A Philistine is a full-grown person whose interests are of a material and commonplace nature, and whose mentality is formed of the stock ideas and conventional ideals of his or her group and time… A philistine is not likely to exist in a very primitive society although no doubt rudiments of philistinism may be found even there. We may imagine, for instance, a cannibal who would prefer the human head he eats to be artistically colored, just as the American philistine prefers his oranges to be painted orange, his salmon pink, and his whisky yellow. But generally speaking philistinism presupposes a certain advanced state of civilization where throughout the ages certain traditions have accumulated in a heap and have started to stink… The philistine in his passionate urge to conform, to belong, to join, is torn between two longings: to act as everybody does, to admire, to use this or that thing because millions of people do; or else he craves to belong to an exclusive set, to an organization, to a club, to a hotel patronage or an ocean liner community (with the captain in white and wonderful food), and to delight in the knowledge that there is the head of a corporation or a European count sitting next to him. The philistine is often a snob. He is thrilled by riches and rank ---- “Darling, I’ve actually talked to a duchess! ”

Vladimir Nabokov: Philistines and Philistinism

庸人是长大成丁的人，其兴趣的性质是在物质和平庸的方面，构成其心态的乃是他或她那一流人物和那个时期的窠臼思想和流俗理想……。非常原始的社会不大可能存在庸人，虽然毫无疑问，即便在那种社会不大可能发现平庸文化的雏形。我们不妨试想一番，食人生番宁愿自己所食的人头经过艺术上色，正如美国的庸人宁愿橙子涂成橙色，鲑鱼涂成粉色，威士忌酒涂成黄色。不过一般说来庸俗文化总是以文明的某种先进形态为先决条件，其中某些传统代代相传，已经积聚成堆，开始发臭……。庸人满腔激情渴望适应，归属，参与，徘徊于两种向往之间备受折磨：要则做事和别人一样，推重使用某种东西是由于千百万人都是如此；要则汲汲于归属排外的一群人物，一个组织，一家俱乐部，一家宾馆主顾，或是远洋客轮的一班人马（船上有身着白制服的船长和美味佳肴），得知有位大公司首脑或欧洲伯爵就坐在他身边便乐滋滋的。庸人往往是势利鬼。他为之万分激动的是富有和显贵----“亲爱的，我真的和一位公爵夫人谈过话了！ ”

弗拉基米尔•纳博科夫：《庸人和庸俗》

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