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DavidDeutsch_2009G-_科学解释之新探_
I'm sure that, throughout the hundred-thousand-odd years of our species ' existence, and even before, our ancestors looked up at the night sky, and wondered what stars are. 我十分确信在人类诞生以来 的大概10万多年 甚至比这更长的时间里- 我们的祖先仰望夜空 想知道那些星星究竟是什么
throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及; species:n.[生物]物种;种类;
Wondering, therefore, how to explain what they saw in terms of things unseen . 其实也就是想要 把他们看见的东西 用不可见的东西来解释
unseen:adj.看不见的,未看见的;未经预习的;n.(事前未看过原文的)即席翻译;
Okay, so, most people only wondered that occasionally , like today, in breaks from whatever normally preoccupied them. 这样的话,大多数人看似 只是偶尔如此想想,比如说像在今天 从日常活动中 抽空解脱出来的时候才行
occasionally:adv.偶尔;有时候;偶然; normally:adv.正常地;通常地,一般地; preoccupied:adj.心事重重; v.使日夜思考; (preoccupy的过去分词和过去式)
But what normally preoccupied them also involved yearning to know. 但实际上人们的日常活动 同样富含着对知识的渴望
involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词) yearning:n.向往;渴望;adj.思慕的;渴望的;v.渴望;渴求;(yearn的现在分词)
They wished they knew how to prevent their food supply from sometimes failing, and how they could rest when they were tired, without risking starvation , be warmer, cooler, safer, in less pain. 人们希望知道 如何避免食物来源 不时的中断 如何在疲惫时得以充分休整 又不会因为停止劳作而断粮 如何创造更温暖,或更凉爽;更安全的环境 如何减轻痛苦
starvation:n.饿死;挨饿;绝食;
I bet those prehistoric cave artists would have loved to know how to draw better. 我敢打赌远古时代的岩洞画家们 都想知道 怎样画得更漂亮些
bet:n.打赌;赌注;预计;估计;v.下赌注(于);用…打赌;敢说;八成儿; prehistoric:adj.史前的;陈旧的;
In every aspect of their lives, they wished for progress, just as we do. 我们的祖先在生活的方方面面 都像我们一样地期望进步
aspect:n.方面;层面;外观;方位;
But they failed, almost completely, to make any. 但是他们得到的发展微乎其微
They didn't know how to. 他们还不懂其中的秘诀
Discoveries like fire happen so rarely , that from an individual's point of view , the world never improved . 像人工生火这样的重大发明 凤毛麟角,于是乎从一个个人的角度看来 世界几乎毫无改善
rarely:adv.很少地;难得;罕有地; point of view:观点;见地;立场; improved:adj.改良的:v.改进:改善(improve的过去分词和过去式)
Nothing new was learned. 知识停滞不前
The first clue to the origin of starlight happened as recently as 1899: radioactivity . 星星闪光的奥秘初步被揭开 是在不久前的1899年- 放射现象
clue:n.提示;迹象;(纵横填字谜、游戏或问题的)提示词语;v.提示;为…提供线索; origin:n.起源;起因;源头;出身; starlight:n.星光;adj.有星光的;星光照耀的; recently:adv.最近;新近; radioactivity:n.放射性;[核]放射能力;[核]放射现象;
Within 40 years, physicists discovered the whole explanation, expressed , as usual, in elegant symbols . 而这之后的仅仅40年间 物理学家们发现了一个完整的解释 然后像往常一样用简明优雅的数学符号把它表示了出来
physicists:n.物理学家;机械唯物论者(physicist的复数); expressed:v.表示;表达;显而易见;不言自明;(express的过去分词和过去式) elegant:adj.高雅的,优雅的;讲究的;简炼的;简洁的; symbols:n.符号;象征;标志;符号表(symbol的复数);
But never mind the symbols. 可别把这些符号不当回事
never mind:没关系;
Think how many discoveries they represent . 想想它们表达了 多少人类的发现
represent:v.代表;表现;描绘;回忆;再赠送;
Nuclei and nuclear reactions , of course. 这些么就是原子核 核反应
Nuclei:n.核心,核子;原子核(nucleus的复数形式); nuclear:adj.原子能的;[细胞]细胞核的;中心的;原子核的; reactions:n.反应;回应;抗拒;生理反应;副作用(reaction的复数)
But isotopes , particles of electricity , antimatter , neutrinos , the conversion of mass to energy -- that's E=mc^2 -- gamma rays, transmutation . 再看看这些:同位素 带电粒子 反物质 中微子 物质到能量的转化 E=mc^2 伽马射线 嬗变（一种元素通过核反应转化为另一种元素）
isotopes:n.[核]同位素(isotope的复数);核素; particles:n.微粒,粒子;粒子系统;碎木料(particle的复数形式); electricity:n.电力;电流;强烈的紧张情绪; antimatter:n.[物]反物质; neutrinos:n.中微子(neutrino的复数); conversion:n.转换;变换;[金融]兑换;改变信仰; mass:n.块,团; adj.群众的,民众的; v.聚集起来,聚集; gamma:n.微克;希腊语的第三个字母; transmutation:n.变形;变化;演变;
That ancient dream that had always eluded the alchemists was achieved through these same theories that explained starlight and other ancient mysteries, and new, unexpected phenomena . 那个古代炼金术师们为之枉费心机的梦想 现在由这些 解释了星光的实质 以及其他古代的谜团 和意料之外新现象的理论变为现实
eluded:vt.逃避,躲避; alchemists:n.炼金师(alchemist的复数形式); unexpected:adj.意外的,想不到的; phenomena:n.现象(phenomenon的复数);
That all that, discovered in 40 years, had not been [discovered] in the previous hundred thousand, was not for lack of thinking about stars, and all those other urgent problems they had. 这40年中的所有发现 是数千年来所未有的 而这可不能归结为古人思维懒惰 对星星啊,还有那些迫切的问题不闻不问
previous:adj.以前的;早先的;过早的;adv.在先;在…以前; urgent:adj.紧急的;急迫的;
They even arrived at answers, such as myths , that dominated their lives, yet bore almost no resemblance to the truth. 他们不光思考了,还给出了答案 比如说神话 可虽说神话统治了古人的生活,包罗万象 却与真正的现实 几乎搭不上边
myths:神话;谬见; dominated:v.支配;控制;左右;影响;(dominate的过去式和过去分词) bore:v.钻孔;使烦扰;n.孔;令人讨厌的人; resemblance:n.相似;相似之处;相似物;肖像;
The tragedy of that protracted stagnation isn't sufficiently recognized , I think. 这种长期认知停滞所造成的悲哀 我觉得,并没有被古人足够重视
tragedy:n.悲惨的事;不幸;灾难;悲剧作品; protracted:adj.拖延的;v.拖延;绘制;伸展(protract的过去分词); stagnation:n.停滞;滞止; sufficiently:adv.充分地;足够地; recognized:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;(recognize的过去分词和过去式)
These were people with brains of essentially the same design that eventually did discover all those things. 古人们的大脑 和我们的这些发现了种种新知识的大脑 实质上没有分别
essentially:adv.本质上;本来; eventually:adv.最后,终于;
But that ability to make progress remained almost unused , until the event that revolutionized the human condition, and changed the universe. 但是其中那个用来产生进步的潜力 始终几乎没有被利用 直到有一件事 彻底更新了人们的生活状态 改天换地
unused:adj.不用的;从未用过的; revolutionized:adj.革命化的;被彻底改革的;v.彻底改革(revolutionize的过去式);
Or so we should hope. 至少我们希望情况是这样的
Because that event was the scientific revolution, ever since which our knowledge of the physical world, and of how to adapt it to our wishes, has been growing relentlessly . 这个大事件就是 科学革命 从那以后我们对于 物质世界的认知 和对如何根据我们的意愿改造它的了解 就一个劲地增长着
scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查; adapt:vt.使适应;改编;vi.适应; relentlessly:adv.残酷地,无情地;
Now, what had changed? 现在想想,到底是发生了什么变化呢？
What were people now doing for the first time that made that difference between stagnation and rapid, open-ended discovery? 当时人们 究竟初次尝试了什么 就打破了僵局 开始了快速而无休无止的发现之旅？
open-ended:adj.开放式的;无限制的;自由回答的;两端未封闭的;
How to make that difference is surely the most important universal truth that it is possible to know. 这一僵局的打破 肯定是一个极为重要的广泛真理 而我们是可以了解它的
universal:adj.普遍的;全体的;全世界的;共同的;
Worryingly , there is no consensus about what it is. 让人担忧的是,对它究竟是怎么做到的人们众说纷纭
Worryingly:adv.焦虑地;烦恼地; consensus:n.一致;舆论;合意;
So, I'll tell you. 我这就来说说我的解释
But I'll have to backtrack a little first. 但先得稍稍回顾一下
backtrack:vi.[计]回溯;由原路返回;放弃;vt.追踪;循迹调查;
Before the scientific revolution, they believed that everything important, knowable , was already known, enshrined in ancient writings , institutions , and in some genuinely useful rules of thumb -- which were, however, entrenched as dogmas , along with many falsehoods . 在科学革命发生之前 古人相信一切重要而可知的事物 都已经被了解了 这些知识被高高供起在古籍里,经院中 还在日常生活的惯用窍门中被深信不疑 而这些窍门,和许多谬论一同 都成了根深蒂固的教条
knowable:adj.可知的;能认识的;易知的; enshrined:把…置于神龛内;把…奉若神;珍藏;铭记(enshrine的过去式和过去分词); writings:n.作品,篇章(writing的复数形式); institutions:n.机构;慈善机构;风俗习惯,制度;(institution的复数) genuinely:adv.真诚地;诚实地; thumb:v.翻阅;以拇指拨弄;作搭车手势;笨拙地摆弄;n.拇指; entrenched:adj.根深蒂固的;v.使处于牢固地位;牢固确立;(entrench的过去式和过去分词) dogmas:n.教条(定理;武断的意见); falsehoods:n.说谎;假话;不真实;错误的信仰;
So they believed that knowledge came from authorities that actually knew very little. 那时人们相信知识来自权威 这些权威其实知道的不多
authorities:n.权力;威权;职权;批准;(authority的复数)
And therefore progress depended on learning how to reject the authority of learned men, priests , traditions and rulers. 所以知识的进步 取决于学会如何摈弃 学究 教士,传统习惯和统治者们的权威
reject:v.排斥;拒收;拒绝接受;不予考虑;n.废品;次品;不合格者;被剔除者; authority:n.权威;权力;当局; priests:n.司祭,神父;教士,祭司,僧侣;(priest的复数)
Which is why the scientific revolution had to have a wider context : the Enlightenment , a revolution in how people sought knowledge, trying not to rely on authority. 这就是为什么科学革命 必须有一个大背景 那就是启蒙运动 对于求知方法的一场革命 试着摆脱对权威的依赖
context:n.环境;上下文;来龙去脉; Enlightenment:n.启迪;启蒙运动;教化; sought:v.seek(寻求、寻找)的过去式和过去分词形式;
'"Take no one's word for it." “切勿轻信人言”
But that can't be what made the difference. 可这还不够
Authorities had been rejected before, many times. 历史上摈弃权威的例子比比皆是
rejected:adj.被拒的;不合格的;v.拒绝,驳回;(reject的过去式和过去分词)
And that rarely, if ever, caused anything like the scientific revolution. 而这些事件的结果却很难,或根本不能 与科学革命同日而语
At the time, what they thought distinguished science was a radical idea about things unseen, known as empiricism . 在那个时候,启蒙学者们认为 科学的独特标志 是一个关于不可见事物的激进看法 叫做经验主义
distinguished:adj.尊贵的; v.区分; radical:n.自由基;激进分子;游离基;adj.根本的;彻底的;完全的;全新的; empiricism:n.经验主义;经验论;
All knowledge derives from the senses. 认为所有的知识来自我们的感官
derives:源于;得自(derive的第三人称单数);
Well, we've seen that that can't be true. 呵呵,我们知道这样说有些偏颇
It did help by promoting observation and experiment. 但经验主义成就了 科学观察与实验
promoting:v.促进;推动;促销;提升;晋升;(promote的现在分词) observation:n.观察;观测;监视;(尤指据所见、所闻、所读而作的)评论;
But, from the outset , it was obvious that there was something horribly wrong with it. 然而乍一看之下,似乎很明显地 经验主义存在着可怕的漏洞
outset:n.开始;开端; obvious:adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的; horribly:adv.可怕地;让人吃惊
Knowledge comes from the senses. “知识源自感官”
In what language? Certainly not the language of mathematics , in which, Galileo rightly said, the book of nature is written. 那么感官得来的知识由什么语言承载呢？肯定不会是数学语言吧 可伽利略却有此精辟一语 “自然之书乃数学著成”
mathematics:n.数学;数学运算; rightly:adv.正确地;恰当地;公正地;合适地;
Look at the world. You don't see equations carved on to mountainsides . 看看这世界,你看不到山崖上刻着方程式 刻着方程式
equations:n.方程式;等式;均等;均势(equation的复数形式); carved:v.雕刻;刻;把(熟肉)切成块;(carve的过去分词和过去式) mountainsides:n.山腰;山坡;
If you did, it would be because people had carved them. 就算碰巧看到了,那也是因为人们 刻上去的
By the way , why don't we do that? 顺便问一句,我们干嘛不这样做呢？
By the way:顺便说一下;
What's wrong with us? 这不是有毛病嘛？
(Laughter) （笑声）
Empiricism is inadequate because, well, scientific theories explain the seen in terms of the unseen. 经验主义本身是不足的 这大概是因为 科学理论用不可见的来解释可见的
inadequate:adj.不充分的,不适当的;
And the unseen, you have to admit, doesn't come to us through the senses. 而那些不可见的--你得承认-- 可不是从感官得来的
We don't see those nuclear reactions in stars. 我们可看不见恒星中的核反应
We don't see the origin of species. 看不见物种起源
We don't see the curvature of space-time , and other universes . 还有时空弯曲 其他的平行宇宙
curvature:n.弯曲,[数]曲率; space-time:adj.时空的;n.时空(等于spacetime); universes:语义层;此生彼世;
But we know about those things. 但我们知道这些
How? 我们是怎么做到的呢？
Well, the classic empiricist answer is induction . 经验主义的经典的答案是“归纳法”
classic:n.名著;优秀的典范;adj.最优秀的;第一流的;有代表性的;典型的; empiricist:n.经验主义者;使用观察实验法的人;庸医; induction:n.[电磁]感应;归纳法;感应现象;入门培训,入职仪式;
The unseen resembles the seen. 认为不可见的与可见的相似
resembles:v.看起来像:显得像:像(resemble的第三人称单数)
But it doesn't. 其实不然
You know what the clinching evidence was that space-time is curved . 你能找到一个决定性的反例 比如:时空是弯曲的这一事实
clinching:v.使钉牢(clinch的ing形式);n.铆钉; evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; curved:adj.呈弯曲状的; v.(使)沿曲线运动;
It was a photograph, not of space-time, but of an eclipse , with a dot there rather than there. 我们知道它的证据是一张照片,不是关于时空本身 而是拍摄的一次日食,上面有个小点在这儿而不在那儿
eclipse:v.使黯然失色;形成蚀;n.日蚀,月蚀;黯然失色;
And the evidence for evolution? 至于物种起源的证据呢？
Some rocks and some finches . 一些岩石和雀类化石
finches:n.雀科鸣鸟;雀类;
And parallel universes? Again: dots there, rather than there, on a screen. 平行宇宙的证据何在啊？又是屏幕上这儿有些点 而不是那儿
parallel:adj.平行的; v.与…相似; n.极其相似的人(或情况、事件等);
What we see, in all these cases, bears no resemblance to the reality that we conclude is responsible -- only a long chain of theoretical reasoning and interpretation , connects them. 这些事例中我们眼睛观察到的 和事实没有什么相似之处 --所以前面的“相似说”不成立-- 只有一条长长的理论推导与解读的链条 把它们（观察现象与真理）连在一起
conclude:v.断定:得出结论:终止:达成:缔结(协定) responsible:adj.负责的,可靠的;有责任的; theoretical:adj.理论的;理论上的;假设的;推理的; interpretation:n.解释;翻译;演出;
'"Ah!" say creationists , "So you admit it's all interpretation. 于是那些神创论者就说:“啊哈！” “所以你承认这些科学理论都只是某种解读
creationists:n.神造说鼓吹者;神灵论者;特创论者(即相信万物皆由上帝一次造成者);
No one has ever seen evolution. 没人知道答案是什么
We see rocks. 我们都看得见石头
You have your interpretation. We have ours. 你有你的理解,我们有我们的
Yours comes from guesswork; ours, from the Bible ." 你的理解来自理论猜测 我们的来自圣经。”
Bible:n.有权威的书;
But what creationist and empiricists both ignore is that, in that sense, no one has ever seen a bible either, that the eye only detects light, which we don't perceive . 可是有一点神创论者和经验主义者同时忽略了 那就是,从先前的那种意义上看 没有人真正切实“观察”到一本圣经 眼睛只是探测到阳光,而我们无法有意识地感知它
ignore:v.驳回诉讼;忽视;不理睬; detects:发现; perceive:v.注意到;意识到;将…理解为;认为;
Brains only detect nerve impulses . 大脑只侦测神经脉冲
nerve:n.神经;勇气;神经质;神经紧张;v.鼓足勇气;振作精神; impulses:n.[心理]冲动; v.推动(impulse的第三人称单数);
And they don't perceive even those as what they really are, namely electrical crackles . 但却无法感知它们究竟本身是什么 而它们其实是带电粒子“小爆破”
namely:adv.也就是;即是;换句话说; electrical:adj.有关电的;电气科学的; crackles:v.发出爆裂声; n.细碎爆裂声;
So we perceive nothing as what it really is. 如此说来我们无法感知任何事物的现实究竟是什么
Our connection to reality is never just perception . 而我们与现实的联系 从不会只是感知
perception:n.感知;知觉;看法;洞察力;
It's always, as Karl Popper put it, theory-laden. 而是如卡尔·波普尔所说 充满着理论假设
Popper:n.服药成瘾者;发出啪声的人或物;爆竹;炮手;爆玉米花机;
Scientific knowledge isn't derived from anything. 科学知识不是从什么直接推导而来
derived:adj.导出的;衍生的,派生的;v.得到;推断(derive的过去分词);由…而来;
It's like all knowledge. It's conjectural , guesswork , tested by observation, not derived from it. 而是像所有其他知识一样,是假设性的,一种推测 由观察来检验 却不从观察直接推导而来
conjectural:adj.推测的;好推测的; guesswork:n.猜测;臆测;凭猜测所作之工作;
So, were testable conjectures the great innovation that opened the intellectual prison gates? 这么说来,是不是可以检验的假设 就是把人类放出认知牢笼的伟大发明呢？
testable:adj.可试验的;有资格立遗嘱的;可根据遗嘱处理的;有资格作证人的; conjectures:n.推测;猜想;vi.推测;揣摩;vt.推测; innovation:n.创新,革新;新方法; intellectual:n.知识分子;脑力劳动者;adj.智力的;脑力的;理智的;有才智的;
No. Contrary to what's usually said, testability is common, in myths and all sorts of other irrational modes of thinking. 不是。和人们常常所说的不同 可检验性其实不稀奇,就是 在神话和其他非理性的思维方式中都广泛存在
Contrary:adj.相反的;对立的;adv.相反地;n.相反;反面; testability:n.测试性;诊断性;可试性;试验性; irrational:adj.不合理的;无理性的;荒谬的;n.[数]无理数; modes:n.模式(mode的复数形式);方法;分辨率;
Any crank claiming the sun will go out next Tuesday has got a testable prediction . 随便哪个家伙想说下周二太阳将要熄灭 他的假设都是可检验的
crank:n.曲柄;奇想;adj.易怒的;vt.装曲柄; claiming:v.声称;要求给予;理应获得;(claim的现在分词) prediction:n.预报;预言;
Consider the ancient Greek myth explaining seasons. 让我们想想一个古希腊的神话 是用来解释季节更替的
Hades , God of the Underworld , kidnaps Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, and negotiates a forced marriage contract , requiring her to return regularly , and lets her go. 哈德斯,冥界之神 绑架了春之神普西芬妮 又强迫她签下一纸婚书 只允许她每年定时回到地面,然后就放她走了
Hades:n.地狱;冥府;阎王; Underworld:n.黑社会;地狱;下层社会;尘世; kidnaps:vt.绑架;诱拐;拐骗; negotiates:vt.谈判,商议;转让;越过;vi.谈判,交涉; contract:v.收缩;感染;订约;n.合同;婚约; regularly:adv.经常地;有规律地;定期的
And each year, she is magically compelled to return. 于是每一年 她都被某种魔力带回冥界
magically:adv.用魔法地;如魔法般地; compelled:v.强迫;迫使;使必须;引起(反应);(compel的过去分词和过去式)
And her mother, Demeter, 她的妈妈迪米特
Goddess of the Earth, is sad, and makes it cold and barren . 大地女神 十分伤心,土地于是冻结荒芜
barren:n.不毛之地;adj.贫瘠的;不毛的;不结果实的;不育的;
That myth is testable. 这则神话是可以检验的
If Winter is caused by Demeter's sadness, then it must happen everywhere on Earth, simultaneously . 如果迪米特的哀伤导致了冬天 那么它必须在地球上的所有地方同时发生
simultaneously:adv.同时地;
So if the ancient Greeks had only known that Austrailia is at its warmest when Demeter is at her saddest , they'd have known that their theory is false. 所以其实只要古希腊人知道澳大利亚 在迪米特最伤心时正经历着最热的天气 它们肯定知道自己的理论错了
saddest:adj.悲伤的(sad的最高级);
So what was wrong with that myth, and with all pre-scientific thinking, and what, then, made that momentous difference? 那么这则神话究竟错在哪儿呢？ 科学到来前人们的思维有什么问题呢？ 又是什么改变了这一切呢？
pre-scientific:前科学; momentous:adj.重要的;重大的;
I think there is one thing you have to care about. 我觉得有一样东西我们得关注
And that implies testability, the scientific method, the Enlightenment, and everything. 它同时意味着 可验证性,科学方法 启蒙运动,还有前面说的一切
implies:v.意味着(imply的第三人称单数);蕴含;暗指;
And here is the crucial thing. 我现在要说的就是那个万分重要的东西:
crucial:adj.重要的;决定性的;定局的;决断的;
There is such a thing as a defect in a story. 一个故事里可能出现缺陷
defect:n.缺陷;缺点;毛病;v.叛变;背叛;投敌;
I don't just mean a logical defect. I mean a bad explanation. 我不是指逻辑缺陷,我是说坏解释的存在的
logical:adj.合逻辑的,合理的;逻辑学的;
What does that mean? Well, explanation is an assertion about what's there, unseen, that accounts for what's seen. 什么意思呢？所谓解释 是一个关于不可见物 如何描述可见物的断言
assertion:n.断言,声明;主张,要求;坚持;
Because the explanatory role of Persephone's marriage contract could be played equally well by infinitely many other ad hoc entities . 因为普西芬妮婚书 对季节的解释作用 可以完好无损地 由无限多个其他 临时想出的事物来完成
explanatory:adj.解释的;说明的; infinitely:adv.无限地;极其; ad hoc:na.特别是;特别的; entities:n.实体;存在(entity的复数形式);字符实体;
Why a marriage contract and not any other reason for regular annual action? 为什么是一纸婚书而不是其他什么原因 使普西芬妮定期往返呢？
annual:n.年报;年鉴;年刊;adj.每年的;年度的;一年的;
Here is one. Persephone wasn't released . 我且来举个例子:普西芬妮并没有被放走
released:v.释放;使免除;已发布;(release的过去分词和过去式)
She escaped, and returns every spring to take revenge on Hades, with her Spring powers. 她逃走了,每年春天又回冥府 找哈德斯报仇 用她春天的神力
revenge:n.报复;复仇;v.报复;替…报仇;洗雪;
She cools his domain with Spring air, venting heat up to the surface, creating summer. 她让春风给冥界降温 热气排到地上,成了夏天
domain:n.领域;域名;产业;地产; venting:n.排气;[机]通气;v.排放(vent的现在分词);
That accounts for the same phenomena as the original myth. 这个说法和先前的神话能解释同样的现象
original:n.原件;原作;原物;原型;adj.原始的;最初的;独创的;新颖的;
It's equally testable. 而且同样可以检验
Yet what it asserts about reality is, in many ways, the opposite. 可是它对现实的描述,断言 却和刚才的在许多方面正好相反
asserts:维护;
And that is possible because the details of the original myth are unrelated to seasons, except via the myth itself. 这看似矛盾的情况之所以存在 是因为原先那个神话的诸多细节? 除了在这则神话的背景中外 与季节都没有什么联系
unrelated:adj.无关的,不相干的; via:prep.通过;经由;n.道路;[医]管道;
This easy variability is the sign of a bad explanation. 这种很随意的可变性 正是坏解释的标志
variability:n.可变性,变化性;[生物][数]变异性;
Because, without a functional reason to prefer one of countless variants , advocating one of them, in preference to the others, is irrational. 因为当没有什么关于细节的解释作用的理由能使我们选择 千万种可能解释中的一个 唯独支持这一个而抛弃其他 便是不理性的
functional:adj.功能的; countless:adj.无数的;数不尽的; variants:n.[计]变体;变异型(variant的复数); advocating:v.拥护;支持;提倡;(advocate的现在分词) preference:n.偏爱;爱好;喜爱;偏爱的事物;
So, for the essence of what makes the difference to enable progress, seek good explanations, the ones that can't be easily varied , while still explaining the phenomena. 所以,产生变革 推进发展的本质原因 就是追求好解释 那些为了保证解释现象的能力 而不能被轻易改变的解释
essence:n.本质;实质;精髓;香精; enable:v.使能够;使有机会;使成为可能;使可行; seek:v.寻求;寻找;谋求; varied:adj.多变的;各式各样的;杂色的;v.改变;使多样化;(vary的过去式和过去分词)
Now, our current explanation of seasons is that the Earth's axis is tilted like that, so each hemisphere tilts toward the sun for half the year, and away for the other half . 我们现在对季节的解释 是说地球的转轴像这样倾斜着 所以每个半球在半年中倾向太阳 另外半年远离阳光
axis:n.轴;轴线;轴心国; tilted:v.倾斜;使倾向于;偏向;(tilt的过去分词和过去式) hemisphere:n.半球; tilts:vi.倾斜;翘起;以言词或文字抨击;vt.使倾斜;使翘起;n.倾斜; other half:n.另一半(指配偶或男友,女友);
Better put that up. 最好放出来看看
(Laughter) （笑声）
That's a good explanation: hard to vary , because every detail plays a functional role. 这就是个好解释:很难改动 因为每一个细节都对有至关重要的解释作用
vary:vi.变化;变异;违反;vt.改变;使多样化;变奏;
For instance , we know, independently of seasons, that surfaces tilted away from radiant heat are heated less, and that a spinning sphere, in space, points in a constant direction. 比如说,我们不用明白季节就知道 背向发光物体的表面 受热的程度较小 空间中自转的这个球体 指向同一个方向
instance:n.实例;情况;建议;v.举...为例; independently:adv.独立地;自立地; radiant:adj.辐射的;容光焕发的;光芒四射的;n.光点;发光的物体; spinning:n.纺纱(手艺):纺线v.(使)旋转:纺线:纺纱;(spin的现在分词)
And the tilt also explains the sun's angle of elevation at different times of year, and predicts that the seasons will be out of phase in the two hemispheres . 地轴的倾斜也解释了 太阳在一年中不同的仰角 并预测两半球的季节情况 正好相反
elevation:n.高地;海拔;提高;崇高;正面图; at different times:在不同的时间;在不同的时代; predicts:vt.预报,预言;预知;vi.作出预言;作预料,作预报; phase:n.阶段;时期;月相;(月亮的)盈亏;v.分阶段进行;逐步做; hemispheres:n.[天]半球(hemisphere的复数形式);
If they'd been observed in phase, the theory would have been refuted . 如果观察显示它们相同 理论就被驳倒了
observed:adj.观察的;观测的;v.观察;遵守;注意到(observe的过去分词形式); refuted:vt.反驳,驳斥;驳倒;
But now, the fact that it's also a good explanation, hard to vary, makes the crucial difference. 可是它作为一个好解释 一个难以更改的解释,这一点才是最重要的区别
If the ancient Greeks had found out about seasons in Australia, they could have easily varied their myth to predict that. 如果古希腊人得知了 澳洲季节的更替 他们很容易就能修改这个神话 然后预测说,
For instance, when Demeter is upset , she banishes heat from her vicinity , into the other hemisphere, where it makes summer. 比如,当迪米特为女儿忧愁时 她把热气从四周驱赶出去 赶到另一个半球,形成夏天
upset:adj.沮丧; v.打乱; n.苦恼; (意外的)混乱; banishes:vt.放逐;驱逐; vicinity:n.邻近,附近;近处;
So, being proved wrong by observation, and changing their theory accordingly , still wouldn't have got the ancient Greeks one jot closer to understanding seasons, because their explanation was bad: easy to vary. 这样看来,尽管被观察所否决 并被迫据此修改他们的理论 古希腊人并没有 离对季节的理解进了那怕一步 因为改过的解释仍旧是坏解释:它太易变了
accordingly:adv.因此,于是;相应地;照著; jot:vt.略记;摘要记载下来;n.少量;稍许;
And it's only when an explanation is good that it even matters whether it's testable. 而只有当好解释存在 它是否可以验证才值得考虑
If the axis-tilt theory had been refuted, its defenders would have had nowhere to go. 倘若“地轴倾斜”理论被观察否定了 它的支持者们就无路可退了
defenders:n.后卫;防御者(defender的复数); nowhere:v.无处; n.无处; adj.不存在的;
No easily implemented change could make that tilt cause the same seasons in both hemispheres. 没有什么信手拈来的变动 能让地轴的倾斜 在两个半球产生相同的季节
implemented:v.使生效;贯彻;执行;实施;(implement的过去式和过去分词)
The search for hard-to-vary explanations is the origin of all progress. 对难以修改的解释的探寻 是所有进步之源
It's the basic regulating principle of the Enlightenment. 这是启蒙运动的 基本纲领
regulating:vt.调节;校正(regulate的现在分词); principle:n.原理,原则;主义,道义;本质,本义;根源,源泉;
So, in science, two false aproaches blight progress. 在科学领域,有两种错误阻碍进步
blight:n.枯萎病;荒芜;vt.破坏;使…枯萎;vi.枯萎;
One is well known : untestable theories. 第一种众所周知:无法验证的空头理论
well known:adj.著名的;众所周知的;清楚明白的;
But the more important one is explanationless theories. 但更重要的却是不带解释的理论
Whenever you're told that some existing statistical trend will continue, but you aren't given a hard-to-vary account of what causes that trend, you're being told a wizard did it. 每当别人告诉你某个统计数据趋势将会延续下去 而又不给你一个难以改动的好解释 告诉你这趋势为什么存在 他几乎就是在说某个大仙做了个法就成这样了
statistical:adj.统计的;统计学的; trend:n.趋势;动向;趋向;动态;v.走向;趋向; wizard:n.男巫;术士;奇才;adj.男巫的;巫术的;
When you are told that carrots have human rights because they share half our genes -- but not how gene percentages confer rights -- wizard. 当别人说胡萝卜也是有人权的 因为我们有一半基因胡萝卜也有 却不说明相同基因的比重怎么引出人权--大仙又来了
genes:n.基因;(gene的复数) percentages:n.[数]百分率,百分比;命中率(percentage的复数); confer:vt.授予;给予;vi.协商;
When someone announces that the nature-nurture debate has been settled because there is evidence that a given percentage of our political opinions are genetically inherited , but they don't explain how genes cause opinions, they've settled nothing. They are saying that our opinions are caused by wizards , and presumably so are their own. 当有人宣布认知论中经久不息的“先天-后天”大辩论 已经解决了,因为有证据说明 某个百分比的 政治主张是先天遗传的 但他们却不解释基因怎么导致某些意见 它们就什么也没解决。他们只是说 我们的主张是变来的 估计他们自己的也是变来的
nature-nurture:先天与后天; debate:n.辩论;争论;考虑;v.辩论;争论;考虑; settled:adj.稳定的; v.结束; (settle的过去分词和过去式) genetically:adv.从遗传学角度;从基因方面; inherited:v.继承(金钱、财产等);接替(责任等);继任;(inherit的过去式和过去分词) wizards:n.术士;巫师;奇才(wizard的复数); presumably:adv.大概;推测起来;可假定;
That the truth consists of hard to vary assertions about reality is the most important fact about the physical world. 真理体现在 对现实提出的无法轻易改动的论断 这是物质世界中 最重要的一个事实
consists:v.由…构成;由…组成(consist的三单形式); assertions:n.断言(assertion的复数);认定;
It's a fact that is, itself, unseen, yet impossible to vary. Thank you. 这一事实本身其实也是看不见的 但却不可能被东改西改。谢谢大家。
(Applause) （掌声）