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

譯者: Zoe Walmsley 審譯者: Helen Chang

A samurai is found dead in a quiet bamboo grove.

一個日本武士陳屍於僻靜的竹林中。

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

僅有的幾個目擊證人

of the events that transpired.

輪流講述各自所知的來龍去脈。

But as they each tell their tale,

可是，他們每人的證詞，

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

明顯地合理，卻不吻合。

And each witness implicates themselves.

而且每個證人都脫不了罪嫌。

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

這是 1920 年代出版的 短篇小說《竹林中》的前提，

by Japanese author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.

作者是日本作家芥川龍之介。

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

這個各說各話、真相不明的故事 有個更出名的名字：

“Rashomon.”

《羅生門》。

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

1950 年，日本導演黑澤明 改寫芥川龍之介的兩篇小說

into one film.

拍成一部電影，

This movie introduced the world to an enduring cultural metaphor

將一個歷久不衰的文化隱喻 讓全世界家喻戶曉，

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

永遠改變了人們對真相、 正義及人類記憶的理解。

The Rashomon effect describes a situation

羅生門效應描繪出

in which individuals give significantly different but equally conceivable accounts

每個人對同一個事件 有其各自不同的看法，

of the same event.

可信度也不相上下。

Often used to highlight the unreliability of eyewitnesses,

通常被用來強調 目擊證人的不可信度，

the Rashomon effect usually occurs under two specific conditions.

尤其是在兩種特定的情況下：

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

第一個是沒有證據可印證事發經過。

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

第二個是有破案壓力時，

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

檢調會用來確保不會造成冤獄。

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

羅生門效應其實削弱了 事實本應有的單向性及客觀性。

In the source material,

在原本的故事題材中

Akutagawa and Kurosawa use the tools of their media

芥川龍之介及黑澤明 運用他們熟悉的工具，

to give each character’s testimony equal weight,

平均分配每個角色的份量，

transforming each witness into an unreliable narrator.

將每個目擊證人刻劃成 不可靠的陳述者。

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

因為看不出來到底誰說的才是真的，

the audience can’t tell which character to trust.

觀眾無法分辨哪個角色可以信任。

Instead, each testimony takes on a truthful quality,

於是，每個證詞都有可信之處，

and the audience is left doubting their convictions

最後，觀眾還是無法確認誰是真兇，

as they guess who ended the samurai’s life.

誰是了結武士性命的那個人。

Some might find this frustrating because the plot subverts expectations

有些人對這樣的結局感覺挫敗，

of how mysteries usually end.

因為劇本顛覆了尋常懸疑片的結尾。

But by refusing to provide a clear answer,

藉由不提供一個明顯的解答，

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

兩位大師刻畫出 人類記憶的混亂及複雜程度。

Neuroscientists have found that when we form a memory,

神經科學家發現記憶形成當下，

our interpretation of visual information is influenced

人類對視覺資訊的解讀

by our previous experiences and internal biases.

不免受到個人的生命經驗 及內在的成見影響。

Some of these biases are unique to individuals,

有些成見是個人獨有的，

but others are more universal.

但也有些是比較普遍的。

For example, egocentric bias can influence people

例如，自我中心的成見

to subconsciously reshape their memories

能讓人不自覺地重塑記憶，

in ways that cast a positive light on their actions.

讓自身的行為看起來比較正面。

Even if we were able to encode a memory accurately,

即使我們能完整無誤地記憶某事，

recalling it incorporates new information that changes the memory.

回想時難免會加進新的資訊， 改變記憶的內容。

And when we later recall that event,

因此當我們事後回想該事件時，

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

通常想起的是美化過的版本， 而非原始的經歷。

These underlying psychological phenomena mean that the Rashomon effect

這些深層的心理現象說明了

can pop up anywhere.

羅生門效應隨時可能發生。

In biology, scientists starting from the same dataset

在生物學上，即使引用 相同的數據庫及分析方法，

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

時時可見科學家們發現、 發表不同的研究結果。

Anthropologists regularly grapple with the impact personal backgrounds can have

人類學家不時也得面臨個人的背景

on an expert's perception.

對專家的認知所產生的影響。

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

一個有名的案例中， 兩個人類學家造訪墨西哥泰波茲蘭。

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

第一位形容當地人生活快樂且富足，

while the second recorded residents as paranoid and disgruntled.

第二人卻說當地人多疑且不滿。

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

專家放一邊，羅生門效應 對普羅大眾影響也不小，

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

尤其是在複雜的世界大事， 大家的看法更是不同。

For example, following a 2015 security summit

例如，2015 年的安全高峰會後，

between the United States and leaders from the Arab States,

對美國及阿拉伯聯盟的領袖，

media reports about the summit varied enormously.

各媒體對峰會的報導就懸殊不同。

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

有些報導稱峰會順利成功， 也有報導說峰會徹底失敗。

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

大家很容易錯把注意力 放在為何產生不同觀點，

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

可是，羅生門效應點出 更重要的議題或許是：

what is truth anyway?

究竟事實為何？

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

有何種情況可能造成 沒有所謂的「客觀事實」嗎？

What can different versions of the same event tell us

我們能否從一個事件的不同版本

about the time, place and people involved?

看出時間、地點、牽涉的人物等等？

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

又，一個團隊該如何達到共識，

with different information, backgrounds, and biases?

如果其中每個人的資訊、 背景及傾向皆不相同？

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

就像大多數的情況， 這些問題沒有明確的解答。

But the enduring importance of Akutagawa’s story

芥川龍之介的故事之所以歷久不衰是

suggests there may be value in embracing the ambiguity.

它提醒了我們接納歧義的重要性。