美国最高法院大楼的门楣上，为什么有孔子的雕像？

美国联邦最高法院的门楣上，从左到右分别有三个雕像：孔子、摩西、梭伦。

这三位，被美联邦法院认为是世界各角落的立法始者。

是不是很纳闷呢？

毕竟，我们都知道孔子是儒家学派的创始人，而中国古代法家的代表人物应是管仲、商鞅、韩非等人。

据美国最高法院提供的史料记载：

“最高法院大楼的东侧门楣雕像群寓意对源自东方的基本法律和戒律的借鉴。摩西、孔子和梭伦被选为代表三个伟大的文明，形成了这个三角的中心雕像群。”

其中，孔子及其哲学思想对早期的美国是有影响的。

在美国建国之初，现代民主和现代科学正在奠基，人们把孔子奉为西方启蒙运动的世俗圣人。而美国的开国元勋都深受欧洲启蒙思想的影响。托马斯·杰斐逊、本杰明·富兰克林、詹姆斯·麦迪逊、托马斯·潘恩和约翰·亚当斯等人都对孔子及其思想有着浓厚兴趣和正面评价。

他们认为，孔子在宗教、伦理、政治和社会影响的基础上，有一套完整的政府和社会思想体系，同时孔子主张个人献身于基本美德，如家庭忠诚、节俭和努力工作等，能治愈社会弊病。

特别是孔子这句话被认为是一种黄金法则：

Do not inflict upon others that which you yourself would not want.

己所不欲勿施于人。

Most people recognize his name and know that he is famous for having said something,but considering the long-lasting impact his teachings have had on the world,very few people know who Confucius really was, what he really said, and why.

很多人都知道他的名字，而且还知道他因为说过一些话而出名，但提到他的学说对世界深远的影响，就很少人会知道孔子究竟是谁了，他究竟说过些什么，以及他为什么这样说。

Amid the chaos of 6th Century BCE China, where warring states fought endlessly among themselves for supremacy,and rulers were frequently assassinated, sometimes by their own relatives,Confucius exemplified benevolence and integrity, and through his teaching, became one of China's greatest philosophers.

在公元前6世纪的中国，硝烟不断，群雄争霸，君主经常被刺杀，甚至有时候是被自己的亲属所杀。孔子努力践行仁和义，并且通过他的学说成为中国最伟大的思想家之一。

Born to a nobleman but raised in poverty from a very young age following the untimely death of his father,Confucius developed what would become a lifelong sympathy for the suffering of the common people.

孔子生于富贵却长于贫苦，因为他的父亲过早离世，孔子形成了悲天悯人的情怀，这种情怀跟随他的一生。

Barely supporting his mother and disabled brother as a herder and account keeper at a granary, and with other odd jobs,it was only with the help of a wealthy friend that Confucius was able to study at the Royal Archives,where his world view would be formed.

孔子几乎不能养活他的母亲和残疾的弟弟，他做过牧人和谷仓的记账员，还有其他零散的工作，在一个富有朋友的帮助下他才得以在皇家档案馆学习，在那里他形成自己的世界观。

Though the ancient texts there were regarded by some as irrelevant relics of the past, Confucius was inspired by them.

尽管那里的古籍会被某些人认为是无关痛痒的陈腐之说，它们却激励着孔子。

Through study and reflection, Confucius came to believe that human character is formed in the family and by education in ritual, literature, and history.

通过学习和反思，孔子逐渐相信人的性格是在家庭中形成的，并且还受到礼仪，文学和历史教育的影响。

A person cultivated in this way works to help others, guiding them by moral inspiration rather than brute force.

在这种方式下培养出来的人乐于去帮助他人，通过道德而不是暴力去引导他人。

To put his philosophy into practice, Confucius became an advisor to the ruler of his home state of Lu.But after another state sent Lu's ruler a troop of dancing girls as a present and the ruler ignored his duties while enjoying the girls in private, Confucius resigned in disgust.

为了将他的哲学付诸实践，孔子成为了他故乡所在地鲁国君主的谋士。但是在得到另一个国家送来的一群舞姬后，鲁国君主沉迷舞色疏于朝政，孔子厌恶至极，辞去职务。

He then spent the next few years traveling from state to state,trying to find a worthy ruler to serve, while holding fast to his principles. It wasn't easy.

他在接下来的几年时间里游历列国，他坚守着自己的信念，尝试去寻找一个值得他效力的君主。但是这并不容易。

In accordance with his philosophy, and contrary to the practice of the time,Confucius dissuaded rulers from relying on harsh punishments and military power to govern their lands because he believed that a good ruler inspires others to spontaneously follow him by virtue of his ethical charisma.

依照着自己的信念，却与时代的实际背道而驰，孔子劝阻君主通过残酷的刑罚和军队力量去统治国家，因为他相信一个好的君主可以让其他人自发地追随他，被他美德的魅力所吸引。

Confucius also believed that because the love and respect we learn in the family are fundamental to all other virtues,personal duties to family sometimes supersede obligations to the state.

孔子还相信从家庭中学到的爱和尊重是其他美德的基石，个人对家庭的责任有时候会取代他对国家的义务。

So when one duke bragged that his subjects were so upright that a son testified against his own father when his father stole a sheep,Confucius informed the duke that genuinely upright fathers and sons protected one another.

有一次一个公爵向孔子吹嘘他的子民有多么的正直，儿子会告发自己的父亲，原因是他的父亲偷了一只羊，孔子就告诉这个公爵，真正正直的父亲和儿子是会保护对方的。

During his travels, Confucius almost starved, he was briefly imprisoned,and his life was threatened at several points. But he was not bitter.

在他游历期间，孔子几乎是挨饿的，还被短暂囚禁过，甚至有几次他的生命也受到威胁，但是他并不痛苦。

Confucius had faith that heaven had a plan for the world,and he taught that a virtuous person could always find joy in learning and music.

孔子有个信念：命里自有安排。他教导他的学生：一个高尚的人总能在学习和音乐中找到快乐。

Failing to find the ruler he sought,Confucius returned to Lu and became a teacher and philosopher so influential,that he helped shaped Chinese culture and we recognize his name worldwide, even today.

在找寻他理想的君主失败后，孔子回到了鲁国，成为了一位老师和有影响力的思想家，他帮助塑造了中国的文化，直至今天，全世界都知道他的名字。

For the disciples of Confucius, he was the living embodiment of a sage who leads others through his virtue,and they recorded his sayings, which eventually were edited into a book we know in English as 'The Analects.'

对于孔子的门徒来说，他是通过美德去引导他人的圣人化身，他们记录下他说的话，这些话最终编成了一本书，名叫《论语》。

Today, millions of people worldwide adhere to the principles of Confucianism,and though the precise meaning of his words has been debated for millennia,when asked to summarize his teachings in a single phrase,Confucius himself said, 'Do not inflict upon others that which you yourself would not want.'

今天，全世界很多人在坚守孔子的原则，尽管千百年他的话的确切含义一直被争论着，但当他被要求用一句话去概括自己的思想时，孔子自己说：“己所不欲，勿施于人。”

2500 years later, it's still sage advice.

这句话放到2500年后，仍然是一条明智的建议。