XDFP1(NO4-3-1-1)Greatcomicartisneverotherwordly,itdoesnotseektomystifyus,anditdoesnotdenyambiguitybybrandingasevilwhateverdiffersfromgood.Greatcomicartistsassumethattruthmaybearalllights,andthustheyseektoaccentuatecontradictionsinsocialaction,notglossover(glossover:v.掩盖)ortranscendthembyappealstoextrasocialsymbolsofdivineends,cosmicpurpose,orlawsofnature.Themomentoftranscendenceingreatcomicartisasocialmoment,bornoutoftheconvictionthatwearehuman,eventhoughwetrytobegods.Thecomiccommunitytowhichartistsaddressthemselvesisacommunityofreasoning,loving,joyful,compassionatebeings,whoarewillingtoassumethehumanrisksofactingrationally.Withoutinvokinggodsordemons,greatcomicartarousescourageinreason,couragewhichgrowsoutoftrustinwhathumanbeingscandoashumans.伟大的喜剧艺术从不以彼岸世界为其目标,它所追求的并不是要予人以神秘玄惑感,它并不会通过将任何与善不一样的事物烙上罪恶的印记而否认那些模棱两可的情形。伟大的喜剧艺术家们认为,真理可呈现出各种不同的表现形态,故而他们力图强调社会行为中的对立矛盾,而不是通过诉诸于那些代表着神圣目标、字宙目的、或自然法则的超社会象片符号去掩饰或超越它们。伟大的喜剧艺术中的超越瞬间乃是一个社会性瞬间,源自这样一个坚定信念,即我们终是凡夫俗子,尽管我们竭力想成为神灵。艺术家们所致力表现的那个不乏喜剧色彩的社会,是一个由那些具有理性思维能力、充满爱心、快乐、和富于怜悯之心的人类构成的社会,他们甘愿承担人类理性行动的风险。伟大的喜剧艺术根本不祈求神灵或魔鬼,相反,它激发起我们对于理性的无畏勇气,这种勇气缘自对人类作为人所能做到的一切的信心。XDFP2(NO4-1-1-2)Theevolutionofsexratioshasproduced,inmostplantsandanimalswithseparatesexes,approximatelyequalnumbersofmalesandfemales.Whyshouldthisbeso?Twomainkindsofanswershavebeenoffered.Oneiscouchedintermsofadvantagetopopulation.Itisarguedthatthesexratiowillevolvesoastomaximizethenumberofmeetingsbetweenindividualsoftheoppositesex.Thisisessentiallya“groupselectionargument.Theother,andinmyviewcorrect,typeofanswerwasfirstputforwardbyFisherin1930.This“genetic”argumentstartsfromtheassumptionthatgenescaninfluencetherelativenumbersofmaleandfemaleoffspringproducedbyanindividualcarryingthegenes.Thatsexratiowillbefavoredwhichmaximizesthenumberofdescendantsanindividualwillhaveandhencethenumberofgenecopiestransmitted.Supposethatthepopulationconsistedmostlyoffemales:thenanindividualwhoproducedsonsonlywouldhavemoregrandchildren.Incontrast,ifthepopulationconsistedmostlyofmales,itwouldpaytohavedaughters.If,however,thepopulationconsistedofequalnumbersofmalesandfemales,sonsanddaughterswouldbeequallyvaluable.Thusaone-to-onesexratioistheonlystableratio;itisan“evolutionarilystablestrategy.”AlthoughFisherwrotebeforethemathematicaltheoryofgameshadbeendeveloped,histheoryincorporatestheessentialfeatureofagame—thatthebeststrategytoadoptdependsonwhatothersaredoing.SinceFisher’stime,ithasbeenrealizedthatgenescansomeinfluencethechromosomeorgameteinwhichtheyfindthemselvessothatthegametewillbemorelikelytoparticipateinfertilization.Ifsuchageneoccursonasex-determining(XorY)chromosome,thenhighlyaberrantsexratioscanoccur.Butmoreimmediatelyrelevanttogametheoryarethesexratiosincertainparasiticwaspspeciesthathavealargeexcessoffemales.Inthesespecies,fertilizedeggsdevelopintofemalesandunfertilizedeggsintomales.Afemalestoresspermandcandeterminethesexofeacheggshelaysbyfertilizingitorleavingitunfertilized.ByFisher’sargument,itshouldstillpayafemaletopro...