本文來源：網絡
圖片轉自：新周刊、V苹台
陳之藩（1925-2012），電機工程學者，著名散文家。
很多的時候，很多人常把自己的觀念想法理所當然的套用在其它人的身上，總覺得別人就是該這麼做才是對的、才是正確的，造就了好多的莫須有罪名。
莫須有與想當然
陳之藩
UnfoundedCharges and Assumed Truth
Translatedby Theresa Jen and Guohua Chen
記得在小學的時候，每星期有作文課。國文教師除了在作文卷上有批語外，還把全班的作文排好了名次，當堂唱名發還。如名次排在後面，顯得非常難堪，所以大家對作文都很努力。
I recall thatwhen I was in primary school, we had an essay due every week. Our Chineseteacher not only wrote comments on students』 compositions, but also arrangedall the compositions in a league table and handed out the compositions in orderof excellence with the name of each student announced. For those who ranked lowin the table, it was a moment of great embarrassment, so everyone worked veryhard on his or her compositions.
我本來就喜歡作文，再加上努力，所以作文發還時，常是名字在前幾名之中。
I likedcomposition anyway and was a hardworking student. As a result, when the teacherhanded out the students』 compositions, my name often appeared at the top of thelist.
一次作文題目是「北風」還是「春風」，我已記不清了，作完了自己很得意。當時覺得下星期發還時，我一定是在前幾名之中。沒有想到，不僅前幾名沒有我，甚至中間也沒有，而是排在最後一個。我根本不明白是怎麼回事了。
One essayassignment asked us to address the topic 「The North Wind」, or maybe it was 「TheSpring Wind」, I can not remember exactly. When I finished the essay, I was verypleased with myself and was certain that my name would again appear at the topthe following week. Unexpectedly, not only did I not appear amongst the top fewstudents, or even in the middle of the list, but I came last! I was dumbfoundedas to what could have happened.
陳之藩與夫人童元方
下了課，去問國文老師，老師說：「這不像是你這個小學生作的，一定是抄自什麼雜誌上的。」
When I approachedmy teacher after class, he said, 「 This doesn』t seem to have been written by aprimary school pupil like you. I am certain that you copied it from a magazine.」
我驚訝得不得了，我說：「確實是我作的。」
Extremely shocked,I said, 「I wrote myself, honestly!」
教師說：「你不可能作這麼好， 你是抄的， 你如果說你不是抄的，拿出證明來！」
「You are simplynot able to write that well,」 said the teacher, 「You must have plagiarized it.If you didn』t, prove it!」
我反抗也無從反抗起，委屈地哭了一場。
Not knowing howto reason with him, I felt grievously wronged and cried my eyes out.
小孩時的多少事情，現在幾乎都忘記了，唯獨這次所受的委屈，總是記得清清楚楚。
Many of thethings that happened to me in my childhood have faded from my memory. Myoutraged sense of frustration at the injustice of the situation, however, hasstuck in my mind ever since.
豐子愷漫畫《教育》
時光流水似的逝去，我在美國當了教授，遇到又一次的類似的事件，不過我扮演的不是學生，而是教師的角色。
Fluid, quiet and unnoticed,time trickled by until one day I had another similar experience — but this timeI was not a student, but a professor in the United States.
有一個美國學生提交了一篇學期論文，當作期末考試。我翻來覆去地看他這篇論文，發現不僅風格清晰，而且創意滿紙，令人不能相信是一個大學生所作。我很自然地懷疑他是從什麼地方抄來的。問題就這麼極端：如果是抄來的，只有給不及格；如果不是抄來的，那就太好了。
An Americanstudent had written an essay during my end-of-semester examination. I wentthrough it over and over again and was impressed not only by its stylisticfreshness and clarity but also by its great originality, I simply could notbelieve that a university undergraduate could have written it. I naturallysuspected that he had plagiarized it from somewhere. I was faced with twodiametrically opposed judgments: either he had cheated, which meant nothing buta fail, or he had not cheated, which would earn him a top mark.
我到圖書館查了兩天最新到的期刊，看看有無類似的東西，卻不得要領。
I spent two daysin the library looking through recent journals, trying to find somethingsimilar to the student’s essay, but to no avail.
於是請教一位同事，問他該怎麼辦。
Then I soughtadvice on the matter from a colleague of mine.
我的這位同事對我提出的問題，倒顯得有些驚異。
When I explainedmy problem to him, he appeared a little surprised.
他說：「如果你不能查出你學生是抄來的，你就不能說他是抄來的。你的學生並沒有義務去證明他不是抄來的，這是羅馬法的精神；文明與野蠻的分際，就在這麼細微的差別上。我覺得這是常識，你卻覺得這是一個問題，好奇怪！」
He said, 「If youcan』t find any proof that the student copied it, then you cannot claim that hedid so! The student is not required to prove his innocence — that is the spiritof Roman law. The demarcation between civilization and barbarism lies in such afine distinction. The student is not required to prove his innocence — that isthe spirit of Roman law. The demarcation between civilization and barbarism liesin such a fine distinction. What to me is common sense has become a problem foryou. I am amazed!」
豐子愷漫畫《統一思想》
聽了這一番教訓後，我倒沒有什麼慚愧的感覺，而是想起中國文化中好多好多莫須有與想當然的事情。
I did not feelashamed or embarrassed to have been berated by my colleague. Instead I foundmyself reflecting on the many stories in Chinese literature and history about unfoundedcharges and assumed truths.
個人沒有義務自證其罪，這就是羅馬法的精神。