Steven Pinker: Human nature and the blank slate

Prevodilac: Ana Stepanenko Lektor: Sandra Gojic

A year ago, I spoke to you about a book

Pre godinu dana, pričao sam vam o knjizi

that I was just in the process of completing,

čije sam pisanje privodio kraju,

that has come out in the interim, and I would like to talk to you today

u međuvremenu, knjiga je objavljena, i danas bih želeo da vam pričam

about some of the controversies that that book inspired.

o nekim od kontraverzi koje je izazvala.

The book is called "The Blank Slate,"

Naziv knjige je "Prazan list papira",

based on the popular idea

po popularnoj ideji

that the human mind is a blank slate,

da je ljudski um prazan list papira,

and that all of its structure comes from

i da njegova struktura u celini potiče od

socialization, culture, parenting, experience.

socijalizacije, kulture, roditeljstva, iskustva.

The "blank slate" was an influential idea in the 20th century.

Ideja o "praznom listu papira" bila je uticajna u XX veku.

Here are a few quotes indicating that:

Evo nekoliko citata koji to pokazuju:

"Man has no nature," from the historian

"Čovek nema posebnu prirodu" rečima istoričara

Jose Ortega y Gasset;

Hose Ortege Gaseta

"Man has no instincts," from the

"Čovek nema instikte" rečima

anthropologist Ashley Montagu;

antropologa Ešli Montag

"The human brain is capable of a full range of behaviors

"Ljudski mozak je sposoban za pun opseg ponašanja

and predisposed to none," from the late scientist Stephen Jay Gould.

a nije predodređen ni za jedno" prema pokojnom naučniku Stefanu Džej Guldu.

There are a number of reasons to doubt that the human mind

Postoje brojni razlozi da se posumnja u to da je ljudski mozak

is a blank slate,

prazan list papira,

and some of them just come from common sense.

i neki jednostavno proizilaze iz zdravog razuma.

As many people have told me over the years,

Kao što mi je mnogo ljudi govorilo godinama unazad,

anyone who's had more than one child

svako ko ima više od jednog deteta

knows that kids come into the world

zna da deca dolaze na svet

with certain temperaments and talents;

sa određenim temperamentom i talentima;

it doesn't all come from the outside.

nije sve spoljašnjeg porekla.

Oh, and anyone who

O, i svako ko

has both a child and a house pet

ima i dete i kućnog ljubimca

has surely noticed that the child, exposed to speech,

svakako je primetio da će dete, izloženo govoru,

will acquire a human language,

steći ljudski govor,

whereas the house pet won't,

dok kućni ljubimac neće,

presumably because of some innate different between them.

verovatno zbog neke urođene razlike među njima.

And anyone who's ever been

I svako ko je bio

in a heterosexual relationship knows that

u heteroseksualnoj vezi zna da

the minds of men and the minds of women are not indistinguishable.

umovi muškaraca i umovi žena nisu neraspoznatljivi.

There are also, I think,

Takođe smatram da postoji

increasing results from

sve više rezultata

the scientific study of humans

u naučnom proučavanju ljudskih bića

that, indeed, we're not born blank slates.

da se, u stvari, ne rađamo kao prazni listovi papira.

One of them, from anthropology,

Jedan takav, iz antropologije,

is the study of human universals.

jeste proučavanje ljudskih univerzalija.

If you've ever taken anthropology, you know that it's a --

Ako ste ikada učili antropologiju, znate da je

kind of an occupational

svojevrsno profesionalno

pleasure of anthropologists to show

zadovoljstvo antropologa da pokažu

how exotic other cultures can be,

u kojoj meri druge kulture mogu biti egzotične,

and that there are places out there where, supposedly,

i kako tamo negde postoje mesta, gde je navodno,

everything is the opposite to the way it is here.

sve suprotno onome što je ovde.

But if you instead

Ali, ako umesto toga

look at what is common to the world's cultures,

pogledate ono šta je zajedničko kulturama u svetu,

you find that there is an enormously rich set

nalazite da postoji izuzetno bogata paleta

of behaviors and emotions

ponašanja i emocija

and ways of construing the world

i načina na koji se konstruiše svet,

that can be found in all of the world's 6,000-odd cultures.

koju nalazimo u svim od oko 6000 kultura u svetu.

The anthropologist Donald Brown has tried to list them all,

Antropolog Donald Braun pokušao je da ih popiše,

and they range from aesthetics,

u rasponu od estetike,

affection and age statuses

naklonosti i statusa u zavisnosti od životne dobi,

all the way down to weaning, weapons, weather,

pa sve do odvikavanja od majčinog mleka, oružja, vremenskih prilika

attempts to control, the color white

i pokušaja da se one kontrolišu, bele boje

and a worldview.

i pogleda na svet.

Also, genetics and neuroscience

Takođe, genetika i proučavanje nervnog sistema

are increasingly showing that the brain

sve više pokazuju da je mozak

is intricately structured.

struktura međusobno povezanih delova.

This is a recent study by the neurobiologist Paul Thompson

Ovo je nedavna studija neurobiologa Pola Tomsona

and his colleagues in which they --

i njegovih kolega u kojoj su --

using MRI --

koristeći magnetnu rezonancu --

measured the distribution of gray matter --

merili raspodelu sive mase --

that is, the outer layer of the cortex --

to jest, spoljašnjeg sloja korteksa --

in a large sample of pairs of people.

na velikom uzorku parova ljudi.

They coded correlations in the thickness

Oni su označili korelacije u debljini

of gray matter in different parts of the brain

sive mase u različitim delovima mozga

using a false color scheme, in which

koristeći provizvoljni sistem boja, u kome

no difference is coded as purple,

u kome je odsustvo razlike označeno ljubičastom bojom,

and any color other than purple indicates

a svaka boja osim ljubičaste ukazuje na

a statistically significant correlation.

statistički značajnu korelaciju.

Well, this is what happens when you pair people up at random.

Pa, ovo se dobija kada ljude sparite nasumice.

By definition, two people picked at random

Po definiciji, dve osobe izabrane nasumice

can't have correlations in the distribution

ne mogu imati korelaciju u raspodeli

of gray matter in the cortex.

sive mase u korteksu.

This is what happens in people who share

Ovo se dobija kod ljudi koji dele

half of their DNA -- fraternal twins.

pola svog DNK -- dvojajčanih blizanaca.

And as you can see, large amounts of the brain

Kao što vidite, veliki delovi mozga

are not purple, showing that if one person

nisu ljubičasti, pokazujući da ako jedna osoba

has a thicker bit of cortex

ima deblji deo korteksa

in that region, so does his fraternal twin.

u toj regiji, isti je slučaj i sa njegovim dvojajčanim blizancem.

And here's what happens if you

A evo šta se dešava ako

get a pair of people who share all their DNA --

imate dvoje ljudi koji dele sav svoj DNK --

namely, clones or identical twins.

drugim rečima, klonovi ili identični blizanci.

And you can see huge areas of cortex where there are

Možete videti velike oblasti korteksa gde postoje

massive correlations in the distribution of gray matter.

velike korelacije u raspodeli sive mase.

Now, these aren't just

E sada, ovo nisu samo

differences in anatomy,

anatomske razlike,

like the shape of your ear lobes,

kao što je oblik ušne školjke,

but they have consequences in thought and behavior

već imaju posledice na mišljenje i ponašanje

that are well illustrated in this famous cartoon by Charles Addams:

koje su dobro ilustrovane u čuvenoj karikaturi Čarlsa Adamsa:

"Separated at birth, the Mallifert twins meet accidentally."

"Razdvojeni na rođenju, blizanci Malifert slučajno se sreću."

As you can see, there are two inventors

Kao što vidite, to su dva pronalazača

with identical contraptions in their lap, meeting

sa istim spravama u krilu, i oni se sreću

in the waiting room of a patent attorney.

u čekaonici Zavoda za patente.

Now, the cartoon is not such an exaggeration, because

E sad, crtež nije veliko preterivanje, jer

studies of identical twins who were separated at birth

studije identičnih blizanaca razdvojenih po rođenju

and then tested in adulthood

i potom testiranih u odraslom dobu

show that they have astonishing similarities.

pokazuju da imaju zapanjujućih sličnosti.

And this happens in every pair of identical twins

I tako je sa svakim parom identičnih blizanaca

separated at birth ever studied --

razdvojenim po rođenju, koji je ikada proučavan --

but much less so with fraternal twins separated at birth.

ali u mnogo manjoj meri sa dvojajčanim blizancima razdvojenim po rođenju.

My favorite example is a pair of twins,

Moj omiljeni primer je par blizanaca,

one of whom was brought up

od kojih je jedan vaspitavan

as a Catholic in a Nazi family in Germany,

kao katolik u nacističkoj porodici u Nemačkoj,

the other brought up in a Jewish family in Trinidad.

a drugi vaspitavan u jevrejskoj porodici u Trinidadu.

When they walked into the lab in Minnesota,

Kada su ušetali u laboratoriju u Minesoti,

they were wearing identical navy blue shirts with epaulettes;

nosili su iste mornarsko plave košulje sa epoletama,

both of them liked to dip buttered toast in coffee,

obojica su volela da umaču tost sa puterom u kafu,

both of them kept rubber bands around their wrists,

obojica su nosila gumenu traku oko ručnog zgloba,

both of them flushed the toilet before using it as well as after,

obojica su puštala vodu u toaletu i pre i posle korišćenja,

and both of them liked to surprise people

i obojica su volela da iznenade ljude

by sneezing in crowded elevators to watch them jump.

kijanjem u prepunim liftovima, da bi ih gledali kako se štrecaju.

Now --

Sad --

the story might seem to good to be true,

može izgledati da je priča predobra da bi bila istinita,

but when you administer

ali kada primenite

batteries of psychological tests,

baterije psiholoških testova,

you get the same results -- namely,

dobijate iste rezultate -- to jest,

identical twins separated at birth show

identični blizanci razdvojeni po rođenju pokazuju

quite astonishing similarities.

prilično zapanjujuće sličnosti.

Now, given both the common sense

Sad, imajući u vidu kako zdrav razum

and scientific data

tako i naučne podatke

calling the doctrine of the blank slate into question,

koji stavljaju doktrinu praznog lista papira pod znak pitanja,

why should it have been such an appealing notion?

zbog čega je to bila tako privlačna ideja?

Well, there are a number of political reasons why people have found it congenial.

Pa, brojni su politički razlozi koji su je učinili prihvatljivom.

The foremost is that if we're blank slates,

Pre svega, ako smo prazni listovi papira,

then, by definition, we are equal,

onda smo, po definiciji, svi jednaki,

because zero equals zero equals zero.

budući da je nula jednaka nuli jednaka nuli jednaka nuli.

But if something is written on the slate,

Ali ako je nešto ispisano na listu papira,

then some people could have more of it than others,

onda bi neki ljudi mogli imati više "nečega" od drugih,

and according to this line of thinking, that would justify

i sledeći ovaj način razmišljanja, to bi opravdalo

discrimination and inequality.

diskriminaciju i nejednakost.

Another political fear of human nature

Naredni politički strah od ljudske prirode

is that if we are blank slates,

jeste, da ako smo svi prazni listovi papira,

we can perfect mankind --

možemo da usavršimo čovečanstvo --

the age-old dream of the perfectibility of our species

večiti san o usavršavanju naše vrste

through social engineering.

kroz socijalni inženjering.

Whereas, if we're born with certain instincts,

Ako smo pak rođeni sa izvesnim instiktima,

then perhaps some of them might condemn us

onda je moguće da nas neki od njih osuđuju na

to selfishness, prejudice and violence.

sebičnost, predrasude i nasilje.

Well, in the book, I argue that these are, in fact, non sequiturs.

Pa, u knjizi, iznosim gledište da ovo nisu logičke posledice.

And just to make a long story short:

Da skratim priču:

first of all, the concept of fairness

kao prvo, ideja pravičnosti

is not the same as the concept of sameness.

nije isto što i ideja istovetnosti.

And so when Thomas Jefferson wrote

Tako da, kada je Tomas Džeferson napisao

in the Declaration of Independence,

u Deklaraciji nezavisnosti:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident,

"Držimo da su ove istine očigledne,

that all men are created equal,"

da su svi ljudi stvoreni jednaki",

he did not mean "We hold these truths to be self-evident,

nije mislio "Držimo da su ove istine očigledne,

that all men are clones."

da su svi ljudi klonovi".

Rather, that all men are equal in terms of their rights,

Pre će biti, da su ljudi jednaki u pogledu prava koja imaju,

and that every person ought to be treated

i da se prema svakoj osobi treba ophoditi

as an individual, and not prejudged

kao prema individui, a ne unapred o njoj suditi

by the statistics of particular groups

na osnovu statističkih podataka o određenim grupama

that they may belong to.

kojima eventualno pripada.

Also, even if we were born

Takođe, čak i ako smo rođeni

with certain ignoble motives,

sa izvesnim niskim motivima,

they don't automatically lead to ignoble behavior.

oni ne dovode automatski do niskog ponašanja.

That is because the human mind

Ovo stoga što je ljudski um

is a complex system with many parts,

složeni sistem sa mnogo delova,

and some of them can inhibit others.

gde jedni mogu da blokiraju druge.

For example, there's excellent reason to believe

Na primer, ima izvrsnih razloga da se veruje

that virtually all humans are born with a moral sense,

da se praktično svi ljudi rađaju sa osećajem za moral,

and that we have cognitive abilities that allow us

i da imamo kognitivne sposobnosti koje nam omogućuju

to profit from the lessons of history.

da izvučemo korist iz iatorijskih lekcija.

So even if people did have impulses

Tako da, čak iako ljudi imaju impulse

towards selfishness or greed,

ka sebičnom ili pohlepnom ponašanju,

that's not the only thing in the skull,

to nije jedina stvar u lobanji,

and there are other parts of the mind that can counteract them.

i ima drugih delova uma koji mogu da im se suprotstave.

In the book, I

U knizi, ja

go over controversies such as this one,

razmatram ovakve kontraverze,

and a number of other hot buttons,

kao i izvesna druga goruća pitanja,

hot zones, Chernobyls, third rails, and so on --

vruće teme, eksplozivne, neugodne i tako dalje,

including the arts, cloning, crime,

uključujući umetnost, kloniranje, kriminal,

free will, education, evolution,

slobodu volje, obrazovanje, evoluciju,

gender differences, God, homosexuality,

razlike među polovima, boga, homoseksualnost,

infanticide, inequality, Marxism, morality,

čedomorstvo, nejednakost, marksizam, moralnost,

Nazism, parenting, politics,

nacizam, roditeljstvo, politiku,

race, rape, religion, resource depletion,

rasu, religiju, potrošene resurse,

social engineering, technological risk and war.

socijalni inženjering, tehnološki rizik i rat.

And needless to say, there were certain risks

Treba li reći, postojao je izvestan rizik

in taking on these subjects.

u bavljenju ovim temama.

When I wrote a first draft of the book,

Kada sam napisao prvu verziju knjige,

I circulated it to a number of colleagues for comments,

prosledio sam je nekim kolegama da daju svoje komentare,

and here are some of

a ovo su neke od

the reactions that I got:

reakcija koje sam dobio:

"Better get a security camera for your house."

"Bolje bi ti bilo da postaviš sigurnosnu kameru u kući."

"Don't expect to get any more awards, job offers

"Ne očekuj da ćeš ikad više dobiti nagradu, ponudu za posao

or positions in scholarly societies."

ili poziciju u obrazovnim institucijama."

"Tell your publisher not to list your hometown

"Reci izdavaču da ne navodi tvoj rodni grad

in your author bio."

u biografiji autora."

"Do you have tenure?"

"Imaš li stalnu poziciju?"

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Well, the book came out in October,

Pa, knjiga je izašla u oktobru,

and nothing terrible has happened.

i ništa strašno se nije desilo.

I -- I like --

Ja - voleo bih -

There was indeed reason to be nervous,

Zaista je bilo razloga za nervozu,

and there were moments in which I did feel nervous,

i bilo je trenutaka kada sam osećao nervozu,

knowing the history

znajući

of what has happened to people

šta se dešavalo ljudima

who've taken controversial stands

koji su zauzeli kontraverzne stavove

or discovered disquieting findings

ili otkrili uznemiravajuće nalaze

in the behavioral sciences.

u bihejvioralnim naukama.

There are many cases, some of which I talk about in the book,

Mnogo je slučajeva, o nekima pričam u svojoj knjizi,

of people who have been slandered, called Nazis,

ljudi koji su klevetani, nazivani nacistima,

physically assaulted, threatened with criminal prosecution

fizički napadani, kojima je prećeno krivičnim gonjenjem

for stumbling across or arguing

zato što su naišli na ili raspravljali o

about controversial findings.

kontraverznim nalazima.

And you never know when you're going to

A nikada se ne zna kada ćete

come across one of these booby traps.

naići na neku od ovih smrtonosnih zamki.

My favorite example is a pair of psychologists

Moj omiljeni primer su psiholozi

who did research on left-handers,

koji su istraživali levoruke,

and published some data showing that left-handers are, on average,

i objavili neke podatke koji pokazuju da su levoruki, u proseku,

more susceptible to disease, more prone to accidents

podložniji bolestima, skloniji nezgodama

and have a shorter lifespan.

i imaju kraći životni vek.

It's not clear, by the way, since then,

Uzgred, od tada nije postalo jasnije

whether that is an accurate generalization,

da li je ovo ispravna generalizacija,

but the data at the time seemed to support that.

ali delovalo je da podaci u tom trenutku podržavaju nalaz.

Well, pretty soon they were barraged

Pa, za kratko vreme oni su zasuti

with enraged letters,

pismima protesta,

death threats,

pretnjama smrću,

ban on the topic in a number of scientific journals,

zabranjeno im je pisanje na temu u nekoliko naučnih časopisa,

coming from irate left-handers

od strane besnih levorukih ljudi

and their advocates,

i njihovih zastupnika,

and they were literally afraid to open their mail

i oni su se bukvalno plašili da otvore poštu

because of the venom and vituperation

zbog zlobe i zluradih komentara

that they had inadvertently inspired.

koje su nenamerno izazvali.

Well,

Pa,

the night is young, but the book has been out

još je rano, ali knjiga je dostupna već

for half a year,

pola godine,

and nothing terrible has happened.

i ništa strašno se nije desilo.

None of the dire professional consequences

Nikakvih užasnih posledica po karijeru

has taken place --

nije bilo --

I haven't been

Nisam

exiled from the city of Cambridge.

proteran iz grada Kembridža.

But what I wanted to talk about

Ali ono o čemu želim da govorim,

are two of these hot buttons

jesu dve vruće teme

that have aroused the strongest response

koje su izazvale najjači odjek

in the 80-odd reviews

u nekih 80-ak kritika

that The Blank Slate has received.

koliko je knjiga " Prazan list papira" dobila.

I'll just put that list up for a few seconds,

Kratko ću prikazati spisak,

and see if you can guess which two

da vidimo da li možete da pogodite koje dve

-- I would estimate that probably two of these topics

-- Po mojoj proceni, verovatno su dve teme

inspired probably 90 percent

izazvale verovatno 90 procenata

of the reaction in the various reviews

reakcija u različitim kritikama

and radio interviews.

i radijskim intervjuima.

It's not violence and war,

Nisu u pitanju nasilje i rat,

it's not race, it's not gender,

nije rasa, nije pol,

it's not Marxism, it's not Nazism.

nije marksizam, nije nacizam.

They are: the arts and parenting.

To su: umetnost i roditeljstvo.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

So let me tell you what

Dozvolite mi da vam ispričam šta je

aroused such irate responses,

podstaklo tako besne reakcije,

and I'll let you decide if whether they --

i ostaviću vama da odlučite da li su --

the claims are really that outrageous.

tvrdnje stvarno tako skandalozne.

Let me start with the arts.

Krenuću od umetnosti.

I note that among the long list of human universals

Skrećem pažnju da je na dugačkom spisku ljudskih univerzalija

that I presented a few slides ago

koji sam predstavio pre par slajdova

are art.

i umetnost.

There is no society ever discovered

Nikada nije otkriveno društvo

in the remotest corner of the world that has not had something

ni u najudaljenijem kutku sveta, koje nije imalo nešto

that we would consider the arts.

što možemo smatrati umetnošću.

Visual arts -- decoration of surfaces and bodies --

Vizuelna umetnost -- ukrašavanje površina i tela --

appears to be a human universal.

izgleda predstavlja ljudsku univerzaliju.

The telling of stories, music,

Pričanje priča, muzika,

dance, poetry -- found in all cultures,

ples, poezija -- prisutni u svim kulturama,

and many of the motifs and themes

i mnogi motivi i teme

that

koji

give us pleasure in the arts

pružaju uživanje u umetnosti

can be found in all human societies:

mogu se naći u svim ljudskim zajednicama:

a preference for symmetrical forms,

preferencija simetričnih formi,

the use of repetition and variation,

upotreba ponavljanja i variranja,

even things as specific as the fact

čak i pojedinosti tipa

that in poetry all over the world,

da u poeziji svuda u svetu,

you have lines that are very close

stihovi su vrlo blizu

to three seconds long, separated by pauses.

trajanju od tri sekunde, razdvojeni pauzama.

Now, on the other hand,

Sad, sa druge strane,

in the second half of the 20th century,

u drugoj polovini XX veka,

the arts are frequently said to be in decline.

često se moglo čuti da je umetnost u opadanju.

And I have a collection,

A imam i kolekciju

probably 10 or 15 headlines, from highbrow magazines

otprilike 10 do 15 naslova, iz prestižnih časopisa

deploring the fact that

gde se lamentira nad činjenicom

the arts are in decline in our time.

da je umetnost u opadanju u današnje vreme.

I'll give you a couple of representative quotes:

Daću vam nekoliko tipičnih citata:

"We can assert with some confidence that our own period is

"Možemo sa izvesnom sigurnošću zaključiti da je naše vreme

one of decline, that the standards of culture are lower

vreme opadanja, da su kulturni standardi niži

than they were 50 years ago, and that the evidences of this decline

nego što su bili pre 50 godina, i da su dokazi opadanja

are visible in every department of human activity."

vidljivi u svim oblicima ljudske delatnosti."

That's a quote from T. S. Eliot, a little more than 50 years ago.

Ovo je citat T.S.Eliota, od pre nešto više od 50 godina.

And a more recent one:

Evo i jednog skorašnjeg:

"The possibility of sustaining high culture in our time

"Mogućnost održavanja visoke kulture u današnjem vremenu

is becoming increasing problematical.

sve se više dovodi u pitanje."

Serious book stores are losing their franchise,

Ozbiljne knjižare gube svoje objekte,

nonprofit theaters are surviving primarily

neprofitna pozorišta opstaju pre svega

by commercializing their repertory,

kroz komercijalizaciju svojih repertoara,

symphony orchestras are diluting their programs,

simfonijski orkestri razvodnjavaju svoje programe,

public television is increasing its dependence

javni TV servis sve više zavisi

on reruns of British sitcoms,

od repriza britanskih humorističkih serija,

classical radio stations are dwindling,

radio stanice koje puštaju klasičnu muziku se gase,

museums are resorting to blockbuster shows, dance is dying."

muzeji posežu za hit postavkama, ples izumire."

That's from Robert Brustein,

Ovo su reči Roberta Brustejna,

the famous drama critic and director,

poznatog pozorišnog kritičara i reditelja,

in The New Republic about five years ago.

u Novoj republici pre oko pet godina.

Well, in fact, the arts are not in decline.

Pa, zapravo, umetnost nije u opadanju.

I don't think this will as a surprise to anyone in this room,

Ne mislim da će ovo iznenaditi bilo koga u ovoj sali,

but by any standard

ali po bilo kom kriterijumu

they have never been flourishing

ona se nikada nije razvijala

to a greater extent.

u većoj meri.

There are, of course, entirely new art forms

Postoje, naravno, potpuno nove umetničke forme

and new media, many of which you've heard

i novi mediji, o mnogima od njih smo čuli

over these few days.

u ovih nekoliko dana.

By any economic standard,

Po bilo kom ekonomskom kriterijumu

the demand for art of all forms

potražnja za svim formama umetnosti

is skyrocketing,

je u naglom porastu,

as you can tell from the price of opera tickets,

što se da videti iz cena karata za operu,

by the number of books sold,

po broju prodatih knjiga,

by the number of books published,

po broju izdatih knjiga,

the number of musical titles released,

broju muzičkih naslova koji izlaze,

the number of new albums and so on.

broju novih albuma i tako dalje.

The only grain of truth to this

Jedino zrno istine u

complaint that the arts are in decline

primedbi da je umetnost u opadanju

come from three spheres.

dolazi iz tri sfere.

One of them is in elite art since the 1930s --

Jedna je elitna umetnost od 1930-tih --

say, the kinds of works performed

recimo, vrsta dela koje izvode

by major symphony orchestras,

vodeći simfonijski orkestri,

where most of the repertory is before 1930,

gde je veći deo repertoara iz perioda pre 1930-te,

or the works shown in

ili dela koja se izlažu u

major galleries and prestigious museums.

vodećim galerijama i prestižnim muzejima.

In literary criticism and analysis,

U literarnoj kritici i analizi,

probably 40 or 50 years ago,

pre možda 40 ili 50 godina,

literary critics were a kind of cultural hero;

književni kritičari su bili neka vrsta kulturnih heroja;

now they're kind of a national joke.

danas su neka vrsta narodne šale.

And the humanities and arts programs

I programi studija umetnosti i kulture

in the universities, which by many measures,

na univerzitetima, koji su po mnogim parametrima

indeed are in decline.

zaista u opadanju.

Students are staying away in droves,

Studenti ih masovno zaobilaze,

universities are disinvesting

univerziteti smanjuju ulaganja

in the arts and humanities.

u oblasti umetnosti i kulture.

Well, here's a diagnosis.

Pa, evo dijagnoze.

They didn't ask me, but by their own admission,

Nisu me pitali, ali prema sopstvenom priznanju,

they need all the help that they can get.

potrebna im je svaka pomoć koju mogu da dobiju.

And I would like to suggest that it's not a coincidence

Ja iznosim pretpostavku da nije slučajno

that this supposed decline

da se navodni pad

in the elite arts and criticism

u elitnoj umetnosti i kritici

occurred in the same point in history in which

desio u istom istorijskom trenutku u kojem

there was a widespread denial of human nature.

se dešava rasprostranjeno poricanje ljudske prirode.

A famous quotation can be found --

Možemo naći i poznati citat --

if you look on the web, you can find it in

ako pogledate na internetu, možete ga naći u

literally scores

mnogim

of English core syllabuses --

kursevima engleske književnosti --

"In or about December 1910,

"U ili oko decembra 1910,

human nature changed."

ljudska priroda se promenila."

A paraphrase of a quote by Virginia Woolf,

Ovo je parafraza citata Virdžinije Vulf

and there's some debate

i postoji izvesno neslaganje

as to what she actually meant by that.

oko toga šta je zapravo time mislila.

But it's very clear, looking at these syllabuses,

Ali je vrlo jasno, gledajući ove kurseve,

that -- it's used now

da -- se danas kaže

as a way of saying that all forms

kako su svi oblici

of appreciation of art

uvažavanja umetnosti

that were in place for centuries, or millennia,

koji su trajali vekovima ili milenijumima,

in the 20th century were discarded.

u XX veku odbačeni.

The beauty and pleasure in art --

Lepota i zadovoljstvo u umetnosti --

probably a human universal --

verovatno ljudska univerzalija --

were -- began to be considered saccharine,

su -- počele su se smatrati šećernom vodicom,

or kitsch, or commercial.

ili kičem, ili komercijalom.

Barnett Newman had a famous quote that "the impulse of modern art

Barnet Njuman autor je poznatog citata da je impuls moderne umetnosti

is the desire to destroy beauty" --

želja da se uništi lepota,

which was considered bourgeois or tacky.

koja je viđena kao buržujska ili neukusna.

And here's just one example.

Evo samo jednog primera.

I mean, this is perhaps a representative example

Hoću reći, ovo je verovatno reprezentativni primer

of the visual depiction of the female form

vizuelnog predstavljanja ženske forme

in the 15th century;

u XV veku;

here is a representative example

ovo je reprezentativni primer

of the depiction of the female form in the 20th century.

predstavljanja ženske forme u XX veku.

And, as you can see, there -- something has changed

I, kao što vidite, tu -- nešto se promenilo

in the way the elite arts

u načinu na koji elitna umetnost

appeal to the senses.

teži da deluje na čula.

Indeed, in movements of modernism

Zaista, u pravcima moderne

and post-modernism,

i post-moderne,

there was visual art without beauty,

vizuelna umetnost bila je bez lepote,

literature without narrative and plot,

literatura bez narativa i zapleta,

poetry without meter and rhyme,

poezija bez metra i rime,

architecture and planning without ornament,

arhitektura i urbanizam bez ornamenata,

human scale, green space and natural light,

ljudske mere, zеlenila i prirodnog osvetljenja,

music without melody and rhythm,

muzika bez melodije i ritma,

and criticism without clarity,

kritika bez jasnoće,

attention to aesthetics and insight into the human condition.

obraćanja pažnje na estetiku i uvida u to šta znači biti čovek.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Let me give just you an example to back up that last statement.

Daću vam primer da potkrepim poslednju tvrdnju.

But here, there -- one of the most famous literary

Ovde, tu -- jedan od najpoznatijih stručnjaka za

English scholars of our time

književnost na engleskom jeziku našeg doba

is the Berkeley professor,

profesor na Berkliju,

Judith Butler.

Džudit Batler.

And here is an example of

Evo primera

one of her analyses:

jedne od njenih analiza:

"The move from a structuralist account in which capital

"Prelazak sa strukturalističkog pristupa gde se smatra

is understood to structure social relations

da kapital uređuje socijalne odnose

in relatively homologous ways

relativno homogeno,

to a view of hegemony in which power relations are subject to repetition,

na hegemonističko gledište gde su odnosi snaga podložni ponavljanju,

convergence and rearticulation

koncencentrisanju i preformulisanju

brought the question of temporality into the thinking of structure,

uveo je pitanje privremenosti u razmatranje strukture,

and marked a shift from the form of Althusserian theory

i označio prelazak sa jednog oblika altiserijanske teorije

that takes structural totalities as theoretical objects ..."

koja posmatra strukturalne totalitete kao teoretske objekte..."

Well, you get the idea.

Pa, shvatate o čemu se radi.

By the way, this is one sentence --

Uzgred, ovo je jedna rečenica --

you can actually parse it.

može da posluži za analizu rečenice.

Well, the argument in "The Blank Slate"

Pa, argument u "Praznom listu papira"

was that elite art and criticism

ja da su elitna umetnost i kritika

in the 20th century,

u XX veku,

although not the arts in general,

mada ne i umetnost u celosti,

have disdained beauty, pleasure,

prezreli lepotu, zadovoljstvo,

clarity, insight and style.

jasno izražavanje, uvid i stil.

People are staying away from elite art and criticism.

Ljudi se klone elitne umetnosti i kritike.

What a puzzle -- I wonder why.

Prava zagonetka -- Pitam se zašto?

Well, this turned out to be probably

Pa, ispostavilo se da je ovo verovatno

the most controversial claim in the book.

najkontraverznija tvrdnja u knjizi.

Someone asked me whether I stuck it in

Neko me pitao da li sam je ubacio

in order to deflect ire

da bi skrenuo gnev

from discussions of gender and Nazism

dalje od rasprava o polu, nacizmu,

and race and so on. I won't comment on that.

rasi i sličnom. To neću komentarisati.

But it certainly inspired

Ali svakako je izazvalo

an energetic reaction

žustru reakciju

from many university professors.

mnogih univerzitetskih profesora.

Well, the other hot button is parenting.

Pa, druga vruća tema je roditeljstvo.

And the starting point is the -- for that discussion

A početna tačka je -- u toj diskusiji

was the fact that we have all

činjenica da smo svi

been subject to the advice

izloženi savetima

of the parenting industrial complex.

industrijskog kompleksa roditeljstva.

Now, here is -- here is a

Sad, ovde -- ovde imamo

representative quote from a besieged mother:

reprezentativni citat zabezeknute majke:

"I'm overwhelmed with parenting advice.

"Preplavljena sam savetima za roditelje.

I'm supposed to do lots of physical activity with my kids

Trebalo bi da podstičem fizičku aktivnost kod dece

so I can instill in them a physical fitness habit

da bih razvila navike fizičkog vežbanja

so they'll grow up to be healthy adults.

kako bi izrasli u zdrave pojedince.

And I'm supposed to do all kinds of intellectual play

I trebalo bi da igramo raznorazne intelektualne igre

so they'll grow up smart.

kako bi postali pametni.

And there are all kinds of play -- clay for finger dexterity,

I ima raznih igara -- glina za veštinu prstiju,

word games for reading success, large motor play,

igre rečima za veštinu čitanja, igre za grubu motoriku,

small motor play. I feel like I could devote my life

igre za finu motoriku. Osećam da bih mogla da posvetim ceo život

to figuring out what to play with my kids."

otkrivanju kako da se igram sa svojom decom."

I think anyone who's recently been a parent can sympathize

Smatram da svako ko je nedavno bio roditelj saoseća

with this mother.

sa ovom majkom.

Well, here's some sobering facts about parenting.

Pa, evo nekih otrežnjujućih činjenica o roditeljstvu.

Most studies of parenting on which this advice is based

Većina istraživanja roditeljstva na kojima počivaju ovi saveti

are useless. They're useless because they don't control

su beskorisna. Beskorisna su stoga što ne drže pod kontrolom

for heritability. They measure some correlation

nasledni faktor. Ona mere izvesnu korelaciju

between what the parents do, how the children turn out

između onoga što roditelji čine, kako deca ispadnu

and assume a causal relation:

i pretpostavljaju uzročnu vezu:

that the parenting shaped the child.

da je roditeljski stil oblikovao dete.

Parents who talk a lot to their kids

Roditelji koji puno pričaju deci

have kids who grow up to be articulate,

imaji decu koja se dobro izražavaju kada odrastu,

parents who spank their kids have kids who grow up

roditelji koji tuku decu imaju decu koja izrastaju

to be violent and so on.

u nasilne ljude i tako dalje.

And very few of them control for the possibility

Ali mali je broj onih koji drže pod kontrolom mogućnost

that parents pass on genes for --

da roditelji prenose gene za --

that increase the chances a child will be articulate

koji uvećavaju šansu da će dete umeti da se izražava,

or violent and so on.

biti nasilno i tako dalje.

Until the studies are redone with adoptive children,

Sve dok se istraživanja ne ponove sa usvojenom decom,

who provide an environment

gde je stvorena sredina

but not genes to their kids,

ali deci nisu preneti geni,

we have no way of knowing whether these conclusions are valid.

nema načina da se zna da li su ovi zaključci validni.

The genetically controlled studies

Istraživanja sa kontrolom genetskog faktora

have some sobering results.

daju otrežnjujuće rezultate.

Remember the Mallifert twins:

Sećate se Malifert blizanaca:

separated at birth, then they meet in the patent office --

razdvojeni po rođenju, sreću se u Zavodu za patente --

remarkably similar.

zadivljujuće slični.

Well, what would have happened if the Mallifert twins had grown up together?

Pa, šta bi se desilo da su Malifert blizanci odrasli zajedno?

You might think, well, then they'd be even more similar,

Mogli biste pomisliti, pa, bili bi još sličniji,

because not only would they share their genes,

jer ne samo da bi imali iste gene,

but they would also share their environment.

nego bi imali istu sredinu.

That would make them super-similar, right?

To bi ih učinilo super-sličnim, zar ne?

Wrong. Identical twins, or any siblings,

Ne. Identični blizanci, ili bilo koja deca istih roditelja,

who are separated at birth are no less similar

razdvojeni po rođenju nisu nikako manje slična

than if they had grown up together.

nego da su rasla zajedno.

Everything that happens to you in a given home

Sve što ti se dešava u porodičnom domu

over all of those years

tokom svih tih godina

appears to leave no permanent stamp

izgleda ne ostavlja nikakav trajni pečat

on your personality or intellect.

na tvoju ličnost i intelekt.

A complementary finding, from a completely different methodology,

Nalaz u skladu sa tim, postignut potpuno drugačijom metodologijom

is that adopted siblings reared together --

je da usvojena deca, odgajana zajedno --

the mirror image of identical twins reared apart,

slika u ogledalu identičnih blizanaca odgajanih odvojeno,

they share their parents, their home,

oni imaju iste roditelje, isti dom,

their neighborhood,

isti komšiluk,

don't share their genes -- end up not similar at all.

nemaju iste gene -- na kraju nisu nimalo slični.

OK -- two different bodies of research with a similar finding.

OK -- dva različita pravca u istraživanju sa sličnim nalazima.

What it suggests is that children are shaped

Ono što se nameće je da se deca oblikuju

not by their parents over the long run,

ne dugogodišnjim uticajem roditelja,

but in part -- only in part -- by their genes,

već delimično -- samo delimično -- nihovim genima,

in part by their culture --

delimično kulturom --

the culture of the country at large

kulturom zemlje u širem planu

and the children's own culture, namely their peer group --

i samom dečijom kulturom, zapravo vršnjačkom kulturom --

as we heard from Jill Sobule earlier today,

kao što smo danas već čuli od Džil Sobul

that's what kids care about --

to je ono do čega je deci stalo --

and, to a very large extent, larger than most people are prepared to acknowledge,

i, u velikoj meri, većoj nego što je večina ljudi spremna da prizna,

by chance: chance events in the wiring of the brain in utero;

slučajem: slučajni događaji u povezivanju mozga u materici;

chance events as you live your life.

slučajni događaju tokom života.

So let me conclude

Da zaključim

with just a remark

jednom konstatacijom

to bring it back to the theme of choices.

kojom se vraćam na temu izbora.

I think that the sciences of human nature --

Mislim da će nauke o ljudskoj prirodi --

behavioral genetics, evolutionary psychology,

bihejvioralna genetika, evoluciona psihologija,

neuroscience, cognitive science --

nauka o nervnom sistemu, kognitivna nauka --

are going to, increasingly in the years to come,

u sve većoj meri u godinama koje dolaze,

upset various dogmas,

potresti različite dogme,

careers and deeply-held political belief systems.

karijere i duboko uvrežene sisteme političkog verovanja.

And that presents us with a choice.

A to nas stavlja pred izbor.

The choice is whether certain facts about humans,

Izbor je da se izvesne činjenice o ljudskim bićima,

or topics, are to be considered taboos,

ili teme, smatraju za tabu,

forbidden knowledge, where we shouldn't go there

zabranjeno znanje, u šta ne treba zalaziti

because no good can come from it,

jer ništa dobro iz toga ne može da izađe,

or whether we should explore them honestly.

ili da se one otvoreno istraže.

I have my own

Ja imam sopstveni

answer to that question,

odgovor na to pitanje,

which comes from a great artist of the 19th century,

koji potiče od velikog umetnika XIX veka,

Anton Chekhov, who said,

Antona Čehova, koji je rekao:

"Man will become better when you show him

"Čovek će postati bolji kada mu pokažeš

what he is like."

kakav jeste."

And I think that the argument

I mislim da je argument

can't be put any more eloquently than that.

ovim najbolje izražen.

Thank you very much.

Ja vam se zahvaljujem.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)