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JimHolt_2014-_为什么宇宙会存在_
Why does the universe exist? 为什么宇宙存在？
Why is there — Okay. Okay. (Laughter) 为什么—好吧。好吧。（笑声）
This is a cosmic mystery. Be solemn . 这是个宇宙的奥秘。是庄严的。
cosmic:adj.宇宙的; solemn:adj.庄严的,严肃的;隆重的,郑重的;
Why is there a world, why are we in it, and why is there something rather than nothing at all? 为什么会有一个世界?为什么我们存在在这世界里? 为什么会有物质存在而不是全然的一切皆空？
I mean, this is the super ultimate "why" question? 我的意思是,这是一个超级终极的「为什么」问题？
ultimate:adj.最终的;极限的;根本的;n.终极;根本;基本原则;
So I'm going to talk about the mystery of existence, the puzzle of existence, where we are now in addressing it, and why you should care, and I hope you do care. 所以我将探讨有关存在的奥秘, 存在的谜题, 这是我们现在正要解决的, 以及为什么你应该关注的, 而我希望你真的会关心的。
puzzle:n.谜;疑问;智力游戏;不解之谜;v.迷惑;使困惑;
The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said that those who don't wonder about the contingency of their existence, of the contingency of the world's existence, are mentally deficient . 哲学家亚瑟?叔本华说过, 那些不怀疑他们存在的偶然性, 与世界存在的偶然性, 有智力性的缺陷。
philosopher:n.哲学家;深思的人;善于思考的人; contingency:n.偶然性;[安全]意外事故;可能性;[审计]意外开支; mentally:adv.精神上,智力上;心理上; deficient:adj.不足的;有缺陷的;不充分的;
That's a little harsh , but still. (Laughter) 这说法是有点苛刻,但也算是苛刻。（笑声）
harsh:adj.严厉的;严酷的;刺耳的;粗糙的;刺目的;
So this has been called the most sublime and awesome mystery, the deepest and most far-reaching question man can pose . 所以这个被称为最崇高 和令人敬畏的奥秘, 人可以提出最有深度和最深远的问题。
sublime:adj.庄严的; n.崇高; vt.使…纯化; vi.升华; awesome:adj.令人敬畏的;使人畏惧的;可怕的;极好的; far-reaching:adj.深远的;广泛的;伸至远处的; pose:v.引起; n.装腔作势; (为画像、拍照等摆的)姿势;
It's obsessed great thinkers. 它一直痴迷着伟大思想家们,
obsessed:v.使痴迷;使迷恋;使着迷;(obsess的过去式和过去分词)
Ludwig Wittgenstein, perhaps the greatest philosopher of the 20th century, was astonished that there should be a world at all. 路德维希?维特根斯坦可能是 20世纪最伟大的哲理学家, 他对于本来就应该存在一个世界的想法感到惊讶。
astonished:adj.吃惊的;
He wrote in his "Tractatus," Proposition 4.66, "It is not how things are in the world that is the mystical , it's that the world exists." 他在自己的《逻辑哲学论》论点4.66写道, 「物质如何存在这个世界上 并不是神秘, 神秘的是这个世界是确实存在的。」
Proposition:n.提议;待处理的问题;任务;(美国)法律修正议案;见解;命题;v.向...提议; mystical:adj.神秘的;神秘主义的;
And if you don't like taking your epigrams from a philosopher, try a scientist. 如果你不喜欢摘取哲理学家的隽语, 试试科学家的说法吧。
John Archibald Wheeler , one of the great physicists of the 20th century, the teacher of Richard Feynman, the coiner of the term " black hole ," 约翰·阿奇博尔德·惠勒 是20世纪最伟大的物理学家之一, 是理查德·费曼的老师, 是命名「黑洞」的人,
Archibald:n.高射炮(等于archie); Wheeler:n.车夫;辕马;车轮制造人; physicists:n.物理学家;机械唯物论者(physicist的复数); black hole:n.黑洞(宇宙中包括光线在内的任何东西都无法逃逸的强引力区域);
he said, "I want to know how come the quantum , how come the universe, how come existence?" 他说:「我想知道 为什么量子, 为什么宇宙,为什么存在？」
quantum:n.量子论;额;美国昆腾公司(世界领先的硬盘生产商);
And my friend Martin Amis — sorry that I'll be doing a lot of name-dropping in this talk, my dear friend Martin Amis once said that we're about five Einsteins away from answering the mystery of where the universe came from. 还有我的朋友马丁·艾米斯 - 抱歉,我在这场谈话将提到很多名字, 我的朋友马丁·艾米斯曾经说过, 我们欠缺差不多五个爱因斯坦来回答 这个宇宙从哪里来的神秘问题。
Amis:n.男性朋友(ami的复数); name-dropping:n.略提知名人物以示相识而提高自己身份;
And I've no doubt there are five Einsteins in the audience tonight. 而我无可置疑相信 今晚现场就有五个爱因斯坦。
Any Einsteins? Show of hands? No? No? No? 爱因斯坦在吗？举一下手？没？没？没有？
No Einsteins? Okay. 没有爱因斯坦？好吧。
So this question, why is there something rather than nothing, this sublime question, was posed rather late in intellectual history. 所以这个问题,为什会有物质存在而不是一切皆空? 这个崇高的问题,在思想文化史中 提出得有点晚。
posed:v.造成;引起;产生;提问;质询;摆好姿势;(pose的过去分词和过去式) 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;
It was towards the end of the 17th century, the philosopher Leibniz who asked it, a very smart guy, Leibniz, who invented the calculus independently of Isaac Newton , at about the same time, 这是靠近17世纪末期, 哲理学家莱布尼兹提出了这个问题, 莱布尼兹是一个非常聪明的人, 大约在同个时期,莱布尼兹 与艾萨克·牛顿各自独立发明微积分,
calculus:n.[病理]结石;微积分学; independently:adv.独立地;自立地; Newton:n.牛顿(英国科学家);牛顿(力的单位);
but for Leibniz, who asked why is there something rather than nothing, this was not a great mystery. 但是对于莱布尼兹来说,在为什会有物质存在而不是一切皆空的问题上, 他认为这并不是一个伟大的奥秘。
He either was or pretended to be an Orthodox Christian in his metaphysical outlook , and he said it's obvious why the world exists: because God created it. 他可能是,或假装在 形而上学的外观上,貌似东正教基督徒, 他说可以很清楚了解这个世界为什么会存在: 因为上帝创造了它。
Orthodox:adj.正统的;传统的;惯常的;东正教的;n.正统的人;正统的事物; metaphysical:adj.形而上学的;超自然的;玄学派诗歌的; outlook:n.见解;前景;人生观;可能性; obvious:adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;
And God created, indeed, out of nothing at all. 真的,上帝创造了无中生有。
That's how powerful God is. 这就是上帝多么的强大。
He doesn't need any preexisting materials to fashion a world out of. 他不需要任何存在前的材料来塑造个世界出来。
preexisting:adj.先前存在的;先于…而存在的;
He can make it out of sheer nothingness , creation ex nihilo. 他可以创造出纯粹的空无, 无中生有的创造。
sheer:adj.纯; v.十足地; n.透明薄纱; v.[航海](使)偏航; (使)转向; nothingness:n.虚无,不存在;空白;不存在的状态; creation:n.创造,创作;创作物,产物;
And by the way , this is what most Americans today believe. 还有,这就是 大部份美国人所相信的。
by the way:顺便说一下;
There is no mystery of existence for them. 他们认为这里没有存在的奥秘。
God made it. 是神创造它的。
So let's put this in an equation . 所以让我们将这个问题放入一个方程式里。
equation:n.方程式,等式;相等;[化学]反应式;
I don't have any slides so I'm going to mime my visuals , so use your imaginations . 我没有任何的幻灯片,所以我将用手来视觉表达, 那么,运用你的想像力,
mime:n.哑剧;小丑;滑稽戏;v.摸拟表演; visuals:n.图形部分;外观改装;可视教具(visual的复数); imaginations:n.[心理]想象力;空想;幻想物;
So it's God + nothing = the world. 那么,神 + 空无 = 世界。
Okay? Now that's the equation. 可以吗？现在这是一个方程式。
And so maybe you don't believe in God. 也许你不相信有神,
Maybe you're a scientific atheist or an unscientific atheist, and you don't believe in God, and you're not happy with it. 也许你是一位科学无神论家 或一位非科学无神论家,你不信仰有上帝。 所以你不满意这个公式。
atheist:n.无神论者; unscientific:adj.不科学的,不符合科学原理的;非学术的;无科学知识的;
By the way, even if we have this equation, 顺道一提,即使我们有这个公式:
God + nothing = the world, there's already a problem: 神 + 空无 = 世界 这已出现存在个问题:
Why does God exist? 为什么神存在？
God doesn't exist by logic alone unless you believe the ontological argument, and I hope you don't, because it's not a good argument. 神不是单靠逻辑存在, 除非你相信本体论论证, 我希望你不相同,因为这不是一个好论证。
ontological:adj.本体论的;存在论的;
So it's conceivable , if God were to exist, he might wonder, I'm eternal , I'm all-powerful , but where did I come from? 那么,可以预想,如果神存在, 他可能会质疑:我是永恒,我是万能, 但是我从哪来的？
conceivable:adj.可能的;想得到的,可想像的; eternal:adj.永恒的;不朽的; all-powerful:adj.全能的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
Whence then am I? 那我来自何方呢？
Whence:n.根源;adv.从何处;pron.何处;conj.由此;
God speaks in a more formal English. 神说着一口更正式的英语。
formal:adj.适合正式场合的; n.(美)须穿礼服的社交集会; (口)夜礼服;
(Laughter) （笑声）
And so one theory is that God was so bored with pondering the puzzle of His own existence that He created the world just to distract himself. 还有一种说法是 神对思考自已存在的谜题感到非常无聊 祂创造一个世界只为了分散自己的注意力,
bored:adj.无聊的;厌倦的;烦闷的;v.使厌烦;钻,凿,挖;(bore的过去分词和过去式) pondering:v.沉思;考虑;琢磨;(ponder的现在分词) distract:v.转移(注意力);分散(思想);使分心;
But anyway, let's forget about God. 但是无论何种说法,我们暂时先别管神。
Take God out of the equation: We have ________ + nothing = the world. 完全删除神在这方程式上:我们有
Now, if you're a Buddhist , you might want to stop right there, because essentially what you've got is nothing = the world, and by symmetry of identity , that means the world = nothing. Okay? 现在,如果你是佛教徙, 你可能会想要就此停住, 因为基本上你的认知是: 空无 = 世界 由于基于标识的对称性,这意谓着 世界 = 空无。 可以吗？
Buddhist:n.佛教徒;adj.佛教的; essentially:adv.本质上;本来; symmetry:n.对称(性);整齐,匀称; identity:n.身份;同一性,一致;特性;恒等式;
And to a Buddhist, the world is just a whole lot of nothing. 对佛教而言,这个世界根本什么都没有。
It's just a big cosmic vacuity. 它只是一个巨大宇宙本体的空境。
And we think there's a lot of something out there but that's because we're enslaved by our desires. 而我们认为那里有很多东西, 但那是因为我们被自己的欲望奴役。
enslaved:v.使成为奴隶;奴役;使受控制;(enslave的过去分词和过去式)
If we let our desires melt away , we'll see the world for what it truly is, a vacuity, nothingness, and we'll slip into this happy state of nirvana which has been defined as having just enough life to enjoy being dead. (Laughter) 如果我们让自己的欲望消失, 我们将会看见世界的真实面貌 空白,空无 我们将会进入一个快乐的涅盘状态, 这状态已被定义为 活够了可以好好享受死亡了。（笑声）
melt away:v.消失;融掉; slip:v.溜;下降;滑落;n.纸条;衬裙; nirvana:n.涅槃;天堂; defined:adj.有定义的,确定的; v.使明确;
So that's the Buddhist thinking. 所以这是佛教的思想。
But I'm a Westerner , and I'm still concerned with the puzzle of existence, so I've got this is going to get serious in a minute, so — ________ + nothing = the world. 但是我是个西方人,我仍然 关心存在的谜题,所以我想到了 这即将变成一个严肃的话题,那么
Westerner:n.西方人,欧美人;美国西部的人; concerned with:关心;涉及;忙于;与…有关;
What are we going to put in that blank? 我们把什么放进那个空格？
Well, how about science? 好,放科学进去如何？
Science is our best guide to the nature of reality, and the most fundamental science is physics. 科学是我们对实相的本质最好的指南, 最基本的科学是物理。
fundamental:n.基础; adj.十分重大的;
That tells us what naked reality really is, that reveals what I call TAUFOTU, the True And Ultimate Furniture Of The Universe. 这告诉我们什么才是赤裸裸的真相, 这揭示了我所说的TAUFOTU, Ｔ＝真实;Ａ＝和;Ｕ＝终极的;Ｆ＝形式;Ｏ＝的;Ｔ＝这个;Ｕ＝宇宙。
naked:adj.裸体的;无装饰的;无证据的;直率的; reveals:v.揭示;显示;透露;展示;(reveal的第三人称单数) Furniture:n.家具;设备;储藏物;
So maybe physics can fill this blank, and indeed, since about the late 1960s or around 1970, physicists have purported to give a purely scientific explanation of how 所以或许物理学家可以填填这个空格, 实际上,自从1960年代晚期或1970年起, 物理学家声称 提供一个完整的科学解释
purported:adj.据称的;传言的;v.声称;自称;标榜;(purport的过去分词和过去式) purely:adv.完全;仅仅;
a universe like ours could have popped into existence out of sheer nothingness, a quantum fluctuation out of the void . 宇宙如何像我们一样 可能出于纯粹的空无而突然存在, 量子波动从空无出现。
fluctuation:n.起伏,波动; void:adj.空的;无效的;无人的;n.空虚;空间;空隙;v.使无效;排放;
Stephen Hawking is one of these physicists, more recently Alex Vilenkin, and the whole thing has been popularized by another very fine physicist and friend of mine, 史蒂芬·霍金是这些物理学家中的一位, 到近期的亚历克斯·维兰金, 整件事情由另一个非常杰出的物理学家 和我的一个朋友所推广,
Hawking:n.利用鹰行猎;v.袭击;翱翔;攫取(hawk的现在分词); recently:adv.最近;新近; popularized:vt.普及;使通俗化;vi.通俗化;
Lawrence Krauss, who wrote a book called "A Universe from Nothing," 劳伦斯·克劳斯写了一本书叫 《宇宙起源于空无》
and Lawrence thinks that he's given — he's a militant atheist, by the way, so he's gotten God out of the picture . 劳伦斯认为他给予的是— 顺道一提,他是一个激进的无神论者, 所以他把神的论述拿走。
militant:adj.好战的;n.富有战斗性的人;好斗者;激进分子; out of the picture:不相干的;不合适;不在画面里的;
The laws of quantum field theory, the state-of-the-art physics, can show how out of sheer nothingness, no space, no time, no matter, nothing, a little nugget of false vacuum can fluctuate into existence, and then, by the miracle of inflation , blow up into this huge and variegated cosmos we see around us. 量子场理论的定律, 一流的物理学,可以展示 如何从空无一物 没有空间,没有时间,无论什么,一切皆空 一小块假真空 可以将波动置入存在, 然后,透过膨胀的奇迹, 引爆到这个巨大且多元化的宇宙到 在我们周围可以看到。
state-of-the-art:adj.最先进的;已经发展的;达到最高水准的; nugget:n.天然金块,矿块;珍闻,珍品; vacuum:n.真空; adj.真空的; v.用真空吸尘器清扫; fluctuate:vi.波动;涨落;动摇;vt.使波动;使动摇; miracle:n.奇迹,奇迹般的人或物;惊人的事例; inflation:n.膨胀;通货膨胀;夸张;自命不凡; variegated:adj.杂色的;斑驳的;富于变化的;v.成为杂色(variegate的过去式); cosmos:n.宇宙;和谐;秩序;大波斯菊;
Okay, this is a really ingenious scenario . 好吧,这是一个非常巧妙的场景。
ingenious:adj.有独创性的;机灵的,精制的;心灵手巧的; scenario:n.方案;情节;剧本;
It's very speculative . It's fascinating . 非常匪疑所思。非常令人着迷。
speculative:adj.投机的;推测的;思索性的; fascinating:adj.极有吸引力的;迷人的;v.深深吸引;迷住;(fascinate的现在分词)
But I've got a big problem with it, and the problem is this: 但我遇到了一个大问题, 问题是:
It's a pseudo-religious point of view . 这是伪宗教的观点。
point of view:观点;见地;立场;
Now, Lawrence thinks he's an atheist, but he's still in thrall to a religious worldview . 现在,劳伦斯认为自己是无神论者, 但他仍然被宗教世界观束缚了。
thrall:n.奴隶;束缚;adj.受奴役的;vt.使成为奴隶; religious:adj.宗教的;虔诚的;严谨的;修道的;n.修道士;尼姑; worldview:n.世界观;
He sees physical laws as being like divine commands. 他认为物理定律就像神圣指令。
divine:adj.神圣的;非凡的;天赐的;极好的;v.占卜;预言;用占卜勘探;n.牧师;神学家;
The laws of quantum field theory for him are like fiat lux, "Let there be light." 他认为量子场理论的定律 就像晝夜黑白, 让这里有光。
fiat:n.命令; vt.批准; n.(Fiat)人名; n.菲亚特(意大利汽车品牌);
The laws have some sort of ontological power or clout that they can form the abyss , that it's pregnant with being. 这个法则有某种本体论的力量或影响力 他们可以从无底深渊, 蕴育而生。
clout:n.破布;敲打;影响力;势力;vt.给…打补钉;猛击; abyss:n.深渊;深邃,无底洞,地狱; pregnant:adj.怀孕的;富有意义的;
They can call a world into existence out of nothing. 他们可以称一个世界进入空无的存在。
But that's a very primitive view of what a physical law is, right? 但这个观点是一个非常原始的 物理定律,对吗？
primitive:adj.原始的,远古的;简单的,粗糙的;n.原始人;
We know that physical laws are actually generalized descriptions of patterns and regularities in the world. 我们知道物理定律其实 在这世界上 是广义的模式和规律的描述。
generalized:adj.广义的,普遍的; v.推广(generalize的过去分词); descriptions:n.摘要;说明,说明书;描述(description的复数形式); regularities:n.规律(regularity的复数);
They don't exist outside the world. 他们不存在于外面的世界。
They don't have any ontic cloud of their own. 他们没有任何属于自己的实体云。
They can't call a world into existence out of nothingness. 他们不能在空无中 呼吁出个世界来存在。
That's a very primitive view of what a scientific law is. 那是科学定律 非常原始的观点。
And if you don't believe me on this, listen to Stephen Hawking, who himself put forward a model of the cosmos that was self-contained , didn't require any outside cause, any creator, and after proposing this, 如果你不相信我所说的, 听听史提芬·霍金, 他提出一个独立自主的 宇宙模型, 它不需要任何外在的原因,任何的创造者, 提出这个模型之后,
put forward:v.提出;拿出;放出;推举出; self-contained:adj.独立的;设备齐全的;沉默寡言的; proposing:v.提议;建议;打算;计划;求婚;(propose的现在分词)
Hawking admitted that he was still puzzled . 霍金承认他仍然感到困惑。
puzzled:adj.困惑的;茫然的;搞糊涂的;
He said, this model is just equations . 他说,这个模型只是众公式。
equations:n.方程式;等式;均等;均势(equation的复数形式);
What breathes fire into the equations and creates a world for them to describe ? 是什么程式可以作出噴火 及创造一个他们描述的世界？
describe:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;
He was puzzled by this, so equations themselves can't do the magic, can't resolve the puzzle of existence. 他对这个问题很困惑, 所以方程式本身不能作魔法, 方程式无法解决存在的谜题。
resolve:vt.决定; vi.解决; n.坚决;
And besides , even if the laws could do that, why this set of laws? 此外,即使定律可以这么做, 为什么是这套定律？
besides:adv.此外;而且;prep.除…之外;
Why quantum field theory that describes a universe with a certain number of forces and particles and so forth? 为什么量子场的理论 是用一定的力量和颗粒等等 来描述？
describes:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;(describe的第三人称单数) particles:n.微粒,粒子;粒子系统;碎木料(particle的复数形式);
Why not a completely different set of laws? 为什么不用一组完全不同的定律？
There are many, many mathematically consistent sets of laws. 那里有很多,很多数学上的定律。
mathematically:adv.算术地,数学上地; consistent:adj.始终如一的,一致的;坚持的;
Why not no laws at all? Why not sheer nothingness? 为什么不是完全没有定律？为什么不是纯粹的空无？
So this is a problem, believe it or not, that reflective physicists really think a lot about, and at this point they tend to go metaphysical, say, well, maybe the set of laws that describes our universe, it's just one set of laws and it describes one part of reality, but maybe every consistent set of laws describes another part of reality, and in fact all possible physical worlds really exist, they're all out there. 所以这是一个问题,信不信由你, 思维缜密的物理学家真的非常关注, 在这个观点上他偏向形而上学, 所以说,或许这一组定律 来描述我们宇宙的, 只是一组定律 说明了真实的一部份。 但是也许每组一贯的定律 描述了另一部份的实相。 事实上,所有的物理世界 真的存在,他们全都在那里。
reflective:adj.反射的;反映的;沉思的;
We just see a little tiny part of reality that's described by the laws of quantum field theory, but there are many, many other worlds, parts of reality that are described by vastly different theories 我们只是看到由量子场理论法则 所描述实相的一小部份。 但是还有很多,很多其他的世界, 用截然不同的理论 形容某部份的实相
described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式) vastly:adv.极大地;广大地;深远地;
that are different from ours in ways we can't imagine, that are inconceivably exotic . 用我们无法想像的,不一样的方式, 不可思议的异域。
inconceivably:adv.不可思议地; exotic:adj.异国的;外来的;异国情调的;
Steven Weinberg, the father of the standard model of particle physics, has actually flirted with this idea himself, that all possible realities actually exist. 粒子物理学的标准模式的教父 史蒂文·温伯格 三不五时的自己思考这个观念, 他认为实际上所有可能的实相都存在。
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; flirted:v.调情(flirt的过去分词和过去式)
Also, a younger physicist, Max Tegmark, who believes that all mathematical structures exist, and mathematical existence is the same thing as physical existence, so we have this vastly rich multiverse that encompasses every logical possibility. 还有,一位年轻的物理学家马克斯．泰格马克 相信所有的数学结构都存在, 数学存在和物理存在 是一样的, 所以我们有这个极丰富的多元宇宙 包含每个逻辑的可能性。
structures:n.结构; v.建造(structure的第三人称单数形式); multiverse:n.多元宇宙; encompasses:vt.包含;包围,环绕;完成;
Now, in taking this metaphysical way out, these physicists and also philosophers are actually reaching back to a very old idea that goes back to Plato . 如果去除形而上学的方法, 这些物理学家还有哲学家 其实是回到柏拉图时期 非常老旧的思想。
philosophers:n.哲学家(philosopher的复数); Plato:n.柏拉图(古希腊哲学家);
It's the principle of plenitude or fecundity , or the great chain of being, that reality is actually as full as possible. 是富裕原则或繁殖原则 或者是存在的巨链, 事实上,实相是完全可能的。
principle:n.原理,原则;主义,道义;本质,本义;根源,源泉; plenitude:n.充分;丰富;大量; fecundity:n.[生物]繁殖力;多产;肥沃;
It's as far removed from nothingness as it could possibly be. 尽可能删除空无 因为这是有可能的。
So we have these two extremes now. 所以我们现在有这二个极端情况,
extremes:n.极端不同的感情;极端;极度;极限;(extreme的复数)
We have sheer nothingness on one side, and we have this vision of a reality that encompasses every conceivable world at the other extreme: the fullest possible reality, nothingness, the simplest possible reality. 一方面我们有纯粹的空无, 我们有这个实相的愿景 包含各种可以想像的世界 另一个极端想法是:全然可能的实相, 空无,是最简单可能的实相。
vision:n.视力;美景;幻象;想象力;v.想象;显现;梦见;
Now what's in between these two extremes? 现在是什么存在这二个极端之间？
There are all kinds of intermediate realities that include some things and leave out others. 各式各样的中间实相 包括一些实相而忽略其它实相。
intermediate:adj.中间的; v.起调解作用; n.中级学生;
So one of these intermediate realities is, say, the most mathematically elegant reality, that leaves out the inelegant bits, the ugly asymmetries and so forth. 所以去除不雅的片段, 丑陋的不协调等等。 这些中间实相之一是 数学意义上最优雅的实相,
inelegant:adj.不雅的;粗野的;不优美的; ugly:adj.丑陋的;邪恶的;令人厌恶的; asymmetries:[数]不对称(asymmetry的复数);
Now, there are some physicists who will tell you that we're actually living in the most elegant reality. 现在有一些物理学家会告诉你 其实我们生活在一个最优雅的实相。
I think that Brian Greene is in the audience, and he has written a book called "The Elegant Universe." 我认为布莱恩．格林是在观众中, 他写了一本书叫《优雅的宇宙》。
He claims that the universe we live in mathematically is very elegant. 他声称我们居住的宇宙 在数学意义上非常优雅。
claims:v.宣称; n.声明; (claim的第三人称单数和复数)
Don't believe him. (Laughter) 别相信他。（笑声）
It's a pious hope, I wish it were true, but I think the other day he admitted to me it's really an ugly universe. 那是不实际的希望,但我希望那是真的。 但是我想起有一天他对我承认 这真是个丑陋的宇宙。
pious:adj.虔诚的;敬神的;可嘉的;尽责的; the other day:不久前某一天;几天以前;
It's stupidly constructed , it's got way too many arbitrary coupling constants and mass ratios and superfluous families of elementary particles, and what the hell is dark energy? 它是愚蠢的构思, 有太多任意偶和常数 和质量比 和多余的又不同类的基本的粒子, 那黑色能量到底是什么？
stupidly:adv.愚蠢地; constructed:v.修建;建造;组成;编制,绘制;(construct的过去分词和过去式) arbitrary:adj.[数]任意的;武断的;专制的; mass:n.块,团; adj.群众的,民众的; v.聚集起来,聚集; ratios:n.比率(ratio的复数); v.以比率表示; superfluous:adj.多余的;不必要的;奢侈的; elementary:adj.基本的;初级的;[化学]元素的;
It's a stick and bubble gum contraption . 那是一根棍子和泡泡糖的玩意儿。
bubble:n.泡;气泡;肥皂泡;一点感情;v.起泡;冒泡;洋溢着(某种感情); gum:n.牙龈;树胶;齿龈;树脂;v.在…上涂胶;用黏胶粘; contraption:n.奇妙的装置;精巧的设计;
It's not an elegant universe. (Laughter) 不是一个优雅的宇宙。（笑声）
And then there's the best of all possible worlds in an ethical sense. 在道德意义上, 这全是尽善尽美满有可能性的世界
ethical:adj.伦理的;道德的;凭处方出售的;n.处方药;
You should get solemn now, because a world in which sentient beings don't suffer needlessly , in which there aren't things like childhood cancer or the Holocaust . 你现在应该要严肃一些, 因为世界里的众生 不会白白受苦, 在这点上, 没有儿童癌症或大屠杀。
sentient:adj.有感情的;有感觉力的;意识到的;n.有知觉的人; needlessly:adv.不必要地;无用地; childhood:n.童年;幼年;孩童时期 cancer:n.癌症;恶性肿瘤; Holocaust:n.大屠杀;毁灭;
This is an ethical conception . 这是一个伦理观念。
conception:n.怀孕;概念;设想;开始;
Anyway, so between nothingness and the fullest possible reality, various special realities. 总之, 存在于空无和尽可能的实相, 及各种特殊的实相之间。
Nothingness is special. It's the simplest. 空无是特别的,是最简单的。
Then there's the most elegant possible reality. 然后就有一个最优雅的可能实相。
That's special. 那样很特别。
The fullest possible reality, that's special. 最大可能的实相,那样很特别。
But what are we leaving out here? 但是我们在这里留下什么？
There's also just the crummy , generic realities that aren't special in any way, that are sort of random . 也有可能只是糟糕, 一般的实相 以任何方式都不特别, 是随机排序的。
crummy:adj.微不足道的;寒酸的;肮脏的; generic:adj.类的;一般的;属的;非商标的; random:adj.[数]随机的;任意的;胡乱的;n.随意;adv.胡乱地;
They're infinitely removed from nothingness, but they fall infinitely short of complete fullness . 他们从空无中永久删除, 但他们无限地缺乏一个完整的圆满。
infinitely:adv.无限地;极其; fullness:n.充满;丰富;完全;成熟;
They're a mixture of chaos and order, of mathematical elegance and ugliness . 他们是数学的优雅和丑陋中, 一种混乱与秩序的混杂物。
mixture:n.混合;结合体;混合物;集合体; chaos:n.混沌,混乱; elegance:n.典雅;高雅; ugliness:n.丑陋,丑陋之物;
So I would describe these realities as an infinite, mediocre , incomplete mess , a generic reality, a kind of cosmic junk shot. 所以我称这些实相为 一个无限,平庸,不完整的混乱, 一个通用的实相,一种宇宙垃圾弹。
mediocre:adj.普通的;平凡的;中等的; incomplete:n.未完成;adj.不完整的;不完全的;不完善的; mess:n.混乱;餐厅;杂乱;肮脏;v.使不整洁;弄脏;弄乱;随地便溺;
And these realities, is there a deity in any of these realities? 这些实相, 其中是否有神存在这些实相？
deity:n.神;神性;
Maybe, but the deity isn't perfect like the Judeo-Christian deity. 也许,但是这个神不完美 像犹太教和基督教的神那样。
Judeo-Christian:adj.犹太教与基督教所共有的;同是犹太教与基督教的;
The deity isn't all-good and all-powerful. 这个神并非都是善良和万能。
It might be instead 100 percent malevolent but only 80 percent effective , which pretty much describes the world we see around us, I think. (Laughter) 祂可能不是100%坏心 但只有80%有效力, 我认为,极可能诠释环绕着我们所看到的世界。
malevolent:adj.恶毒的;有恶意的;坏心肠的; effective:adj.有效的,起作用的;实际的,实在的;给人深刻印象;
So I would like to propose that the resolution to the mystery of existence is that the reality we exist in is one of these generic realities. 所以我想对存在的谜题 提出解决方法 我们存在的这个实相 是这些通用的实相之一。
propose:v.建议;提议;求婚;打算; resolution:n.解决;分辨;解析;决议;
Reality has to turn out some way. 实相已转变成某种方式。
It can either turn out to be nothing or everything or something in between. 它也可以变成空无 或所有东西或某些东西。
So if it has some special feature, like being really elegant or really full or really simple, like nothingness, that would require an explanation. 所以如果它有某些特征, 变得非常优雅或非常饱和 或非常简单,像空无一样, 这将需要一个解释。
But if it's just one of these random, generic realities, there's no further explanation for it. 但如果它只是这些的随机之一,通用的实相, 就没有进一步的解释。
And indeed, I would say that's the reality we live in. 总之,我觉得 那是我们所居住的实相。
That's what science is telling us. 那是科学这样告诉我们的。
At the beginning of the week, we got the exciting information that the theory of inflation, which predicts a big, infinite, messy , arbitrary, pointless reality, it's like a big frothing champagne coming out of a bottle endlessly , a vast universe, mostly a wasteland with little pockets of charm and order and peace, this has been confirmed, this inflationary scenario, by the observations made by radio telescopes in Antarctica 在本周初, 我们得到了一个令人兴奋的资讯 膨胀的理论预测了一个大的, 神性,混乱,随意,无意义的实相, 宛如一个大的泡泡香槟 无止境的从瓶子冒出, 浩瀚的宇宙,大多是一片荒地 有着一小口袋的魅力,秩序与和平。 这已被证实。 这个膨胀的宇宙剧本, 透过南极的电波望远镜观测
At the beginning of:在…的开始; predicts:vt.预报,预言;预知;vi.作出预言;作预料,作预报; messy:adj.肮脏的;凌乱的;不整洁的; pointless:adj.无意义的;钝的;不尖的;不得要领的; frothing:v.(使)起泡沫;(口)吐白沫;(froth的现在分词) champagne:n.香槟酒;香槟酒色; endlessly:adv.不断地;无穷尽地; wasteland:n.荒地,不毛之地;未开垦地,荒漠;(精神或文化上的)贫乏; charm:n.魅力;咒语;吸引力;魔力;v.迷住;吸引;保护; inflationary:adj.通货膨胀的;通货膨胀倾向的;通货膨胀引起的; observations:n.观察,观察值;观察结果;(observation的复数形式); telescopes:n.望远镜; v.套叠; (telescope的第三人称单数)
that looked at the signature of the gravitational waves from just before the Big Bang . 刚在大爆炸之前 看着引力波的足迹。
signature:n.署名;签名;信号; gravitational:adj.[力]重力的,[力]引力的; Bang:n.猛敲; v.猛敲; v.正好;
I'm sure you all know about this. 我确定你们都知道这件事情。
So anyway, I think there's some evidence that this really is the reality that we're stuck with. 所以,我认为有一些证据 证明我们真的被这个实相困住了。
evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明;
Now, why should you care? 现在,为什么你得关心这件事呢？
the question, "Why does the world exist?" 问题是,「为什么这个世界会存在？」
that's the cosmic question, it sort of rhymes with a more intimate question: 那是一个宇宙问题, 这类韵意有一个更密切的问题:
rhymes:n.押韵(rhyme的复数);尾韵;v.押韵(rhyme的第三人称单数形式); intimate:n.知己; v.暗示; adj.亲密的;
Why do I exist? Why do you exist? 为什么我会存在？为什么你会存在？
you know, our existence would seem to be amazingly improbable , because there's an enormous number of genetically possible humans, if you can compute it by looking at 你知道,我们的存在似乎令人不可置信, 因为有大量可能的人类基因, 如果你能这样计算
improbable:adj.不大可能的,未必确实的;不可信的; enormous:adj.庞大的,巨大的;凶暴的,极恶的; genetically:adv.从遗传学角度;从基因方面; compute:vt.计算;估算;用计算机计算;vi.计算;估算;推断;n.计算;估计;推断;
the number of the genes and the number of alleles and so forth, and a back-of-the-envelope calculation will tell you there are about 10 to the 10,000th possible humans, genetically. 基因数和等位基因数等等, 粗估计算将告你 有十到万分之一可能的 人类基因。
genes:n.基因;(gene的复数) alleles:n.[遗]等位基因;对偶基因(allele的复数);对立形质;
That's between a googol and a googolplex . 介于天文数字和巨数之间。
googolplex:n.古戈尔普勒克斯(后面带10的100次方个零的数目);
And the number of the actual humans that have existed is 100 billion, maybe 50 billion, an infinitesimal fraction , so all of us, we've won this amazing cosmic lottery . 人类实际存在的数目是 1000亿人,或许是500亿人, 一个无穷小的部分,所以我们所有人都是, 我们赢得了这个神奇的宇宙彩票。
infinitesimal:adj.无穷小的;无限小的;极小的;n.无限小;极微量;极小量; fraction:n.分数;小部分;小数;少量; lottery:n.彩票;碰运气的事,难算计的事;抽彩给奖法;
We're here. Okay. 我们在这里。好吗。
So what kind of reality do we want to live in? 所以我们想活在什么样的实相？
Do we want to live in a special reality? 我们想活在一个特别的实相吗？
What if we were living in the most elegant possible reality? 如果我们住在一个最优雅的可能实相呢？
What if:如果…怎么办?
Imagine the existential pressure on us to live up to that, to be elegant, not to pull down the tone of it. 想像我们的生存压力 是为了达到优雅, 不要推翻它的风格。
existential:adj.存在主义的;有关存在的;存在判断的; live up to:不辜负;做到;实践; pull down:下拉;断开; tone:n.语气:风格:特色:声音信号:v.使更结实:与…协调:
Or, what if we were living in the fullest possible reality? 或许,如果我们生活在一个完整可能的实相呢？
Well then our existence would be guaranteed , because every possible thing exists in that reality, but our choices would be meaningless. 那么我么的存在将得到保证, 因为一切可能的事情 都存在这个实相, 但我们的选择是无意义的。
guaranteed:adj.必然的; v.保证;
If I really struggle morally and agonize and I decide to do the right thing, what difference does it make, because there are an infinite number of versions of me also doing the right thing and an infinite number doing the wrong thing. 如果我真的在道德上争扎且苦苦思索 然后我决定去做对的事情。 这和它的创作的有什么不同, 因为我有 无限数量的版本 也在做对的事情 和无限数是在做错的事。
morally:adv.道德上;有道德地;确实地; agonize:v.苦苦思索;焦虑不已;
So my choices are meaningless. 所以很多选择都是无意义的。
So we don't want to live in that special reality. 所以我们不想生活在那个特别的实相。
And as for the special reality of nothingness, we wouldn't be having this conversation. 若不是有空无的特别实相, 我们就不会有这样的对话。
So I think living in a generic reality that's mediocre, there are nasty bits and nice bits and we could make the nice bits bigger and the nasty bits smaller and that gives us a kind of purpose in life. 所以我想住在一个平庸通用的实相, 有令人厌恶的位数资料和很好的位数资料 我们可以使好的位数大一点 令人厌恶的位数小一点 这给了我们一种人生的目标。
nasty:adj.极差的:令人厌恶的:不友好的:n.令人不愉快的事物:
The universe is absurd , but we can still construct a purpose, and that's a pretty good one, and the overall mediocrity of reality kind of resonates nicely with the mediocrity we all feel in the core of our being. 这个宇宙是废的, 但是我们仍然可以建构一个目的, 而且是非常好的一个, 整体的平庸实相 一种很好的平庸共鸣 我们都感到我们生存的核心。
absurd:adj.荒谬的;可笑的;n.荒诞;荒诞作品; overall:v.全部; n.外套; adj.全面的; mediocrity:n.平庸之才;平常; resonates:vt.共鸣;共振;vi.共鸣;共振; nicely:adv.细致地;有吸引力;令人满意;令人愉快;adj.强健的; core:n.核心;要点;果心;[计]磁心;vt.挖...的核;
And I know you feel it. 我知道你感觉到了。
I know you're all special, but you're still kind of secretly mediocre, don't you think? 我知道你很特别, 但是你仍然是某种秘密的平庸, 你不觉得吗？
(Laughter) (Applause) （笑声）（鼓掌）
So anyway, you may say, this puzzle, the mystery of existence, it's just silly mystery-mongering. 所以不管怎样,你可能会说这块拼图是存在的奥秘, 它只是个愚蠢的故弄玄虚。
You're not astonished at the existence of the universe and you're in good company. 你不会对宇宙的存在感到惊奇。 你有一些好伙伴。
Bertrand Russell said, "I should say the universe is just there, and that's all." 伯特兰·罗素说, 「我应该说宇宙就是在那里,就这样。」
Just a brute fact. 只是个赤祼祼的事实。
brute:adj.残忍的;无理性的;n.畜生;残暴的人;
And my professor at Columbia, Sidney Morgenbesser, a great philosophical wag , when I said to him, "Professor Morgenbesser, why is there something rather than nothing?" 我在哥伦比亚大学的教授,摩根贝沙, 一个伟大的哲学迷 当我问他,「摩根贝沙教授, 为什么会有物质存在而不是一切皆空？」
philosophical:adj.哲学的(等于philosophic);冷静的; wag:v.摇摆;摇动;喋喋不休;蹒跚而行;n.摇摆;爱说笑打趣的人;
And he said, "Oh, even if there was nothing, you still wouldn't be satisfied ." 他回答,「喔,即使是一切皆空, 你也不会感到满意的。」
satisfied:adj.满意的:满足的:v.使满意:使满足;(satisfy的过去分词和过去式)
So you're not astonished. I don't care. 那么你不感到惊奇。我不在乎。
But I will tell you something to conclude that I guarantee you will astonish you, because it's astonished all of the brilliant, wonderful people I've met at this TED conference , when I've told them, and it's this: 但我将告诉你一件事情做总结 我保证让你大吃一惊, 因为我让这次TED大会我所遇到的 所有卓越杰出的人士都大吃一惊, 当我跟他们说:
conclude:v.断定:得出结论:终止:达成:缔结(协定) conference:n.会议;研讨会;商讨会;体育协会(或联合会)
Never in my life have I had a cell phone. 我一辈子从未使用过手机。
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Laughter) (Applause) （笑声）（掌声）