
TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCE: Reflections on Catastrophe, Civil Resistance, and Hope
真相與代價:關於災難、公民抵抗與希望的反思
內容介紹
「這部迴響深遠的著作印證了艾斯伯格罕見的道德信念,以及他對真理作為變革力量的堅定信仰…… 私人隨筆、手寫筆記與沉思錄,揭示艾斯伯格道德的清明、思想的嚴謹,以及對不受制約的權力與集體否認之危險的先知性警示。」——《科克斯書評》
這本書出自五角大廈文件事件中最著名的吹哨者、同時也是反戰行動者的丹尼爾・艾斯伯格(Daniel Ellsberg),它是一部身後出版的文集,收錄他過去未曾公開的文字,讓人更貼近地看見:他如何生活、如何工作,以及他一生堅守的信念。雖然他最為人所知的是洩露《五角大廈文件》(Pentagon Papers),但這部遺作將視角擴大到了整個核子時代與政府誠信的危機。
丹尼爾・艾斯伯格在 2023 年辭世,享壽 92 歲。他終其一生投入核裁軍,也在政府權力最高處堅持說出真相;這樣的信念,讓他被視為美國最無畏的愛國者之一。從 1971 年他將《五角大廈文件》洩露於世、因而依《間諜法》(Espionage Act)面臨多項重罪指控開始,到此後數十年持續的反戰行動與著述,他對美國核政策的走向、和平促進的努力,以及資訊政治(information politics),都留下難以估量的影響。
然而,隨著災難性的戰爭爆發、政治動盪使全球各地民主與政府的權威受到質疑,他所堅守的信念原則比以往更顯更迫切。《真相與代價》由其子麥可・艾斯伯格(Michael Ellsberg)與他長年的助理珍・R・湯瑪斯(Jan R. Thomas)編輯,捕捉了艾斯伯格終其一生反覆關注的主題:邪惡的問題、對平民的屠殺、核毀滅(nuclear annihilation)的威脅、盲目服從所隱含的危險,以及培養對那些我們被教導要視為敵人的人之同理心的必要。
這部身後文集收錄了先前未發表的作品,涵蓋多種文類:自傳性與個人散文、宣言、以及報導。埃爾斯伯格的思想以尖刻的批判與強而有力的內省躍然紙上,鞏固他作為美國史上最英勇的真相捍衛者之一的地位。《真相與代價》對於在他身後我們必須持續堅守的基石信念毫不含糊:自由、正直,以及最重要的——真相。
作者介紹
書評
“Fascinating… I found dozens of thoughts in Truth and Consequence that speak to our political moment. In many aspects Ellsberg was prophetic… [he] possessed the kind of moral clarity and courage that seems almost entirely absent among today's political, corporate, and social elites; when the right thing to do carries little to no chance of reward, and a big chance of loss or punishment, far too many retreat into comfortable silence and profitable acquiescence.” ―Brian Tanguay, California Review of Books
“A wonderful window into the mind and heart of a great American hero, a compassionate human being, and finally a wise and thoughtful teacher.” ―Massachusetts Review
“A strikingly personal collection, one that shows how Ellsberg's courage, commitment, and even his moral clarity derived from traumatic events in his past… Truth and Consequence is loaded with such insights, bearing witness to Ellsberg's deep compassion wrought from tragedy. His sagacity, determination, and example will long endure.” ―Bill Lueders, The Progressive
“[A] poignant, prescient, and clarifying posthumous collection of unpublished musings. Three heart-seizing essays about Ellsberg's anguished childhood set the template for his ardent and risky life as a marine, national security analyst, whistleblower, and antinuclear, peace, and environmental activist… Here readers can immerse themselves in the depth and wisdom of his profound concerns about evil, conscience, compassion, and complicity… Knowledgeable and bracing perceptions and truths abound in this treasury of galvanizing insights, convictions, and conundrums.” ―Booklist
“A fascinating window into the inner life of a whistleblower and the psychological turmoil behind a sweeping societal shift.” ―Publishers Weekly
“A resonant volume that affirms Ellsberg's rare moral conviction and his unwavering belief in truth as a force for change . . . Personal essays, handwritten notes, and ruminations reveal Ellsberg's moral clarity, intellectual rigor, and prescient warnings about the dangers of unchecked power and collective denial.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“In this extraordinary book, Daniel Ellsberg reveals what others in the know dare not say: we are on the precipice of apocalyptic danger. Like no one else I have known, he candidly reflects on his own life and on the wider human predicament-and fearlessly calls out the 'reckless, evil gamble' that America and other nuclear powers take every day. We encounter here a fascinating story, but more to the point, an inspiring quest to live life with meaning and utter honesty.” ―Jerry Brown, Former California Governor and current executive chairman of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
“You will never read a more profound book about obedience and conscience. Ellsberg writes with intimate candor about the deadening-and often deadly-results of undue trust in authority. This book draws you close, sharing the innermost thoughts and visionary wisdom of America's greatest whistleblower.” ―Norman Solomon, author of War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine
“While Daniel Ellsberg is best known for a single, transformative act of civic courage-making public the Pentagon Papers-he also committed his life to anti-nuclear and anti-war activism. In this gripping collection, Ellsberg and the world he so deeply engaged come into sharp focus, highlighting the fascinating human dimension of his life and work.” ―Christian G. Appy, author of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity and Director of the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy
“Henry Kissinger called Daniel Ellsberg 'The Most Dangerous Man in America.' Dangerous because of Ellsberg's courageous integrity and principled moral power, which in today's world is desperately needed and frighteningly absent. In this book we see into Ellsberg's mind and soul, his strengths, his fears and doubts. Through Ellsberg's own words one can begin to understand the forces that forged him into one of the 20th centuries most honorable, intriguing, and all-too human figures.” ―Robert J. Rosenthal, CEO Emeritus for The Center for Investigative Reporting

