DIALOGUE as a literary form was developed in the 5^th century B. c. in Greek tragedy. Long passages in Aeschylus’ Eumenides and in many of Euripides’s plays influenced Plato’s dialogues. But Plato also owed much to Socrates, who had actually engaged other men in conversation and developed philosophical arguments through questions and answers. Socrates was less concerned to present theories than to criticize the views of others by bringing out hidden premises and unforeseen implications that would prove unacceptable. Plato, who had tried writing tragedies, decided upon meeting Socrates to write philosophical dialogues. This device allowed Plato to deal with objections, to leave some uncertainty about his own positions, and to initiate his readers into the life of thought.

对话是一种在公元前5世纪希腊悲剧中发展起来的文学形式。在埃斯库罗斯的《欧门尼德》和欧里庇得斯许多戏剧中的长段落都影响过柏拉图的对话。但柏拉图也要非常感激实际上与其他人进行了谈话，并通过问答发展了哲学论证的苏格拉底。苏格拉底不太关注提出理论，而是通过提出不易察觉的前提和将被证明是不可接受的，不可预见的蕴涵来批评别人的观点。试图写作悲剧的柏拉图，为写作哲学对话，决定去会见苏格拉底。这种方法允许柏拉图应对反对意见，为自己的立场留下一些不确定性，并引导他的读者进入思考生活。

The literary form fashioned by Plato was later taken up by George Berkeley in THREE Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous (1713). Philonous defends the author’s idealism against Hylas’ objections. David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779) are more elusive, but most scholars consider the character Philo to be Hume’s mouthpiece. The dialogue form is still used occasionally. George Santayana published Dialogues in Limbo (1926), and Walter Kaufmann’s Critique of religion and Philosophy (1958) includes THREE dialogues between Satan and a theologian, a Christian, and an atheist.

由柏拉图成型的文学形式后来被乔治·贝克莱在《海拉斯与斐洛诺斯的对话三篇》（1713年）中所接受。斐洛诺斯针对海拉斯的反对意见捍卫了作者的理想主义。大卫·休谟的《关于自然宗教的对话》（1779年）更难以理解，但大多数学者认为斐洛这个角色就是休谟的代言人。这种对话形式偶尔仍在使用。乔治·桑塔亚那出版了《地狱边缘的对话》（1926年），而沃尔特·考夫曼的《宗教与哲学批判》（1958年）包括了撒旦与一位神学者、基督徒和无神论者的三个对话。

In Martin Buber’s books, the term “dialogue” does not necessarily involve words; it a way of recognizing another being as no mere object or It, but as a Thou. Buber’s views have had considerable influence on contemporary theologians. Dialogue was a way of life for Socrates, too; but Buber lacked Socrates’ faith in argument.

在马丁·布伯的书中，“对话”这个词并不一定涉及文字；它是一种认识另一个存在的方式，不仅仅是客体或它，而是一个你。布伯的观点曾对当代神学家有相当大的影响。对苏格拉底来说，对话也是一种生活方式；但布伯缺乏苏格拉底对论证的信念。

                                         WALTER KAUFMANN

                                  Author of “Tragedy and Philosophy”

                                           沃尔特·考夫曼

                                      “《悲剧与哲学》”的作者

                                       2023年11月24日译

（译者注：该词条位列《大美百科全书》1985年版，第9卷，第56页