Ideasthesia: How do ideas feel? - Danko Nikolić

譯者: Ou Chih-Hong 審譯者: 庭芝 梁

Long before Descartes famously declared, "I think, therefore I am,"

在笛卡爾還沒說那句名言 「我思故我在」之前，

and long after that,

以及這句名言出現之後，

scientists and philosophers alike

科學家及哲學家，

have puzzled over what they call the mind-body problem.

對於他們所謂的 「心-物問題」都絞盡腦汁。

Is the mind some separate, non-material entity piloting a machine of flesh?

心，究竟是某種獨立、非物質的存在， 並操控我們的肉體？

Or if it's just a particularly elusive part of our physical body,

或者，心是屬於身體之中， 特別難以理解的一個部分？

how can it translate the input of our animal senses

心是如何將我們 從身體感官所接受的訊息，

into the seemingly non-physical experiences that we call thoughts?

轉換成看似非實體的經驗， 也是所謂的「想法」？

But though the answers have been debated endlessly,

儘管問題的答案仍持續的辯證中，

new research suggests that part of the problem lies

新的研究指出， 部份的問題取決於

in how we pose the question in the first place,

我們一開始是如何看待這個問題？

assuming a distinction between our sensory perception and our ideas

假設我們的感官知覺 以及想法之間，

that may not really be there.

並沒有什麼不同。

The traditional model of our mental function

對於心智如何運作， 傳統的模式認為：

has been that the senses provide separate data to our brain

感官提供獨立的資料給大腦，

which are then translated into the appropriate mental phenomena:

這些資料再被轉譯成 適當的心理現象，舉例來說：

visual images into trees, auditory experiences into bird songs, and so on.

視覺影像轉譯成樹木， 聽覺經驗轉譯為鳥語...等等。

But occasionally, we have come across people

不過，有時候我們會遇到某些人，

whose senses seem to mingle together, allowing them to hear colors,

他們的感官好像都混在一起， 他們可以「聽到」顏色，

or taste sounds.

或是「嘗到」聲音。

Until recently, the common understanding was that this phenomenon,

直到最近，這種被稱為 「聯覺」的現象，

called synesthesia,

普遍被認為是大腦當中

was a direct connection between the parts of the brain

負責感官刺激的某些區域之間

responsible for sensory stimuli such as

互相產生連結，

seeing the color yellow immediately upon hearing the tone of b flat.

像是看到黃色時， 隨即也聽到降b音調。

But newer studies have shown that synesthesia

但是，更新的研究指出， 聯覺其實扮演著中介協調的角色，

is actually mediated through our understanding

能讓我們理解 透過感官所獲得的

of the shapes, colors and sounds that our senses apprehend.

形狀、顏色與聲音。

In order for the cross-sensory experiences to occur,

為了產生「跨感官」的體驗，

the higher level ideas and concepts that our minds associate

必須啟動高層次的想法與概念，

with the sensory input must be activated.

來聯繫我們的心智 以及感官接收的訊息。

For example, this shape can be seen as either the letter "s" or the number "5,"

舉例來說，這個形狀可以看做是 英文 "S"，或是數字 "5" ，

and synesthetes associate each with different colors or sounds

「聯覺」會根據我們解讀的方式，

based on how they interpret it

把這個形狀聯結到 不同的顏色或是聲音。

despite the purely visual stimulus remaining identical.

儘管實際上的視覺刺激 仍然是獨立的。

In another study, synesthetes created novel color associations

另一個實驗中，受試者在學習 陌生的字母之後，

for unfamiliar letters after learning what the letters were.

「聯覺」能建立這些字母 與某種顏色的關聯。

So because it relies on a connection between ideas and senses,

因為聯覺背後的心理現象

this mental phenomenon underlying synesthesia

必須建立於想法 以及感覺之間的聯結，

is known as ideasthesia.

因此被認為是一種「想法感覺」， (意思是：透過感覺而引發的想法)。

Synesthesia only occurs in some people,

「聯覺」只出現在一些人身上，

although it may be more common than previously thought.

儘管這些人可能比你所想像的還要更多。

But ideasthesia itself is a fundamental part of our lives.

但是「想法感覺」 這個心理現象， 卻是我們生活中的基本元素。

Virtually all of us recognize the color red as warm and blue as cold.

事實上，我們都認為 紅色代表溫暖，藍色代表寒冷。

Many would agree that bright colors, italic letters and thin lines

大多數人都同意 亮色、斜體字和細的線條

are high-pitched,

讓人有「高音」的感覺，

while earth tones are low-pitched.

而大地色系， 則有「低音」的感覺。

And while many of these associations are acquired through cultural exposure,

這些感覺上的關聯， 多數是透過文化接觸而習得，

others have been demonstrated even in infants and apes,

而有一部分則是天生而來的，

suggesting that at least some associations are inborn.

在嬰兒或是猿猴身可以看到。

When asked to choose between two possible names for these shapes,

當人們被要求為這兩個形狀 選擇名字的時候，

people from entirely different cultural and language backgrounds

儘管來自於完全不同的文化 或是語言背景，

overwhelmingly agree that "kiki" is the spiky star,

人們一致同意 具有尖角的星星形狀稱為 "KiKi"，

while "bouba" is the rounded blob,

而圓圓的這一團叫做 "Bouba"，

both because of the sounds themselves and the shapes our mouths make

兩者都是因為聲音本身的感覺，

to produce them.

以及與人們要聲音的嘴型相似。

And this leads to even more associations

這個結果可以導引出更多的關聯性，

within a rich semantic network.

在一個豐富的語意學網絡中

Kiki is described as nervous and clever,

"KiKi" 被描述為緊張且聰明，

while bouba is perceived as lazy and slow.

"Bouba" 則被認為是懶惰及緩慢。

What all of this suggests is that our everyday experiences

這一切都是告訴我們， 在日常經驗中，

of colors, sounds and other stimuli do not live on separate sensory islands

對於顏色、聲音或是其他的刺激， 他們並不是互相獨立的，

but are organized in a network of associations

而是組成一個 具有關聯性的網絡，

similar to our language network.

就像是我們的語意學網絡。

This is what enables us to understand metaphors

這讓我們能夠理解「暗喻」，

even though they make no logical sense,

就算暗喻本身沒有任何邏輯，

such as the comparison of snow to a white blanket,

例如把雪比喻成白色地毯，

based on the shared sensations of softness and lightness.

是因為我們對於兩者的共同經驗 是柔軟及輕盈。

Ideasthesia may even be crucial to art,

「想法感覺」這個現象 對於藝術尤為重要，

which relies on a synthesis of the conceptual and the emotional.

因為需要建立在 概念以及情緒的聯覺上。

In great art, idea and aesthesia enhance each other,

偉大的藝術作品中， 想法及知覺相輔相成，

whether it's song lyrics combining perfectly with a melody,

不論是歌詞與旋律的完美組合，

the thematic content of a painting

或者是繪畫的內容

heightened by its use of colors and brushstrokes,

需要透過顏色及筆觸的運用來增強；

or the well constructed plot of a novel

亦或是劇情架構完好的小說，

conveyed through perfectly crafted sentences.

需要透過精雕細琢的語句來傳達。

Most importantly, the network of associations formed by ideasethesia

最重要的是，想法感覺 所形成的關聯性網絡，

may not only be similar to our linguistic network

不只是和我們的 語意網絡相似，

but may, in fact, be an integral part of it.

事實上，也可能是其中 不可或缺的部分。

Rather than the traditional view,

有別於與傳統觀點所認為的：

where our senses first capture a collection of colors and shapes,

感官首先獲取到所有資訊， 包括顏色、形狀，

or some vibrations in the air,

或是空氣中的震動，

and our mind then classifies them as a tree or a siren,

然後我們的心智把這些資訊 歸類為樹木或是汽笛，

ideasthesia suggests that the two processes occur simultaneously.

「想法感覺」認為 這兩個過程是同時發生的。

Our sensory perceptions are shaped by our conceptual understanding of the world.

我們的感官認知是由 我們對世界的理解所構成，

and the two are so connected that one cannot exist without the other.

兩者關係非常密切， 無法獨立存在。

If this model suggested by ideasthesia is accurate,

如果「想法感覺」 所支持的這個模式是正確的，

it may have major implications for some of the biggest

或許在與心智研究領域 相關的科學及哲學議題上，

scientific and philosophical issues surrounding the study of mind.

可能會具有重大的涵義。

Without a preexisting concept of self,

如果「自我」的概念 沒有事先存在，

Descartes would not have had an "I" to attribute the thinking to.

笛卡爾的「我」 就沒有思考的方向。

And without a preexisting network of interrelated and distinct concepts,

如果具關聯性的不同概念網絡 沒有事先存在，

our sensory experience of the world would be an undifferentiated mass

我們對於世界的感官體驗 將會變成無法分辨的一團混亂，

rather than the discrete objects we actually apprehend.

而不是我們現在所感受到的 多采多姿的世間萬物。

For science, the task is to find where this network lies,

對於科學領域，我們的目的是要找出 這個網絡位在哪裡、

how it is formed, and how it interacts with external stimuli.

如何形成，以及如何與 外界的刺激產生互動。

For philosophy, the challenge is to rethink

對於哲學領域， 我們的挑戰則是要重新思考

what this new model of consciousness means for our understanding of our selves

這個新的意識模式， 對於瞭解自我具有什麼意義，

and our relation to the world around us.

以及我們與周遭世界 之間的關聯。