Paul Bloom: Can prejudice ever be a good thing?

翻译人员: Zhiting Chen 校对人员: Geoff Chen

When we think about prejudice and bias,

当我们想到偏见和偏爱，

we tend to think about stupid and evil people

我们总会联想到愚蠢又邪恶的人

doing stupid and evil things.

做着愚蠢且邪恶的事。

And this idea is nicely summarized

英国评论家威廉‧哈兹里特

by the British critic William Hazlitt,

非常好地总结了这个想法，

who wrote, "Prejudice is the child of ignorance."

他写道，“偏见是无知的幼子”

I want to try to convince you here

我想要试图游说你

that this is mistaken.

这是错误的。

I want to try to convince you

我想要向你证明

that prejudice and bias

偏见和偏爱

are natural, they're often rational,

是自然而然的， 它们时常是理性的，

and they're often even moral,

时常甚至是道德的，

and I think that once we understand this,

我想当我们理解这，

we're in a better position to make sense of them

当它出现问题的时候

when they go wrong,

当它可能造成严重后果的时候，

when they have horrible consequences,

我们会有更好的应对方式，

and we're in a better position to know what to do

当这一切发生的时候，

when this happens.

我们会知道要如何处理。

So, start with stereotypes. You look at me,

好，让我们从“成见”开始聊起。 你看着我，

you know my name, you know certain facts about me,

你知道我的名字， 以及一些关于我的事情，

and you could make certain judgments.

你可以做出一定的判断。

You could make guesses about my ethnicity,

你可以猜测我的种族，

my political affiliation, my religious beliefs.

我的政治倾向，我的宗教信仰

And the thing is, these judgments tend to be accurate.

这些判断似乎可以是准确的。

We're very good at this sort of thing.

我们对这些事非常擅长。

And we're very good at this sort of thing

我们非常善于这些事的原因是

because our ability to stereotype people

我们“定义”他人的能力

is not some sort of arbitrary quirk of the mind,

不是非常武断的意识行为，

but rather it's a specific instance

而是一个综合过程

of a more general process,

的特定反应，

which is that we have experience

这意谓着，当我们对所经历过的

with things and people in the world

世界上发生的人与事

that fall into categories,

做出分类，

and we can use our experience to make generalizations

我们可以用经验来

about novel instances of these categories.

做出反应，

So everybody here has a lot of experience

这里的每个人都有很多经验

with chairs and apples and dogs,

椅子，苹果，狗

and based on this, you could see

根据这些物件，你可以看到

unfamiliar examples and you could guess,

不熟悉的例子，并且你可以猜测，

you could sit on the chair,

你可以坐在这张椅子上，

you could eat the apple, the dog will bark.

你可以吃这个苹果， 狗会对着你叫。

Now we might be wrong.

我们可能是错的。

The chair could collapse if you sit on it,

当你坐在椅子上的时候， 椅子可能会塌，

the apple might be poison, the dog might not bark,

苹果可能是有毒的， 狗未必会叫，

and in fact, this is my dog Tessie, who doesn't bark.

事实上，这是我的狗泰西， 它不叫。

But for the most part, we're good at this.

但在大多数情况下， 我们对此很擅长。

For the most part, we make good guesses

在大多数情况下， 我们的猜测是合理的

both in the social domain and the non-social domain,

在社会领域或其他领域，

and if we weren't able to do so,

如果我们不具有这样的能力，

if we weren't able to make guesses about new instances that we encounter,

如果我们没有办法对出现的新鲜事物 做出正确的猜测，

we wouldn't survive.

我们将无法生存。

And in fact, Hazlitt later on in his wonderful essay

事实上，哈兹里特后来 在他的佳作中

concedes this.

对此评论做出了让步。

He writes, "Without the aid of prejudice and custom,

他写道，“如果没有偏见和风俗习惯的帮助，

I should not be able to find my way my across the room;

我将无法找到穿越房间的路；

nor know how to conduct myself in any circumstances,

也无法知晓自己在不同条件下 要做出怎样的行为反应，

nor what to feel in any relation of life."

也无法体会人生关系中的任何感觉。”

Or take bias.

现在来讨论偏爱。

Now sometimes, we break the world up into

有时候，我们将世界划分为

us versus them, into in-group versus out-group,

我们对抗他们， 内群体对抗外群体，

and sometimes when we do this,

有时当我们这么做的时候，

we know we're doing something wrong,

我们知道我们正在犯错误，

and we're kind of ashamed of it.

我们甚至会有些惭愧。

But other times we're proud of it.

但其他时间，我们对此很自豪。

We openly acknowledge it.

我们公开承认。

And my favorite example of this

我最喜欢的例子

is a question that came from the audience

是一个来自观众的问题

in a Republican debate prior to the last election.

在一个选前的共和党辩论。

(Video) Anderson Cooper: Gets to your question,

（视频）安德森·库柏：问答时间，

the question in the hall, on foreign aid? Yes, ma'am.

观众提问，有关对外援助？ 有请这位女士。

Woman: The American people are suffering

女士：在美国国内，有很多

in our country right now.

美国人民正在经受苦难。

Why do we continue to send foreign aid

为什么我们要持续为其他国家

to other countries

提供援助呢？

when we need all the help we can get for ourselves?

此时我们需要这些援助 使用在本国人身上。

AC: Governor Perry, what about that?

安德森·库柏： 州长佩里，请您解答？

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

Rick Perry: Absolutely, I think it's—

里克·佩里：绝对的，我认为--

Paul Bloom: Each of the people onstage

保罗·布鲁姆：这个台上的每个人

agreed with the premise of her question,

同意她问题的前提，

which is as Americans, we should care more

这个前提就是作为美国人， 我们应该将

about Americans than about other people.

更多的关注给予本国人民 而不是其他人民。

And in fact, in general, people are often swayed

事实上，总的来说， 人们时常容易受到影响

by feelings of solidarity, loyalty, pride, patriotism,

对他们国家以及种族 诸如团结，忠诚，

towards their country or towards their ethnic group.

自豪以及爱国主义。

Regardless of your politics, many people feel proud to be American,

不谈政治倾向，很多人对他们 美国人的身份感到自豪，

and they favor Americans over other countries.

他们偏爱美国多于其他国家。

Residents of other countries feel the same about their nation,

其他国家的人们 也持有这样的态度，

and we feel the same about our ethnicities.

人们对自己的种族 也是如此。

Now some of you may reject this.

一些人会反对这种说法。

Some of you may be so cosmopolitan

你们中的某些人可能 是世界主义者，

that you think that ethnicity and nationality

会认为种族和国籍

should hold no moral sway.

不该影响到人们。

But even you sophisticates accept

但是，即便如此，

that there should be some pull

你仍然会接受

towards the in-group in the domain of friends and family,

群体可以以朋友和家人来做划分，

of people you're close to,

那些与你更亲近的人们

and so even you make a distinction

甚至你也会做一个划分

between us versus them.

区别我们和他们，

Now, this distinction is natural enough

这些区别是自然而然的

and often moral enough, but it can go awry,

时常也是道德的， 但有时也会出错，

and this was part of the research

这是伟大的社会心理学家

of the great social psychologist Henri Tajfel.

亨利·泰吉弗尔研究的一个部分。

Tajfel was born in Poland in 1919.

泰吉弗尔生于1919年的波兰。

He left to go to university in France,

他离开家乡去法国上大学，

because as a Jew, he couldn't go to university in Poland,

因为他是犹太人， 无法在波兰接受大学教育，

and then he enlisted in the French military

随后在第二次世界大战

in World War II.

他应募入伍加入法军。

He was captured and ended up

他被捕了随后被送到

in a prisoner of war camp,

战俘营，

and it was a terrifying time for him,

对他来说这是非常恐怖的经历，

because if it was discovered that he was a Jew,

因为如果一旦发现他是犹太人，

he could have been moved to a concentration camp,

他便会被移送到集中营，

where he most likely would not have survived.

很难活下来。

And in fact, when the war ended and he was released,

事实上，当战争结束的时候， 他被释放了，

most of his friends and family were dead.

绝大多数他的亲友都死亡了。

He got involved in different pursuits.

他参与不同的活动。

He helped out the war orphans.

他帮助战争孤儿。

But he had a long-lasting interest

但他对偏见科学

in the science of prejudice,

有着极高的兴趣

and so when a prestigious British scholarship

因此当一个极有声望的， 有关“刻板印象成见”

on stereotypes opened up, he applied for it,

的英国奖学金机会释出的时候， 他递交了申请，

and he won it,

并拿到了奖学金，

and then he began this amazing career.

这使他开启了精彩的职业生涯。

And what started his career is an insight

他的职业开始于发觉

that the way most people were thinking

当绝大多数人思考大屠杀是错误的

about the Holocaust was wrong.

采取了怎样的方法。

Many people, most people at the time,

很多人，那时候的绝大多数人，

viewed the Holocaust as sort of representing

将大屠杀视为

some tragic flaw on the part of the Germans,

代表某种德国人的悲剧错误，

some genetic taint, some authoritarian personality.

像是基因污点，威权性格。

And Tajfel rejected this.

泰吉弗尔拒绝这样的解释。

Tajfel said what we see in the Holocaust

他说道，大屠杀

is just an exaggeration

只是夸大了

of normal psychological processes

正常的心理状态

that exist in every one of us.

这样的心理状态存在于 我们中的每一个人。

And to explore this, he did a series of classic studies

为了继续研究， 他做了一系列的经典研究

with British adolescents.

有关英国青少年。

And in one of his studies, what he did was he asked

在他的其中一项研究中， 他去询问

the British adolescents all sorts of questions,

英国青少年各种不同的问题，

and then based on their answers, he said,

基于他们的回答，他说，

"I've looked at your answers, and based on the answers,

“我看过你的答案， 基于你的回答，

I have determined that you are either" —

我决定你是”--

he told half of them —

他告诉青少年中一半的人--

"a Kandinsky lover, you love the work of Kandinsky,

“康定斯基迷， 你喜爱康定斯基的作品，

or a Klee lover, you love the work of Klee."

你是克利迷， 你喜爱克利的画作。”

It was entirely bogus.

这完全是胡编的。

Their answers had nothing to do with Kandinsky or Klee.

这些青少年的答案和康定斯基 或者克利一点关系也没有。

They probably hadn't heard of the artists.

他们甚至还未听说过 这两位艺术家的大名。

He just arbitrarily divided them up.

泰吉弗尔只是武断地 把青少年们划分开来。

But what he found was, these categories mattered,

但他发现，这样的类别划分 是有作用的，

so when he later gave the subjects money,

随后，他让这些青少年分配钱，

they would prefer to give the money

他们更愿意将金钱给予

to members of their own group

他们本组的其他人

than members of the other group.

而不是另一个组别的人。

Worse, they were actually most interested

更糟的是，他们真的很乐于

in establishing a difference

建立一个不同来将

between their group and other groups,

自己的组和他组区分开来，

so they would give up money for their own group

为了令别组少拿到些钱

if by doing so they could give the other group even less.

他们甚至愿意放弃自己的钱。

This bias seems to show up very early.

偏爱很快就展现出来。

So my colleague and wife, Karen Wynn, at Yale

我的妻子也是我的同事，凯伦·维恩， 在耶鲁大学

has done a series of studies with babies

做了一系列有关婴儿的研究

where she exposes babies to puppets,

她将幼儿放在玩偶旁边，

and the puppets have certain food preferences.

玩偶有它们各自喜爱的食物。

So one of the puppets might like green beans.

某个玩偶可能喜爱青豆。

The other puppet might like graham crackers.

另个玩偶更爱全麦饼干。

They test the babies own food preferences,

研究人员测试了 幼儿们自身的食物偏好

and babies typically prefer the graham crackers.

幼儿们代表性地更爱全麦饼干。

But the question is, does this matter to babies

问题是，这样的喜好差别

in how they treat the puppets? And it matters a lot.

会影响到幼儿们对待玩偶的态度吗？ 确实有很大影响。

They tend to prefer the puppet

幼儿们更喜欢

who has the same food tastes that they have,

和他们有相同口味偏好的玩具，

and worse, they actually prefer puppets

更糟的是，幼儿们喜欢那些惩罚

who punish the puppet with the different food taste.

拥有不同口味同伴的玩偶。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

We see this sort of in-group, out-group psychology all the time.

这样群体内外分别 非常常见。

We see it in political clashes

政治冲突中也会展现

within groups with different ideologies.

在持有不同意识形态的群体。

We see it in its extreme in cases of war,

极端的例子通过战争展现，

where the out-group isn't merely given less,

外群体不是被轻视

but dehumanized,

而是被不当作人类对待，

as in the Nazi perspective of Jews

如同纳粹视犹太人为

as vermin or lice,

害虫或是虱子，

or the American perspective of Japanese as rats.

美国人视日本人为老鼠。

Stereotypes can also go awry.

刻板印象是会歪曲现实的。

So often they're rational and useful,

因此时常他们是理性的，有帮助的，

but sometimes they're irrational,

但时常也会是非理性的，

they give the wrong answers,

会给出错误的答案，

and other times

有时

they lead to plainly immoral consequences.

会导致不道德的后果。

And the case that's been most studied

最常被研究的案例

is the case of race.

是种族。

There was a fascinating study

在 2008 年美国大选前

prior to the 2008 election

有个极好的研究，

where social psychologists looked at the extent

社会心理学家研究

to which the candidates were associated with America,

被测者们是如何通过 对美国国旗不知不觉的联系

as in an unconscious association with the American flag.

和美国联系在一起的。

And in one of their studies they compared

在其中一个研究中， 他们比较了

Obama and McCain, and they found McCain

奥巴马和麦凯恩， 他们发现麦凯恩

is thought of as more American than Obama,

比奥巴马更加“美国”，

and to some extent, people aren't that surprised by hearing that.

某种程度上， 人们甚至并未表示惊讶。

McCain is a celebrated war hero,

麦凯恩是一个著名的 战争英雄，

and many people would explicitly say

很多人明确地说道

he has more of an American story than Obama.

比起奥巴马， 麦凯恩有更多的美国故事。

But they also compared Obama

研究人员也比对了

to British Prime Minister Tony Blair,

奥巴马和英国首相布莱尔，

and they found that Blair was also thought of

他们发现比起奥巴马

as more American than Obama,

人们认为 布莱尔更加“美国”，

even though subjects explicitly understood

即使他们完全知晓

that he's not American at all.

布莱尔根本不是美国人。

But they were responding, of course,

但人们回应，当然，

to the color of his skin.

因为肤色的原因。

These stereotypes and biases

这样的成见和偏好

have real-world consequences,

有着现世的影响，

both subtle and very important.

这有些微妙，也非常重要。

In one recent study, researchers

在最近的一个研究中， 研究人员

put ads on eBay for the sale of baseball cards.

在易趣（eBay）网站上投放广告 销售篮球卡。

Some of them were held by white hands,

有些卖家是白人，

others by black hands.

另一些则是黑人。

They were the same baseball cards.

同样的实验也包括销售棒球卡。

The ones held by black hands

黑人卖家

got substantially smaller bids

得到的来自买家的出价 价位略小于

than the ones held by white hands.

白人卖家。

In research done at Stanford,

在斯坦福的一个研究项目也表明，

psychologists explored the case of people

心理学家研究了

sentenced for the murder of a white person.

因谋杀白人而被判刑的罪犯。

It turns out, holding everything else constant,

结果表明，除去其他因素，

you are considerably more likely to be executed

比起图片左边的人（白人）

if you look like the man on the right

图片右边的人（黑人）

than the man on the left,

更可能被判死刑，

and this is in large part because

这很大程度归结于

the man on the right looks more prototypically black,

图片右边的人是黑人，

more prototypically African-American,

美国黑人，

and this apparently influences people's decisions

很明显这影响到了人们

over what to do about him.

对他所做出的决定。

So now that we know about this,

现在我们知道了 成见和偏爱的存在，

how do we combat it?

我们要怎样对抗这样的想法呢？

And there are different avenues.

有很多不同的方法。

One avenue is to appeal

一个方法是去感化

to people's emotional responses,

人们的情感，

to appeal to people's empathy,

去令人们感同身受，

and we often do that through stories.

通常我们会用故事 来达到这样的效果。

So if you are a liberal parent

如果你是自由的父母

and you want to encourage your children

你想要鼓励你的孩子

to believe in the merits of nontraditional families,

来相信非传统家庭的价值优点，

you might give them a book like this. ["Heather Has Two Mommies"]

你会给他们看这样的书。 [海瑟有两个妈妈]

If you are conservative and have a different attitude,

如果你比较传统 对此持有不同的态度，

you might give them a book like this.

你会给他们看这本书

(Laughter) ["Help! Mom! There Are Liberals under My Bed!"]

（笑声） [“救命呀！妈妈！自由党人藏在我的床下！”]

But in general, stories can turn

总的来说，故事能够

anonymous strangers into people who matter,

让路人从陌生到关注，

and the idea that we care about people

我们在乎人们

when we focus on them as individuals

当我们将他们是做个体

is an idea which has shown up across history.

这样的思想贯穿人类历史。

So Stalin apocryphally said,

因此，斯大林虚情假意地说，

"A single death is a tragedy,

“一个人死亡是悲剧，

a million deaths is a statistic,"

一百万人的死亡则是统计数据，”

and Mother Teresa said,

特蕾莎修女说道，

"If I look at the mass, I will never act.

"假如我看到一群人， 我不会有所行动。

If I look at the one, I will."

假如我看到一个人，我会。"

Psychologists have explored this.

心理学家对此作出研究。

For instance, in one study,

比方说，在一个研究中，

people were given a list of facts about a crisis,

研究人员交给人们一张清单， 上面列举了一些危急的例子，

and it was seen how much they would donate

看人们愿意为了化解危机

to solve this crisis,

捐赠多少，

and another group was given no facts at all

另一个组则未被告知这些事情

but they were told of an individual

但研究人员告诉他们

and given a name and given a face,

个体故事，包括名字，相片，

and it turns out that they gave far more.

结果是，他们比上一组捐赠更多善款。

None of this I think is a secret

上述故事对于从事

to the people who are engaged in charity work.

慈善工作的人来说都不是秘密。

People don't tend to deluge people

慈善工作者不会向人们

with facts and statistics.

展示大量的事实和数据。

Rather, you show them faces,

而是，给人们看相片，

you show them people.

展示灾民的样子。

It's possible that by extending our sympathies

很有可能的是，通过展现我们

to an individual, they can spread

对于个体的同情，

to the group that the individual belongs to.

他们可以进而展示个体从属的群体。

This is Harriet Beecher Stowe.

这是哈里耶持·比彻·斯托。

The story, perhaps apocryphal,

故事，可能是假的，

is that President Lincoln invited her

林肯总统邀请她

to the White House in the middle of the Civil War

在美国内战期间到白宫

and said to her,

对她说，

"So you're the little lady who started this great war."

“你是开始这场战争的女子。”

And he was talking about "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

他谈到“汤姆叔叔的小屋。”

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is not a great book of philosophy

“汤姆叔叔的小屋”不是 伟大的哲学或宗教故事

or of theology or perhaps not even literature,

甚至可能都不是文学，

but it does a great job

但它起了很大的作用

of getting people to put themselves in the shoes

在人们能够将自己置身于某个故事

of people they wouldn't otherwise be in the shoes of,

那些本不可能属于他们的故事中，

put themselves in the shoes of slaves.

以奴隶的角度来看世界。

And that could well have been a catalyst

这些是催化剂，

for great social change.

催生巨大的社会变革。

More recently, looking at America

近年来，看看美国

in the last several decades,

在过去几十年的表现，

there's some reason to believe that shows like "The Cosby Show"

太多的原因让我们相信 像是“考斯比一家”

radically changed American attitudes towards African-Americans,

从更本上改变了美国人 对美国黑人的看法，

while shows like "Will and Grace" and "Modern Family"

“威尔与格蕾丝”，“摩登家庭”

changed American attitudes

改变了很多美国人

towards gay men and women.

对同性恋男女的态度。

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say

不夸张地说，

that the major catalyst in America for moral change

对美国道德价值改变 做出最大贡献的

has been a situation comedy.

是情景喜剧。

But it's not all emotions,

但这并不全是情感上的，

and I want to end by appealing

最后我想要谈到

to the power of reason.

理性的力量。

At some point in his wonderful book

在他佳作的某些部分

"The Better Angels of Our Nature,"

“唤醒人性中的天使”

Steven Pinker says,

史蒂文·平克说道，

the Old Testament says love thy neighbor,

旧约说到要爱我们的邻居，

and the New Testament says love thy enemy,

新约说到要爱我们的敌人，

but I don't love either one of them, not really,

但我不爱他们中的任何一个，不尽然，

but I don't want to kill them.

但我不想杀了他们。

I know I have obligations to them,

我知道我有义务对他们，

but my moral feelings to them, my moral beliefs

但我对他们的道德感受，

about how I should behave towards them,

我要如何对待他们的道德信念，

aren't grounded in love.

不会是基于爱。

What they're grounded in is the understanding of human rights,

是基于对人权的理解，

a belief that their life is as valuable to them

他们的生命对他们的价值

as my life is to me,

正如我的生命对我的价值，

and to support this, he tells a story

为了支持这个观点， 他讲了一个故事，

by the great philosopher Adam Smith,

关于伟大的哲人亚当·斯密，

and I want to tell this story too,

我现在讲这个故事，

though I'm going to modify it a little bit

我为了使其适应现代

for modern times.

略微做了改动。

So Adam Smith starts by asking you to imagine

亚当斯密让你来想象

the death of thousands of people,

数千人死亡的场景，

and imagine that the thousands of people

想象这数千人

are in a country you are not familiar with.

是在你不熟悉的国家。

It could be China or India or a country in Africa.

可能是中国，或者是印度， 或者是某个非洲国家。

And Smith says, how would you respond?

斯密说到，你会怎样回应？

And you would say, well that's too bad,

你可能会说，这太糟了，

and you'd go on to the rest of your life.

然后继续你的生活。

If you were to open up The New York Times online or something,

如果你打开纽约时报的网站或什么，

and discover this, and in fact this happens to us all the time,

看到这些消息，事实上 这常发生，

we go about our lives.

我们继续我们的生活。

But imagine instead, Smith says,

斯密说，想象另一个画面：

you were to learn that tomorrow

你发现明天

you were to have your little finger chopped off.

你的小手指会被砍掉。

Smith says, that would matter a lot.

斯密说，这太重要了。

You would not sleep that night

你整晚会睡不着觉

wondering about that.

辗转反侧。

So this raises the question:

这就提出了问题：

Would you sacrifice thousands of lives

你会牺牲数千人的生命

to save your little finger?

以求得保全自己小手指吗？

Now answer this in the privacy of your own head,

现在在自己的脑袋里 回答这个问题，

but Smith says, absolutely not,

但是斯密说，绝对不，

what a horrid thought.

这是多么邪恶的想法。

And so this raises the question,

这就提出了问题，

and so, as Smith puts it,

随后，斯密提出这样的疑问，

"When our passive feelings are almost always

“我们的消极情绪总是

so sordid and so selfish,

如此利欲熏心，自私卑鄙，

how comes it that our active principles

我们的行为又怎么可能

should often be so generous and so noble?"

时常很无私和高尚呢？”

And Smith's answer is, "It is reason,

斯密回答道，“因为理性，

principle, conscience.

道德，良知。”

[This] calls to us,

[这] 告诉我们

with a voice capable of astonishing the most presumptuous of our passions,

能够惊人地绝大部分 爆发我们的激情，

that we are but one of the multitude,

但众多思考中，

in no respect better than any other in it."

没有比尊重更重要。“

And this last part is what is often described

最后的这个部分是有关

as the principle of impartiality.

公正的原则。

And this principle of impartiality manifests itself

这样公正的原则

in all of the world's religions,

在全世界宗教中都有所证明，

in all of the different versions of the golden rule,

在各种不同版本的黄金法则，

and in all of the world's moral philosophies,

世界上所有的道德哲学，

which differ in many ways

即使有所不同

but share the presupposition that we should judge morality

但共有的假设是 我们应该从

from sort of an impartial point of view.

公正的角度来评判道德。

The best articulation of this view

这观点最重要的是

is actually, for me, it's not from a theologian or from a philosopher,

事实上，对我来说， 这不是从宗教学家或哲学家听来，

but from Humphrey Bogart

而是从亨弗莱·鲍嘉

at the end of "Casablanca."

在电影“卡萨布兰卡”片尾的表现。

So, spoiler alert, he's telling his lover

警告有剧透，他告诉他的爱人

that they have to separate

为了更伟大的善，

for the more general good,

他们必须要分开，

and he says to her, and I won't do the accent,

他对她说，我不会模仿这口音，

but he says to her, "It doesn't take much to see

他对她说“不用多久就可以看到

that the problems of three little people

这三个小人的问题

don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."

不会使世界瘋狂。”

Our reason could cause us to override our passions.

我们的理性可以驾驭我们的热情。

Our reason could motivate us

我们的理性可以激励我们

to extend our empathy,

扩展我们的同理心，

could motivate us to write a book like "Uncle Tom's Cabin,"

可以激励我们写 “汤姆叔叔的小屋”这样的书

or read a book like "Uncle Tom's Cabin,"

或者看“汤姆叔叔的小屋”，

and our reason can motivate us to create

我们的理性可以促使我们

customs and taboos and laws

创造海关，烟草和法律

that will constrain us

这会限制我们

from acting upon our impulses

冲动的行为，

when, as rational beings, we feel

当理性存在，我们感到

we should be constrained.

我们要被限制。

This is what a constitution is.

这是宪法。

A constitution is something which was set up in the past

宪法是过去撰写的

that applies now in the present,

适用于现在以及未来，

and what it says is,

宪法提到的，

no matter how much we might to reelect

无论我们多想

a popular president for a third term,

选举受欢迎的总统 开始第三任期，

no matter how much white Americans might choose

无论美国白人多么想

to feel that they want to reinstate the institution of slavery, we can't.

重新回到奴隶制度，我们不能。

We have bound ourselves.

我们限制自己。

And we bind ourselves in other ways as well.

我们也从别的方式约束自己。

We know that when it comes to choosing somebody

当我们想要选择某人

for a job, for an award,

来从事一项工作，获得一个奖项，

we are strongly biased by their race,

我们很容易受到种族因素的影响，

we are biased by their gender,

我们会因他们的性别产生偏见，

we are biased by how attractive they are,

我们会因为他们的样貌产生偏爱，

and sometimes we might say, "Well fine, that's the way it should be."

有时我们会说， “是的，就是这样。”

But other times we say, "This is wrong."

有时我们会说，“这是错的。”

And so to combat this,

为了对抗这些，

we don't just try harder,

我们不仅更加努力，

but rather what we do is we set up situations

我们建立机构

where these other sources of information can't bias us,

这些信息资源不会有成见，

which is why many orchestras

这就是为什么很多交响乐团

audition musicians behind screens,

面试音乐家时， 让他们站在幕后，

so the only information they have

这样评委唯一的信息来源

is the information they believe should matter.

就是他们认为最重要的。

I think prejudice and bias

我认为偏见和偏爱

illustrate a fundamental duality of human nature.

展示了人性最基础的二元性。

We have gut feelings, instincts, emotions,

我们有胆识，本能，情感，

and they affect our judgments and our actions

这会影响我们

for good and for evil,

对于好与坏的判断和行为，

but we are also capable of rational deliberation

但我们同样有能力做出理性思考

and intelligent planning,

和智能规划，

and we can use these to, in some cases,

我们可以运用这些，在某些情况下，

accelerate and nourish our emotions,

加速和丰富我们的情绪，

and in other cases staunch them.

某些情况下止住它们。

And it's in this way

这样成见和偏爱

that reason helps us create a better world.

就能帮助我们创建更美好的世界。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）