What's invisible? More than you think - John Lloyd

何為不可見之物? 比你所想的還要多 - John Lloyd

Translator: tom carter Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Geoff Chen 審譯者: Coco Shen

（音樂）

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[Ted N' Ed 的嘉年華會；每日開放 – 開放一整天；Yew Chube Common – Google 高速道路入口]

[John Lloyd's Inventory of the Invisible]

[John Lloyd 隱形物的清單]

[Adapted from a TEDTalk given by John Lloyd in 2009]

[改編自 2009 年John Lloyd 的TED 演說]

我們接下來的講者已經用他一整個 職業生涯探索這種奇妙的感覺，

June Cohen: Our next speaker has spent his whole career

eliciting that sense of wonder.

請歡迎 John Lloyd。（掌聲）

Please welcome John Lloyd.

(Applause)

問題是： 什麼是那不可見之物？

[Hall of Mirrors]

The question is, "What is invisible?"

事實上，在你可以想見的之外 還存在許多物質。

There's more of it than you think, actually.

Everything, I would say -- everything that matters --

一切，我會說，一切有關的物質，

Except every thing, and except matter.

除了每個物質，以及，除了物質。

We can see matter

我們可以看到問題，

but we can't see what's the matter.

但我們不能看到關聯著這問題的是什麼，

We can see the stars and the planets but we can't see what holds them apart,

我們可以可以見到恒星與行星， 但我們看不到是什麽使它們互相分隔，

or what draws them together.

或者是什麼吸引它們在一起。

With matter as with people, we see only the skin of things,

物質如同人類，我們只能看到表像，

我們不能進入引擎室，我們看不到 關聯著人一舉一動之物是什麽，

we can't see into the engine room, we can't see what makes people tick,

at least not without difficulty,

至少，這很困難，

and the closer we look at anything, the more it disappears.

當我們愈是近看所有一切，

這一切消失地愈多。

In fact, if you look really closely at stuff,

事實上，如果你真的密切注視一物， 如果你看看物質的基本構造，

if you look at the basic substructure of matter,

there isn't anything there.

那兒空無一物。電子會消失，只剩下能量。

Electrons disappear in a kind of fuzz, and there is only energy.

One of the interesting things about invisibility is,

關於隱形之物的趣事 就是，我們若無法看到

the things that we can's see, we also can't understand.

我們便無從理解。

Gravity is one thing that we can't see, and which we don't understand.

重力即是如此，我們看不到它， 我們對它便一無所悉，

It's the least understood of all the four fundamental forces,

它是所有四種基本力中最神秘的、

and the weakest, and nobody really knows what it is or why it's there.

也是最弱的，並沒有人真正 知道它是什麼，或者它為何如此。

For what it's worth, Sir Isaac Newton, the greatest scientist who ever lived,

信不信由你，最偉大的科學家以撒·牛頓爵士認為

耶穌就是特地為了 操縱重力杠杆而來到地球的。

he thought Jesus came to Earth specifically

to operate the levers of gravity.

That's what he thought he was there for.

那是他認為他在那兒的原因。

So, bright guy, could be wrong on that one, I don't know.

所以，聰明的傢伙，可能 也會出錯，我不知道。（笑聲）

(Laughter)

Consciousness. I see all your faces; I've no idea what any of you are thinking.

意識。我看到你們的臉 ， 卻不知道你們在想什麼。

Isn't that amazing?

我們無法讀取對方的心思， 那不是很棒、很妙的事嗎？

Isn't it incredible that we can't read each other's minds,

我們可以彼此接觸，嗯，或者， 品嘗彼此，在我們很接近彼此的時候， 但我們仍然無法閱讀對方的想法。

when we can touch each other, taste each other,

perhaps, if we get close enough, but we can't read each other's minds.

我覺得這相當奇特。

I find that quite astonishing.

In the Sufi faith, this great Middle Eastern religion

在蘇菲的信仰中，在這個偉大的、 被認為是所有宗教的根的中東宗教中，

which some claim is the root of all religions,

Sufi masters are all telepaths, so they say,

蘇菲的所有大師們都熟稔讀心術，於是他們說，

but their main exercise of telepathy

他們主要行使的心靈感應能力 是發出強而有力的信號， 對我們剩下的所有不存在的人，

is to send out powerful signals to the rest of us that it doesn't exist.

So that's why we don't think it exists; the Sufi masters working on us.

這就是為什麼我們不覺得它存在； 我們不覺得蘇菲派大師對我們曾經做過努力。

In the question of consciousness and artificial intelligence,

關於意識和人工智慧技術的問題，

artificial intelligence has really, like the study of consciousness,

人工智慧真的就如同意識的研究，

gotten nowhere, we have no idea how consciousness works.

我們毫無進展，我們仍然 不知道意識是如何運作的，

Not only have they not created artificial intelligence,

他們不僅沒有創建人工智慧，

they haven't yet created artificial stupidity.

他們也還沒造出人工愚蠢。

(Laughter)

The laws of physics: invisible, eternal, omnipresent, all powerful.

物理定律： 隱形之物，永恆，無所不在，無上至高的力量。

Remind you of anyone?

這讓你想起誰嗎？

Interesting.

有趣。如同你所猜到的，我不是 唯物主義者，我是一個非唯物主義者，

I'm, as you can guess, not a materialist, I'm an immaterialist.

And I've found a very useful new word -- ignostic.

而且我發現一個非常有用的新詞：不可知論者 （ignostic）。好嗎？我是不可知論者，[神？]

Okay? I'm an ignostic.

[God?]

I refuse to be drawn on the question on whether God exists

在有人正確地定義這個術語前，

until somebody properly defines the terms.

我拒絕牽扯任何關於上帝存在與否的問題。

Another thing we can't see is the human genome.

我們不能看到的另一件事，是人類基因組。

And this is increasingly peculiar, because about 20 years ago

這變得越來越奇怪，因為大約 20 年前

when they started delving into the genome, they thought it would probably contain

當他們開始探究基因圖譜時， 他們以為它可能會包含

大約 10 萬個基因。打從那時開始，

around 100 thousand genes.

Every year since, it's been revised downwards.

每年它都被調低。現在我們認為， 在人類基因組中，可能恰恰包含了

We now think there are likely to be just over 20 thousand genes

in the human genome.

二萬多一點點的基因。

This is extraordinary, because rice -- get this --

這是相當非凡的，因為稻米，看看這，

rice is known to have 38 thousand genes.

我們已知稻米含有三萬八千個基因，

Potatoes have 48 chromosomes, two more than people,

馬鈴薯：馬鈴薯擁有 48 對染色體，比人多兩個，

and the same as a gorilla.

但和一隻大猩猩相同。（笑聲）

(Laughter)

You can't see these things, but they are very strange.

你無法看到這些東西，但它們都很奇怪。

The stars by day, I always think that's fascinating.

白天的星星，我總為之著迷。

The universe disappears.

宇宙會消失。你看到的光越多， 你能夠見到的物質卻越少。

The more light there is, the less you can see.

Time. Nobody can see time.

時間。沒有人能夠看到時間。

I don't know if you know this.

我不知道是否你知道這點。現代物理學家 — — 有個現代物理學中的大運動

There's a big movement in modern physics

to decide that time doesn't really exist,

確定時間並不真的存在， 因為它對數字來說太不方便了。

because it's too inconvenient for the figures.

It's much easier if it's not really there.

如果它並不真的存在，這便容易多了。

You can't see the future, obviously,

很明顯，你見不到未來，

and you can't see the past, except in your memory.

你也看不到過去，除了在你的記憶之中。

One of the interesting things about the past

關於過去的一個很有趣的事情之一， 就是你特別看不見 — —

is you particularly can't see --

my son asked me this the other day,

有天，我兒子問我說： 爸爸， 你還記得我兩歲時是什麼樣子嗎？

"Dad, can you remember what I was like when I was two?

And I said, "Yes." He said, "Why can't I?"

我說我記得。他問，為什麼我不能呢？

Isn't that extraordinary?

這難道不奇特嗎？你無法 記得在你兩三歲之前所發生的事，

You cannot remember what happened to you earlier than the age of two or three.

Which is great news for psychoanalysts, because otherwise they'd be out of a job.

這對精神分析師們來說是個好消息， 因為，倘若真如此，他們會失去工作。

因為那正是讓你成為你的時刻，

Because that's where all the stuff happens

(Laughter)

that makes you who you are.

所有事物發生的時候 [笑]。

Another thing you can't see is the grid on which we hang.

另一件你們看不到的 是我們所依附的網格。

This is fascinating.

這很令人著迷。你可能知道， 你們一些人當中的細胞不斷會更新。

You probably know, some of you, that cells are continually renewed.

Skin flakes off, hairs grow, nails, that kind of stuff --

皮膚剝落，毛髮生長，指甲，這種東西 — —

but every cell in your body is replaced at some point.

但在你的身體裡的每個細胞 在某些時候將會被替換

Taste buds, every ten days or so.

味蕾，每隔十天左右換一次，

Livers and internal organs take a bit longer.

肝臟和其他內部器官的時間略長。

Spine takes several years.

脊椎會需要幾年時間，

But at the end of seven years, not one cell in your body

但七年後，在你的身體裡，沒有一個細胞

remains from what was there seven years ago.

仍然和七年前一樣。

The question is: who then are we? What are we?

問題是： 然後我們又是誰呢？ 我們是什麼？那維繫著我們的東西是什麼？

What is this thing that we hang on?

That is actually us?

這實際上是我們嗎？

Atoms, can't see them. Nobody ever will.

原子，我們看不到它們。 沒人看得到。它們比光的波長小得多。

They're smaller than the wavelength of light.

Gas, can't see that.

瓦斯，我們看不到。這很有趣， 最近，在1600 年時有人提到它，

Interesting, somebody mentioned 1600 recently.

Gas was invented in 1600 by a Dutch chemist called van Helmont.

瓦斯是由荷蘭化學家 范•海爾蒙特在1600 年所發明的，

It's said to be the most successful ever invention of a word by a known individual.

它被認為是最成功的 一個已知的個人所發明的字。

Quite good. He also invented a word called "blas," meaning astral radiation.

非常不錯。他還發明了一個 叫 blas 的字，意思是星的輻射。

Didn't catch on, unfortunately.

不幸的是，沒抓到神韻。（笑聲）

(Laughter)

But well done, him.

但他做得好。光 — — 你不能看見光。

Light -- you can't see light.

When it's dark, in a vacuum,

在黑暗的情況下，在真空中， 如果一個人在你的眼前 閃耀一束光，你看不到它。

if a person shines a beam of light

straight across your eyes, you won't see it.

Slightly technical, some physicists will disagree with this.

更技術性地說，有些物理學家不會贊同這。 不過奇怪的是，你不能看見這束光，

But it's odd that you can't see the beam of light,

你只能看到它所擊中的東西。

you can only see what it hits.

Electricity, can't see that.

電力，你們看不到。別讓人 告訴你他們瞭解電力了，他們不。

Don't let anyone tell you they understand electricity, they don't.

Nobody knows what it is.

(Laughter)

沒有人知道它是什麼。（笑聲）你們可能認為，

You probably think the electrons in an electric wire move instantaneously

down a wire, don't you, at the speed of light,

當你打開燈時，電子在電線中 以光的速度瞬間移動，不是嗎？

when you turn the light on, they don't.

不。他們說，電子遲緩如蜂蜜流淌。

Electrons bumble down the wire,

about the speed of spreading honey, they say.

Galaxies -- hundred billion of them,

銀河。他們估計宇宙有一千億個星系。一千億。

estimated in the universe. Hundred billion.

How many can we see?

我們可以看到的有幾個？五個。 一千億星系中的五個，用肉眼。

Five. Five, out of a hundred billion galaxies, with the naked eye.

And one of them is quite difficult to see, unless you've got very good eyesight.

而其中一個是很難看得到的， 除非你有很好的視力。

Radio waves. There's another thing.

無線電波。還有一件事。海因裡希 · 赫茲， 當他在 1887 年發現無線電波時，

Heinrich Hertz, when he discovered radio waves, in 1887,

他把它們稱為無線電波，因為它們以輻射樣貌傳遞。

he called them radio waves because they radiated.

有人對他說，嗯，海因裡希，這有什麼用處？ 這些你所發現的無線電波有啥用途？

Somebody said to him, "What's the point of these, Heinrich?

What's the point of these radio waves that you've found?"

他說，嗯，我也不知道，但我猜 有一天會有人知道怎麼使用它們。

And he said, "Well, I've no idea,

but I guess somebody will find a use for them someday.

我們所看不到的最大的東西 是那些我們所不知道的事物。

The biggest thing that's invisible to us is what we don't know.

It is incredible how little we know.

我們所知甚少，這真是令人難以置信。

Thomas Edison once said,

湯瑪斯 · 愛迪生曾說過， 我們只知道任何百萬事物之中的 1%。

"We don't know one percent of one millionth about anything."

And I've come to the conclusion --

我的結論是 — —

because you ask this other question: "What's another thing we can't see?"

因為你問了另一個問題： 有什麼其他物質是我們所看不到的呢？

重點，我們大多數人。什麼是這重點？

The point, most of us. What's the point?

The point -- what I've got it down to

重點 — — 我把它縮減到只剩 兩個真的值得我們探究的問題。

is there are only two questions really worth asking.

"Why are we here?",

為什麼我們在這兒？以及， 我們在這兒時應當做些什麽？

and "What should we do about it while we are?"

To help you, I've got two things to leave you with, from two great philosophers,

為了幫助你們，我從兩個偉大的 哲學家那兒，汲取兩個東西留給你們，

perhaps two of the greatest philosopher thinkers of the 20th century.

他們也許是兩個二十世紀 最偉大的哲學家或思想家，

一位是數學家與工程師，另一位是詩人。

One a mathematician and engineer, and the other a poet.

The first is Ludwig Wittgenstein,

第一位是路德維希•維根斯坦 （Ludwig Wittgenstein）。他說，

who said, "I don't know why we are here,

我不知道為什麼我們在這兒，但我確信的是， 我們在這兒不是為了享樂的。

but I am pretty sure it's not in order to enjoy ourselves."

(Laughter)

He was a cheerful bastard, wasn't he?

他真是一個性格開朗的混蛋，不是嗎？（笑聲）

(Laughter)

And secondly, and lastly, W.H. Auden, one of my favorite poets,

第二，也是最後一個，是威斯坦•休•奥登 （W.H. Auden），他是我最喜歡的詩人之一。

who said, "We are here on Earth to help others.

他說，我們在地球上是爲了幫助他人。 至於其他人在這兒的原因是啥，我不知道。

What the others are here for, I've no idea."

(Laughter)

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