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Many sociologists who examined the
phenomenon of secrecy considered secrets
morally negative because they defined secrets
by their content: if concealed information is
(5) negative, it is "secret"; if it is positive or
neutral, it is merely "private." Berlin-born
philosopher Georg Simmel (1858-1918)
departed from this approach, arguing that a
secret is defined not by the kind of
(10) information concealed, but by the fact of
concealment. A secret is like a box into which
any content can be placed; whatever the
content, the box, in itself, is morally neutral.
Unlike something locked in a box, however, a
(15) secret is not the internal private knowledge of
a single person. Simmel saw secrecy as
predicated upon a social relationship: use of
the word secret demands that more than one
person know, but that others be excluded.
(20) When we receive information, to know that it
is secret, we must be told not to tell anyone.
Furthermore, knowledge of the existence of a
secret is separate from knowledge of its
content. By removing the moral bias, Simmel's
(25) framework facilitated objective study of
secrets. However, Simmel's discussion of
disclosure seems to belie his contention that
secrets are morally neutral. For him, inherent
in every secret lies the possibility, and the
(30) desire, for revelation—regardless of the
consequences. This "attraction of the abyss"
gives secrets their "moral badness." Since
disclosure of a secret is naughty, and secrecy
and disclosure must coexist, the immorality of
(35) disclosure taints the secret itself.
One specific example of research into
secrecy is Beryl Bellman's study of the "secret
societies" of the West African Kpelle: religious
associations, segregated by gender, that all
(40) Kpelle are expected to join. Initiated adults
learn restricted information such as the true
identities of "spirits," society members
wearing masks for ceremonies, who are
believed to be supernatural beings. Kpelle
(45) ideology holds that the uninitiated do not
know that these spirits are really society
members. The initiated may not tell a society's
secrets to non-members; Kpelle tradition
insists that non-members are not allowed to
(50) know. However, Bellman showed that anyone
may, in fact, know a society's secrets. The
Kpelle word translated as "secret" literally
means "you may not speak it." If nonmembers
learn secrets, they are restricted
(55) from revealing that they know by penalties
ranging from monetary fines to death.
Bellman could write about Kpelle societies
without violating their rules by focusing not
on the content of the secrets, but on their
(60) form. Bellman's realization shows that the
mechanism of Kpelle secrecy relies on
Simmel's model: the importance of keeping of
secrets (nondisclosure) as a social act with
rules and consequences carries the burden of
(65) morality rather than the personal, internal
knowledge of the content of the secret.
1. The "abyss" referred to by Simmel (line 31) is best defined as
(A) a deed that is both exciting and dangerous
(B) the ultimate punishment established for telling a secret
(C) the gap between early models of secrecy and his approach
(D) the distance between two people that is bridged by sharing a secret
(E) a feature of the topography in Western Africa
2. Based on the passage, which of the following situations would most clearly violate the rules of a Kpelle secret society?
(A) A foreign scholar publishes a book about the organization of Kpelle secret societies
(B) A woman claims she knows the details of men's initiation rituals
(C) A man learns the ritual knowledge of a women's secret society
(D) Two women are overheard discussing the identities of their secret society's "spirits"
(E) A secret is passed on with the words "don't tell anyone, but..."
3. From the information in this passage, the author would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?
(A) Secrets contain personal information but lies can be about anything.
(B) The best social scientists' work must con tain no contradictions.
(C) All Kpelle adults know the secrets of the secret societies.
(D) Sociologically, how people behave is at least as important as what they know.
(E) It is impossible to eliminate a moral dimension from the concept of secrets.
以上这篇阅读摘自KAPLAN，答案是 A, B, D
请牛牛解答 第3题答案为什么是D, D答案这句话到底怎么解释？
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发表于 2013-7-26 03:10:34
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