真正接觸到論點的實質。

6. She must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form; she must feel the whole forceof the difficulty which the true view of the subject has to encounter and dispose of; else she willnever really possess herself of the portion of truth which meets and removes that difficulty.
[結構簡析] most plausible and persuasive form 很善于辭令和有說服力形式?！　ossess oneselfof 獲得，據(jù)有，把……占為己有?！　hem=arguments?！lse　　否則的話。

7. Their conclusion may be true, but it might be false for anything they know; they have neverthrown themselves into the mental position of those who think differently form them andconsidered what such persons may have to say; and consequently they do not, in any propersense of the word, know the doctrines which they themselves profess.
[結構簡析] throw oneself into…position 設身處地，使自己處于……位置／地點。

寫作方法與文章大意：

這是一篇由一般到具體，重要采用正反對比，推理的寫作方法的文章，邏輯性強，正反論證，句子結構復雜冗長，分兩段給出內容，第一段重點在：偉大的思想家的首要責任是奠定遵循自己智力所得出的結論。由此引起思想家和思想活躍的人民同時代環(huán)境的關系。只有思想后月的時期，才有偉大的思想家和活躍的人民，因為他們可以討論重大主題，而在思想禁錮時期，只能產生個別偉大思想家。第二段具體的論證了獨立思考涉及兩方面，既如自己一方種種，也得知對手的一方種種（內容，推理，論點），才能真正獲得真理。