返回首页

DonaldHoffman_2015-_眼见为实？_
I love a great mystery, and I'm fascinated by the greatest unsolved mystery in science, perhaps because it's personal . 我爱着一个巨大的谜, 并且被这个科学界最伟大的未解之谜深深吸引, 也许是因为它切身相关。
unsolved:adj.未解决的;未解答的; personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词;
It's about who we are, and I can't help but be curious . 它关乎我们是谁, 我无法控制自己的好奇。
curious:adj.好奇的,有求知欲的;古怪的;爱挑剔的;
The mystery is this: 这个谜就是:
What is the relationship between your brain and your conscious experiences, such as your experience of the taste of chocolate or the feeling of velvet ? 你的大脑和你的意识体验之间 有什么关系, 比如说品味巧克力的味道, 或是天鹅绒的触感。
conscious:adj.意识到的;故意的;神志清醒的; velvet:n.天鹅绒,丝绒;天鹅绒似的东西;adj.天鹅绒的;
Now, this mystery is not new. 事实上,这个未解之谜并非新事物。
In 1868, Thomas Huxley wrote, "How it is that anything so remarkable as a state of consciousness comes about as the result of irritating nervous tissue is just as unaccountable as the appearance of the genie when Aladdin rubbed his lamp ." 在1868年,托马斯?哈克雷就曾经写道, “神经组织的激发产生意识这一过程 是如此的神奇, 就像是 阿拉丁摩擦神灯会出现精灵一样。”
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; consciousness:n.意识;知觉;觉悟;感觉; irritating:adj.惹人生气的;恼人的;使人生气的;v.使烦恼;刺激;(irritate的现在分词) tissue:n.纸巾,手巾纸;(人、动植物细胞的)组织; unaccountable:adj.无责任的;莫名其妙的;不可理解的; appearance:n.外貌;外观;外表; genie:n.妖怪;鬼; rubbed:v.(使)相互摩擦;摩擦(尤指引起疼痛或损害);(rub的过去分词和过去式) lamp:n.灯;台灯;(理疗用的)发热灯;
Now, Huxley knew that brain activity and conscious experiences are correlated , but he didn't know why. 后来,哈克雷终于了解到大脑的活动 是与意识体验紧紧相连的, 但他仍不知道个中原因。
correlated:v.相互关联影响;相互依赖;(correlate的过去式和过去分词)
To the science of his day, it was a mystery. 对于他那个年代的科学界,这仍是个谜。
In the years since Huxley, science has learned a lot about brain activity, but the relationship between brain activity and conscious experiences is still a mystery. 自哈克雷以后, 科学界了解到很多关于大脑活动的知识, 但是大脑活动和意识体验的关系, 仍然是个谜。
Why? Why have we made so little progress? 为什么？为什么我们止步不前？
Well, some experts think that we can't solve this problem because we lack the necessary concepts and intelligence . 有专家认为,我们永远也不可能解决这个问题, 因为我们缺乏必要的概念和智能水平。
intelligence:n.智力;智慧;才智;(尤指关于敌国的)情报;
We don't expect monkeys to solve problems in quantum mechanics , and as it happens, we can't expect our species to solve this problem either. 我们不能指望猴子们能解决量子力学问题, 类似的,我们不能指望人类这个物种能解决这个问题。
quantum mechanics:n.量子力学; species:n.[生物]物种;种类;
Well, I disagree. I'm more optimistic . 可我不同意。我更加乐观。
optimistic:adj.乐观的;乐观主义的;
I think we've simply made a false assumption . 我觉得我们只是做了一个错误的假设。
assumption:n.假定;设想;担任;采取;
Once we fix it, we just might solve this problem. 一旦我们纠正了这个错误,我们就可能解决这个问题。
Today, I'd like tell you what that assumption is, why it's false, and how to fix it. 今天,我要告诉你这个假设是什么, 为什么它是错的,以及如何纠正它。
Let's begin with a question: 让我们先问一个问题:
Do we see reality as it is? 真的是”眼见为实“吗？
I open my eyes and I have an experience that I describe as a red tomato a meter away. 我睁开眼睛, 感受到一米外有一只红色的番茄。
describe:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;
As a result , I come to believe that in reality, there's a red tomato a meter away. 结果我开始相信,事实上 一米之外有一只番茄
As a result:结果;
I then close my eyes, and my experience changes to a gray field, but is it still the case that in reality, there's a red tomato a meter away? 然后我闭上双眼,就体验到一片灰色, 但这时一米开外仍旧有一只番茄吗？
I think so, but could I be wrong? 我觉得有,但我会不会错了呢？
Could I be misinterpreting the nature of my perceptions ? 有没有可能是我曲解了我的知觉呢？
misinterpreting:vt.曲解,误解; perceptions:n.认知;观念(perception的复数);理解;
We have misinterpreted our perceptions before. 我们曾经曲解过自己的知觉。
misinterpreted:v.误解;误释;(misinterpret的过去分词和过去式)
We used to think the Earth is flat, because it looks that way. 我们曾经认为地球是平的,因为它看起来是平的。
Pythagorus discovered that we were wrong. 毕达哥拉斯发现我们错了。
Then we thought that the Earth is the unmoving center of the Universe, again because it looks that way. 我们认为地球是宇宙的静止中心, 也是因为它看起来是这样。
unmoving:adj.不感动人的;静止的;
Copernicus and Galileo discovered, again, that we were wrong. 哥白尼和伽利略再次发现我们错了。
Copernicus:n.哥白尼(波兰天文学家);
Galileo then wondered if we might be misinterpreting our experiences in other ways. 伽利略后来质疑我们是不是在其他方面 也曲解了自身的体验。
He wrote: "I think that tastes, odors , colors, and so on reside in consciousness. 他写道:“我认为味觉,嗅觉,色觉等等, 存在于意识里。
odors:气味;名声(odor的复数); reside:vi.住,居住;属于;
Hence if the living creature were removed, all these qualities would be annihilated ." 所以如果所有的生物都消失了,所有这些感受也就一同湮灭了。”
Hence:adv.因此;今后; creature:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人; annihilated:adj.废止的;v.废止(annihilate的过去分词);
Now, that's a stunning claim . 这是一个惊人的论断。
stunning:adj.惊人的; v.使昏迷; (stun的现在分词) claim:v.要求;声称;需要;认领;n.要求;声称;索赔;断言;值得;
Could Galileo be right? 伽利略是正确的吗？
Could we really be misinterpreting our experiences that badly? 我们真的有曲解自身体验到如此程度吗？
What does modern science have to say about this? 现代科学家怎么看这个问题呢？
Well, neuroscientists tell us that about a third of the brain's cortex is engaged in vision . 神经科学家告诉我们大约三分之一的大脑皮层 参与视觉感受。
neuroscientists:n.神经系统科学家; cortex:n.[解剖]皮质;树皮;果皮; engaged in:从事于;忙于; vision:n.视力;美景;幻象;想象力;v.想象;显现;梦见;
When you simply open your eyes and look about this room, billions of neurons and trillions of synapses are engaged. 只要当你睁开眼睛,环视这个房间, 数十亿的神经元和数万亿的突触都参与其中。
trillions:n.[数]万亿;adj.万亿的;num.[数]万亿; synapses:n.(神经元的)突触(synapse的复数;synapsis的复数)
Now, this is a bit surprising, because to the extent that we think about vision at all, we think of it as like a camera. 这其实挺令人惊讶的, 因为我们所理解的产生视觉的机制, 就像一台照相机。
extent:n.程度;范围;长度;
It just takes a picture of objective reality as it is. 它只是把客观事实拍摄下来。
objective:n.目标; adj.客观的;
Now, there is a part of vision that's like a camera: the eye has a lens that focuses an image on the back of the eye where there are 130 million photoreceptors, so the eye is like a 130-megapixel camera. 确实有一部分的视觉像照相机一样工作: 眼睛是一个透镜,将图像投影到眼睛的后面, 那里有一亿三千万感光元件, 所以眼睛相当于一台像素为一亿三千万的数码相机。
lens:n.透镜,镜头;晶状体;隐形眼镜;汽车的灯玻璃;v.给…摄影;
But that doesn't explain the billions of neurons and trillions of synapses that are engaged in vision. 但这解释不了为什么产生视觉要动用 数以十亿计的神经元和几万亿的突触。
What are these neurons up to? 这些神经元起什么作用？
Well, neuroscientists tell us that they are creating, in real time , all the shapes, objects, colors, and motions that we see. 神经科学家告诉我们,它们实时创造出 我们见到的所有形状、物体、颜色和运动。
real time:adj.实时的;接到指示立即执行的;
It feels like we're just taking a snapshot of this room the way it is, but in fact, we're constructing everything that we see. 我们觉得自己只是给这个屋子本来的模样拍了一张快照, 而实际上我们能建构出所有看到的东西。
snapshot:n.快照,快相;急射,速射;简单印象;vt.给…拍快照;vi.拍快照; constructing:n.构造;v.构造(construct的现在分词);
We don't construct the whole world at once. 我们并不是在一瞬间就能构建出一切。
We construct what we need in the moment. 我们只是构建出在某一时刻自己所需要的东西。
Now, there are many demonstrations that are quite compelling that we construct what we see. 很多现象表明这一说法是可信的, 说明我们看到的东西是在脑内构建出来的。
demonstrations:n.示范,展示(demonstration复数); compelling:adj.引人入胜的; v.强迫; (compel的现在分词)
I'll just show you two. 我给你们看两个例子。
In this example, you see some red discs with bits cut out of them, but if I just rotate the disks a little bit, suddenly, you see a 3D cube pop out of the screen. 这个例子中,你们看到一些红色的圆盘,中间都有一些被切开的部分。 我一转动这些圆盘, 你们就能看到一个3D的立方体从屏幕里跃然而出。
rotate:v.旋转;转动;轮换;使…轮流;
Now, the screen of course is flat, so the three-dimensional cube that you're experiencing must be your construction . 这个屏幕当然是平的, 所以你们体验到的三维立方体 应该是你们自己“构建”出来的。
three-dimensional:adj.三维的;立体的;真实的; construction:n.建设;建筑物;解释;造句;
In this next example, you see glowing blue bars with pretty sharp edges moving across a field of dots. 下一个例子, 你们看到这些闪烁的蓝条条有着很清晰的边缘, 在一大堆点中移动。
glowing:adj.灼热的;热情洋溢的;鲜艳的;v.发光;容光焕发;发热;(glow的现在分词) sharp:锋利的,尖的
In fact, no dots move. 实际上,没有一个点在动。
All I'm doing from frame to frame is changing the colors of dots from blue to black or black to blue. 我做的只是一帧一帧地改变点的颜色, 从蓝色变成黑色,或者从黑色变成蓝色。
frame:n.框架; v.设计; adj.有木架的;
But when I do this quickly, your visual system creates the glowing blue bars with the sharp edges and the motion . 但我快速播放 (这个过程) 时, 你们的视觉系统就“构建”出这些闪烁的蓝条条, 有着清晰的边缘,并在移动。
visual:adj.视觉的,视力的;栩栩如生的; motion:n.动作;移动;手势;请求;意向;议案;v.运动;打手势;
There are many more examples, but these are just two that you construct what you see. 这是很多例子中的两个, 说明你看到的是自己构建出的东西。
But neuroscientists go further. 但神经科学家探索得更远。
They say that we reconstruct reality. 他们说我们会重新构建现实。
reconstruct:vt.重建;改造;修复;重现;
So, when I have an experience that I describe as a red tomato, that experience is actually an accurate reconstruction of the properties of a real red tomato that would exist even if I weren't looking. 所以当我体验到一个红番茄的时候, 这种体验实际上精确地重建了 一个真实的红番茄的各种特性, 即使我不看,它也存在。
accurate:adj.精确的; reconstruction:n.再建,重建;改造;复兴;
Now, why would neuroscientists say that we don't just construct, we reconstruct? 为什么神经科学家说我们不仅仅是“构建”, 而是“重建”？
Well, the standard argument given is usually an evolutionary one. 标准的论证 经常是进化的原因。
standard:n.标准;水准;旗;度量衡标准;adj.标准的;合规格的;公认为优秀的; evolutionary:adj.进化的;发展的;渐进的;
Those of our ancestors who saw more accurately had a competitive advantage compared to those who saw less accurately, and therefore they were more likely to pass on their genes. 我们的祖先中看得更准确的, 比起那些看得没那么准确的,更具有竞争优势, 所以拥有更大的几率能传下基因。
accurately:adv.精确地,准确地; competitive:adj.竞争的;比赛的;求胜心切的; compared:adj.比较的,对照的; v.相比; (compare的过去式和过去分词)
We are the offspring of those who saw more accurately, and so we can be confident that, in the normal case, our perceptions are accurate. 我们是那些看得更准的祖先的后代, 我们可以自信,在正常情况下, 我们的知觉都是准确的。
offspring:n.后代,子孙;产物; confident:adj.自信的;确信的;
You see this in the standard textbooks. 你们能在标准的教科书里读到这点。
One textbook says, for example, " Evolutionarily speaking, vision is useful precisely because it is so accurate." 譬如,我们的教科书上说: “从进化上说, 视觉的作用就在于它的准确。”
Evolutionarily:进化上;
So the idea is that accurate perceptions are fitter perceptions. 这就是说,准确的知觉是适应性更高的知觉。
They give you a survival advantage. 它们给予你生存优势。
survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
Now, is this correct? 这个观点对吗？
Is this the right interpretation of evolutionary theory? 这是不是一种关于进化理论的正确解读？
interpretation:n.解释;翻译;演出;
Well, let's first look at a couple of examples in nature. 让我们先来检验一些自然中的例子。
The Australian jewel beetle is dimpled , glossy and brown. 澳大利亚吉丁虫 身有浅坑,外壳泛光,体色为棕色。
beetle:n.甲壳虫;adj.突出的;愁眉苦脸的;v.快速移动 dimpled:adj.有小坑的;有浅凹的;有酒窝的; glossy:adj.光滑的;有光泽的;
The female is flightless . 雌虫不能飞。
female:adj.女性的;雌性的;柔弱的,柔和的;n.女人;[动]雌性动物; flightless:adj.(鸟等)不能飞的;
The male flies, looking, of course, for a hot female. 雄虫能飞,并寻找出色的雌虫。
When he finds one, he alights and mates . 当它找着了,就降落下来交配。
alights:vi.下来;飞落;adj.烧着的;点亮着的; mates:n.朋友; v.交配;
There's another species in the outback , 在澳大利亚内陆还有一个物种,
outback:n.内地;adv.在内地;往内地;adj.内地的;
Homo sapiens . 叫做智人,
Homo sapiens:n.智人(现代人类);
The male of this species has a massive brain that he uses to hunt for cold beer. 其中的雄性脑容量巨大, 并用来寻找冰镇啤酒。
massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
And when he finds one, he drains it, and sometimes throws the bottle into the outback. 当他找到了,就喝光, 有时候还把空瓶子乱扔。
drains:n.排水沟(drain的复数);吸血;v.放出,排出(drain的第三人称单数);
Now, as it happens, these bottles are dimpled, glossy, and just the right shade of brown to tickle the fancy of these beetles . 这些空瓶身有浅坑,外壳泛光, 还刚好是吉丁虫最喜欢的那种棕色。
shade:n.阴凉处;色度;灯罩;背阴;v.给…遮挡(光线);加灯罩;把…涂暗;画阴影; tickle:v.(使)发痒;逗乐;使高兴;使满足;n.痒;胳肢;呵痒;痒感; fancy:n.幻想; adj.想象的; v.想象; beetles:n.甲虫;v.快速移动;(beetle的第三人称单数和复数)
The males swarm all over the bottles trying to mate. 雄虫蜂拥而来,围着空酒瓶试图交配。
swarm:n.一大群(蜜蜂等昆虫); vi.成群地来回移动;
They lose all interest in the real females. 他们对真正的雌虫丧失了一切兴趣。
Classic case of the male leaving the female for the bottle. 这真是一个雄性为了酒瓶而抛弃雌性的经典例子。
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;
(Laughter) (Applause) （笑声）（掌声）
The species almost went extinct . 这个物种差点就灭绝了。
extinct:adj.灭绝的,绝种的;熄灭的;vt.使熄灭;
Australia had to change its bottles to save its beetles. 澳大利亚不得不把酒瓶的设计改掉,好挽救这种甲虫。
(Laughter) （笑声）
Now, the males had successfully found females for thousands, perhaps millions of years. 雄虫能成功地找到雌虫的历史 可能已有数百万年了。
It looked like they saw reality as it is, but apparently not. 它们貌似能看到客观真实,但很明显,事实并非如此。
apparently:adv.显然地;似乎,表面上;
Evolution had given them a hack . 进化摆了它们一道。
hack:n.砍; v.砍; adj.出租的;
A female is anything dimpled, glossy and brown, the bigger the better. 雌虫就是任何身有浅坑,外壳泛光,体色为棕色的东西, 而且越大越好。
(Laughter) （笑声）
Even when crawling all over the bottle, the male couldn't discover his mistake. 即使爬遍整个酒瓶,雄虫也无法发现自己的错误。
crawling:v.爬行;匍匐行进;(crawl的现在分词)
Now, you might say, beetles, sure, they're very simple creatures , but surely not mammals . 你也许会说,甲壳虫当然是一种非常简单的生物, 哺乳动物可不会这样。
creatures:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人(creature的复数) mammals:n.哺乳动物;(mammal的复数)
Mammals don't rely on tricks. 哺乳动物不会仰赖于这种雕虫小技。
rely:vi.依靠;信赖;
Well, I won't dwell on this, but you get the idea. (Laughter) 我不想细说这张图了,你们应该知道我的意思。（笑声）
dwell:v.居住;栖身;
So this raises an important technical question: 所以这就产生了一个重要的技术性问题:
technical:adj.工艺的,科技的;技术上的;专门的;
Does natural selection really favor seeing reality as it is? 自然选择真的支持“眼见为实”吗？
natural selection:n.自然选择;物竞天择;
Fortunately , we don't have to wave our hands and guess; evolution is a mathematically precise theory. 幸运的是,我们不必挥手乱猜; 进化论是一个数学上精准的理论。
Fortunately:adv.幸运地; mathematically:adv.算术地,数学上地; precise:adj.准确的;确切的;精确的;明确的;
We can use the equations of evolution to check this out. 我们可以用演化方程组来检验。
equations:n.方程式;等式;均等;均势(equation的复数形式);
We can have various organisms in artificial worlds compete and see which survive and which thrive , which sensory systems are more fit. 我们可以让多种有机体在人造环境下互相竞争, 看看哪些可以生存繁衍, 哪种感观系统的适应性更高。
organisms:n.[生物]生物体(organism的复数);[生物]有机体; artificial:adj.人造的;仿造的;虚伪的;非原产地的;武断的; compete:v.竞争;对抗;参加比赛(或竞赛); thrive:v.繁荣;茁壮成长;蓬勃发展;兴旺发达; sensory:adj.感觉的;知觉的;传递感觉的;
A key notion in those equations is fitness . 这些方程组中有一个关键的概念叫做“适应性”。
notion:n.观念;信念;理解; fitness:n.健康;适当;适合性;
Consider this steak: 考虑下这块牛排:
What does this steak do for the fitness of an animal? 它对动物的适应性如何？
Well, for a hungry lion looking to eat, it enhances fitness. 对于一头饥肠辘辘、正在觅食的狮子来说,它能加强适应性;
enhances:提高(enhance的第三人称单数);
For a well-fed lion looking to mate, it doesn't enhance fitness. 对于一头“饱暖思淫欲”的狮子来说,它就不能增加适应性;
well-fed:adj.吃得好的;营养足的;
And for a rabbit in any state, it doesn't enhance fitness, so fitness does depend on reality as it is, yes, but also on the organism, its state and its action. 而对于一只兔子来说,无论兔子处于什么状态,它都不能增加适应性。 所以说,适应性并非取决于事实本身, 而是要看针对的是哪种有机体,它处于什么状态,要做什么行动。
Fitness is not the same thing as reality as it is, and it's fitness, and not reality as it is, that figures centrally in the equations of evolution. 适应性与事实本身不是一回事, 但正是适应性——而非事实本身—— 在进行演化方程组的计算中起了至关重要的作用。
that figures:合理,讲得通,有道理; centrally:adv.在中心;
So, in my lab, we have run hundreds of thousands of evolutionary game simulations with lots of different randomly chosen worlds and organisms that compete for resources in those worlds. 在我的实验室里, 我们模拟了数十万次的进化博弈, 在多种不同的随机选择的环境中, 有机体相互竞争资源。
simulations:n.[计]模拟(simulation的复数);[计]仿真; randomly:adv.随便地,任意地;无目的,胡乱地;未加计划地; resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数);
Some of the organisms see all of the reality, others see just part of the reality, and some see none of the reality, only fitness. 一些有机体能够看到全部真实; 一些只能看到部分真实; 一些完全看不到真实, 仅仅具有适应性。
Who wins? 谁能胜出？
Well, I hate to break it to you, but perception of reality goes extinct. 我不想点破,但（结果是）真实的知觉灭绝了。
In almost every simulation, organisms that see none of reality but are just tuned to fitness drive to extinction all the organisms that perceive reality as it is. 在几乎所有的模拟当中, 那些一点儿也看不到真实, 但具有适应性的有机体, 把一切能看到真实的有机体逼向灭绝。
tuned:v.(为乐器)调音,校音;调整,调节(发动机);调频道(tune的过去分词和过去式) extinction:n.绝种; perceive:v.注意到;意识到;将…理解为;认为;
So the bottom line is, evolution does not favor vertical , or accurate perceptions. 这里的关键在于,进化并不支持 垂直知觉或准确知觉。
the bottom line:底线;本质内容;最底线; vertical:n.垂直线;垂直位置;adj.竖的;垂直的;直立的;纵向的;
Those perceptions of reality go extinct. 这种对于真实的知觉会灭绝。
Now, this is a bit stunning. 这个结论挺惊人的。
How can it be that not seeing the world accurately gives us a survival advantage? 看世界不准确怎么会 给我们带来生存优势呢？
That is a bit counterintuitive . 这有点违反直觉。
counterintuitive:adj.违反直觉的;
But remember the jewel beetle. 但别忘了吉丁虫。
The jewel beetle survived for thousands, perhaps millions of years, using simple tricks and hacks . 吉丁虫利用简单的技巧, 生存了成千上百万年。
hacks:出租汽车;老马(hack的复数);
What the equations of evolution are telling us is that all organisms, including us, are in the same boat as the jewel beetle. 演化方程组告诉我们, 包括人类在内的一切有机体都与吉丁虫同命相连。
in the same boat:处境相同;面临同样的危险;
We do not see reality as it is. 我们的所见并非真实。
We're shaped with tricks and hacks that keep us alive. 我们之所以生存下来,仰赖的是各种雕虫小技的塑造。
Still, we need some help with our intuitions . 然而, 我们需要直觉来帮点忙。
intuitions:n.直觉;直觉力;直觉的知识;
How can not perceiving reality as it is be useful? 知觉不准确为什么会有用？
perceiving:v.注意到;意识到;将…理解为;认为;(perceive的现在分词)
Well, fortunately, we have a very helpful metaphor : the desktop interface on your computer. 幸好我们有个形象的隐喻: 电脑桌面的界面。
metaphor:n.暗喻,隐喻;比喻说法; desktop:n.桌面;桌面(显示使用程序图标的计算机屏幕); interface:n.接口;人机界面;连接电路;v.连接;
Consider that blue icon for a TED Talk that you're writing. 考虑下这个蓝色图标,它代表你正在撰写的一篇TED演讲稿。
Now, the icon is blue and rectangular and in the lower right corner of the desktop. 这个图标是一个蓝色的、呈长方形、 并处在桌面的右下角。
rectangular:adj.矩形的;成直角的;
Does that mean that the text file itself in the computer is blue, rectangular, and in the lower right-hand corner of the computer? 这是否意味着你放在电脑里的文档本身 是蓝色的、呈长方形,并处在电脑的右下角？
right-hand:adj.得力的;右手的,用右手的;
Of course not. 当然不是。
Anyone who thought that misinterprets the purpose of the interface. 如果有谁真是这么想的,那他就误解了界面的存在目的。
It's not there to show you the reality of the computer. 它不是为了向你展示电脑的真实。
In fact, it's there to hide that reality. 事实上,它是为了隐藏那种真实。
You don't want to know about the diodes and resistors and all the megabytes of software. 你不想要知道二极管啊、 电阻器啊、软件的字节啊之类的东西。
diodes:n.二极管; resistors:n.[电]电阻器,电阻(resistor的复数形式); megabytes:n.百万字节(megabyte的复数);
If you had to deal with that, you could never write your text file or edit your photo. 如果要跟那些东西打交道,你就没法写文档, 也没法编辑照片了。
edit:v.编辑;剪辑;编纂;编选;n.编辑[校订]工作;
So the idea is that evolution has given us an interface that hides reality and guides adaptive behavior. （我的）想法是,进化给予我们一个界面, 能够隐藏事实,并引导我们做出具有适应性的行为。
adaptive:adj.适应的,适合的;
Space and time, as you perceive them right now, are your desktop. 你们现在感知到的空间和时间, 正是你的桌面。
Physical objects are simply icons in that desktop. 具有实体的各种物品,就是桌面上的简单图标。
Physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查;
There's an obvious objection . 这里有一个明显的反对理由,
obvious:adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的; objection:n.反对;反对的理由;异议;
Hoffman, if you think that train coming down the track at 200 MPH is just an icon of your desktop, why don't you step in front of it? 霍夫曼,如果你认为那列以200英里时速呼啸而来的火车 只是桌面上的一个图标, 你为什么不站在它前面？
track:n.小道;足迹;车辙;轨道;v.追踪;跟踪;
And after you're gone, and your theory with you, we'll know that there's more to that train than just an icon. 等你带着你的理论乖乖“上路”了, 我们就会知道那列火车不仅仅是一个图标。
Well, I wouldn't step in front of that train for the same reason that I wouldn't carelessly drag that icon to the trash can : not because I take the icon literally -- the file is not literally blue or rectangular -- but I do take it seriously. 我不会站在火车前面, 其中的原因 与我不会草率地将图标拽进回收站的原因是一致的: 不是因为我从直接意象上理解这个图标 ——这个文档不是蓝色的,也并非长方形—— 但我确实要严肃对待。
carelessly:adv.粗心地;不注意地;无忧无虑地; drag:v.拖曳;生拉硬拽;拖动;n.拖累;令人厌烦的人;累赘;绊脚石; trash can:n.垃圾箱; literally:adv.按字面:字面上:确实地:
I could lose weeks of work. （随意删除它）可能让我数周的工作毁于一旦。
Similarly , evolution has shaped us with perceptual symbols that are designed to keep us alive. 类似地,进化塑造了我们, 知觉符号的设计让我们能够生存。
Similarly:adv.同样地;类似于; perceptual:adj.知觉的;感知的;有知觉的; symbols:n.符号;象征;标志;符号表(symbol的复数);
We'd better take them seriously. 我们最好严肃对待。
If you see a snake, don't pick it up. 如果你看到一条蛇,别碰它;
If you see a cliff , don't jump off. 如果你看到一块峭壁,别跳崖;
cliff:n.悬崖;绝壁;
They're designed to keep us safe, and we should take them seriously. 这些（知觉符号的）设计能保护我们的安全,我们应该严肃对待它们。
That does not mean that we should take them literally. 这并不意味着我们要仅从字面上理解它们。
That's a logical error. 那会是一个逻辑错误。
logical:adj.合逻辑的,合理的;逻辑学的;
Another objection: There's nothing really new here. 还有一条反对理由:这并不是什么新提法。
Physicists have told us for a long time that the metal of that train looks solid but really it's mostly empty space with microscopic particles zipping around. 物理学家很久以前就告诉我们,构成那列火车的金属看上去是固体, 其实它们基本上是微观粒子快速运动所形成的真空。
Physicists:n.物理学家;机械唯物论者(physicist的复数); microscopic:adj.微观的;用显微镜可见的; particles:n.微粒,粒子;粒子系统;碎木料(particle的复数形式);
There's nothing new here. 这不是什么新的提法。
Well, not exactly. 唔,不完全是这样。
It's like saying, I know that that blue icon on the desktop is not the reality of the computer, but if I pull out my trusty magnifying glass and look really closely, 这就像在说,我知道桌面上的蓝色图标 并非是电脑的真实, 但如果拿出我那可靠的放大镜来仔细观察,
trusty:adj.可靠的;可信任的;n.模范囚犯;可信赖的人; magnifying glass:n.放大镜;
I see little pixels , and that's the reality of the computer. 我看见的是小小的像素, 那就是电脑的真实。
pixels:n.像素(组成屏幕图像的最小独立元素);(pixel的复数)
Well, not really -- you're still on the desktop, and that's the point. 唔,也不全是这样——你还是在桌面上,而这点是关键。
Those microscopic particles are still in space and time: they're still in the user interface. 这些微观粒子还是存在于空间和时间之中: 那仍旧是用户界面。
So I'm saying something far more radical than those physicists. 我的提法与那些物理学家的观点存在根本差异。
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;
Finally , you might object, look, we all see the train, therefore none of us constructs the train. 最后,你可能要反对说, 看哪,我们全都看到了火车, 所以没有谁“构建”了这列火车。
Finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; constructs:n.构念(construct的复数);建筑物;构图;v.设计(construct的三单形式);建造;
But remember this example. 但请记住这个例子。
In this example, we all see a cube, but the screen is flat, so the cube that you see is the cube that you construct. 在这个例子中,我们全都看到了立方体, 但屏幕是平的, 所以你们看到的立方体是你们自己“构建”出来的。
We all see a cube because we all, each one of us, constructs the cube that we see. 我们全都看到了立方体, 因为我们每一个人都“构建”出了所见的这个立方体。
The same is true of the train. 火车（的例子）也是同理。
We all see a train because we each see the train that we construct, and the same is true of all physical objects. 我们全都看到了一列火车,因为我们每个人都看到了自己“构建”出的这列火车, 这也适用于其他所有的物体。
We're inclined to think that perception is like a window on reality as it is. 我们倾向于认为知觉就像真实的一扇窗户。
inclined:adj.有…倾向; v.(使)倾向于,有…的趋势; (incline的过去分词和过去式)
The theory of evolution is telling us that this is an incorrect interpretation of our perceptions. 进化理论告诉我们这是一个 关于知觉的错误解读。
Instead, reality is more like a 3D desktop that's designed to hide the complexity of the real world and guide adaptive behavior. 相反的,真实更像是一个3D的桌面, 其设计目的是要隐藏真实世界的复杂性, 引导我们做出适应性行为。
complexity:n.复杂性;难以理解的局势
Space as you perceive it is your desktop. 你感知到的空间是你的桌面。
Physical objects are just the icons in that desktop. 具有实体的各种物体就是桌面上的图标。
We used to think that the Earth is flat because it looks that way. 我们过去认为地球是平的,因为它看上去就那样。
Then we thought that the Earth is the unmoving center of reality because it looks that way. 我们过去还认为地球是真实世界的静止中心, 因为看上去就那样。
We were wrong. 我们都错了。
We had misinterpreted our perceptions. 我们误读了我们的知觉。
Now we believe that spacetime and objects are the nature of reality as it is. 现在我们相信时空和物体 是真实存在的。
The theory of evolution is telling us that once again, we're wrong. 进化理论告诉我们,又一次,我们错了。
We're misinterpreting the content of our perceptual experiences. 我们误读了知觉感受的内容。
content:n.内容,目录;满足;容量;adj.满意的;vt.使满足;
There's something that exists when you don't look, but it's not spacetime and physical objects. 即使我们不看,也有什么是存在的, 但那并不是时空和物体。
It's as hard for us to let go of spacetime and objects as it is for the jewel beetle to let go of its bottle. 我们无法放弃关于时空和物体的想法, 就像吉丁虫无法放弃酒瓶子一样。
Why? Because we're blind to our own blindnesses . 为什么？因为我们看不到自己的盲目。
blindnesses:n.失明;无知;盲区;
But we have an advantage over the jewel beetle: our science and technology . 但我们相比吉丁虫具有一种优势: 那就是我们的科学和技术。
have an advantage over:胜过,优于; technology:n.技术;工艺;术语;
By peering through the lens of a telescope we discovered that the Earth is not the unmoving center of reality, and by peering through the lens of the theory of evolution we discovered that spacetime and objects are not the nature of reality. 透过望远镜窥视, 我们发现地球并不是真实世界的静止中心; 借助进化论的检验, 我们发现时空和物体 并不具有真实性。
peering:n.对等互连;对等操作;互传;同级化;v.凝视(peer的现在分词);同等,比得上; telescope:n.望远镜;v.(使)叠套缩短;精简;
When I have a perceptual experience that I describe as a red tomato, 当我的知觉感受到所谓的一个红色番茄时,
I am interacting with reality, but that reality is not a red tomato and is nothing like a red tomato. 我实际上是在与真实互动, 但真实并不是一个红色番茄,也跟红色番茄没什么可比性。
interacting:v.交流;沟通;合作;相互影响;(interact的现在分词)
Similarly, when I have an experience that I describe as a lion or a steak, 类似地,当我感知到所谓的一头狮子或一块牛排,
I'm interacting with reality, but that reality is not a lion or a steak. 我实际上在与真实互动, 但真实并不是一头狮子或一块牛排。
And here's the kicker : 难题在此:
kicker:n.踢者;爱发牢骚的人;喷射器;
When I have a perceptual experience that I describe as a brain, or neurons, 当我的知觉感受到所谓的大脑、或是神经元,
I am interacting with reality, but that reality is not a brain or neurons and is nothing like a brain or neurons. 我实际上在与真实互动, 但真实并不是大脑或是神经元, 也跟大脑或神经元没什么关系。
And that reality, whatever it is, is the real source of cause and effect in the world -- not brains, not neurons. 真实,无论那是什么, 正是世界上因果关系的真正来源 ——不是什么大脑,也不是什么神经元。
Brains and neurons have no causal powers. 大脑和神经元不具有因果力。
causal:adj.因果关系的;有原因的;n.表示原因的连词;
They cause none of our perceptual experiences, and none of our behavior. 它们并不会产生任何知觉感受, 也不会导致任何行为。
Brains and neurons are a species-specific set of symbols, a hack. 大脑和神经元是物种特有的符号集合,是一种认知捷径。
What does this mean for the mystery of consciousness? 这对于认知之谜意味着什么？
Well, it opens up new possibilities. 它提供了新的可能性。
For instance , perhaps reality is some vast machine that causes our conscious experiences. 比如, 真实也许是某种用于产生意识经验的巨型机器。
instance:n.实例;情况;建议;v.举...为例;
I doubt this, but it's worth exploring . 我个人对此抱有怀疑,但这个观点值得探索。
exploring:v.探索:考察:探查;(explore的现在分词)
Perhaps reality is some vast, interacting network of conscious agents , simple and complex, that cause each other's conscious experiences. 真实也许是一个巨大的互动网络,连结着各种具有自我意识的存在, 无论简单还是复杂,都能引发各自的意识经验。
agents:n.代理人,经纪人;原动力;(agent的复数)
Actually, this isn't as crazy an idea as it seems, and I'm currently exploring it. 实际上,这个观点并不像看上去那么疯狂, 对此我正在研究。
currently:adv.当前;一般地;
But here's the point: 但关键是:
Once we let go of our massively intuitive but massively false assumption about the nature of reality, it opens up new ways to think about life's greatest mystery. 当我们放弃了非常直观 却也非常错误的关于真实性的假设, 这开拓了思考人生最大谜团的新思路。
massively:adv.大量地;沉重地;庄严地;
I bet that reality will end up turning out to be more fascinating and unexpected than we've ever imagined. 我打赌,真实最终将变得 比我们想象的更加迷人和意外。
bet:n.打赌;赌注;预计;估计;v.下赌注(于);用…打赌;敢说;八成儿; fascinating:adj.极有吸引力的;迷人的;v.深深吸引;迷住;(fascinate的现在分词) unexpected:adj.意外的,想不到的;
The theory of evolution presents us with the ultimate dare: 进化论为我们展现了那个终极挑战:
ultimate:adj.最终的;极限的;根本的;n.终极;根本;基本原则;
Dare to recognize that perception is not about seeing truth, it's about having kids. 敢于认识到知觉并不是为了认识真实而存在, 而是为了繁衍子孙。
recognize:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;
And by the way , even this TED is just in your head. 顺便一提,甚至是这个TED,也仅仅存在于你的脑海之中。
by the way:顺便说一下;
Thank you very much. 非常感谢大家。
(Applause) （鼓掌）
Chris Anderson: If that's really you there, thank you. 克里斯?安德森:如果这真的是你,那么谢谢你。
So there's so much from this. 你的演讲中到很多东西。
I mean, first of all , some people may just be profoundly depressed at the thought that, if evolution does not favor reality, 我是说,首先,一些人可能会非常失望, 因为想到,如果进化并不支持真实,
first of all:adv.首先; profoundly:adv.深刻地;深深地;极度地; depressed:adj.沮丧的; v.使抑郁; (depress的过去式和过去分词)
I mean, doesn't that to some extent undermine all our endeavors here, all our ability to think that we can think the truth, possibly even including your own theory, if you go there? 是否在某种程度上损害了我们所有的努力, 和我们认为自己可以思考真理的能力, 甚至可能包括你自己的理论呢？
undermine:vt.破坏,渐渐破坏;挖掘地基; endeavors:尽力;
Donald Hoffman: Well, this does not stop us from a successful science. 唐纳德?霍夫曼:这可不会阻挡我们实现科学的成功。
What we have is one theory that turned out to be false, that perception is like reality and reality is like our perceptions. 我们只是发现一个现有理论是错误的, 即知觉和真实是相似的。
That theory turns out to be false. 我们发现那个理论是错误的。
Okay, throw that theory away. 那好,我们抛开那个理论。
That doesn't stop us from now postulating all sorts of other theories about the nature of reality, so it's actually progress to recognize that one of our theories was false. 那与我们假定关于真实性的其他各种理论（正确） 并不矛盾, 所以说,认识到某个理论是错误的,实际上是一种进步。
postulating:vt.假定;要求;视…为理所当然;n.基本条件;假定;
So science continues as normal. There's no problem here. 科学照常进展,并没有什么问题。
CA: So you think it's possible -- (Laughter) -- 克里斯?安德森:所以你认为——（笑声）——
This is cool, but what you're saying I think is it's possible that evolution can still get you to reason. 这很酷,但我认为你说的是,进化存在一种可能性, 让人能够推理。
DH: Yes. Now that's a very, very good point. 唐纳德?霍夫曼:是的。这个观点非常非常对。
The evolutionary game simulations that I showed were specifically about perception, and they do show that our perceptions have been shaped not to show us reality as it is, but that does not mean the same thing about our logic or mathematics . 我刚才展示的进化博弈是特别针对知觉的模拟, 结果确实显示出我们的知觉是被塑造的, 而并非趋近真实, 然而这并不意味着针对逻辑和数学（模拟进化博弈）会产生同样的结果。
specifically:adv.特别地;明确地; mathematics:n.数学;数学运算;
We haven't done these simulations, but my bet is that we'll find that there are some selection pressures for our logic and our mathematics to be at least in the direction of truth. 我们并未做过这种模拟,但我打赌结果会是: 存在一些选择压力,让我们的逻辑和数学 起码是趋于真理的方向。
I mean, if you're like me, math and logic is not easy. 我是说,如果你们跟我一样,数学和逻辑还是有些难度的。
We don't get it all right, but at least the selection pressures are not uniformly away from true math and logic. 我们并非每次都对,但至少选择压力 不会一致偏离真正的数学和逻辑。
uniformly:adv.一致地;
So I think that we'll find that we have to look at each cognitive faculty one at a time and see what evolution does to it. 因此,我认为我们会发现, 我们必须逐一检验,进化如何作用于各种认知能力。
cognitive:adj.认知的,认识的; faculty:n.科,系;能力;全体教员; one at a time:每次一个;一次一个;
What's true about perception may not be true about math and logic. 关于知觉的结论可能不适用于数学和逻辑。
CA: I mean, really what you're proposing is a kind of modern-day Bishop Berkeley interpretation of the world: consciousness causes matter, not the other way around. 克里斯?安德森:我觉得你提出的观点恰如一个现代版本的贝克莱主教 对世界的阐释: 存在即是被感知,反之不成立。
proposing:v.提议;建议;打算;计划;求婚;(propose的现在分词) modern-day:adj.当代的;今日的; Bishop:n.主教;象;
DH: Well, it's slightly different than Berkeley. 唐纳德?霍夫曼:唔,我的观点与贝克莱略有不同。
slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地; different than:不同于;
Berkeley thought that, he was a deist, and he thought that the ultimate nature of reality is God and so forth, and I don't need to go where Berkeley's going, so it's quite a bit different from Berkeley. 贝克莱是一位自然神论者,他认为 终极的真实性存在就是上帝,等等, 我无需生发到他那个地步, 所以跟贝克莱不太一样。
I call this conscious realism . It's actually a very different approach . 我称之为意识现实主义。我们方法不同。
realism:n.现实主义;实在论;现实主义的态度和行为; approach:n.方法;路径;v.接近;建议;着手处理;
CA: Don, I could literally talk with you for hours, and I hope to do that. 克里斯?安德森:唐,我想我能跟你聊上个把小时,我希望能这样做。
Thanks so much for that. DH: Thank you. (Applause) 非常感谢你。唐纳德?霍夫曼:谢谢。（掌声）