it is awkward to burden an introductory text with footnotes to attribute each position to its proper sources or to try to trace the history of a philosophical argument through its variations
译文：用脚注来注释某介绍性的课文,每一处都要指出它的正确来源,或通过其不同的来源试图追踪某个哲学上的论据（或争论的）历史,（用这种方法注释课文）是很笨拙的.
解释：尽量直译反而句子翻译不变的复杂.正确译文,确保质量.