And the other generalization that I want to mention is that it's particularly hard for a society to make quote-unquote good decisions when there is a conflict involving strongly held values that are good in many circumstances but are poor in other circumstances. For example, the Greenland Norse, in this difficult environment, were held together for four-and-a-half centuries by their shared commitment to religion, and by their strong social cohesion. But those two things --
我要概括的第二点是， 就一个社会而言，有时的确很难制定出、或者照搬 一些恰当的决策，尤其是当涉及到 根深蒂固的价值观时。有时，这种坚定的价值观是必须的， 但有时，却也是不合时宜的。比如说， 格林兰岛上的维京人，早期，他们的生存环境极为恶劣， 之所以他们能相互扶持，顽强的持续4个半世纪， 那是因为他们有着共同的信仰， 以及巨大的凝聚力。但恰恰正是因为这两个原因：