How do you know what's true? - Sheila Marie Orfano

Translator: Klavdija Černilogar Dwyer Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

A samurai is found dead in a quiet bamboo grove.

V tihem bambusovem nasadu najdejo mrtvega samuraja.

One by one, the crime’s only known witnesses recount their version

Priče zločina vsaka po svoje povedo,

of the events that transpired.

kaj se je zgodilo.

But as they each tell their tale,

In iz vsakega opisa postane jasno,

it becomes clear that every testimony is plausible, yet different.

da so vsa pričevanja verjetna, toda različna.

And each witness implicates themselves.

In vsaka priča postane del dogodka.

This is the premise of “In a Grove,” a short story published in the early 1920s

To je tema kratke zgodbe “V nasadu”, ki je izšla v začetku 20. stoletja,

by Japanese author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.

njen avtor pa je Rjunosuke Akutagava.

Though many know this tale of warring perspectives by a different name:

Toda mnogi to zgodbo o nasprotnih pogledih poznajo pod drugim imenom:

“Rashomon.”

Rašomon.

In 1950, Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa adapted two of Akutagawa’s stories

1950 je japonski režiser Akira Kurosava dve Akutagavovi zgodbi

into one film.

sestavil v film.

This movie introduced the world to an enduring cultural metaphor

Ta film je svetu predstavil kulturno metaforo,

that has transformed our understanding of truth, justice and human memory.

ki je spremenila naše razumevanje resnice, pravice in človeškega spomina.

The Rashomon effect describes a situation

Rašomonov učinek opisuje okoliščine,

in which individuals give significantly different but equally conceivable accounts

v katerih posamezniki na zelo različne, a enako verjetne načine

of the same event.

opišejo isti dogodek.

Often used to highlight the unreliability of eyewitnesses,

S tem učinkom pogosto dokazujejo nezanesljivost prič,

the Rashomon effect usually occurs under two specific conditions.

ponavadi pa nastane pod dvema določenima pogojema.

The first: there’s no evidence to verify what really happened.

Prvič: ni dokazov o tem, kaj se je v resnici zgodilo.

And the second: there’s pressure to achieve closure,

Drugič: obstaja pritisk, da bi zadevo rešili,

often provided by an authority figure trying to identify the definitive truth.

pogosto s strani avtoritete, ki išče dokončno resnico.

But the Rashomon effect undermines the very idea of a singular, objective truth.

A Rašomonov učinek spodkopava idejo o eni sami objektivni resnici.

In the source material,

V svojih zgodbah

Akutagawa and Kurosawa use the tools of their media

Akutagava in Kurosava uporabita orodja svojih medijev

to give each character’s testimony equal weight,

in pričevanju vsake osebe data enako težo,

transforming each witness into an unreliable narrator.

tako da vse priče postanejo nezanesljivi pripovedovalci.

Without any hints on who’s sharing the most accurate account,

Brez vsakih namigov o tem, čigava zgodba je najbolj točna,

the audience can’t tell which character to trust.

občinstvo ne ve, komu naj verjame.

Instead, each testimony takes on a truthful quality,

Vsako pričevanje se zdi verodostojno

and the audience is left doubting their convictions

in občinstvo mora podvomiti v svoje prepričanje,

as they guess who ended the samurai’s life.

da bi uganili, kdo je pokončal samuraja.

Some might find this frustrating because the plot subverts expectations

To je za marsikoga neprijetno, saj zgodba spodkoplje pričakovanja o tem,

of how mysteries usually end.

kako se uganke ponavadi razrešijo.

But by refusing to provide a clear answer,

S tem ko ne ponudita jasnega odgovora,

these two artists capture the messiness and complexity of truth and human memory.

umetnika ponazorita neurejenost in zapletenost resnice in spomina.

Neuroscientists have found that when we form a memory,

Nevroznanstveniki so ugotovili, da pri oblikovanju spominov

our interpretation of visual information is influenced

na našo razlago videnega

by our previous experiences and internal biases.

vplivajo prejšnje izkušnje in notranji predsodki.

Some of these biases are unique to individuals,

Nekateri predsodki so edinstveni,

but others are more universal.

drugi so bolj univerzalni.

For example, egocentric bias can influence people

Egocentrična pristranskost denimo vpliva na to,

to subconsciously reshape their memories

kako ljudje podzavestno preoblikujejo spomine,

in ways that cast a positive light on their actions.

tako da prikažejo svoja dejanja v pozitivni luči.

Even if we were able to encode a memory accurately,

Tudi če bi lahko spomin pravilno kodirali,

recalling it incorporates new information that changes the memory.

priklic tega spomina doda informacije, ki sam spomin spremenijo.

And when we later recall that event,

In ko se dogodka spomnimo kasneje,

we typically remember the embellished memory instead of the original experience.

je to ponavadi olepšan spomin, ne pa spomin dejanske izkušnje.

These underlying psychological phenomena mean that the Rashomon effect

Ti psihološki pojavi kažejo, da se Rašomonov učinek

can pop up anywhere.

lahko pojavi kjerkoli.

In biology, scientists starting from the same dataset

V biologiji znanstveniki, ki pogosto uporabijo iste podatke

and applying the same analytical methods, frequently publish different results.

in enake analitične pristope, neredko pridejo do različnih rezultatov.

Anthropologists regularly grapple with the impact personal backgrounds can have

Antropologi se redno spopadajo z učinkom, ki ga imajo osebne okoliščine

on an expert's perception.

na strokovnjakovo dojemanje.

In one famous case, two anthropologists visited the Mexican village of Tepoztlan.

Znan je primer dveh antropologov, ki sta obiskala mehiško vas Tepoztlan.

The first researcher described life in the town as happy and contented,

Prvi je življenje tam opisal kot srečno in zadovoljno,

while the second recorded residents as paranoid and disgruntled.

drugi pa je videl paranoične in nesrečne ljudi.

Experts aside, the Rashomon effect can also impact the general public,

Rašomonov učinek vpliva tudi na splošno javnost,

particularly when it comes to the perception of complicated world events.

predvsem ko gre za dojemanje zapletenih svetovnih dogajanj.

For example, following a 2015 security summit

Na primer, po varnostnem vrhu

between the United States and leaders from the Arab States,

med ZDA in voditelji arabskih držav leta 2015

media reports about the summit varied enormously.

so mediji o tem poročali zelo raznoliko.

Some stated that it had gone smoothly, while others called it a complete failure.

Za nekatere je šlo vse gladko, za druge je bil vrh popolna katastrofa.

It's tempting to fixate on why we have competing perceptions,

Razmišljati o tem, zakaj stvari dojemamo različno, je fino,

but perhaps the more important question the Rashomon effect raises is,

a morda Rašomonov učinek postavlja bolj ključno vrašanje:

what is truth anyway?

kaj sploh je resnica?

Are there situations when an “objective truth” doesn’t exist?

Ali obstajajo okoliščine, v katerih ni “objektivne resnice”?

What can different versions of the same event tell us

Kaj nam verzije istega dogodka povedo

about the time, place and people involved?

o času, prostoru in udeležencih?

And how can we make group decisions if we’re all working

Kako lahko sprejemamo skupne odločitve, če to počnemo

with different information, backgrounds, and biases?

na osnovi različnih informacij, ozadij in predsodkov?

Like most questions, these don’t have a definitive answer.

Kot večina vprašanj tudi to nima definitivnega odgovora.

But the enduring importance of Akutagawa’s story

A brezčasen pomen Akutagavine zgodbe kaže,

suggests there may be value in embracing the ambiguity.

da ima upoštevanje nejasnosti morda svojo vrednost.