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MurrayGellMann_2007-_物理中的美与真_
Thank you for putting up these pictures of my colleagues over here. 非常感谢把我同事的这些照片挂在这儿。
colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数);
(Laughter). We'll be talking about them. （众笑）我们待会就会谈到他们
Now, I'm going try an experiment. I don't do experiments, normally . I'm a theorist . 现在我来做个实验。我平常不做实验,只搞理论研究。
normally:adv.正常地;通常地,一般地; theorist:n.理论家;
But I'm going see what happens if I press this button. 来看看我按下这按钮会怎样。
Sure enough. OK. I used to work in this field of elementary particles . 好吧。我过去的科研方向是基本粒子。
elementary:adj.基本的;初级的;[化学]元素的; particles:n.微粒,粒子;粒子系统;碎木料(particle的复数形式);
What happens to matter if you chop it up very fine? 如果你把它再分下去会怎样呢？
chop:v.砍;劈;切碎;剁碎;n.砍;劈;剁;猪(或羊等)排;
What is it made of? 它是由什么组成的呢？
And the laws of these particles are valid throughout the universe, and they're very much connected with the history of the universe. 宇宙中这些基本粒子所遵循的物理规律都是一致的, 它们和宇宙的历史息息相关。
valid:adj.有效的;有根据的;合法的;正当的; throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及;
We know a lot about four forces. There must be a lot more, but those are at very, very small distances, and we haven't really interacted with them very much yet. 对基本粒子的四种作用力我们已经相当了解,但未知的部分肯定更多。 但对极其微小尺度的物质 我们还所知甚少。
interacted:v.交流;沟通;合作;相互影响;(interact的过去分词和过去式)
The main thing I want to talk about is this: that we have this remarkable experience in this field of fundamental physics that beauty is a very successful criterion for choosing the right theory. 我最想说的就是 在基础物理领域我们有这个显著的经验: 美是我们在判断理论正确与否时的一条十分有用的标准
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; fundamental:n.基础; adj.十分重大的; criterion:n.(批评判断的)标准;准则;规范;准据;
And why on earth could that be so? 但原因何在呢？
Well, here's an example from my own experience. 先让我讲一个我自己的经历吧。
It's fairly dramatic , actually, to have this happen. 它非常有戏剧性。
fairly:adv.相当地;公平地;简直; dramatic:adj.突然的;巨大的;令人吃惊的;激动人心的;
Three or four of us, in 1957, put forward a partially complete theory of one of these forces, this weak force . 在1957年,我们三四位同僚一起 提出了一个还算完整的弱相互作用理论。
put forward:v.提出;拿出;放出;推举出; partially:adv.部分地;偏袒地; weak force:n.弱力(宇宙四种基本力之一,产生于原子中的粒子之间);
And it was in disagreement with seven -- seven, count them, seven experiments. 这理论和当时7个实验结果都不吻合--足足七个,大家想想看！
Experiments were all wrong. 后来知道那些实验都是错的。
And we published before knowing that, because we figured it was so beautiful, it's gotta be right! 虽然我们当时并不知道后来知道那些实验都是错的,我们还是出版了我们的理论。 因为我们认为这个理论太美了,它必定是对的。
The experiments had to be wrong, and they were. 那些那些实验必须是错的,它们的确也是错的。
Now our friend over there, Albert Einstein, used to pay very little attention when people said, "You know, there's a man with an experiment that seems to disagree with special relativity . 我们的朋友爱因斯坦,他在那儿 听到别人说D.C.米勒的实验结果与他的狭义相对论不符时 他完全不放在心上,
relativity:n.相对论;相关性;相对性;
DC Miller . What about that?" And he would say, "Aw, that'll go away." (Laughter). 他会说:“哦,那实验肯定是错的！” （众笑）
Miller:n.磨坊主;磨坊工人;
Now, why does stuff like that work? That's the question. 为什么事情是这样的呢？这是个问题。
stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本:
Now, yeah, what do we mean by beautiful? That's one thing. 物理学中的美到底是什么呢？这是一方面。
I'll try to make that clear -- partially clear. 我会尽量说清楚究竟什么是物理中的美。
Why should it work, and is this something to do with human beings? 为什么它在物理中有很大作用,以及这是不是和人类自身有关呢？
I'll let you in on the answer to the last one that I offer, and that is, it has nothing to do with human beings. 我先回答最后一个问题 这和人类一点关系都没有。
Somewhere in some other planet, orbiting some very distant star, maybe in a another galaxy , there could well be entities that are at least as intelligent as we are, and are interested in science. It's not impossible; I think there probably are lots. 假设在遥远的星系的一颗行星上 也许在另一个银河系 存在着至少和我们一样聪明的智慧生物 他们同样对科学感兴趣。这并不是不可能的。我想也许存在很多这样的星球。
orbiting:v.[航][天]轨道运行;轨道运动;转圈(orbit的ing形式); distant:adj.遥远的;远处的;久远的; galaxy:n.银河;[天]星系;银河系;一群显赫的人; entities:n.实体;存在(entity的复数形式);字符实体; intelligent:adj.有才智的;悟性强的;聪明的;有智力的
Very likely, none is close enough to interact with us. 但它们十分有可能离我们太遥远了,以至于无法和我们交流。
But they could be out there, very easily. 但很大可能,他们的确存在。
And suppose they have, you know, very different sensory apparatus , and so on. 假设他们拥有和我们不同的感觉器官,比方说
suppose:v.推断:假定:假设:设想: sensory:adj.感觉的;知觉的;传递感觉的; apparatus:n.装置,设备;仪器;器官;
They have seven tentacles , and they have 14 little funny-looking compound eyes, and a brain shaped like a pretzel . 他们有7只触手,14个可笑的小复眼 和一个形似蝴蝶结的大脑。
tentacles:n.[动]触手;[动]触须(tentacle的复数); funny-looking:可笑的; compound:v.合成; adj.混合; n.大院; pretzel:n.(美)法国号;一种脆饼干;
Would they really have different laws? 他们会有不同的物理规律吗？
There are lots of people who believe that, and I think it is utter baloney . 很多人坚信有,可我认为这纯属胡扯。
utter:v.说;出声;讲;adj.完全的;十足的;彻底的; baloney:n.胡扯;熏肠;蠢货;int.荒谬(表示怀疑的感叹词);vt.对…胡扯;
I think there are laws out there, and we of course don't understand them at any given time very well 我想那里存在一些物理规律 尽管我们也还不能透彻了解全部的规律
- but we try. And we try to get closer and closer. 但我们会努力去了解它们。我们努力去接近它们。
And someday, we may actually figure out the fundamental unified theory of the particles and forces, what I call the "fundamental law." 也许终有一天,我们会找出宇宙中,关于粒子和力 基本又统一的定律,我管它叫“基本定律”
unified:adj.统一的;一致标准的;v.统一;使一致(unify的过去分词);
We may not even be terribly far from it. 也许现在我们离发现这个定律也并非那么遥远。
But even if we don't run across it in our lifetimes, we can still think there is one out there, and we're just trying to get closer and closer to it. 即便在有生之年我们看不到这一天 我们仍然可以坚信它的存在 我们所做的就是不断接近它。
run across:偶然遇到;跑着穿过;
I think that's the main point to be made. PPT上是我接下来要阐述的观点（以数学简洁表达出来的理论,就是美和优雅的。）
We express these things mathematically . 我们用数学描述理论
express:v.表达; adj.特快的; n.特快列车; v.使用快速服务; mathematically:adv.算术地,数学上地;
And when the mathematics is very simple -- when in terms of some mathematical notation , you can write the theory in a very brief space, without a lot of complication -- that's essentially what we mean by beauty or elegance . 而数学是简明的 就一些数学符号而言 你可以把一个理论简洁的表示出来,一点也不复杂 这种理论就是美丽和优雅的
mathematics:n.数学;数学运算; notation:n.符号;乐谱;注释;记号法; complication:n.并发症;复杂;复杂化;混乱; essentially:adv.本质上;本来; elegance:n.典雅;高雅;
Here's what I was saying about the laws. They're really there. 这也就是我说“基本定律”,他们的确是存在的。
Newton certainly believed that. 牛顿肯定也持这一观点。
Newton:n.牛顿(英国科学家);牛顿(力的单位);
And he said, here, "It is the business of natural philosophy to find out those laws." 他说:“自然哲学（在牛顿时代,自然哲学=科学）的目标就是发现自然界的基本规律。”
philosophy:n.哲学;哲理;人生观;
The basic law, let's say -- here's an assumption . 这里有一个关于基本定律的假设
assumption:n.假定;设想;担任;采取;
The assumption is that the basic law really takes the form of a unified theory of all the particles. 基本定律是 关于所有粒子的一种统一理论。
Now, some people call that a theory of everything. 有些人称其为“万有理论”
That's wrong, because the theory is quantum mechanical . 那不对,因为那个理论是关于量子力学的。
quantum:n.量子论;额;美国昆腾公司(世界领先的硬盘生产商); mechanical:adj.机械的;力学的;呆板的;无意识的;手工操作的;
And I won't go into a lot of stuff about quantum mechanics and what it's like, and so on. 我不会讲一些关于量子力学的知识,比如什么是量子力学之类。
quantum mechanics:n.量子力学;
You've heard a lot of wrong things about it anyway. (Laughter). 你们一定听说过很多关于量子力学的错误说法。（众笑）
There are even movies about it with a lot of wrong stuff. 甚至还有几部与之相关的电影,里面也是错误百出。
But the main thing here is that it predicts probabilities . 但最主要的是量子力学能预测可能性。
predicts:vt.预报,预言;预知;vi.作出预言;作预料,作预报; probabilities:可能性;[统计]概率(probability的复数);
Now, sometimes those probabilities are near certainties . 有时它的预测是接近正确的
certainties:n.必然;确实;确实的事情;
And in a lot of familiar cases, they of course are. 在很多常见的情况下,他们一定如此
familiar:adj.熟悉的;常见的;亲近的;n.常客;密友;
But other times they're not, and you have only probabilities for different outcomes . 但在其他时候则未必,你能获知的只是各种可能性而已。
outcomes:n.结果;成果;后果;出路;(outcome的复数)
So what that means is that the history of the universe is not determined just by the fundamental law. 因此,这说明决定宇宙的历史不仅仅有基本定律。
determined:adj.决定了的:v.决定;(determine的过去分词和过去式)
It's the fundamental law and this incredibly long series of accidents, or chance outcomes, that are there in addition . 它们应包括基本定律和不确定性, 还有偶发事件
incredibly:adv.难以置信地;非常地; series:n.系列,连续;[电]串联;级数;丛书; addition:n.添加;[数]加法;增加物;
And the fundamental theory doesn't include those chance outcomes; they are in addition. 而基本定律可不包括这些结果,他们是额外附加的。
So it's not a theory of everything. And in fact, a huge amount of the information in the universe around us comes from those accidents, and not just from the fundamental laws. 所以基本定律不是万有理论。事实上,我们周围宇宙中 大量的信息从这些不确定性而来, 而并非来自基本定律。
Now, it's often said that getting closer and closer to the fundamental laws by examining phenomena at low energies, and then higher energies, and then higher energies, or short distances, and then shorter distances, and then still shorter distances, and so on, is like peeling the skin of an onion. 现在人们总是说,通过以下方法来接近基本定律 先是在低能量下,然后是高能量下观察现象 接着是更高能量,小尺度,更小的尺度 再小的尺度,就像 剥洋葱皮一样。
phenomena:n.现象(phenomenon的复数);
And we keep doing that, and build more powerful machines, accelerators for particles. 我们的确一直这么做。 建造更强的机器来加速粒子
accelerators:n.[核]加速器(accelerator的复数形式);
We look deeper and deeper into the structure of particles, and in that way we get probably closer and closer to this fundamental law. 我们不断深入到粒子的更微小的结构当中, 这样我们可能会更接近基本定律。
structure:n.结构;构造;建筑物;vt.组织;构成;建造;
Now, what happens is that as we do that, as we peel these skins of the onion, and we get closer and closer to the underlying law, we see that each skin has something in common with the previous one, 当我们剥下这些洋葱皮 从而接近下一层的定律时, 我们发现每一层洋葱皮和它前一层
underlying:adj.根本的; v.构成…的基础; (underlie的现在分词) in common with:与…一样; previous:adj.以前的;早先的;过早的;adv.在先;在…以前;
and with the next one. We write them out mathematically, and we see they use very similar mathematics. 、后一层之间都存在共性。当我们用数学把它们表示出来时 我们发现他们使用的数学是相似的。
They require very similar mathematics. 他们需要十分相似的数学。
That is absolutely remarkable, and that is a central feature of what I'm trying to say today. 那绝对是惊人的发现, 那也正是我今天最想说的。
absolutely:adv.绝对地;完全地;
Newton called it -- that's Newton, by the way -- that one. 牛顿称它为...,顺便说一下那就是牛顿
by the way:顺便说一下;
This one is Albert Einstein. Hi, Al! And anyway, he said, "nature conformable to herself" -- personifying nature as a female . 这是爱因斯坦。你好,小爱。无论怎样, 他说: 大自然是自适应的。 （并赋予自然以女性的形象）
conformable:adj.一致的;顺从的;适合的; personifying:vt.使人格化;赋与…以人性; female:adj.女性的;雌性的;柔弱的,柔和的;n.女人;[动]雌性动物;
And so what happens is that the new phenomena, the new skins, the inner skins of the slightly smaller skins of the onion that we get to, resemble the slightly larger ones. 这个新现象 新的 洋葱皮 ,洋葱内小的那层 当我们接近它时,它就像大的那些层。
inner:n.内部;射中接近靶心部分的一发;adj.里面的;向内的;内部的;接近中心的; slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地; resemble:v.看起来像;显得像;像;
And the kind of mathematics that we had for the previous skin is almost the same as what we need for the next skin. 关于之前一层“洋葱皮”的数学机制 和后面的一层几乎一样。
And that's why the equations look so simple. 这就是为什么这些方程看起来如此简单。
equations:n.方程式;等式;均等;均势(equation的复数形式);
Because they use mathematics we already have. 因为它们使用的数学是我们已经熟知的。
A trivial example is this: Newton found the law of gravity, which goes like one over the square of the distance between the things gravitated . 这有一个小例子:牛顿发现了万有引力定律 万有引力的大小与物体间距离的平方成正比
trivial:adj.不重要的,琐碎的;琐细的; gravitated:v.被吸引到;受吸引而参加(gravitate的过去分词和过去式)
Coulomb , in France, found the same law for electric charges. 法国的库伦发现电荷间的作用也遵循同样的规律。
Coulomb:n.库仑(电量单位); electric:n.供电;adj.电的;用电的;电动的;发电的;
Here's an example of this similarity . 这就是相似性的一个例子。
similarity:n.类似;相似点;
You look at gravity, you see a certain law. 当你看万有引力时,你会看到一定的定律。
Then you look at electricity . Sure enough. The same rule. 而当你看电荷间的作用时,你将会发现相同的规律。
electricity:n.电力;电流;强烈的紧张情绪;
It's a very simple example. 这是一个非常简单的例子。
There are lots of more sophisticated examples. 还有更多复杂的例子。
sophisticated:adj.复杂的;老练的;见多识广的;水平高的;
Symmetry is very important in this discussion. 对称性在这里是非常重要的。
Symmetry:n.对称(性);整齐,匀称;
You know what it means. A circle, for example, is symmetric under rotations about the center of the circle. 你们对此一定很了解。举个例子来说,一个圆 绕中心旋转是对称的。
symmetric:adj.对称的;匀称的; rotations:n.旋转;循环(rotation的复数);
You rotate around the center of the circle, the circle remains unchanged . 你绕圆心旋转,圆会保持不变。
rotate:v.旋转;转动;轮换;使…轮流; unchanged:adj.未改变的;
You take a sphere , in three dimensions , you rotate around the center of the sphere , and all those rotations leave the sphere alone. 当你绕着一个三维的球旋转时 所有这些旋转都不会使球发生变化
sphere:n.球;领域;球体;球形;v.使成球形;包围;把…放在球内;使处于天体之间; dimensions:n.规模,大小;
They are symmetries of the sphere. 它们就是球的对称性。
symmetries:匀称;
So we say, in general , that there's a symmetry under certain operations if those operations leave the phenomenon , or its description , unchanged. 所以大体上来说, 如果一个物体或一种现象经过某种操作后能够保持不变, 那么它就具有对称性。
in general:总之,通常;一般而言; phenomenon:n.现象;杰出的人;非凡的人(或事物); description:n.说明;形容;描写(文字);类型;
Maxwell's equations are of course symmetrical under rotations of all of space. 麦克斯韦方程就具有这种对称性, 在空间旋转的条件下。
symmetrical:adj.匀称的,对称的;
Doesn't matter if we turn the whole of space around by some angle, it doesn't leave the -- doesn't change the phenomenon of electricity or magnetism . 无论我们把空间旋转怎样一个角度, 电和磁的显现都不会改变。 电和磁的显现都不会改变。 它都不会改变电磁现象。
magnetism:n.磁性,磁力;磁学;吸引力;
There's a new notation in the 19th century that expressed this, and if you use that notation, the equations get a lot simpler. 19世纪出现了一种新的符号法则来表达麦克斯韦方程, 如果你使用那套符号,麦克斯韦方程组会变得更加简洁。
expressed:v.表示;表达;显而易见;不言自明;(express的过去分词和过去式)
Then Einstein, with his special theory of relativity, looked at a whole set of symmetries of Maxwell's equations, which are called special relativity. 爱因斯坦的狭义相对论 关注的是麦克斯韦方程体系的整体对称性。 这被称之为狭义相对论
And those symmetries, then, make the equations even shorter, and even prettier, therefore. 这些对称使得麦克斯韦方程组更简洁,更加漂亮。
Let's look. You don't have to know what these things mean, doesn't make any difference. 让我们看看幻灯片。你们并不用知道这些公式具体的含义是什么,这没什么大影响,
But you can just look at the form. (Laughter). You can look at the form. 你只需看它们的形式就行啦（众笑）。让我们看一下它的形式。
You see above, at the top, a long list of equations with three components for the three directions of space: x, y and z. 你们可以看到,在上方,很长的一列 这是一系列具有xyz三个空间分量的方程组。
components:n.部件;组件;成份(component复数);
Then, using vector analysis , you use rotational symmetry, and you get this next set. 用矢量分析,利用对称性,你们会看到接下来这种形势。
vector:n.矢量;带菌者;航线;vt.用无线电导航; analysis:n.分析;分解;验定; rotational:adj.转动的;回转的;轮流的;
Then you use the symmetry of special relativity and you get an even simpler set down here, showing that symmetry exhibits better and better. 当你使用狭义相对论的对称形式时,你就会得到一种更加简洁的形式。 它显示对称性越来越好
exhibits:n.展览(exhibit的复数);陈列品;v.展览;陈列(exhibit的第三人称单数);
The more and more symmetry you have, the better you exhibit the simplicity and elegance of the theory. 越是对称,你的理论就会呈现出更加简洁和优雅的形式。
simplicity:n.朴素;简易;天真;愚蠢;
The last two, the first equation says that electric charges and currents give rise to all the electric and magnetic fields. 我们来看最后两个方程,第一个方程说明 电荷和电流是怎样产生电场和磁场的,
give rise to:使发生,引起; magnetic:adj.像磁铁的;有磁性的;磁的;富有吸引力的;
The next -- second -- equation says that there is no magnetism other than that. 接下来的一个方程说明除了磁场之外没有别的东西了。
The only magnetism comes from electric charges and currents. 磁场唯一的来源就是电荷和电流。
Someday we may find some slight hole in that argument. 也许有一天我们会发现这些理论中的小小不足
But for the moment, that's the case. 但就现在看来,这种理论还是正确的。
Now, here is a very exciting development that many people have not heard of. 现在有一个很多人都没有听说过的令人兴奋的发展。
They should have heard of it, but it's a little tricky to explain in technical detail, so I won't do it. I'll just mention it. (Laughter). 他们应当听说过它,但是把它解释清楚需要一些技巧, 所以我不准备这么做了。我就是稍微提一下。
tricky:adj.难办的;难对付的;狡猾的;诡计多端的; technical:adj.工艺的,科技的;技术上的;专门的;
But Chen Ning Yang, called by us " Frank " Yang -- (Laughter) 杨振宁,我们叫他 夫兰克 杨
Frank:adj.坦白的,直率的;老实的;n.免费邮寄特权;v.免费邮寄;
- and Bob Mills put forward, 50 years ago, this generalization of Maxwell's equations, with a new symmetry. 和罗伯特-米尔斯,在50年前提出的 这种对麦克斯韦方程组的概括有全新的对称性。
Mills:n.磨坊; v.碾碎,磨成粉(mill的第三人称单数和复数) generalization:n.概括;普遍化;一般化;
A whole new symmetry. 一种全新的对称。
Mathematics very similar, but there was a whole new symmetry. 在数学上很相似,但这是一种全新的对称。
They hoped that this would contribute somehow to particle physics 他们希望这会对粒子物理有某种帮助。
contribute:v.贡献,出力;投稿;捐献; somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地;
- didn't. It didn't, by itself, contribute to particle physics. 然而它本身并没有对粒子物理有帮助。
contribute to:有助于;捐献;
But then some of us generalized it further. And then it did! 但是我们中的一些人把它更进一步的推广了。于是成功了。
generalized:adj.广义的,普遍的; v.推广(generalize的过去分词);
And it gave a very beautiful description of the strong force and of the weak force. 它给出一种非常漂亮的方法来描述强相互作用和弱相互作用。
strong force:n.强力(宇宙四种基本力之一,将原子核各部分结合在一起);
So here we say, again, what we said before: that each skin of the onion shows a similarity to the adjoining skins. 所以我们说,正如我之前所说的, 正如洋葱皮之间存在着联系一样,
adjoining:adj.隔壁;v.紧挨;邻接;毗连;(adjoin的现在分词)
So the mathematics for the adjoining skins is very similar to what we need for the new one. 描述新旧理论的数学也是相似的。
And therefore it looks beautiful. 因此它看上去美极了。
Because we already know how to write it in a lovely, concise way. 因为我们已经知道用如何把它用漂亮和简明的方式表示出来。
concise:adj.简明的,简洁的;
So here are the themes. We believe there is a unified theory underlying all the regularities . 这是所有的主题。我们相信在所有的规律下有一个统一的理论。
regularities:n.规律(regularity的复数);
Steps toward unification exhibit the simplicity. 在接近统一理论的过程中,呈现出对称性。
unification:n.统一;一致;联合;
Symmetry exhibits the simplicity. 对称性显示出了简洁。
And then there is self-similarity across the scales -- in other words, from one skin of the onion to another one. 在所有的尺度上都存在着自相似性,换句话说 从洋葱的一层到另一层
scales:n.规模范围; v.攀登; (scale的第三人称单数和复数)
Proximate self-similarity. And that accounts for this phenomenon. 大体上来说是自相似的。那就解释了这个现象。
Proximate:adj.近似的;最近的;
That will account for why beauty is a successful criterion for selecting the right theory. 那也将解释为什么美是选择正确理论的成功准则。
account for:对…负有责任;对…做出解释;说明…的原因;导致;(比例)占;
Here's what Newton himself said: "Nature is very consonant and conformable to her self." 牛顿光学指出: “自然是和谐和自相似的。”
consonant:adj.辅音的;一致的;和谐的;n.辅音;辅音字母;
One thing he was thinking of is something that most of us take for granted today, but in his day it wasn't taken for granted. 他的这种思想在我们今天看来是天经地义的, 然而在他的那个时代人们可不这么想。
take for granted:认为…理所当然;
There's the story, which is not absolutely certain to be right, but a lot of people told it. 这有一个故事,这个故事并不一定是真的,但很多人都讲过。
Four sources told it. That when they had the plague in Cambridge , and he went down to his mother's farm -- because the university was closed -- he saw an apple fall from a tree, or on his head or something. 它有四个来源。当剑桥大学爆发瘟疫时, 牛顿回到到他母亲的农场,由于大学停课了 他看到苹果从树上落下来, 砸到了他的脑袋或者其他什么东西,
sources:n.来源;出处;起源;根源;原因;v.(从…)获得(source的第三人称单数和复数) plague:n.瘟疫;灾祸;麻烦;讨厌的人;vt.折磨;使苦恼;使得灾祸; Cambridge:n.剑桥(英国城市);坎布里奇(美国马萨诸塞州城市);
And he realized suddenly that the force that drew the apple down to the earth could be the same as the force regulating the motions of the planets and the moon. 他突然意识到这种把苹果吸向地面的力 很有可能和规范月球和行星运动的力是一致的
down to the earth:脚踏实地; regulating:vt.调节;校正(regulate的现在分词);
That was a big unification for those days, although today we take it for granted . 虽然今天看来这是无可厚非的,在那个年代,这是一个伟大的统一。
take it for granted:认为理所当然;想当然;
It's the same theory of gravity. 它就是万有引力定律。
So he said that this principle of nature, consonance : "This principle of nature being very remote from the conceptions of philosophers , 所以他说,自然界的原理,和谐 这种自然法则与哲学家的观念相距甚远。
principle:n.原理,原则;主义,道义;本质,本义;根源,源泉; consonance:n.一致,调和;和音; remote:adj.偏远的;偏僻的;遥远的;久远的; conceptions:[妇产]怀孕;概念;设想;开始(conception的复数形式); philosophers:n.哲学家(philosopher的复数);
I forbore to describe it in that book, least I should be accounted an extravagant freak ... " 我克制自己没有把这种想法写进我的书里, 除非我想被认为是一个奢侈的怪胎
forbore:v.抑制(forbear的过去式); describe:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形; extravagant:adj.奢侈的;浪费的;过度的;放纵的; freak:n.怪人,怪事;畸形人;反复无常;adj.奇异的,反常的;
That's what we all have to watch out for . (Laughter). Especially at this meeting. 对一点我们都十分小心。（众笑）特别是在这个会议上。
watch out for:戒备;密切注意;留意;注意; Especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分;
'" ... and so prejudice my readers against all those things which were the main design of the book." “我的读者对本书的主要内容怀有偏见”。
prejudice:n.偏见;侵害;vt.损害;使有偏见;
Now, who today would claim that as a mere conceit of the human mind? 谁想被视为一个妄想狂呢？
claim:v.要求;声称;需要;认领;n.要求;声称;索赔;断言;值得; mere:adj.仅仅的;只不过的;n.小湖;池塘; conceit:n.自负;骄傲自大;巧妙的言辞;别出心裁的比喻;v.中意于;想像;理解
That the force that causes the apple to fall to the ground is the same force that causes the planets and the moon to move around , and so on? Everybody knows that. It's a property of gravitation . 把苹果吸向地面的力 很有可能和使月球和行星运动的力是一致的, 等等？每个人都知道。它就是万有引力的性质。
move around:v.走来走去;绕着…来回转; gravitation:n.重力;万有引力;地心吸力;
It's not something in the human mind. The human mind can, of course, appreciate it and enjoy it, use it, but it's not -- it doesn't stem from the human mind. 它并不是人们头脑中的思想。当然人类的思想可以理解它, 欣赏它,使用它。但它并非来自于人类的思维。
appreciate:v.欣赏;感激;感谢;理解; stem:n.花草的茎或梗;高脚酒杯的脚;烟斗柄;词干;v.阻止;封堵;遏止;
It stems from the character of gravity. 它来自于万有引力的性质。
stems:n.花草的茎或梗; v.阻止; (stem的第三人称单数和复数)
And that's true of all the things we're talking about. 那对我们所谈论的一切都是对的。
They are properties of the fundamental law. 它们是基本定律的性质。
The fundamental law is such that the different skins of the onion resemble one another, and therefore the math for one skin allows you to express beautifully and simply the phenomenon of the next skin. 基本定律就像一层一层的相似的洋葱皮。 因此用来描述“一层洋葱皮”的数学可以优美并且简单的 表述另外一层。
I say here that Newton did a lot of things that year: gravity, the laws of motion , the calculus , white light composed of all the colors of the rainbow . 那一年牛顿做出了很多贡献: 万有引力定律,牛顿运动定律,微积分,并发现白光是由类似彩虹的不同颜色的光组成的。
motion:n.动作;移动;手势;请求;意向;议案;v.运动;打手势; calculus:n.[病理]结石;微积分学; white light:n.白光; composed:adj.由…组成的; v.组成; (compose的过去分词和过去式) rainbow:n.彩虹
And he could have written quite an essay on "What I Did Over My Summer Vacation." 他应该写一篇论文,题目就叫做“我在暑假都干了什么”
(Laughter). （众笑）
So we don't have to assume these principles as separate metaphysical postulates . 因此我们不需要假定这些原则是独立的抽象假设。
assume:v.承担;假定;采取;呈现; principles:n.原则;主义;本质;政策;(principle的复数) metaphysical:adj.形而上学的;超自然的;玄学派诗歌的; postulates:n.假设; v.假定(postulate的第三人称单数);
They follow from the fundamental theory. 它们是由基本定律推导出的。
They are what we call emergent properties. 我们称之为涌现性。
emergent:adj.紧急的;浮现的;意外的;自然发生的;
You don't need -- you don't need something more to get something more. 我们不需要一些东西来得到更多的东西。
That's what emergence means. 这就是涌现性的含义。
emergence:n.出现,浮现;发生;露头;
Life can emerge from physics and chemistry, plus a lot of accidents. 生命源于物理和化学,再加上很多意外。
The human mind can arise from neurobiology and a lot of accidents, the way the chemical bond arises from physics and certain accidents. 人类的智慧源于神精细胞和很多意外因素。 这些化学作用源于物理和特定的意外因素。
neurobiology:n.神经生物学; chemical:n.化学制品,化学药品;adj.化学的; arises:v.出现;发生;站立;
It doesn't diminish the importance of these subjects to know that they follow from more fundamental things, plus accidents. 这并不会较少其重要性,当 了解到它们遵循基本定律和一些意外因素
diminish:vt.使减少;使变小;vi.减少,缩小;变小;
That's a general rule, and it's critically important to realize that. 那是一个大体上的原则,意识到这点很重要。
critically:adv.精密地;危急地;批评性地;用钻研眼光地;
You don't need something more in order to get something more. 你不需要更多的东西来得到更多的东西。
People keep asking that when they read my book, The Quark and the Jaguar . 当人们读我的书《夸克和美洲豹》,他们总是禁不住要问。
Quark:n.[高能][天]夸克(理论上一种比原子更小的基本粒子); Jaguar:n.捷豹(汽车品牌);
And they say, "Isn't there something more beyond what you have there?" 他们说:除了你说的那些以外,还有其他更多的吗？
Presumably , they mean something supernatural . 他们很可能在问是否存在超自然。
Presumably:adv.大概;推测起来;可假定; supernatural:adj.超自然的;神奇的,不可思议的;n.超自然现象;不可思议的事;
Anyway, there isn't. (Laughter). 无论怎样它不存在。（众笑）
You don't need something more to explain something more. 你不需要更多的东西来解释更多的东西。
Thank you very much. (Applause) 非常感谢。（众笑）