How to recognize a dystopia - Alex Gendler

譯者: Tang Yuhan 審譯者: Helen Lin

Have you ever tried to picture an ideal world?

你有沒有想像過理想世界的樣子？

One without war, poverty, or crime?

一個沒有戰爭、貧窮或犯罪的世界？

If so, you're not alone.

如果是，那不只是你有而已

Plato imagined an enlightened republic ruled by philosopher kings,

柏拉圖曾提出一個 由哲學家的國王統治的開明社會

many religions promise bliss in the afterlife,

許多宗教都承諾來世的幸福

and throughout history,

縱觀歷史

various groups have tried to build paradise on Earth.

許多組織都嘗試在地球上建造極樂世界

Thomas More's 1516 book "Utopia" gave this concept a name,

湯瑪斯在 1516 著作的《烏托邦》中 給這個觀念取了個名字

Greek for "no place."

在希臘語中是「無此地」之意

Though the name suggested impossibility,

雖然這個名稱否定了極樂世界的存在

modern scientific and political progress

現代科學與政治的發展

raised hopes of these dreams finally becoming reality.

給這些「夢想成真」帶來了希望

But time and time again, they instead turned into nightmares

但每次，它們帶來的只有 戰爭、饑荒和壓迫的夢魘

of war, famine, and oppression.

And as artists began to question utopian thinking,

當藝術家們開始質疑烏托邦式的思想時

the genre of dystopia, the not good place, was born.

反烏托邦 ─不好的地方─ 的流派就此誕生了

One of the earliest dystopian works is Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels."

較早期的反烏托邦作品中 包含了喬納森•斯威夫特的《格列弗遊記》

Throughout his journey, Gulliver encounters fictional societies,

在探險路上 格列弗經歷了許多虛構社會

some of which at first seem impressive, but turn out to be seriously flawed.

有些在開始時讓人覺得十分了不起 但最後卻發現存在嚴重的缺陷

On the flying island of Laputa,

在空中之城 ── 拉普達

scientists and social planners pursue extravagant and useless schemes

科學家和社會規劃者 忙著追求鋪張又無用的計畫

while neglecting the practical needs of the people below.

將下面人們的實際需求拋在腦後

And the Houyhnhnm who live in perfectly logical harmony

慧駰，一群活在完美和諧下的馬匹

have no tolerance for the imperfections of actual human beings.

不能容忍人類的不完美

With his novel, Swift established a blueprint for dystopia,

斯威夫特在小說中，為反烏托邦畫下藍圖

imagining a world where certain trends in contemporary society

將當代社會的某些趨勢極端化

are taken to extremes,

exposing their underlying flaws.

暴露它們隱藏的缺陷

And the next few centuries would provide plenty of material.

接下來的幾個世紀 為反烏托邦提供了許多實例

Industrial technology that promised to free laborers

工業技術原本應該解放勞動者

imprisoned them in slums and factories, instead,

卻把他們困在貧民窟和工廠裡

while tycoons grew richer than kings.

而企業巨頭們賺得比國王還多

By the late 1800's, many feared where such conditions might lead.

到了18 世紀末，很多人都擔心 這情形會演化成什麼

H. G. Wells's "The Time Machine" imagined upper classes and workers

拉迪亞德.吉卜林的《時間機器》 描述了人類演化為兩類

evolving into separate species,

上層社會和工人階級

while Jack London's "The Iron Heel" portrayed a tyrannical oligarchy

傑克•倫敦的《鐵蹄》講述了一個

ruling over impoverished masses.

統治千千萬萬貧民的寡頭暴政

The new century brought more exciting and terrifying changes.

新世紀帶來了更多 令人興奮又可怕的改變

Medical advances made it possible to transcend biological limits

醫療進步讓我們 可以突破生物本身的限制

while mass media allowed instant communication

大眾傳媒讓領導人和公眾 能夠即時交流　　

between leaders and the public.

In Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", citizens are genetically engineered

阿道司•赫胥黎的《美麗新世界》中的公民 經基因工程改造

and conditioned to perform their social roles.

被培育成執行其社會角色的人

While propaganda and drugs keep the society happy,

宣傳運動和藥物 使整個社會持續地快樂著

it's clear some crucial human element is lost.

很明顯，一些重要的人性已經喪失了

But the best known dystopias were not imaginary at all.

但是，最著名的反烏托邦 並不是憑空想像的

As Europe suffered unprecedented industrial warfare,

當歐洲正處於 空前浩大的工業革命戰爭時

new political movements took power.

新的政治理念上臺了

Some promised to erase all social distinctions,

有的承諾消除所有社會差別

while others sought to unite people around a mythical heritage.

其他的則在神秘的文化遺產中追求統一

The results were real-world dystopias

結果卻是真實的反烏托邦世界裡

where life passed under the watchful eye of the State

生命在國家的眾目睽睽之下逝去

and death came with ruthless efficiency to any who didn't belong.

死亡無情地奪走那些被國家拋棄的人

Many writers of the time didn't just observe these horrors,

當時，許多作家 不僅眼睜睜地目睹了這一切

but lived through them.

他們還經歷了這一切

In his novel "We", Soviet writer Yevgeny Zamyatin described a future

蘇聯作家 葉夫根尼•伊萬諾維奇•薩米爾欽 在他的小說《我們》中，描述了一個

where free will and individuality were eliminated.

沒有自由意識和個人特徵的未來世界

Banned in the U.S.S.R., the book inspired authors like George Orwell

被蘇聯明令禁止的這本書 激勵了喬治•奧威爾等作家

who fought on the front lines against both fascism and communism.

他們為反對法西斯主義 和共產主義而奮鬥著

While his novel "Animal Farm" directly mocked the Soviet regime,

喬治•奧威爾在小說《動物農莊》中 更直面諷刺了蘇聯的政治制度

the classic "1984" was a broader critique of totalitarianism, media, and language.

經典小說《1984》對極權主義、 媒體和語言進行了更廣泛的批判

And in the U.S.A., Sinclair Lewis's "It Can't Happen Here"

在美國，辛克萊•路易斯的 《不會發生在這裡》

envisioned how easily democracy gave way to fascism.

描述了法西斯主義 怎樣輕易地取代民主主義

In the decades after World War II,

在二戰後的幾十年中

writers wondered what new technologies

作家們一直在深思

like atomic energy, artificial intelligence, and space travel

像核能、人工智慧、太空旅行等新科技

meant for humanity's future.

會給人類帶來些什麼

Contrasting with popular visions of shining progress,

不同於大眾對光明未來的期望

dystopian science fiction expanded to films, comics, and games.

反烏托邦的科幻小說 遍佈於電影、漫畫和遊戲

Robots turned against their creators

機器人與其創造者反目成仇

while TV screens broadcast deadly mass entertainment.

電視播放著極端性大眾娛樂節目

Workers toiled in space colonies above an Earth of depleted resources

工人逃到太空殖民地勞碌著 遠離資源匱乏、

and overpopulated, crime-plagued cities.

人口密集、罪犯層出不窮的地球

Yet politics was never far away.

但是，政治不曾離我們遠去

Works like "Dr. Strangelove" and "Watchmen" explored the real threat of nuclear war,

《奇愛博士》、《守望者》等作品 探討了核戰的威脅

while "V for Vendetta" and "The Handmaid's Tale"

《V 字仇殺隊》和《侍女的故事》 告誡我們

warned how easily our rights could disappear in a crisis.

在危機時刻 失去人權是多麼容易的一件事

And today's dystopian fiction continues to reflect modern anxieties

如今的反烏托邦小說依然反映了 當代對不平等

about inequality,

climate change,

氣候轉變

government power,

政府權力

and global epidemics.

和全球性流行病的焦慮

So why bother with all this pessimism?

為什麼我們需要留意這些悲觀論點呢？

Because at their heart, dystopias are cautionary tales,

因為本質上 反烏托邦是對世人的警告

not about some particular government or technology,

它不針對某個政府或科學技術

but the very idea that humanity can be molded into an ideal shape.

它告誡我們有種想法 ── 人類可以被塑造成完美形象

Think back to the perfect world you imagined.

回想一下你想像中的理想世界

Did you also imagine what it would take to achieve?

你有想過要怎樣 造就這樣的理想世界嗎？

How would you make people cooperate?

你要怎樣才能讓人民配合？

And how would you make sure it lasted?

你要怎樣才能確保它能持久？

Now take another look.

現在，再想想

Does that world still seem perfect?

那個世界還是完美的嗎？

翻譯：Tang Yuhan