Now in fact the Athenians

现在事实上
did appreciate the importance of knowledge,

雅典人已经领会到了知识技能
skill, talent, and experience,

才能和经验的重要性
when they thought these things existed

他们认为这些能力是存在的
and could be used in the public interest.

并可以为公众的利益造福
So, they did not allot, but elected military officers,

因此他们不再靠分配而是选举军事官员
some treasurers, naval architects,

司库造船工程师
and managers of the water supply.

以及供水管理员
These are essentially questions of life and death,

这些本质上都是些关乎生死
or of the financial security of the state;

或是关乎国家财政安全的事项
apart from that they did not care much about expertise.

除了这些他们不太在乎专业技能方面
If they did not elect professors of political science or philosophers,

他们并不选举政治家或哲学家