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YuvalNoahHarari_2015G-_人类如何称霸地球？_
Seventy-thousand years ago, our ancestors were insignificant animals. 七万年前,我们的先祖不过是各种动物中的一种
insignificant:adj.无关紧要的;
The most important thing to know about prehistoric humans is that they were unimportant . 当你想到原人时,最重要的是 他们有多不重要。
prehistoric:adj.史前的;陈旧的; unimportant:adj.不重要的;琐碎的;
Their impact on the world was not much greater than that of jellyfish or fireflies or woodpeckers . 他们对世界的影响力, 和水母、萤火虫、啄木鸟差别不大。
impact:n.影响;效果;碰撞;冲击力;v.挤入,压紧;撞击;对…产生影响; jellyfish:n.水母;[无脊椎]海蜇;软弱无能的人; fireflies:n.萤火虫;(firefly的名词复数); woodpeckers:n.[鸟]啄木鸟;
Today, in contrast , we control this planet. 今天,相反地,我们变成地球的霸主。
contrast:n.对比;对照;反差;明显的差异;v.对比;对照;形成对比;
And the question is: 所以问题是:
How did we come from there to here? 我们是怎么走到这一步的？
How did we turn ourselves from insignificant apes , minding their own business in a corner of Africa, into the rulers of planet Earth? 我们是如何从毫不起眼的人猿, 在非洲的角落自生自灭, 摇身一变成为地球霸主的？
apes:n.[脊椎]猿;猩猩;类人猿(ape的复数);v.模仿;仿效(ape的三单形式);
Usually, we look for the difference between us and all the other animals on the individual level. 通常我们会在个体差异上, 检视我们与其它动物的差别,
individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的;
We want to believe -- I want to believe -- that there is something special about me, about my body, about my brain, that makes me so superior to a dog or a pig, or a chimpanzee . 我们想要相信 － 我想要相信, 我有些特别的地方 我的身体,我的大脑, 让我比狗、猪,或是黑猩猩更高级。
superior:n.上级;上司;adj.(在品质上)更好的;占优势的;更胜一筹的; chimpanzee:n.[脊椎]黑猩猩;
But the truth is that, on the individual level, 但事实是,就个体差异来说,
I'm embarrassingly similar to a chimpanzee. 我和黑猩猩尴尬地相似。
embarrassingly:adv.使人尴尬地;令人难堪地;
And if you take me and a chimpanzee and put us together on some lonely island, and we had to struggle for survival to see who survives better, 如果你把我和一头黑猩猩放在孤岛上, 看我们之间谁能生存的更好,
survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
I would definitely place my bet on the chimpanzee, not on myself. 我会赌是黑猩猩,而不是我。
definitely:adv.清楚地,当然;明确地,肯定地; bet:n.打赌;赌注;预计;估计;v.下赌注(于);用…打赌;敢说;八成儿;
And this is not something wrong with me personally . 这不是我个人的错,
personally:adv.个人;亲自;本人;就本人而言;
I guess if they took almost any one of you, and placed you alone with a chimpanzee on some island, the chimpanzee would do much better. 我想如果有人把你们其中任何人, 和一头黑猩猩一起放在孤岛上, 黑猩猩绝对会生存的更好。
The real difference between humans and all other animals is not on the individual level; it's on the collective level. 真正让人类与其它动物分别开来的特质 不是个体的, 而是群体的。
collective:adj.集体的;共同的;集合的;集体主义的;n.集团;集合体;集合名词;
Humans control the planet because they are the only animals that can cooperate both flexibly and in very large numbers. 人类控制地球是因为我们是唯一 可以大规模灵活合作的动物。
cooperate:v.合作;配合;协作;结合; flexibly:adv.灵活地;易曲地;柔软地;有弹性地;
Now, there are other animals -- like the social insects, the bees, the ants -- that can cooperate in large numbers, but they don't do so flexibly. 其它动物, 那些社会性昆虫,蜜蜂、蚂蚁, 它们也可以大规模地合作,但没有像我们这么灵活。
Their cooperation is very rigid . 它们的合作方式是固定的。
cooperation:n.合作;配合; rigid:adj.严格的;僵硬的,死板的;坚硬的;精确的;
There is basically just one way in which a beehive can function. 蜂巢总是用同一种方式运作。
basically:adv.主要地,基本上; beehive:n.蜂窝;蜂箱;
And if there's a new opportunity or a new danger, the bees cannot reinvent the social system overnight . 就算遇见新的机会或威胁, 蜜蜂也无法在一夜之间创造一种社会制度,
reinvent:v.以新形象示人;以新形式出现; overnight:adj.夜间的; v.在夜间; n.(美)前一天的晚上;
They cannot, for example, execute the queen and establish a republic of bees, or a communist dictatorship of worker bees. 比如说,它们无法处死蜂后, 建立蜜蜂共和国, 工蜂也不能组成共产政权。
execute:vt.实行;执行;处死; establish:v.创立;设立;建立;确立;使立足;查实; communist:n.共产党员;共产主义者;adj.共产主义的; dictatorship:n.专政;独裁权;独裁者职位;
Other animals, like the social mammals -- the wolves, the elephants, the dolphins, the chimpanzees -- they can cooperate much more flexibly, but they do so only in small numbers, because cooperation among chimpanzees is based on intimate knowledge, one of the other. 其它群居的哺乳类动物, 像是狼、大象、海豚、黑猩猩 － 它们的合作更灵活, 但规模有限, 因为黑猩猩合作的基础是 对彼此的亲密的认知。
mammals:n.哺乳动物;(mammal的复数) chimpanzees:n.[脊椎]黑猩猩(chimpanzee的复数); intimate:n.知己; v.暗示; adj.亲密的;
I'm a chimpanzee and you're a chimpanzee, and I want to cooperate with you. 要是你我都是黑猩猩, 我想和你合作,
I need to know you personally. 我会需要先认识你。
What kind of chimpanzee are you? 你是哪种黑猩猩？
Are you a nice chimpanzee? 善良的黑猩猩？
Are you an evil chimpanzee? 还是邪恶的黑猩猩？
evil:adj.邪恶的;不幸的;有害的;讨厌的;n.罪恶,邪恶;不幸;
Are you trustworthy ? 你可靠吗？
trustworthy:adj.可靠的;可信赖的;
If I don't know you, how can I cooperate with you? 如果我不认识你,我们怎么合作？
The only animal that can combine the two abilities together and cooperate both flexibly and still do so in very large numbers is us, Homo sapiens . 唯一拥有这两种特质 能大规模合作,又能保持灵活的, 只有我们,智人。
Homo sapiens:n.智人(现代人类);
One versus one, or even 10 versus 10, chimpanzees might be better than us. 一比一,甚至十比十, 黑猩猩都比我们优秀。
versus:prep.对;与...相对;对抗;
But, if you pit 1,000 humans against 1,000 chimpanzees, the humans will win easily, for the simple reason that a thousand chimpanzees cannot cooperate at all. 但,如果数目提高到一千个人和一千头黑猩猩, 人类就能轻易获胜。 因为上千头黑猩猩无法一起合作。
pit:n.深洞;深坑;矿井;麻子;v.使…表面有斑点;在…上打洞;去掉…的果核;
And if you now try to cram 100,000 chimpanzees into Oxford Street, or into Wembley Stadium , or Tienanmen Square or the Vatican , you will get chaos , complete chaos. 如果你尝试把十万头黑猩猩, 塞进牛津街、温布利体育馆 天安门广场或梵蒂冈, 绝对会陷入一片混乱。
cram:v.把…塞进; n.填塞; Stadium:n.[体]露天大型体育场;[病]病期;[生]生长期;龄期; Vatican:n.梵蒂冈;罗马教廷; chaos:n.混沌,混乱;
Just imagine Wembley Stadium with 100,000 chimpanzees. 想象塞满十万头黑猩猩的温布利体育馆,
Complete madness. 那个景象将有多疯狂。
In contrast, humans normally gather there in tens of thousands, and what we get is not chaos, usually. 相对的,就算成千上万的人在会场里 通常也不会陷入混乱。
normally:adv.正常地;通常地,一般地;
What we get is extremely sophisticated and effective networks of cooperation. 我们有效率、有制度地合作。
extremely:adv.非常,极其;极端地; sophisticated:adj.复杂的;老练的;见多识广的;水平高的; effective:adj.有效的,起作用的;实际的,实在的;给人深刻印象;
All the huge achievements of humankind throughout history, whether it's building the pyramids or flying to the moon, have been based not on individual abilities, but on this ability to cooperate flexibly in large numbers. 人类在历史上达成的巨大成就, 无论是金字塔还是上月球, 都不是建立在个体的能力, 而是群体的灵活合作。
humankind:n.人类(总称); throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及;
Think even about this very talk that I'm giving now: 想想我这场演讲,
I'm standing here in front of an audience of about 300 or 400 people, most of you are complete strangers to me. 我在三四百个人面前演讲 你们中的大多数我都不认识
Similarly , I don't really know all the people who have organized and worked on this event. 我不认识所有组织 或参与这个活动的人。
Similarly:adv.同样地;类似于; organized:adj.有组织的; v.组织; (organize的过去分词和过去式)
I don't know the pilot and the crew members of the plane that brought me over here, yesterday, to London. 我不认识昨天带我飞抵伦敦的 驾驶员和机组人员。
I don't know the people who invented and manufactured this microphone and these cameras, which are recording what I'm saying. 我不认识是谁发明和制造 这些正在拍摄我的演讲的录像机和麦克风
manufactured:adj.制造的,已制成的;v.制造,加工(manufacture的过去式); microphone:n.麦克风;传声器;话筒;
I don't know the people who wrote all the books and articles that I read in preparation for this talk. 为了准备这段演讲,我读了不少书和论文, 我却不认识它们的作者。
And I certainly don't know all the people who might be watching this talk over the Internet, somewhere in Buenos Aires or in New Delhi . 我更不知道 那些正在网上观看这个演讲的人 他们可能在布宜诺斯艾利斯或是在新德里
Delhi:n.德里(印度城市名);
Nevertheless , even though we don't know each other, we can work together to create this global exchange of ideas. 而且,尽管我们不认识彼此, 却能在世界的舞台上,一同参与、创造、交换意见,
Nevertheless:adv.然而,不过;虽然如此;conj.然而,不过; global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的; exchange:n.交换;交流;交易所;兑换;v.交换;交易;兑换;
This is something chimpanzees cannot do. 这是黑猩猩所做不到的。
They communicate, of course, but you will never catch a chimpanzee traveling to some distant chimpanzee band to give them a talk about bananas or about elephants, or anything else that might interest chimpanzees. 当然,它们也能沟通, 但你不会看到一只黑猩猩远渡重洋, 对另一群黑猩猩讲解香蕉或大象, 或任何黑猩猩有兴趣的事。
distant:adj.遥远的;远处的;久远的; band:n.带;波段;频带;箍;v.加彩条(或嵌条等);(将价格、收入等)划分档次; or anything else:或什么别的;或任何东西其他;
Now cooperation is, of course, not always nice; all the horrible things humans have been doing throughout history -- and we have been doing some very horrible things -- all those things are also based on large-scale cooperation. 合作自然不是只有好事。 人类历史上所有恐怖的事件 － 我们的确做过一些非常恐怖的事 － 它们同样也是人类大规模合作达成的。
horrible:可怕的,极讨厌的, large-scale:adj.大规模的,大范围的;大比例尺的;
Prisons are a system of cooperation; slaughterhouses are a system of cooperation; concentration camps are a system of cooperation. 监狱是一种合作系统, 屠宰场是一种合作系统, 集中营是一种合作系统。
slaughterhouses:n.屠宰场(等于abattoir);屠杀场; concentration:n.浓度;含量;集中;专心;
Chimpanzees don't have slaughterhouses and prisons and concentration camps. 黑猩猩没有屠宰场、监狱、或集中营。
Now suppose I've managed to convince you perhaps that yes, we control the world because we can cooperate flexibly in large numbers. 现在或许我已经说服你, 因为我们大规模灵活合作的能力,我们掌控了世界。
suppose:v.推断:假定:假设:设想: convince:v.使确信;使相信;说服,劝说;
The next question that immediately arises in the mind of an inquisitive listener is: 下一个问题随之而来。 好奇的听众心里想:
arises:v.出现;发生;站立; inquisitive:adj.好奇的;好问的,爱打听的;
How, exactly, do we do it? 我们是怎么做到的？
What enables us alone, of all the animals, to cooperate in such a way? 在所有动物中,为什么只有我们这样合作？
enables:v.使得; (enable的第三人称单数)
The answer is our imagination . 答案是我们的想象力。
imagination:n.想象;想象力;创造力;想象的事物;
We can cooperate flexibly with countless numbers of strangers, because we alone, of all the animals on the planet, can create and believe fictions, fictional stories. 我们之所以可以和无数陌生人一同合作, 因为在这星球上的所有动物中 只有我们能创造和相信虚构的故事,
countless:adj.无数的;数不尽的; fictional:adj.虚构的;小说的;
And as long as everybody believes in the same fiction, everybody obeys and follows the same rules, the same norms , the same values. 只要大家一同相信同一个故事, 每个人服从并执行一样的规则, 一样的基准,一样的价值观,
as long as:conj.只要;长达;如果;既然; obeys:v.服从;遵守;顺从;(obey的第三人称单数) norms:n.[标准]标准,规范;基准(norm复数形式);
All other animals use their communication system only to describe reality. 其它动物的沟通, 只限于描述真实的物事。
describe:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;
A chimpanzee may say, "Look! There's a lion, let's run away!" 黑猩猩说:“看啊！有狮子！快跑！”
Or, "Look! There's a banana tree over there! Let's go and get bananas!" 或是:“看啊！那有香蕉树！去摘香蕉吧！”
Humans, in contrast, use their language not merely to describe reality, but also to create new realities, fictional realities. 而人类呢,我们的语言不只是用来描述现实, 更能用来创造新的现实,想象的现实。
merely:adv.仅仅,只不过;只是;
A human can say, "Look, there is a god above the clouds! 人可以说:“看啊！云上有神！
And if you don't do what I tell you to do, when you die, God will punish you and send you to hell." 如果你不听从命令, 神会在你死后惩罚你直达地狱。”
And if you all believe this story that I've invented, then you will follow the same norms and laws and values, and you can cooperate. 如果你相信我发明的故事, 你就会依循一样的基准、法则、价值观, 你就会合作。
This is something only humans can do. 这件事只有人类做得到。
You can never convince a chimpanzee to give you a banana by promising him, "... after you die, you'll go to chimpanzee heaven ..." 你永远无法说服一只黑猩猩交出香蕉, 就算你承诺它:“死后,你可以到黑猩猩天堂......“
(Laughter) （笑声）
'"... and you'll receive lots and lots of bananas for your good deeds . “到时候你的善行,会为你赢得无数的香蕉。
deeds:n.行为;行动;(尤指房产)契约,证书;(deed的复数)
So now give me this banana." 现在,快把香蕉给我。”
No chimpanzee will ever believe such a story. 没有一只黑猩猩会相信这种故事。
Only humans believe such stories, which is why we control the world, whereas the chimpanzees are locked up in zoos and research laboratories . 只有人类会相信这种故事。 这就是黑猩猩关在动物园或实验室, 我们却称霸世界的原因。
whereas:conj.然而;鉴于;反之; laboratories:n.实验室;(laboratory的复数)
Now you may find it acceptable that yes, in the religious field, humans cooperate by believing in the same fictions. 或许你现在可以接受, 在宗教领域,拥有相同信念的人一同合作。
acceptable:adj.认同的;可接受的;令人满意的; religious:adj.宗教的;虔诚的;严谨的;修道的;n.修道士;尼姑;
Millions of people come together to build a cathedral or a mosque or fight in a crusade or a jihad , because they all believe in the same stories about God and heaven and hell. 百万人同心合力建造教堂、清真寺 一同参加圣战因为他们信仰 神、天堂和地狱。
cathedral:n.大教堂; mosque:n.清真寺; crusade:n.运动;(中世纪的)十字军东征;v.长期坚定不移地奋斗; jihad:n.讨伐异教徒;拥护运动;护教战争;
But what I want to emphasize is that exactly the same mechanism underlies all other forms of mass-scale human cooperation, not only in the religious field. 但我想说的是同样的机制 存在于人类各种的大规模合作。 不限于宗教领域。
emphasize:v.强调;重视;着重;使突出; mechanism:n.机制;原理,途径;进程;机械装置;技巧; underlies:vt.成为…的基础;位于…之下;
Take, for example, the legal field. 譬如,法制领域。
legal:adj.法律的;合法的;法定的;
Most legal systems today in the world are based on a belief in human rights. 现在世界上大部分的法律,都以人权为基础。
But what are human rights? 但人权是什么？
Human rights, just like God and heaven, are just a story that we've invented. 人权,就像神和天堂,都是我们发明的故事。
They are not an objective reality; they are not some biological effect about homo sapiens. 它们不是客观的事实; 它们不是某种智人的生理反应。
objective:n.目标; adj.客观的; 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;
Take a human being, cut him open, look inside, you will find the heart, the kidneys , neurons, hormones , DNA, but you won't find any rights. 解剖人体,往里探看, 里面有心脏、肾脏、神经元、荷尔蒙、基因 但你找不到什么权利。
kidneys:n.[解剖]肾脏;转炉的附着物;肾形矿脉(kidney的复数); hormones:n.[生理]激素;荷尔蒙;性激素;荷尔蒙制剂(hormone的复数);
The only place you find rights are in the stories that we have invented and spread around over the last few centuries. 权利只存在故事里, 我们在这几个世纪里创造、散播的故事。
They may be very positive stories, very good stories, but they're still just fictional stories that we've invented. 这些故事很好、很正面, 但仍然是我们虚构的。
positive:adj.积极的;[数]正的,[医][化学]阳性的;确定的;n.正数;[摄]正片;
The same is true of the political field. 政治领域也一样。
The most important factors in modern politics are states and nations. 国家是今日政治里最重要的元素。
factors:n.因素(factor的复数); v.做代理商; politics:n.政治;钩心斗角;政治观点;v.(贬)从事政治活动;(politic的第三人称单数)
But what are states and nations? 但国家是什么？
They are not an objective reality. 它们不是客观事实,
A mountain is an objective reality. 山陵是客观事实,
You can see it, you can touch it, you can ever smell it. 你看得到,摸得到,甚至闻得到。
But a nation or a state, like Israel or Iran or France or Germany, this is just a story that we've invented and became extremely attached to. 但国家, 以色列、伊朗、法国或德国, 只是我们创造, 并且非常依赖的故事。
Israel:n.以色列(亚洲国家);犹太人,以色列人; attached:adj.依恋;v.重视;把…固定;(attach的过去分词和过去式)
The same is true of the economic field. 经济领域也一样。
economic:adj.经济的,经济上的;经济学的;
The most important actors today in the global economy are companies and corporations . 公司和企业是今日 全球金融中不可或缺的元素。
economy:n.经济;节约;理财; corporations:n.[贸易]公司,[经]企业(corporation的复数形式);
Many of you today, perhaps, work for a corporation, like Google or Toyota or McDonald's. 你们当中的许多人为企业工作, 像谷歌或丰田或麦当劳。
Google:谷歌;谷歌搜索引擎;
What exactly are these things? 它们是什么？
They are what lawyers call legal fictions. 律师叫它们法人。
They are stories invented and maintained by the powerful wizards we call lawyers. 需要有巫师创造和维持, 不过我们通常叫这些巫师叫律师。
maintained:v.维持;维修;保养;固执己见;(maintain的过去式和过去分词) wizards:n.术士;巫师;奇才(wizard的复数);
(Laughter) （笑声）
And what do corporations do all day? 企业都在做些什么？
Mostly, they try to make money. 它们主要的功能是赚钱。
Yet, what is money? 但钱是什么？
Again, money is not an objective reality; it has no objective value. 钱也不是客观事实。
Take this green piece of paper, the dollar bill. 这张绿色的纸,一元钞票。
Look at it -- it has no value. 它其实一文不值。
You cannot eat it, you cannot drink it, you cannot wear it. 你不能吃它,不能喝它, 不能把它穿在身上。
But then came along these master storytellers -- the big bankers, the finance ministers , the prime ministers -- and they tell us a very convincing story: "Look, you see this green piece of paper? 但这些大故事家来了 － 大银行家, 各国的财政部长, 总理 － 他们说着同一个动人的故事: “你看这张绿色的纸,
storytellers:n.说故事的人(storyteller的复数); finance:n.财政,财政学;金融;v.负担经费,供给…经费; ministers:n.部长,大臣; v.辅助; (minister的第三人称单数和复数) prime:adj.主要的; v.极好地; n.初期; v.使准备好; convincing:adj.令人信服的; v.使确信; (convince的现在分词)
It is actually worth 10 bananas." 它可以换十个香蕉。”
And if I believe it, and you believe it, and everybody believes it, it actually works. 如果我信了,你也信了, 大家都信了, 这事就成了。
I can take this worthless piece of paper, go to the supermarket, give it to a complete stranger whom I've never met before, and get, in exchange, real bananas which I can actually eat. 我可以拿着这张一文不值的纸, 到任何超市, 把它交给一位素昧平生的陌生人, 拿到我可以吃的,真的香蕉。
worthless:adj.无价值的;不值钱的;卑微的;
This is something amazing. 这未必太神气了。
You could never do it with chimpanzees. 黑猩猩可办不到。
Chimpanzees trade, of course: "Yes, you give me a coconut , I'll give you a banana." 当然,黑猩猩也懂得交换 ”你给我一颗椰子,我给你一根香蕉。“
coconut:n.椰子;椰子肉;
That can work. 也行。
But, you give me a worthless piece of paper and you except me to give you a banana? 但如果你给我一张废纸 然后要我给你一根香蕉？
No way! 想都别想！
What do you think I am, a human? 你把我当什么了,人类吗？
(Laughter) （笑声）
Money, in fact, is the most successful story ever invented and told by humans, because it is the only story everybody believes. 钱,其实是人类史上, 最成功的故事。 因为它是唯一一个所有人都相信的故事。
Not everybody believes in God, not everybody believes in human rights, not everybody believes in nationalism , but everybody believes in money, and in the dollar bill. 不是每个人都相信神, 不是每个人都追求人权, 不是每个人都爱国, 但每个人都相信钱,相信现金。
nationalism:n.民族主义;国家主义;民族特性;
Take, even, Osama Bin Laden . 就像拉登。
Laden:adj.负载的; vt.装载(等于lade); vi.装载(等于lade); v.装载(lade的过去分词);
He hated American politics and American religion and American culture, but he had no objection to American dollars. 他憎恨美国的政策和信仰, 美国文化, 但他绝对对美金没有意见。
objection:n.反对;反对的理由;异议;
He was quite fond of them, actually. 他其实挺爱它们的。
(Laughter) （笑声）
To conclude , then: 结论是:
conclude:v.断定:得出结论:终止:达成:缔结(协定)
We humans control the world because we live in a dual reality. 我们人类称霸世界,因为我们活在双重现实里。
All other animals live in an objective reality. 其它动物活在客观事实里。
Their reality consists of objective entities , like rivers and trees and lions and elephants. 它们的真实世界存在于客观现实, 像河流、树木、狮子和大象。
consists:v.由…构成;由…组成(consist的三单形式); entities:n.实体;存在(entity的复数形式);字符实体;
We humans, we also live in an objective reality. 我们人类也活在客观现实里。
In our world, too, there are rivers and trees and lions and elephants. 我们也有河流、树木、狮子和大象。
But over the centuries, we have constructed on top of this objective reality a second layer of fictional reality, a reality made of fictional entities, like nations, like gods, like money, like corporations. 但几个世纪来, 我们在客观现实上, 建构了另一个层次的虚拟现实, 一个由虚拟现实组成的真实世界。 国家、神、钱、企业。
constructed:v.修建;建造;组成;编制,绘制;(construct的过去分词和过去式) layer:n.层,层次; vt.把…分层堆放; vi.形成或分成层次;
And what is amazing is that as history unfolded , this fictional reality became more and more powerful so that today, the most powerful forces in the world are these fictional entities. 厉害的是在历史进程里, 虚构的现实日渐强大, 直到今日,世界上最强大的力量, 是这些虚构的主体。
unfolded:v.(使)展开;打开;展示;透露;(unfold的过去分词和过去式)
Today, the very survival of rivers and trees and lions and elephants depends on the decisions and wishes of fictional entities, like the United States, like Google, like the World Bank -- entities that exist only in our own imagination. 今天,幸存的河流、树、狮子和大象, 仰赖着这些虚构主体的决定和期待生存, 像美国、谷歌、世界银行 － 这些只存在于我们想象中的主体。
United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式) World Bank:n.世界银行(向处于困境需要资助的成员国贷款的国际机构);
Thank you. 谢谢各位。
(Applause) （掌声）
Bruno Giussani: Yuval, you have a new book out. Bruno Guissani:乌瓦尔,你有一本新书即将出版。
After Sapiens, you wrote another one, and it's out in Hebrew , but not yet translated into ... 出版《人类大历史》后,你又写了一本, 希伯来文的版本已经出版了,但还没翻译成......
Hebrew:n.希伯来人,犹太人;希伯来语;adj.希伯来语的;希伯来人的;
Yuval Noah Harari: I'm working on the translation as we speak. 乌瓦尔·诺亚·哈拉利:我现在正在翻译。
Noah:n.诺亚(圣经人物);
BG: In the book, if I understand it correctly, you argue that the amazing breakthroughs that we are experiencing right now not only will potentially make our lives better, but they will create -- and I quote you -- "... new classes and new class struggles, just as the industrial revolution did." BG:在这本书里,如果我想得没错的话, 你说我们现在经历的这些奇妙的技术突破 不只会让我们的生活更好, 更有可能创造 － 你这么说 － “新的阶级和新的阶级斗争,就像工业革命时期一样。”
breakthroughs:突破; potentially:adv.可能地,潜在地; quote:v.引用;报价;举例说明;开价;为(企业的股份)上市;n.引用; industrial revolution:n.工业革命;
Can you elaborate for us? 你可以多说一点吗？
elaborate:adj.精心制作的;详尽的;煞费苦心的;v.精心制作;详细描述;变复杂;
YNH: Yes. In the industrial revolution, we saw the creation of a new class of the urban proletariat . 哈拉利:好的。在工业革命时期, 我们创造了城市中的无产阶级。
creation:n.创造,创作;创作物,产物; urban:adj.城市的;都市的;城镇的;都市音乐的; proletariat:n.无产阶级,工人阶级;最下层阶级;
And much of the political and social history of the last 200 years involved what to do with this class, and the new problems and opportunities. 过去两百年的社经历史, 都在处理由此而生的新问题和机会。
involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词)
Now, we see the creation of a new massive class of useless people. 现在,一群没用的人组成了一个新阶级,
massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
As computers become better and better in more and more fields, there is a distinct possibility that computers will out-perform us in most tasks and will make humans redundant . 计算机在各个领域越来越强, 很快的,计算机在许多领域上会胜过人类, 人类将变得多余。
distinct:adj.明显的;独特的;清楚的;有区别的; redundant:adj.多余的,过剩的;被解雇的,失业的;冗长的,累赘的;
And then the big political and economic question of the 21st century will be, "What do we need humans for?", or at least, "What do we need so many humans for?" 这个世纪 最大的政治和经济问题是, “我们需要人类做什么？” 至少是“我们需要这么多人做什么？”
BG: Do you have an answer in the book? BG:书里会找到答案吗？
YNH: At present, the best guess we have is to keep them happy with drugs and computer games ... 哈拉利:目前,我们只能用药物、电子游戏 尽量让他们开心
(Laughter) （笑声）
but this doesn't sound like a very appealing future. 虽然好像也不是什么值得期待的前景。
appealing:adj.吸引人的; v.呼吁; (appeal的现在分词)
BG: Ok, so you're basically saying in the book and now, that for all the discussion about the growing evidence of significant economic inequality, we are just kind of at the beginning of the process ? BG:所以你在书里和现在所说的是, 各种讨论和证据都显示, 所有的贫富差距、经济不平等, 都只是刚刚开始而已？
evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; at the beginning of:在…的开始; process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的;
YNH: Again, it's not a prophecy; it's seeing all kinds of possibilities before us. 哈拉利:这不是预言; 只是评估眼前的所有可能性。
One possibility is this creation of a new massive class of useless people. 其中一种可能是创造了一种无用阶级,
Another possibility is the division of humankind into different biological castes , with the rich being upgraded into virtual gods, and the poor being degraded to this level of useless people. 另一种可能是用生理 把人类分成几种阶级, 富人升等为神, 穷人则贬到无用之人的阶级。
division:n.师;分配;分开;分歧; castes:n.印度世袭的社会等级(caste的复数); upgraded:adj.提升的;更新的;加固的;v.升级;改善(upgrade的过去分词); virtual:adj.[计]虚拟的;实质上的,事实上的(但未在名义上或正式获承认); degraded:adj.退化的; v.分解; (degrade的过去分词和过去式)
BG: I feel there is another TED talk coming up in a year or two. BG:我想一两年内会有这个 TED 演说。
Thank you, Yuval, for making the trip. 谢谢你远道而来。
YNH: Thanks! 哈拉利:谢谢！
(Applause) （掌声）