Ethical dilemma: What makes life worth living? - Douglas MacLean

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 麗玲 辛

On your planet, life depends entirely on Nuronium.

在你的星球上，生命的維持 完全仰賴「努隆」元素。

Your species is almost otherwise identical to humans,

你們和人類幾乎是一模一樣的物種，

except you require Nuronium in the atmosphere for normal cognition.

只差在你需要大氣中的努隆， 才能保有正常的認知。

Without it, people lose their capacity to imagine and think reflectively.

沒有努隆，大家就會 失去想像和沉思的能力。

Over time, they even lose their ability to make and retain long-term memories.

隨時間流逝，甚至會失去 製造和保有長期記憶的能力。

While this is certainly a delicate situation,

雖然這是個很微妙的情況，

this essential element also provides an infinite source of clean energy,

這種必要元素也是 乾淨能源的無限來源，

which has allowed your people to thrive for millennia.

讓你的族人能繁榮了數千年。

But leading scientists have discovered terrible news.

但頂尖科學家發現了很糟糕的消息。

Somehow the entire source of Nuronium has been irreversibly compromised.

不知怎麼的，努隆的整個來源

受到了損害且無法恢復。

It now emits a pollutant that lowers fertility in your species,

它現在會釋放一種汙染物質， 讓你的物種繁殖力下降。

and if your planet continues relying on this resource,

如果你的星球繼續仰賴這項資源，

your people will go extinct within 100 years.

一百年內，你的族人就會絕種。

However, in an incredible stroke of luck,

然而，幸運至極的是，

your scientists have identified a passing comet from which they can mine

科學家發現了一顆路過的慧星，

他們可以從這顆慧星上 開採替代的能源來源，

an alternate energy source called Polixate.

叫做「波力克賽特」。

Polixate won’t cause infertility

波力克賽特不會導致不孕，

and would provide the same renewable energy as Nuronium.

能提供的可再生能源也不輸給努隆。

But it won’t sustain cognition in quite the same way.

只是它無法以同樣的方式 維持認知能力。

With Polixate in the atmosphere instead of Nuronium,

如果大氣中的成份 是波力克賽特而非努隆，

people would lose their creativity, their long-term memories,

大家會失去他們的創造力、

長期記憶，最終，

and eventually, your entire culture would disappear.

你們的文化也會完全消失。

The Polixate comet will only remain in orbit for a few days,

波力克賽特慧星只會 在軌道上幾天的時間，

and after that it won't return for centuries.

之後，就要再等數百年， 它才會再回來。

So your society's administrative council must decide immediately

所以，你們的行政委員會

必須要立即決定，是要繼續使用努隆？

whether to keep using Nuronium or mount an expedition to harvest the Polixate.

或者發起一次探勘行動， 去採收波力克賽特？

Right now, the board is split— waiting for your tiebreaking vote.

此時，委員會的兩派勢均力敵——

等著你決定性的一票。

Dr. Taylof’s contingent argues that your people must continue using Nuronium.

泰洛夫博士的代表團

主張你的族人必須要繼續使用努隆。

They believe that your species’ culture— centuries of literature, music, and art,

他們相信，你這個物種的文化——

數世紀的文學、音樂，和藝術，

as well as your achievements in agriculture, medicine, and technology—

以及在農業、醫學， 及科技上的成就——

is what makes life worth living.

讓生命有價值。

Without the memories of your people’s history

如果沒有對族人歷史的記憶，

or the ability to dream up new inventions,

或沒有想像出新發明的能力，

the people on your planet would essentially be reduced to mindless drones.

這個星球上的人，基本上 就會變成像無腦的機器人。

Their basic needs for survival and reproduction would be met,

雖然能夠滿足生存和繁衍的基本需求，

but Dr. Taylof believes the lives of those future generations

但泰勒夫博士相信， 這些未來世代的生命

would be meaningless without memories, imagination, and culture.

會因為沒有記憶、想像力， 以及文化而變得無意義。

And since Dr. Taylof’s group doesn’t believe that future generations

因為泰勒夫博士的團隊認為未來的世代

have any inherent right to be brought into existence,

如果無法對其所繼承的文明有所貢獻，

if it’s not possible for them to add to the civilization they’ve inherited,

就不應擁有任何固有的存在權利，

there's no point in trying to preserve them.

保護他們也沒有意義。

Besides, no living beings are harmed by continuing to rely on Nuronium—

此外，持續仰賴努隆 並不會傷害到任何生物——

your species should simply accept their fate and go extinct with dignity.

你的物種應該接受命運，

帶著尊嚴步向絕種。

Dr. Kahan and their colleagues strongly disagree.

卡漢博士和其同事強烈反對。

They admit that switching to Polixate would decrease

他們承認，改用波力克賽特的確 會導致族人的生活品質下降。

your people’s quality of life.

But with their basic needs met,

但既然他們的基本需求 能被滿足，他們仍能感受到

they could still experience a kind of happiness observed

我們在其他比較不複雜的 生物身上觀察到的那種快樂。

in other, arguably less complex lifeforms.

And even if there's no chance of your people redeveloping creativity,

即使你的族人沒有機會 重新發展出創造力，

what's most important for Dr. Kahan is that we would be preserving life.

對卡漢博士而言， 最重要的是維護生命。

Dr. Kahan’s faction believes the continuation of life alone

卡漢博士的派系相信， 單單讓生命延續下去

is incomparably valuable.

就是無比珍貴的事。

They also believe that, on average, every member of your species contributes,

他們也相信，平均來說，

物種的每位成員都有貢獻，

in small but constant ways, to the betterment of your people.

用微小但持續的方式，讓全體更好。

So by choosing to ensure your people’s existence,

所以，若你選擇確保 你的族人能生存下去，

you would ultimately be improving the total happiness of your species.

最終，你也是在為你的物種 提升其總體幸福。

But Dr. Taylof rejects the idea that maximizing happiness

但泰勒夫博士不認同

活著的終極目標是追求最大幸福。

is the ultimate goal of living.

They believe that a valuable life consists not only of happiness

他們認為，有價值的 生命不只要快樂，

but also meaningfulness.

還要有意義。

And that acting as links in the chain of tradition

而扮演傳統傳承中的環節，

and preserving cultural artifacts

以及保存文化工藝品，

are some of the most fundamental sources of meaning a species can have.

都是物種能找到意義的最根本源頭。

Merely continuing to exist, in lives like those of contented pets,

單純只是活著，

像心滿意足的寵物那樣過著生活，

would not be valuable.

一點價值也沒有。

Meanwhile, the advocates for Polixate believe there’s something

同時，波力克賽特的擁護者

認為選擇絕種是不道德的決策。

fundamentally unethical about choosing extinction.

Dr. Kahan argues there’s no moral difference between what we do

卡漢博士主張，如果我們 本來能採取不同的行動，

and what we allow to happen when we could have acted differently.

那「我們做什麼事」和「我們放任 什麼事發生」就沒有道德上的差異。

So while it would be tragic if your people ceased to exist due to chance,

所以，如果族人因為運氣不好 而絕種是很不幸的事，

to knowingly make a decision that results in extinction

但在知情的情況下，做出絕種的決策

is tantamount to mass murder.

則等同於大規模屠殺。

Both sides have much more to say, but the council needs your vote now.

雙方都還有很多話想說，

但委員會現在就需要你投票了。

So what shall it be: Nuronium for a while, or Polixate forever?

所以你會怎麼選？ 靠努隆再撐一會兒？

還是永遠靠波力克賽特活下去？