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RichardDawkins_2002-_对无神论斗士的讲话_
That splendid music, the coming-in music, "The Elephant March" from " Aida ," is the music I've chosen for my funeral . 那是歌剧《阿依达》中的 “The Elephant March , 是我为自己的葬礼准备的音乐。
Aida:n.[纺]菱形花纹平布; funeral:n.葬礼;麻烦事;adj.丧葬的,出殡的;
(Laughter) (笑)
And you can see why. It's triumphal . 大家都明白吧,这是充满着胜利感的音乐。
triumphal:adj.凯旋的,胜利的;
I won't feel anything, but if I could, 我觉得 - 当然我不会感觉到任何东西,但如果死后有感觉的话,
I would feel triumphal at having lived at all, and at having lived on this splendid planet, and having been given the opportunity to understand something about why I was here in the first place , before not being here. 我会觉得生存过就是一种胜利, 在这么一个辉煌的星球生存过, 得到机会去了解, 为什么我会在来到这里之前存在。
in the first place:首先;起初;
Can you understand my quaint English accent ? 大家都能听懂我古雅的英文口音吗？
quaint:adj.古雅的;奇怪的;离奇有趣的;做得很精巧的; accent:n.口音;重音;强调;特点;重音符号;v.强调;重读;带…口音讲话;
(Laughter)
Like everybody else, I was entranced yesterday by the animal session .
session:n.会议;(法庭的)开庭;(议会等的)开会;学期;讲习会;
Robert Full and Frans Lanting and others; the beauty of the things that they showed. 都展示了优美的东西。
The only slight jarring note was when Jeffrey Katzenberg said of the mustang , "the most splendid creatures that God put on this earth." 唯一稍微有点不和谐的是当Jeffery Katzenberg说到野马的时候, “上帝在地球上创造的最优美的生物。”
slight:adj.轻微的;略微的;细小的;纤细的;n.侮慢;冷落;轻视;v.侮慢;冷落;轻视; mustang:n.野马(产于墨西哥和北美平原);海军行伍出身的军官(美国俚语); creatures:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人(creature的复数)
Now of course, we know that he didn't really mean that, but in this country at the moment, you can't be too careful. 当然,我们知道他不是真的要表达这个意思, 但是在这个国家这个时候,你不得不非常小心。
(Laughter) （笑）
I'm a biologist , and the central theorem of our subject: the theory of design, 我是一个生物学家,而我们学科的中心主题是:设计的理论,
biologist:n.生物学家; theorem:n.[数]定理;原理;
Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection . 达尔文的物竞天择的进化论,
evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进; natural selection:n.自然选择;物竞天择;
In professional circles everywhere, it's of course universally accepted. 在任何一个职业圈里,当然都是被广为接受的。
professional:adj.专业的;职业的;职业性的;n.专业人员;职业运动员; universally:adv.普遍地;人人;到处;
In non-professional circles outside America, it's largely ignored . 在美国以外的非职业圈里则是基本上没人理睬的。
non-professional:非专业的; largely:adv.主要地;大部分;大量地; ignored:v.忽视;对…不予理会;佯装未见;不予理睬;(ignore的过去分词和过去式)
But in non-professional circles within America, it arouses so much hostility -- 但是在美国的非职业圈里呢, 它却引来了那么多的敌意 --
arouses:唤醒; hostility:n.敌意;战争行动;
(Laughter) （笑）
it's fair to say that American biologists are in a state of war. 例如历史和哲学,
biologists:n.生物学家(biologist的复数);
The war is so worrying at present, with court cases coming up in one state after another, that I felt I had to say something about it. 而这场战争现在是那么的让人担心, 法庭诉讼案件在一个又一个的州出现,
If you want to know what I have to say about Darwinism itself, 如果你想知道我对达尔文主义的看法,
Darwinism:n.达尔文主义;进化论;达尔文学说;
I'm afraid you're going to have to look at my books, which you won't find in the bookstore outside. 恐怕你必须看我的书, 那本你无法在外面的书店找到的书。
(Laughter) （笑）
Contemporary court cases often concern an allegedly new version of creationism, called " Intelligent Design," or ID. 当下的法庭诉讼案件, 经常是关于一种所谓的新版本的创世说, 叫智能设计或者ID
Contemporary:n.同时代的人;同时期的东西;adj.当代的;同时代的;属于同一时期的; concern:v.涉及,关系到;使担心;n.关系;关心;关心的事; allegedly:adv.依其申述;据说,据称; Intelligent:adj.有才智的;悟性强的;聪明的;有智力的
Don't be fooled. There's nothing new about ID. 不要被蒙骗了,ID没有新鲜的东西。
It's just creationism under another name, rechristened -- I choose the word advisedly -- 它只是创世说换了个名堂而已。
rechristened:vt.改名;重新命名;再度命名;再次施洗礼; advisedly:adv.经过考虑地;故意地;
(Laughter) （笑）
for tactical , political reasons. -因为策略上和政治上的原因。
tactical:adj.战术的;策略的;善于策略的;
The arguments of so-called ID theorists are the same old arguments that had been refuted again and again , since Darwin down to the present day . 所谓的ID论者的论据 和那些被一次又一次的否定过的论据是一模一样的, 从达尔文的时代到今天。
so-called:adj.所谓的;号称的; theorists:理论家; refuted:vt.反驳,驳斥;驳倒; again and again:adv.再三地,反复地; present day:adj.现代的;当今的;现在的;现时的;
There is an effective evolution lobby coordinating the fight on behalf of science, and I try to do all I can to help them, but they get quite upset when people like me dare to mention that we happen to be atheists as well as evolutionists. 有一个有效的进化论游说团体, 代表着科学组织着战斗, 而我则尽我所能的帮助他们, 但他们会很不愉快,当像我这样的人胆敢提到 我们是进化论者,同时也是无神论者。
effective:adj.有效的,起作用的;实际的,实在的;给人深刻印象; lobby:n.大堂;门厅;民众接待厅;游说;v.游说(从政者或政府); coordinating:v.使协调;使相配合;搭配,协调;(coordinate的现在分词) on behalf of:代表;为了; upset:adj.沮丧; v.打乱; n.苦恼; (意外的)混乱; atheists:n.无神论者; as well as:也;和…一样;不但…而且;
They see us as rocking the boat, and you can understand why. 他们觉得我们在制造不必要的麻烦,你们都明白为什么原因。
Creationists , lacking any coherent scientific argument for their case, fall back on the popular phobia against atheism : 只能够利用大众对无神论的恐惧心理。
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); coherent:adj.连贯的,一致的;明了的;清晰的;凝聚性的;互相耦合的;粘在一起的; scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; fall back on:转而依靠;求助于; phobia:n.恐怖,憎恶;恐惧症; atheism:n.不信神,无神论;
Teach your children evolution in biology class, and they'll soon move on to drugs, grand larceny and sexual "pre-version." 如果你在生物课里教你的孩子进化论, 那他们很快就会变成瘾君子,惯偷和性变态。
biology:n.(一个地区全部的)生物;生物学; larceny:n.盗窃;盗窃罪; sexual:adj.性的;性别的;有性的;
(Laughter) （笑）
In fact, of course, educated theologians from the Pope down are firm in their support of evolution. 事实上,当然,自教皇以下的有教养的神学家 都是坚决地支持进化论的。
theologians:n.神学者;空头理论家; Pope:n.教皇,罗马教皇;权威,大师;
This book, "Finding Darwin's God," by Kenneth Miller , is one of the most effective attacks on Intelligent Design that I know and it's all the more effective because it's written by a devout Christian. 这本书,Kenneth Miller的“寻找达尔文的上帝”, 是对智能设计最有效的攻击之一
Miller:n.磨坊主;磨坊工人; all the more:更加;越发; devout:adj.虔诚的;衷心的;
People like Kenneth Miller could be called a " godsend " to the evolution lobby, 像Kenneth Miller这样的人可以说是上帝赐给进化论游说团体的礼物 --
godsend:n.天赐之物;意外获得的幸运;
(Laughter) （笑）
because they expose the lie that evolutionism is, as a matter of fact , tantamount to atheism. - 因为他们揭露了进化论就是
expose:v.揭露,揭发;使曝光;显示; evolutionism:n.[进化]进化论;adj.进化论的; as a matter of fact:事实上; tantamount:adj.同等的;相当于…的;
People like me, on the other hand , rock the boat . 而像我这样的人呢,在制造麻烦。
on the other hand:另一方面; rock the boat:捣乱;破坏良好的现状;使遇到危险;
But here, I want to say something nice about creationists. 不过在这里,我要为创世论者说点好话。
It's not a thing I often do, so listen carefully. 这可不是我常干的事,所以请细心听好。
(Laughter) （笑）
I think they're right about one thing. 我觉得他们在一件事上是对的。
I think they're right that evolution is fundamentally hostile to religion. 他们正确的认识到,进化 跟宗教是根本上势不两立的。
fundamentally:adv.从根本上;基础地;重要地 hostile:adj.敌意的; n.敌对分子;
I've already said that many individual evolutionists, like the Pope, are also religious , but I think they're deluding themselves. 同时信奉宗教的,但我觉得他们在自欺欺人。
individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的; religious:adj.宗教的;虔诚的;严谨的;修道的;n.修道士;尼姑; deluding:vt.迷惑;逃避;使失望;
I believe a true understanding of Darwinism is deeply corrosive to religious faith . 我相信达尔文主义的真正含义 是对宗教信仰有很大的腐蚀性的。
corrosive:adj.腐蚀的;侵蚀性的;n.腐蚀物; faith:n.信心;信任;宗教信仰;
Now, it may sound as though I'm about to preach atheism, and I want to reassure you that that's not what I'm going to do. 也许我现在听起来像是在为无神论讲道, 但我保证这不是我要做的事情。
preach:v.宣扬;说教;布道;n.说教;训诫; reassure:vt.使…安心,使消除疑虑;
In an audience as sophisticated as this one, that would be preaching to the choir . 在一群这么有智慧的听众面前 那就像向唱诗班报道。
sophisticated:adj.复杂的;老练的;见多识广的;水平高的; preaching:v.讲道(尤指教堂中礼拜时); n.讲道; (preach的现在分词) choir:n.唱诗班;合唱团,歌唱队;
No, what I want to urge upon you -- 不,我所要想你们敦促的是--
(Laughter)
Instead, what I want to urge upon you is militant atheism. 我所要向你们敦促的是成为无神论的斗士。
militant:adj.好战的;n.富有战斗性的人;好斗者;激进分子;
(Laughter) （笑）
(Applause) （鼓掌）
But that's putting it too negatively . 但这又把它说得太消极了。
negatively:adv.消极地;否定地;
If I was a person who were interested in preserving religious faith, 如果我要--如果我是一个要维护宗教信仰的人,
preserving:n.保留,保存;
I would be very afraid of the positive power of evolutionary science, and indeed science generally , but evolution in particular , to inspire and enthrall , precisely because it is atheistic . 我会非常害怕进化论科学会带来的 任何科学,但特别是进化论,
positive:adj.积极的;[数]正的,[医][化学]阳性的;确定的;n.正数;[摄]正片; evolutionary:adj.进化的;发展的;渐进的; generally:adv.通常;普遍地,一般地; in particular:尤其,特别; inspire:v.激发;鼓舞;启示;产生;使生灵感; enthrall:vt.迷住,使着迷; atheistic:adj.无神论的;无神论者的;
Now, the difficult problem for any theory of biological design is to explain the massive statistical improbability of living things. 现在,一个在所有生物设计论都难解决的问题 是怎样去解析物种生存的极高的统计上的不得能性。
biological:adj.生物学的;生物的;与生命过程有关的;加酶的;n.[药]生物制品; massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的; statistical:adj.统计的;统计学的; improbability:n.不大可能有的事;
Statistical improbability in the direction of good design -- " complexity " is another word for this. 向好的设计发展的统计上的不可能性 -- 或个说法就是复杂性。
complexity:n.复杂性;难以理解的局势
The standard creationist argument -- there is only one; they're all reduced to this one -- takes off from a statistical improbability. 标准的神创论的论据 -- 只有一个, 它们归根到底就只有这个 -- 除去所有统计上的不可能性。
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;
Living creatures are too complex to have come about by chance; therefore, they must have had a designer. 生物太复杂了不可能随机产生的; 所以它们一定有一个设计者。
This argument of course, shoots itself in the foot.
Any designer capable of designing something really complex has to be even more complex himself, and that's before we even start on the other things he's expected to do, 一定要比他所涉及的东西更复杂,这还没有说到
capable:adj.能干的,能胜任的;有才华的;
like forgive sins , bless marriages, listen to prayers -- favor our side in a war -- 譬如说宽恕罪过,保佑婚姻,聆听祈祷 --
forgive:v.原谅;免除(债务,义务等); sins:n.罪恶;罪行;过错;过失;恶行;v.犯戒律;犯过失;(sin的第三人称单数和复数)
(Laughter) （笑）
disapprove of our sex lives, and so on. - 不赞同我们的性生活,和别的。
disapprove of:不赞成;不喜欢;
(Laughter) （笑）
Complexity is the problem that any theory of biology has to solve, and you can't solve it by postulating an agent that is even more complex, thereby simply compounding the problem. 复杂性是所有生物理论都要解决的问题, 但你不能通过幻想出一个跟复杂的机体来解决它, 从而使问题进一步加深。
postulating:vt.假定;要求;视…为理所当然;n.基本条件;假定; agent:n.代理人,代理商;药剂;特工;v由…作中介;由…代理;adj.代理的; thereby:adv.从而,因此;在那附近;在那方面; compounding:v.组合;混合(compound的ing形式);
Darwinian natural selection is so stunningly elegant because it solves the problem of explaining complexity in terms of nothing but simplicity . 达尔文的自然选择是那么让惊人的优雅 因为它解决了解析复杂性的的问题 用非常简单的方式。
Darwinian:adj.达尔文的;达尔文学说的;n.进化论者; stunningly:adv.绝妙地;令人震惊地;使人目瞪口呆地; elegant:adj.高雅的,优雅的;讲究的;简炼的;简洁的; simplicity:n.朴素;简易;天真;愚蠢;
Essentially , it does it by providing a smooth ramp of gradual , step-by-step increment . 基本上,这是通过简单的累积 逐渐的一步步的变化。
Essentially:adv.本质上;本来; ramp:n.斜坡,坡道;敲诈;vi.蔓延;狂跳乱撞;敲诈;vt.敲诈;使有斜面; gradual:adj.逐渐的;平缓的;n.弥撒升阶圣歌集; step-by-step:adj.按部就班的; increment:n.[数]增量;增加;增额;盈余;
But here, I only want to make the point that the elegance of Darwinism is corrosive to religion, precisely because it is so elegant, so parsimonious , so powerful, so economically powerful. 正因为它是如此的优雅,简单,有力, 有那么的强大的经济性。
elegance:n.典雅;高雅; parsimonious:adj.吝啬的;过于节俭的;质量差的; economically:adv.经济地;在经济上;节俭地;
It has the sinewy economy of a beautiful suspension bridge .
sinewy:adj.有力的;多腱的;肌肉发达的; economy:n.经济;节约;理财; suspension bridge:n.悬索桥;吊桥;
The God theory is not just a bad theory. 上帝的理论不仅是劣拙的理论。
It turns out to be -- in principle -- incapable of doing the job required of it.
in principle:大体上,原则上; incapable:adj.不能的;无能力的;不能胜任的;
So, returning to tactics and the evolution lobby, 那么,回到策略和进化论游说团上来,
tactics:n.战术:策略:手段:兵法(tactic的复数)
I want to argue that rocking the boat may be just the right thing to do.
My approach to attacking creationism is -- unlike the evolution lobby -- my approach to attacking creationism is to attack religion as a whole . 我攻击创世论的方法和进化论游说团不一样. 我攻击创世论的方法是从整体上来攻击宗教,
approach:n.方法;路径;v.接近;建议;着手处理; as a whole:总的来说;
And at this point I need to acknowledge the remarkable taboo against speaking ill of religion, and I'm going to do so in the words of the late Douglas Adams, a dear friend who, if he never came to TED, certainly should have been invited. 在这个时候我要指出一个异乎寻常的禁忌 -- 而我将借用已故的Douglas Adams所说的话,
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; taboo:n.禁忌;禁止;adj.禁忌的;忌讳的;vt.禁忌;禁止;
(Richard Saul Wurman: He was.)
Richard Dawkins: He was. Good. I thought he must have been.
He begins this speech, which was tape recorded in Cambridge shortly before he died -- he begins by explaining how science works through the testing of hypotheses that are framed to be vulnerable to disproof , and then he goes on. 他开始这段在剑桥录下来的演讲, 在他死前不久。 他通过解析科学怎样通过测试各种各样的猜想而运转
Cambridge:n.剑桥(英国城市);坎布里奇(美国马萨诸塞州城市); hypotheses:n.假定;臆测(hypothesis的复数); framed:v.给…做框;给…镶边;制订;拟订;(frame的过去分词和过去式) vulnerable:adj.易受攻击的,易受…的攻击;易受伤害的;有弱点的; disproof:n.反证;反驳;反证物;反驳的证据;
I quote , "Religion doesn't seem to work like that. 我引用他的话, “宗教好像并不是这样子的”
quote:v.引用;报价;举例说明;开价;为(企业的股份)上市;n.引用;
It has certain ideas at the heart of it, which we call 'sacred' or 'holy.' 在它的中心有一些我们奉以为神圣的概念。
What it means is: here is an idea or a notion that you're not allowed to say anything bad about. 它的意思就是有这么一个概念或者说法 你不允许说它有任何不好的地方。
notion:n.观念;信念;理解;
You're just not. Why not? Because you're not." 你不可以,为什么呢？因为你不可以。
(Laughter) （笑）
'"Why should it be that it's perfectly legitimate to support the Republicans or Democrats , this model of economics versus that, 为什么我们可以理所当然的支持民主党或者共和党, 这种经济模式或者那种经济模式,苹果Mac或者微软Windows,
legitimate:adj.合法的;正当的;合理的;正统的;v.使合法;认为正当(等于legitimize); Republicans:n.共和党,共和党员;(republican的复数形式) Democrats:n.民主党员(democrat的复数);民主主义者; versus:prep.对;与...相对;对抗;
Macintosh instead of Windows, but to have an opinion about how the universe began, about who created the universe -- no, that's holy. 但是当我们说到宇宙的起源的时候, 当说到谁创造了宇宙的时候 -- 不行,那是个神圣的话题。
Macintosh:n.苹果公司生产的一种型号的计算机;
So, we're used to not challenging religious ideas, and it's very interesting how much of a furor Richard creates when he does it." -- 所以,我们习惯了不去挑战宗教的概念 而当Richard挑战宗教时能引起那么多的不满, 这真的很有意思, 他指的是我不是哪位
furor:n.狂热;激怒;喧闹;感动;
He meant me, not that one.
'"Everybody gets absolutely frantic about it, because you're not allowed to say these things. 因为你是不许说这些话的,但当你理性地看到它的时候
absolutely:adv.绝对地;完全地; frantic:adj.狂乱的,疯狂的;
Yet when you look at it rationally , there's no reason why those ideas shouldn't be as open to debate as any other, except that we've agreed somehow between us that they shouldn't be." 我们并没有不去公开的讨论那些宗教的概念的理由 而已”, 我引用Douglas的话到此结束。
rationally:adv.理性地;讲道理地; debate:n.辩论;争论;考虑;v.辩论;争论;考虑; somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地;
And that's the end of the quote from Douglas.
In my view, not only is science corrosive to religion; religion is corrosive to science. 在我看来,不仅是科学对宗教有腐蚀性, 宗教对科学也有腐蚀性。
It teaches people to be satisfied with trivial , supernatural non-explanations, and blinds them to the wonderful, real explanations that we have within our grasp . 它教导人们去满足于琐碎的,超自然的谬论
satisfied with:满意;对…感到满意; trivial:adj.不重要的,琐碎的;琐细的; 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; grasp:n.抓住;理解;控制;v.抓住;领会;
It teaches them to accept authority , revelation and faith, instead of always insisting on evidence . 而放弃对佐证的不懈追求。
authority:n.权威;权力;当局; revelation:n.披露; adj.暴露的; evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明;
There's Douglas Adams, magnificent picture from his book, "Last Chance to See." 这就是Douglas Adams, 在他的书“最后一眼”里精彩的照片。
magnificent:adj.高尚的;壮丽的;华丽的;宏伟的;
Now, there's a typical scientific journal ,
typical:adj.典型的;特有的;象征性的; journal:n.杂志;日记;日志;(用于报纸名)…报;
The Quarterly Review of Biology.
Quarterly:adj.季度的,按季度的; v.按季度,[农]一季一次地; n.季刊;
And I'm going to put together , as guest editor, a special issue on the question, "Did an asteroid kill the dinosaurs?" 而我将作为客座编辑来收集 一份题为“恐龙是因为小行星撞击地球而灭绝的吗”的特刊。
put together:..放在一起;组合;装配; issue:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;发行; asteroid:n.[天]小行星;[无脊椎]海盘车;小游星;adj.星状的;
And the first paper is a standard scientific paper, presenting evidence, " Iridium layer at the K-T boundary , and potassium argon dated crater in Yucatan, indicate that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs." 第一份论文是标准的的科学论文 通过使用钾-氩法鉴定Yucatan的陨坑里的年代后,
Iridium:n.[化学]铱(Ir); layer:n.层,层次; vt.把…分层堆放; vi.形成或分成层次; boundary:n.边界;范围;分界线; potassium:n.[化学]钾; argon:n.[化学]氩(18号元素); crater:n.火山口;弹坑;弧坑;[天文学]巨爵座;v.(使)成坑状; indicate:v.表明;显示;象征;暗示;
Perfectly ordinary scientific paper. 非常典型的科学论文。
Now, the next one. 下一份,“皇家学会的主席
'"The President of the Royal Society has been vouchsafed a strong inner conviction that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs." 被赐予了一个坚强的信念” -- （笑）--
Royal:adj.国王的;女王的;皇家的;n.王室成员; vouchsafed:v.赐予,给予,告知;(vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词) 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; conviction:n.判罪;定罪;坚定的看法(或信念);坚信;肯定;
(Laughter) （笑）
'"It has been privately revealed to Professor Huxtane that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs." 恐龙是因为小行星撞击地球而灭绝的。”
privately:adv.私下地;秘密地; revealed:v.揭示;显示;露出;(reveal的过去分词和过去式)
(Laughter) （笑）
'"Professor Hordley was brought up to have total and unquestioning faith" -- 完全毫无疑问的信仰” --
unquestioning:adj.不提出疑问的;不犹豫的;盲目的;无异议的;无条件的;
(Laughter) -- "that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs." （笑） 恐龙是因为小行星撞击地球而灭绝的
'"Professor Hawkins has promulgated an official dogma binding on all loyal Hawkinsians that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs." Hawkins 教授颁发了一份官方教条 规定所有忠诚的信奉Hawkins的人, 去认识到恐龙是因为小行星撞击地球而灭绝的。”
promulgated:v.发布,公布(promulgate的过去分词);adj.发布的;被公布的; official:adj.官方的;正式的;公务的;n.官员;公务员;高级职员; dogma:n.教条,教理;武断的意见; binding:v.结合; n.(书籍的)封皮; adj.必须遵守的; (bind的现在分词) loyal:adj.忠诚的,忠心的;忠贞的;n.效忠的臣民;忠实信徒;
(Laughter) （笑）
That's inconceivable , of course.
inconceivable:adj.不可思议的;难以置信的;不能想象的;非凡的;
But suppose --
suppose:v.推断:假定:假设:设想:
[Supporters of the Asteroid Theory cannot be patriotic citizens] （鼓掌）
patriotic:adj.爱国的;
(Laughter)
(Applause)
In 1987, a reporter asked George Bush , Sr. - 1987年,一位记者问老布什总统
Bush:n.灌木; v.以灌木装饰; adj.如灌木般长得低矮的;
whether he recognized the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists. 他是否承认在美国的人们会拥有同等的公民权和爱国主义
recognized:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;(recognize的过去分词和过去式) citizenship:n.[法]公民身份,公民资格;国籍;公民权; patriotism:n.爱国主义;爱国心,爱国精神;
Mr. Bush's reply has become infamous . 布什先生很著名的回答说
infamous:adj.声名狼藉的;无耻的;邪恶的;不名誉的;
'"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots . “不,我不认为无神论者应该被当作公民, 他们也不应该被当作爱国者。
patriots:n.爱国者(patriot的复数);深海截击战;
This is one nation under God." 这是一个上帝引领下的国度 。”
Bush's bigotry was not an isolated mistake, blurted out in the heat of the moment and later retracted . 在兴致所至的时候脱口而出,然后又收回去。
bigotry:n.偏执;顽固;盲从; isolated:adj.偏远的; v.隔离,孤立,脱离; blurted:v.脱口而出;(blurt的过去分词和过去式) in the heat of the moment:在盛怒之下;一时激动之下; retracted:adj.可伸缩的;
He stood by it in the face of repeated calls for clarification or withdrawal .
in the face of:面对; clarification:n.澄清,说明;净化; withdrawal:n.撤退,收回;提款;取消;退股;
He really meant it. 他是真的这么认为的。
More to the point , he knew it posed no threat to his election -- quite the contrary.
More to the point:说得更确切些;更重要的一点; 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)
Democrats as well as Republicans parade their religiousness if they want to get elected. 民主党和共和党都标榜他们的宗教信仰, 如果他们要获选的话。两个党都说这是上帝带领下的国家。
parade:n.阅兵;游行;炫耀;检阅;v.游行;展览;游行庆祝;游行示威; religiousness:n.虔敬,笃信;
Both parties invoke "one nation under God."
invoke:vt.调用;祈求;引起;恳求;
What would Thomas Jefferson have said? 如果托马斯·杰斐逊看到这个情况的话他会怎么说呢？
[In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty]
priest:n.司祭,神父;教士,祭司,僧侣;v.使成为教士;任命…为祭司;
Incidentally , I'm not usually very proud of being British, but you can't help making the comparison . 但实在忍不住要作出这个比较。
Incidentally:adv.顺便;偶然地;附带地; comparison:n.比较;对比;相比;
(Applause) （鼓掌）
In practice , what is an atheist? 事实上,一个无神论者是个怎样的人呢？
In practice:在实践中;实际上,事实上;
An atheist is just somebody who feels about Yahweh the way any decent Christian feels about Thor or Baal or the golden calf . 一个无神论者只是一个对耶和华的看法 和任何正经的基督教徒对托尔或者巴尔或者金牛犊的看法一样的人。
decent:adj.正派的;得体的;相当好的; Baal:n.(古代腓尼基人信奉的)太阳神;偶像;邪神; calf:n.小牛;牛犊;腓肠;小腿肚;
As has been said before, we are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. 正如之前所说,我们对人类历史上绝大部分的神来说都是无神论者。 只是我们有些人不相信的神要更多一个而已。
humanity:n.人类;人道;仁慈;人文学科;
Some of us just go one god further.
(Laughter) （笑）
(Applause) （鼓掌）
And however we define atheism, it's surely the kind of academic belief that a person is entitled to hold without being vilified as an unpatriotic , unelectable non-citizen. 无论我们怎样定义无神论,它都肯定是这么一种学术信仰, 一个人有权利去相信而不用为此被诋毁为一个 不爱国没有选举权的非公民的信仰。
define:v.定义;使明确;规定; academic:adj.学术的;理论的;学院的;n.大学生,大学教师;学者; entitled:v.使享有权利;使符合资格;给…命名;(entitle的过去分词和过去式) vilified:vt.诽谤;中伤;轻视;贬低; unpatriotic:adj.不爱国的;无爱国心的; unelectable:不可能选赢;
Nevertheless , it's an undeniable fact that to own up to being an atheist is tantamount to introducing yourself as Mr. Hitler or Miss Beelzebub . 然而,这是一个不可否认的现实, 选择成为一个无神论者 就是相当于介绍你自己是希特勒先生或者魔王小姐。
Nevertheless:adv.然而,不过;虽然如此;conj.然而,不过; undeniable:adj.不可否认的;公认优秀的;无可争辩的; Beelzebub:n.(圣经中的)魔王,恶魔;(失乐园中的)堕落天使;
And that all stems from the perception of atheists as some kind of weird , way-out minority . 这些都源于把无神论者看为 怪诞的,过时的少数派别。
stems:n.花草的茎或梗; v.阻止; (stem的第三人称单数和复数) perception:n.感知;知觉;看法;洞察力; weird:adj.奇怪的;奇异的;离奇的;n.命运;宿命;命运女神; way-out:adj.抽象的;不清楚的;奇特的; minority:n.少数民族;少数派;未成年;adj.少数的;属于少数派的;
Natalie Angier wrote a rather sad piece in the New Yorker, saying how lonely she felt as an atheist. Natalie Angier 在“纽约人”杂志上写过一分相当伤感的文章, 说作为一个无神论者她觉得多么孤独。
Natalie:n.纳塔莉;[女名]女子名;
She clearly feels in a beleaguered minority. 她明显的觉得自己属于受困扰的少数派,
beleaguered:adj.围困的;包围的;v.围攻(beleaguer的过去式和过去分词);
But actually, how do American atheists stack up numerically ? 但是实际上,到底美国无神论者们的数目加起来有多少呢？
stack:n.堆栈;一摞;大量;许多;v.(使)放成整齐的一叠(或一摞,一堆); numerically:adv.数字上;用数字表示;
The latest survey makes surprisingly encouraging reading. 最新的调查结果出人意外的振奋人心。
survey:n.调查;测量;审视;纵览;vt.调查;勘测;俯瞰;vi.测量土地; surprisingly:adv.令人惊讶地;出乎意料地
Christianity , of course, takes a massive lion's share of the population, with nearly 160 million. 基督教,当然,占了人口里最大的份额
Christianity:n.基督教;基督教精神,基督教教义;
But what would you think was the second largest group, convincingly outnumbering Jews with 2.8 million, Muslims at 1.1 million, 但你觉得第二大的群体是哪个呢,
convincingly:adv.令人信服地;有说服力地; outnumbering:vt.数目超过;比…多;
Hindus , Buddhists and all other religions put together? 加上印度教,佛教和别的宗教加起来都要多的？
Hindus:n.印度教徒;印度教的; Buddhists:n.佛教徒(Buddhist的复数);
The second largest group, with nearly 30 million, is the one described as non-religious or secular .
described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式) secular:adj.世俗的; n.修道院外的教士,(对宗教家而言的)俗人;
You can't help wondering why vote-seeking politicians are so proverbially overawed by the power of, for example, the Jewish lobby -- the state of Israel seems to owe its very existence to the American Jewish vote -- while at the same time , consigning the non-religious to political oblivion . 你是感到奇怪,为什么追求票数的政客们 那么路人皆知的被譬如说犹太教游说团体说吓到。 以色列这个国家好像 不信教的人却基本上在政治上不值一提。
politicians:n.政治家;(蔑)政客;(美)政治贩;(politician的复数) proverbially:adv.人尽皆知地; overawed:vt.威慑;吓住;使大感敬畏; Jewish:adj.犹太人的;犹太族的; Israel:n.以色列(亚洲国家);犹太人,以色列人; owe:v.归功于;欠(债);欠(账);欠(情) at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时; consigning:vt.交付;托运;寄存;把…委托给; oblivion:n.遗忘;湮没;赦免;
This secular non-religious vote, if properly mobilized , is nine times as numerous as the Jewish vote. 这部分来在不信教的人的投票,如果适当的动员起来, 是犹太教的人的票数的九倍。
mobilized:v.组织;动员;调动;调用;(mobilize的过去式和过去分词) numerous:adj.许多的,很多的;
Why does this far more substantial minority not make a move to exercise its political muscle ? 为什么这个影响力远超别人的小数派 不行动起来去运用它的政治力量呢？
substantial:adj.大量的;实质的;内容充实的;n.本质;重要材料; muscle:n.肌肉;力量;v.加强;使劲搬动;使劲挤出;
Well, so much for quantity . How about quality? 好么,数量有了,质量呢？
quantity:n.量;数量;大量;数额;
Is there any correlation , positive or negative, between intelligence and tendency to be religious? 有没有什么积极的或者消极的相关性, 在智慧和信奉宗教的倾向之间呢？
correlation:n.[数]相关,关联;相互关系; intelligence:n.智力;智慧;才智;(尤指关于敌国的)情报; tendency:n.倾向,趋势;癖好;
[Them folks misunderestimated me]
(Laughter)
The survey that I quoted , which is the ARIS survey, didn't break down its data by socio-economic class or education, 我引用这份调查,这是ARIS的调查, 并没有把它的数据从社会经济等级或者教育程度,
quoted:v.引用;引述;举例说明;开价;(quote的过去分词和过去式) socio-economic:adj.社会经济的;
IQ or anything else . 或者智商或者别的方面分开表述。
or anything else:或什么别的;或任何东西其他;
But a recent article by Paul G. Bell in the Mensa magazine provides some straws in the wind . 但Paul G. Bell不久前在Mensa杂志上发的一篇文章 给了我们一些提示。
Mensa:n.门撒国际;山案星座; straws:n.[作物]稻草;吸管(straw的复数形式); in the wind:即将发生;在进行;
Mensa, as you know, is an international organization for people with very high IQ. Mensa,你们知道,是一个国际组织,
organization:n.组织;机构;体制;团体;
And from a meta-analysis of the literature , 通过对文献的统计分析,
meta-analysis:n.荟萃分析;元分析; literature:n.文学;文献;文艺;著作;
Bell concludes that, I quote -- "Of 43 studies carried out since 1927 on the relationship between religious belief, and one's intelligence or educational level, all but four found an inverse connection. 宗教信仰和一个人的智商或受教育的程度的关系的项目里,
concludes:v.结束; (conclude的第三人称单数) educational:adj.教育的;有关教育的;有教育意义的 inverse:n.相反;倒转;adj.相反的;倒转的;v.使倒转;使颠倒;
That is, the higher one's intelligence or educational level, the less one is likely to be religious." 也就是说,一个人的智商或者受教育的程度越高,
Well, I haven't seen the original 42 studies, and I can't comment on that meta-analysis, but I would like to see more studies done along those lines. 好的, 我没有看过那42个研究项目所以我不能对这个统计分析发表看法 但我希望能看到更多这个方向上的研究。
original:n.原件;原作;原物;原型;adj.原始的;最初的;独创的;新颖的; comment on:对…评论;
And I know that there are -- if I could put a little plug here -- there are people in this audience easily capable of financing a massive research survey to settle the question, and I put the suggestion up, for what it's worth. 而且我知道,如果我可以在这里提一个小建议的话, 我提出这个建议,就算这是不重要的也好。
plug:n.插头;塞子;栓;v.塞住;用插头将与电源接通; settle:v.定居;结算;停留;确定;n.高背长椅(老式木家具,有扶手,座下多带柜);
But let me know show you some data that have been properly published and analyzed , on one special group -- namely , top scientists. 一些被正当的公布和分析过的
analyzed:v.分析(analyze的过去式和过去分词);检讨; namely:adv.也就是;即是;换句话说;
In 1998, Larson and Witham polled the cream of American scientists, those who'd been honored by election to the National Academy of Sciences, and among this select group, belief in a personal God dropped to a shattering seven percent. 那些有着被选入国家科学学院的荣誉的科学家。 在这个群体里, 相信神的比例剧减至百分之七。
polled:adj.剪去毛的;无角的;截去树梢的;v.投票(poll的过去分词);剪短; Academy:n.学院;研究院;学会;专科院校; personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词; shattering:adj.给人以极大打击的; v.(使)破碎,碎裂; (shatter的现在分词)
About 20 percent are agnostic; the rest could fairly be called atheists. 大概百分之二十是不可知论者,其余的都可以被称作无神论者。
fairly:adv.相当地;公平地;简直;
Similar figures obtained for belief in personal immortality . 而相信有灵魂的比例则与此相近。
obtained:v.获得(obtain的过去分词); immortality:n.不朽;不朽的声名;不灭;
Among biological scientists, the figure is even lower: 5.5 percent, only, believe in God. 在生物科学家里,这个比例就更低了, 只有百分之五点五相信有神。物理学家里是百分之七点五。
Physical scientists, it's 7.5 percent.
Physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查;
I've not seen corresponding figures for elite scholars in other fields, such as history or philosophy , but I'd be surprised if they were different. 我没有看过与此相对应的关于其他领域的顶尖学者的数据 例如历史和哲学, 但如果这是不一样的话我会感到惊讶。
corresponding:adj.符合的; v.相一致; (correspond的现在分词) elite:n.精英;精华;杰出人物; scholars:n.学者们(scholar的复数); philosophy:n.哲学;哲理;人生观;
So, we've reached a truly remarkable situation, a grotesque mismatch between the American intelligentsia and the American electorate . 那么,我们达到了一个真正不简单的情况, 一个怪诞的不搭配存在于美国的知识分子 和美国的选民之间。
grotesque:n.奇异风格;怪异的东西;adj.奇形怪状的;奇怪的;可笑的; mismatch:vt.使配错;n.错配;不协调; intelligentsia:n.知识分子;知识界; electorate:n.选民;选区;
A philosophical opinion about the nature of the universe, which is held by the vast majority of top American scientists and probably the majority of the intelligentsia generally, is so abhorrent to the American electorate that no candidate for popular election dare affirm it in public. 一个关于宇宙的本质的哲学观, 一个为绝大部分顶尖美国科学家 甚至于大多数的知识分子所持有的哲学观, 却受到那么的受到美国选民的憎恶
philosophical:adj.哲学的(等于philosophic);冷静的; majority:n.大部分:大多数:多数票:成年人: abhorrent:adj.可恶的;厌恶的;格格不入的; affirm:vt.肯定;断言;vi.确认;断言;
If I'm right, this means that high office in the greatest country in the world is barred to the very people best qualified to hold it -- the intelligentsia -- unless they are prepared to lie about their beliefs. 如果我是正确的话,着就是意味着 这个世界上最伟大的国家的高级职位 除非他们做好在他们的信仰上撒谎的准备。
qualified:adj.有资格的; v.合格; (qualify的过去分词和过去式)
To put it bluntly : American political opportunities are heavily loaded against those who are simultaneously intelligent and honest. 直接点说,美国的政治机会 既有智慧又诚实的人来说是很不利的。
bluntly:adv.坦率地,直率地;迟钝地; simultaneously:adv.同时地;
(Laughter) （鼓掌）
(Applause)
I'm not a citizen of this country, so I hope it won't be thought unbecoming if I suggest that something needs to be done. 我不是这个国家的公民,所以我希望这不会被看作不雅观 如果我指出有些事情必须要做。
unbecoming:adj.不适当的,不相称的;不合身的,不得体的;
(Laughter) （笑）
And I've already hinted what that something is.
hinted:v.暗示;透露;示意;(hint的过去分词和过去式)
From what I've seen of TED, I think this may be the ideal place to launch it. 通过我在TED的所见,我认为这是发起它的理想地方。
launch:v.发射(导弹,火箭等); n.发射;
Again, I fear it will cost money. 再重复一遍,我担心这是件费钱的事。
We need a consciousness-raising, coming-out campaign for American atheists. 我们需要为美国的无神论者搞一个提升自觉性的 出头面的运动。
coming-out:n.女子初入社交界;初入社交界;
(Laughter) （笑）
This could be similar to the campaign organized by homosexuals a few years ago, although heaven forbid that we should stoop to public outing of people against their will. 或者这可以像同性恋运动那样组织, 不过但愿我们不用强迫 不愿意出来游行的人站出来。
organized:adj.有组织的; v.组织; (organize的过去分词和过去式) homosexuals:n.[心理]同性恋者(homosexual的复数); forbid:v.禁止;不准;不允许;(正式)严禁; stoop:v.弯腰;屈服;堕落;n.弯腰,屈背;屈服;
In most cases, people who out themselves will help to destroy the myth that there is something wrong with atheists. 在大多数情况下,站出来的人他们自己的身份 会除掉无神论者有毛病的荒诞说法。
On the contrary , they'll demonstrate that atheists are often the kinds of people who could serve as decent role models for your children, the kinds of people an advertising agent could use to recommend a product, the kinds of people who are sitting in this room. 相反地, 可以为你们的孩子做好榜样的人。 他们是那些广告公司会请来推荐产品的人。 他们是那些坐在这里的人。
On the contrary:正相反; demonstrate:vt.证明;展示;论证;vi.示威; advertising:n.做广告;广告业;广告活动;v.做广告;(advertise的现在分词) recommend:v.推荐;介绍;劝告;建议;使受欢迎;
There should be a snowball effect, a positive feedback , such that the more names we have, the more we get. 这应该会产生一个雪球效应,一个积极反馈, 以至于当人多起来的时候,就会有更多的人参加。
feedback:n.反馈;反馈意见;回授;[电子]反馈;
There could be non-linearities, threshold effects.
threshold:n.入口;门槛;开始;极限;临界值;
When a critical mass has been obtained, there's an abrupt acceleration in recruitment . 当我们达到临界数量以后, 人员的招募会得突发性的加速。
critical mass:n.(核链式反应的)临界质量; abrupt:adj.生硬的;突然的;唐突的;陡峭的; acceleration:n.加速,促进;[物]加速度; recruitment:n.补充;征募新兵;
And again, it will need money. 然后呢,这需要钱。
I suspect that the word "atheist" itself contains or remains a stumbling block far out of proportion to what it actually means, and a stumbling block to people who otherwise might be happy to out themselves. 我怀疑无神论者这个词本身 包含着或者仍然是一个绊脚石 远远超出了跟它所要表达的意思,对那些本来愿意出来
suspect:n.犯罪嫌疑人;v.怀疑;不信任;adj.可疑的; stumbling block:障碍物;绊脚石; proportion:n.比例;部分;份额;均衡;v.摊派;使相称;
So, what other words might be used to smooth the path, oil the wheels, sugar the pill ?
pill:n.[医]药丸;药品;
Darwin himself preferred " agnostic " -- and not only out of loyalty to his friend Huxley, who coined the term. 不仅是出于对他的朋友发明这个说法的赫胥黎的忠诚。
preferred:v.较喜欢;喜欢…多于…;(prefer的过去式和过去分词) agnostic:n.不可知论者;adj.不可知论的; loyalty:n.忠诚;忠心;忠实;忠于…感情;
Darwin said, "I have never been an atheist in the same sense of denying the existence of a God. 达尔文说,“我从来就不是 一个无神论者
denying:v.否认;否定;拒绝承认;拒绝给予;(deny的现在分词)
I think that generally an 'agnostic' would be the most correct description of my state of mind." 我觉得基本上用一个不可知论者这个词 可以很正确的描述我的心理状态。”
description:n.说明;形容;描写(文字);类型;
He even became uncharacteristically tetchy with Edward Aveling. 他甚至一反常态的对Edward Aveling感到恼怒
uncharacteristically:adv.不典型地;非同寻常地; tetchy:adj.易怒的,不和悦的;暴躁的;
Aveling was a militant atheist who failed to persuade Darwin to accept the dedication of his book on atheism -- incidentally, giving rise to a fascinating myth Avelieng 是一个无神论斗士 他并没有成功地说服达尔文 去接受他的关于无神论的书的献辞 -- 顺带提一句,这带来一个有趣的传说
persuade:v.说服;劝说;使信服;使相信; dedication:n.奉献;献身;(建筑物等的)落成典礼;(书、音乐或演出前部的)献词; fascinating:adj.极有吸引力的;迷人的;v.深深吸引;迷住;(fascinate的现在分词)
that Karl Marx tried to dedicate "Das Kapital" to Darwin, which he didn't, it was actually Edward Aveling. 就是卡尔马克思想把资本论的献辞写给达尔文, 马克思并没有这么做,其实想这么做的人是Edward Aveling
dedicate:vt.致力;献身;题献;
What happened was that Aveling's mistress was Marx's daughter, and when both Darwin and Marx were dead, 当他们都死去后,
mistress:n.情妇;女主人;主妇;女教师;女能人;
Marx's papers became muddled up with Aveling's papers, and a letter from Darwin saying, "My dear sir, thank you very much but I don't want you to dedicate your book to me," 马克思的作品和Aveling的作品被搞在一起了 但我不要你把你的书的献辞写给我,”
muddled:adj.糊涂的;混乱的;头脑昏昏然的;v.使一团糟(muddle的过去分词);
was mistakenly supposed to be addressed to Marx, and that gave rise to this whole myth, which you've probably heard. 这封信被错误的认为是写给马克思的,
mistakenly:adv.错误地;曲解地,被误解地; supposed:adj.误信的;所谓的;v.认为;假设;设想;(suppose的过去分词和过去式) addressed:v.写(收信人)姓名地址:致函:演说:演讲:向…说话; (address的过去分词和过去式)
It's a sort of urban myth , that Marx tried to dedicate "Kapital" to Darwin.
urban myth:n.都市传奇(街谈巷议的传闻或趣事);
Anyway, it was Aveling, and when they met, Darwin challenged Aveling. 无论如何,其实是Aveling,当他们相遇的时候,达尔文向Aveling提出挑战,
'"Why do you call yourselves atheists?" “为什么你叫自己做无神论者呢？”
'"'Agnostic, '" retorted Aveling, "was simply 'atheist' writ respectable , and 'atheist' was simply 'agnostic' writ aggressive ." “不可知论者,” Aveling反击说,“只是无神论者的体面的说法而已, 而无神论者只是不可知论者激进的说法而已.”
retorted:n.反驳,顶嘴;曲颈瓶;vt.反驳,反击;vi.反驳,回嘴; writ:n.[法]令状;文书;法院命令; respectable:adj.值得尊敬的;人格高尚的;相当数量的;n.可敬的人; aggressive:adj.侵略性的;好斗的;有进取心的;有闯劲的;
Darwin complained , "But why should you be so aggressive?" 达尔文抱怨说,“但你为什么要那么激进呢？”
complained:v.抱怨;埋怨;发牢骚;(complain的过去分词和过去式)
Darwin thought that atheism might be well and good for the intelligentsia, but that ordinary people were not, quote, " ripe for it." 达尔文觉得无神论者这个说法可能可以为知识分子所接受,
ripe:adj.成熟的;口味浓郁的;醇美可口的;强烈的;
Which is, of course, our old friend, the "don't rock the boat" argument. 这当然,就是我们的老朋友,“不要制造麻烦”的说法。
It's not recorded whether Aveling told Darwin to come down off his high horse. 历史上并没有记录Aveling有没有告诉达尔文说让他不要自命不凡。
(Laughter) （笑）
But in any case , that was more than 100 years ago. 但无论怎样都好,那已经是超过一百年以前的事了,
in any case:无论如何;
You'd think we might have grown up since then. 你会认为我们或许已经从那时成熟过来了。
Now, a friend, an intelligent lapsed Jew, who, incidentally, observes the Sabbath for reasons of cultural solidarity , describes himself as a "tooth-fairy agnostic." 现在,我的一个朋友,一个平常会显得更有智慧的犹太人, 在观察安息日的时候顺带提到
lapsed:v.失效;期满终止;衰退;衰弱;(lapse的过去分词和过去式) observes:遵守;观察(observe的第三人称单数); Sabbath:n.安息日; cultural:adj.与文化有关的;文化的;与艺术、文学、音乐等有关的; solidarity:n.团结,团结一致; describes:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;(describe的第三人称单数)
He won't call himself an atheist because it's, in principle, impossible to prove a negative, but "agnostic" on its own might suggest that God's existence was therefore on equal terms of likelihood as his non-existence . 但不可知论者这个说法却可能暗示着上帝的存在 因此跟他的不存在的可能性是一样的。
likelihood:n.可能性,可能; non-existence:n.非存在;
So, my friend is strictly agnostic about the tooth fairy , but it isn't very likely, is it?
tooth fairy:n.牙仙子(传说会取去幼儿脱落并放于床边的乳齿,在原处留下一枚钱币);
Like God.
Hence the phrase, "tooth-fairy agnostic." 这就有了这个说法,“牙仙子不可知论者,”
Hence:adv.因此;今后;
Bertrand Russell made the same point using a hypothetical teapot in orbit about Mars . 但伯特兰·罗素提到了一样的说法 他用的例子是一个假设上在火星轨道上的茶壶。
hypothetical:adj.假设的;爱猜想的; teapot:n.茶壶;小题大做; orbit:n.轨道;眼眶;势力范围;生活常规;vi.盘旋;绕轨道运行;vt.绕…轨道而行; Mars:n.火星
You would strictly have to be agnostic about whether there is a teapot in orbit about Mars, but that doesn't mean you treat the likelihood of its existence as on all fours with its non-existence. 严格来说你必须是一个不可知论者 在有没有一个茶壶在火星的轨道上这个问题上, 但这并不就意味着你把它的存在的可能性 看作跟它的不存在的可能性一样。
treat:v.治疗;处理;招待;款待;n.款待;乐事;乐趣; on all fours:完全一致;四脚着地地;匍匐;
The list of things which we strictly have to be agnostic about doesn't stop at tooth fairies and teapots; it's infinite . 我们必须严格的以不可知论者的角度看待的事物
fairies:n.精灵(fairy的复数);瓶之仙女; infinite:adj.无限的,无穷的; n.无限;
If you want to believe one particular one of them -- unicorns or tooth fairies or teapots or Yahweh -- the onus is on you to say why. 如果你要相信它们中的一个, 你就有责任说出为什么。
unicorns:n.独角兽(unicorn的复数); teapots:n.茶壶;小题大做; onus:n.责任,义务;负担;
The onus is not on the rest of us to say why not. 而不是让我们说为什么不。
We, who are atheists, are also a-fairyists and a-teapotists. 我们是无神论者,同时也是无牙仙子论者和无茶壶论者。
(Laughter) （笑）
But we don't bother to say so. 这是我们不为说这些事实而劳神而已,
bother:v.烦扰,打扰;使…不安;操心,麻烦;n.麻烦;烦恼;
And this is why my friend uses "tooth-fairy agnostic" 这就是为什么我朋友用牙仙子无神论者
as a label for what most people would call atheist.
label:n.标签;标记;谓;唱片公司;v.贴标签于;用标签标明;
Nonetheless , if we want to attract deep-down atheists to come out publicly, we're going to have find something better to stick on our banner than "tooth-fairy" or "teapot agnostic." 我们需要一些比
Nonetheless:adv.尽管如此,但是; banner:n.横幅;adj.为首的;(美)突出地支持(某一政党)的;
So, how about " humanist "? 那么,人文主义者怎么呀呢？
humanist:n.人道主义者;人类学者,人文学者;人文主义者;adj.人文主义的;人道主义的;
This has the advantage of a worldwide network of well-organized associations and journals and things already in place. 而且已经有期刊和别的设施。
advantage:n.有利条件:优势:优点: worldwide:adj.全世界的;adv.在世界各地; well-organized:adj.有序的;很有条理的; associations:n.协会,[遗]关联(association复数);关联分析,协会组织; journals:n.学术期刊(journal的复数);日记;日记账;
My problem with it is only its apparent anthropocentrism . 我对它的唯一问题是它显而易见的人类中心主义。
apparent:adj.显然的;表面上的; anthropocentrism:n.人类本位说;人类中心说;
One of the things we've learned from Darwin is that the human species is only one among millions of cousins, some close, some distant . 我们从达尔文学来的的东西之一 是人类只不过是
species:n.[生物]物种;种类; distant:adj.遥远的;远处的;久远的;
And there are other possibilities, like " naturalist ," 还有其他的例如自然主义者之类的可能性。
naturalist:n.自然主义者; adj.自然的(等于naturalistic);
but that also has problems of confusion , because Darwin would have thought naturalist -- "Naturalist" means, of course, as opposed to " supernaturalist " -- and it is used sometimes -- 但这也会带来混淆, 因为达尔文会认为自然主义者,
confusion:n.困惑;混淆;混同;困窘; opposed:adj.强烈反对; v.反对(计划、政策等); (oppose的过去分词和过去式) supernaturalist:n.超自然论者;超自然主义者;adj.超自然主义的;
Darwin would have been confused by the other sense of "naturalist," 达尔文会为自然主义者的其他意思感到混淆,
confused:adj.困惑的; v.使糊涂; (confuse的过去分词和过去式)
which he was, of course, and I suppose there might be others who would confuse it with "nudism".
(Laughter)
Such people might be those belonging to the British lynch mob , which last year attacked a pediatrician in mistake for a pedophile . 那样的人可能就是那些在英国用私刑的团伙 那些去年错把一个儿科医生当成恋童癖来攻击的人。
lynch mob:n.施用私刑的暴民; pediatrician:n.儿科医师(等于pediatrist); mistake for:v.把…错认为; pedophile:n.恋童癖者;
(Laughter) （笑）
I think the best of the available alternatives for "atheist"
alternatives:n.可供选择的事物;(alternative的复数)
is simply "non-theist."
It lacks the strong connotation that there's definitely no God, and it could therefore easily be embraced by teapot or tooth-fairy agnostics . 它没有强力的表示肯定没有神的含义, 所以它会容易的被茶壶或者牙仙子不可知论者所接受。
connotation:n.内涵;含蓄;暗示,隐含意义;储蓄的东西(词,语等); definitely:adv.清楚地,当然;明确地,肯定地; embraced:v.拥抱;欣然接受,乐意采纳;信奉;包含;(embrace的过去分词和过去式) agnostics:n.不可知论者;不可知派;
It's completely compatible with the God of the physicists . 它完全可以和物理学家的神相兼容。
compatible:adj.兼容的;能共处的;可并立的; physicists:n.物理学家;机械唯物论者(physicist的复数);
When atheists like Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein use the word "God,"
Hawking:n.利用鹰行猎;v.袭击;翱翔;攫取(hawk的现在分词);
they use it of course as a metaphorical shorthand for that deep, mysterious part of physics which we don't yet understand. 他们当然是把它用作一种简略的隐喻
metaphorical:adj.比喻性的,隐喻性的; shorthand:n.速记;速记法;adj.速记法的; mysterious:adj.神秘的;不可思议的;难解的;
'"Non-theist" will do for all that , yet unlike "atheist,"
for all that:尽管;虽然如此;
it doesn't have the same phobic , hysterical responses . 它不会有哪些恐惧的歇斯底里的反应。
phobic:adj.恐惧症的;病态性恐惧的; hysterical:adj.歇斯底里的;异常兴奋的; responses:n.回答,答复;反应;响应;(response的复数)
But I think, actually, the alternative is to grasp the nettle of the word "atheism" itself, precisely because it is a taboo word , carrying frissons of hysterical phobia. 我们要果断的处理无神论者这个词本身的问题, 正因为它是一个禁忌词 一个带来一浪接一浪的歇斯底里的恐惧的词。
nettle:vt.刺激;惹恼;用荨麻刺;n.荨麻;adj.荨麻科的; taboo word:n.禁忌词;
Critical mass may be harder to achieve with the word "atheist" 也许使用无神论者这个词会使参加我们运动的人达到临界数量的难度
than with the word "non-theist," 比使用非有神论者这个词
or some other non-confrontational word. 或者使用别的非抵抗性的词要大。
But if we did achieve it with that dread word "atheist" itself, the political impact would be even greater. 其政治影响将会更大。
dread:n.恐惧;可怕的人(或物);vi.惧怕;担心;vt.惧怕;担心;adj.可怕的; impact:n.影响;效果;碰撞;冲击力;v.挤入,压紧;撞击;对…产生影响;
Now, I said that if I were religious, I'd be very afraid of evolution -- 现在,我说了如果我信奉宗教的话,我会很害怕进化论。我会更进一步。
I'd go further: I would fear science in general , if properly understood. 我会从总体上害怕科学,如果它能被人们适当的理解的话。
in general:总之,通常;一般而言;
And this is because the scientific worldview is so much more exciting, more poetic , more filled with sheer wonder than anything in the poverty-stricken arsenals of the religious imagination . 这是因为科学的世界观 是那么的令人兴奋,那么的有诗意, 那么的充满了十足的惊喜,和所有
worldview:n.世界观; poetic:adj.诗的,诗歌的;诗意的;诗人的;n.诗学,诗论; sheer:adj.纯; v.十足地; n.透明薄纱; v.[航海](使)偏航; (使)转向; poverty-stricken:adj.为贫穷所困恼的,为贫穷所困扰的;非常贫穷的; arsenals:n.军械库(arsenal的复数); imagination:n.想象;想象力;创造力;想象的事物;
As Carl Sagan, another recently dead hero, put it, "How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded , 'This is better than we thought! 正如另一位刚刚去世的英雄Cal Sagan,所说, ”为什么从来没有一个主流宗教在审视了科学以后
recently:adv.最近;新近; hardly any:几乎没有; concluded:v.断定:得出结论:终止:达成:缔结(协定)(conclude的过去分词和过去式)
The universe is much bigger than our prophet said, grander, more subtle , more elegant'? 宇宙要比远远的我们的先知所说的要更大, 更宏伟,更微妙,更优雅？” 相反他们说,“不,不,不！
prophet:n.先知;预言者;提倡者; subtle:adj.微妙的;精细的;敏感的;狡猾的;稀薄的;
Instead they say, 'No, no, no!
My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.' 我的神是一个渺小的神,但我要他保持这个样子。”
A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths." 一个宗教,老的还是新的, 如果能够强调宇宙的壮丽辉煌 正如现代科学说揭示的一样 那它能够唤起的崇拜和尊敬或许将是
magnificence:n.壮丽;宏伟;富丽堂皇; draw forth:引出,诱出;引起,唤起;博得; reserves:n.[油气]储量; v.储备; reverence:n.崇敬;尊严;敬礼;vt.敬畏;尊敬; conventional:adj.符合习俗的,传统的;常见的;惯例的;
Now, this is an elite audience, and I would therefore expect about 10 percent of you to be religious. 现在在座的听众都是精英, 所以我会预计你们当中大概有百分之十是信仰宗教的。
Many of you probably subscribe to our polite cultural belief that we should respect religion. 也许你们当中的很多人都赞同我们这个大家都要尊敬宗教的有礼貌的文化信念,
subscribe:vi.订阅;捐款;认购;赞成;签署;vt.签署;赞成;捐助;
But I also suspect that a fair number of those secretly despise religion as much as I do. 当我也怀疑有相当的一部分人 会像我那么的鄙视宗教。
despise:vt.轻视,鄙视;
(Laughter) （笑）
If you're one of them, and of course many of you may not be, but if you are one of them, 如果你是这些人当中的一个,当然你们当总的很多人可能都不是, 但如果你是其总的一个,我向你要求再也不要那么礼貌了,
I'm asking you to stop being polite, come out, and say so. 站出来说出你的观点,如果你刚好是富有的话,
And if you happen to be rich, give some thought to ways in which you might make a difference .
make a difference:有影响,有关系;
The religious lobby in this country is massively financed by foundations -- to say nothing of all the tax benefits -- by foundations, such as the Templeton Foundation and the Discovery Institute. 这个国家的宗教游说团 是受到各种基金的大力赞助的,这还没提到所有的税收, 例如坦普尔顿基金和发现学院。
massively:adv.大量地;沉重地;庄严地; foundations:n.基础;地基;基金会;粉底;(foundations是foundation的复数) say nothing of:更不用说;更别提;
We need an anti-Templeton to step forward.
If my books sold as well as Stephen Hawking's books, instead of only as well as Richard Dawkins' books, I'd do it myself. 如果我的说能像史提芬.霍金的书那么好卖的话, 而不像只像Richard Dawkins的书那样的话,我会自己来干这件事。
People are always going on about, "How did September the 11th change you?"
Well, here's how it changed me. 那么,它是这样改变了我的。
Let's all stop being so damned respectful . 请不要再那么充满该死的敬意了。
damned:adj.该死的; v.该死,混账; (damn的过去分词和过去式) respectful:adj.恭敬的;有礼貌的;
Thank you very much. 很感谢大家。
(Applause) （鼓掌）