A Darwinian theory of beauty | Denis Dutton

翻译人员: Boyang Zhu 校对人员: Xiaoqiao Xie

Delighted to be here

很高兴来到这里

and to talk to you about a subject dear to my heart,

与大家探讨我至为关心的一个主题，

which is beauty.

那就是”美“。

I do the philosophy of art, aesthetics,

我研究艺术与审美哲学，

actually, for a living.

事实上，这是我的工作。

I try to figure out intellectually,

我想在理性，哲学，

philosophically, psychologically,

以及心理学的层面上理解，

what the experience of beauty is,

”美”的体验究竟是什么，

what sensibly can be said about it

哪些感知是能被描述出来的

and how people go off the rails in trying to understand it.

以及人们在尝试理解它的过程中犯了什么错误。

Now this is an extremely complicated subject,

这是个很复杂的问题，

in part because the things that we call beautiful

部分原因是因为我们认为“美”的事物

are so different.

是如此的不同。

I mean just think of the sheer variety --

想象下这高度的多元性

a baby's face,

婴儿的脸蛋，

Berlioz's "Harold in Italy,"

柏辽兹所作的“哈罗德在意大利”，

movies like "The Wizard of Oz"

像“绿野仙踪”这样的影片，

or the plays of Chekhov,

或是契诃夫的戏剧，

a central California landscape,

加利福尼亚中部的风景，

a Hokusai view of Mt. Fuji,

北斋眼中的富士山，

"Der Rosenkavalier,"

“玫瑰骑士”，

a stunning match-winning goal

世界杯足球赛中的

in a World Cup soccer match,

一场漂亮的决胜赛，

Van Gogh's "Starry Night,"

梵高的“星空”，

a Jane Austen novel,

一部简.奥斯丁的小说，

Fred Astaire dancing across the screen.

弗雷德·阿斯泰尔在舞台上起舞。

This brief list includes human beings,

这一简单的列表中包含了人类自身，

natural landforms,

自然景观，

works of art and skilled human actions.

艺术作品和专业活动。

An account that explains the presence of beauty

很难用一个解释

in everything on this list

就说清楚所有这些事物

is not going to be easy.

中所存在的‘美“。

I can, however, give you at least a taste

然而，我能给大家体会一下

of what I regard

我认为迄今为止

as the most powerful theory of beauty

我们所有的最有力的

we yet have.

关于’美‘的理论。

And we get it not from a philosopher of art,

这一理论不是来自艺术哲学家，

not from a postmodern art theorist

也不是来自后现代艺术理论家

or a bigwig art critic.

或是有名的艺术评论家。

No, this theory

不，这一理论来自

comes from an expert

一位饲养藤壶、昆虫

on barnacles and worms and pigeon breeding,

和鸽子的专家。

and you know who I mean:

你们知道我说的是谁--

Charles Darwin.

查尔斯·达尔文。

Of course, a lot of people think they already know

当然，许多人认为他们已经知道了

the proper answer to the question,

关于这个问题的正确答案，

"What is beauty?"

什么是美？

It's in the eye of the beholder.

美是观者的主观感受

It's whatever moves you personally.

它是那些让你感动的东西。

Or, as some people,

或者说，如一些人--

especially academics prefer,

尤其是学院派的人--推崇的，

beauty is in the culturally conditioned

美存在于处在文化环境中的

eye of the beholder.

观者的眼中。

People agree that paintings or movies or music

人们都同意绘画、电影或音乐

are beautiful

是美妙的。

because their cultures determine a uniformity of aesthetic taste.

这是因为他们的文化决定了统一的审美品味。

Taste for both natural beauty and for the arts

对自然美景和对艺术作品的品味

travel across cultures

能轻而易举

with great ease.

跨越不同文化。

Beethoven is adored in Japan.

贝多芬在日本收到推崇，

Peruvians love Japanese woodblock prints.

秘鲁人喜爱日本木版画，

Inca sculptures are regarded as treasures

印加雕刻则被英国博物馆

in British museums,

视若珍宝,

while Shakespeare is translated

莎士比亚的著作被译成

into every major language of the Earth.

地球上各种主要语言。

Or just think about American jazz

再想下美国爵士乐

or American movies --

或美国电影--

they go everywhere.

他们随处可见。

There are many differences among the arts,

这些艺术之间有许多不同，

but there are also universal,

但也包含着普世的，

cross-cultural aesthetic pleasures

跨越文化的审美愉悦

and values.

和审美价值。

How can we explain

我们如何解释

this universality?

这一普世性呢？

The best answer lies in trying to reconstruct

最佳答案存在于对我们艺术和

a Darwinian evolutionary history

审美品味的达尔文主义进化过程的

of our artistic and aesthetic tastes.

重新构建的尝试中。

We need to reverse-engineer

我们需要进行逆向组建

our present artistic tastes and preferences

我们当前的艺术品味和爱好

and explain how they came

并解释它们是如何

to be engraved in our minds

被铭刻在我们思想中的。

by the actions of both our prehistoric,

通过我们在史前，

largely pleistocene environments,

很可能是在我们完全进化成人类的

where we became fully human,

”更新世“环境中，

but also by the social situations

以及在我们在进化过程中所处的

in which we evolved.

社会环境中的活动。

This reverse engineering

这种逆向重建

can also enlist help

能从史前的

from the human record

人类记录中

preserved in prehistory.

有所启发。

I mean fossils, cave paintings and so forth.

我指的是化石、洞穴绘画等等。

And it should take into account

并且，应该考虑到

what we know of the aesthetic interests

生存到十九世纪和二十世纪的

of isolated hunter-gatherer bands

与世隔绝的狩猎族群

that survived into the 19th and the 20th centuries.

的审美情趣。

Now, I personally

我个人

have no doubt whatsoever

确信任何

that the experience of beauty,

强烈而令人愉悦

with its emotional intensity and pleasure,

的“美”的体验，

belongs to our evolved human psychology.

都属于我们进化之后的人类心理的一部分。

The experience of beauty is one component

美的体验是整个达尔文主义

in a whole series of Darwinian adaptations.

适应过程中的一个成份。

Beauty is an adaptive effect,

美是一种适应性效果，

which we extend

我们在艺术娱乐的

and intensify

创作与享受中

in the creation and enjoyment

将其延伸

of works of art and entertainment.

并强化。

As many of you will know,

正如大家可能知道的，

evolution operates by two main primary mechanisms.

进化有两个主要的机制。

The first of these is natural selection --

第一个是自然选择--

that's random mutation and selective retention --

这是中是随机的基因突变和选择性保留--

along with our basic anatomy and physiology --

与我们基本解剖学和生理学结构一起--

the evolution of the pancreas or the eye or the fingernails.

如胰腺、眼睛或指甲的进化。

Natural selection also explains

自然选择也解释了

many basic revulsions,

许多本能性的恐惧和反感，

such as the horrid smell of rotting meat,

比如腐肉的可怕的气味，

or fears, such as the fear of snakes

比如对蛇的惧怕

or standing close to the edge of a cliff.

或站在悬崖边缘的恐惧。

Natural selection also explains pleasures --

自然选择也解释了愉悦--

sexual pleasure,

性愉悦，

our liking for sweet, fat and proteins,

对糖、脂肪和蛋白质的喜爱，

which in turn explains a lot of popular foods,

这反过来解释了许多广受欢迎的食物，

from ripe fruits through chocolate malts

从成熟的果实到巧克力糖

and barbecued ribs.

和烤排骨。

The other great principle of evolution

进化的另一大原则

is sexual selection,

是性选择，

and it operates very differently.

它运作的方式则大相径庭.

The peacock's magnificent tail

孔雀那华丽的尾巴

is the most famous example of this.

就是最著名的例子。

It did not evolve for natural survival.

这不是为了自然生存而进化出来的。

In fact, it goes against natural survival.

实际上，这与自然生存相违背。

No, the peacock's tail

不，孔雀的尾巴

results from the mating choices

是雌孔雀

made by peahens.

交配选择的结果。

It's quite a familiar story.

这是个大家耳熟能详的故事。

It's women who actually push history forward.

实际上是女性推动了历史前进。

Darwin himself, by the way,

顺便说一句，达尔文本人

had no doubts that the peacock's tail

也毫不怀疑孔雀的尾巴

was beautiful in the eyes of the peahen.

在雌孔雀眼中是美丽的。

He actually used that word.

他事实上用过“美”这个词。

Now, keeping these ideas firmly in mind,

现在，把这些牢记在心，

we can say that the experience of beauty

我们可以确定美的体验

is one of the ways that evolution has

是进化用来

of arousing and sustaining

激发和维持兴趣、

interest or fascination,

魅力甚至是

even obsession,

痴迷的方式之一，

in order to encourage us

是为了鼓励我们

toward making the most adaptive decisions

做出最有利于

for survival and reproduction.

生存和繁衍的决策。

Beauty is nature's way

可以说

of acting at a distance,

美是自然用来

so to speak.

间接运作的方式

I mean, you can't expect to eat

人们并不指望可以吃一个

an adaptively beneficial landscape.

利于适应性的风景。

It would hardly do to eat your baby

也不会想吃你的孩子

or your lover.

或你的爱人。

So evolution's trick

因此，进化的方式是

is to make them beautiful,

让他们看起来赞，

to have them exert a kind of magnetism

让他们散发出一种吸引力，

to give you the pleasure of simply looking at them.

让你仅仅是看着他们就觉得超爽的。

Consider briefly an important source of aesthetic pleasure,

想一下简单且重要的审美愉悦的来源，

the magnetic pull

美丽风景的

of beautiful landscapes.

吸引力。

People in very different cultures

全世界在完全不同的

all over the world

文化背景下的人们

tend to like a particular kind of landscape,

都倾向于某种特定的风景，

a landscape that just happens to be similar

这种风景恰巧与我们进化而来的

to the pleistocene savannas where we evolved.

更新纪大草原相似。

This landscape shows up today

今天这类风景在

on calendars, on postcards,

日历中、明信片中、

in the design of golf courses and public parks

高尔夫球场设计和公共公园中

and in gold-framed pictures

还有挂在起居室中的

that hang in living rooms

镶金画框中找到。

from New York to New Zealand.

从纽约到新西兰都能看到。

It's a kind of Hudson River school landscape

这是一种有点像哈得逊河画派的风景画，

featuring open spaces

描绘了开阔的原野上

of low grasses

低低的草地

interspersed with copses of trees.

点缀着些许树木。

The trees, by the way, are often preferred

顺便说一下，通常这些树开叉

if they fork near the ground,

离地面较低，

that is to say, if they're trees you could scramble up

也就是说，如果有紧急情况，

if you were in a tight fix.

你可以爬到这些树上。

The landscape shows the presence

风景中会在视野可见范围内能

of water directly in view,

直接看到水流，

or evidence of water in a bluish distance,

或是远处的黛青色暗示着水的存在，

indications of animal or bird life

指明有动物或鸟类生命的迹象

as well as diverse greenery

还有各种不同的绿色植物

and finally -- get this --

最后--还有这个--

a path

一条小径

or a road,

或是一条路，

perhaps a riverbank or a shoreline,

也许是河岸或是海岸，

that extends into the distance,

延伸向远方，

almost inviting you to follow it.

几乎就是在邀请你沿着它走下去。

This landscape type is regarded as beautiful,

这种类型的风景大家一致公认是很漂亮的，

even by people in countries

甚至生活在没有这种风景的人们

that don't have it.

也是这样认为的。

The ideal savanna landscape

理想的热带稀树大草原风景

is one of the clearest examples

是最显著的例证之一，

where human beings everywhere

在世界各地的人都能

find beauty

找到有相似的

in similar visual experience.

视觉体验的美。

But, someone might argue,

但有人也许会争辩，

that's natural beauty.

那是自然美。

How about artistic beauty?

艺术的美又如何呢？

Isn't that exhaustively cultural?

那难道不是纯粹的文化影响吗？

No, I don't think it is.

不，我不这么认为。

And once again, I'd like to look back to prehistory

再次，我们回到史前，

to say something about it.

聊聊史前的一些事。

It is widely assumed

普遍认为，

that the earliest human artworks

最早的人类艺术品

are the stupendously skillful cave paintings

是极富技巧的洞穴画，

that we all know from Lascaux

我们都知道从拉斯科洞窟

and Chauvet.

到萧韦洞窟。

Chauvet caves

萧韦洞窟

are about 32,000 years old,

大约有3万2千年的历史，

along with a few small, realistic sculptures

其中还有同一时期的一些小的、写实的

of women and animals from the same period.

妇女和动物的雕像。

But artistic and decorative skills

但艺术和装饰技巧的存在

are actually much older than that.

实际上要更早些。

Beautiful shell necklaces

漂亮的贝壳项链，

that look like something you'd see at an arts and crafts fair,

看起来就像是艺术品和手工艺品，

as well as ochre body paint,

还有赭色的人体绘画，

have been found

远在

from around 100,000 years ago.

10万年前就存在了。

But the most intriguing prehistoric artifacts

但最酷的史前人工制品

are older even than this.

比这些还要早。

I have in mind

我印象中

the so-called Acheulian hand axes.

是被称为阿舍利手斧的手工制品。

The oldest stone tools are choppers

最古老的石制工具是

from the Olduvai Gorge in East Africa.

在东非的奥杜威峡谷发现的石斧。

They go back about two-and-a-half-million years.

它的历史要追溯到两百五十万年前。

These crude tools

这类粗糙的工具

were around for thousands of centuries,

存在了数千个世纪，

until around 1.4 million years ago

直到大约一百四十万年前，

when Homo erectus

直立人

started shaping

开始打磨

single, thin stone blades,

单个的薄石刀片，

sometimes rounded ovals,

有时是椭圆形的，

but often in what are to our eyes

但通常，在我们眼中，

an arresting, symmetrical pointed leaf

是醒目的对称的尖叶子形

or teardrop form.

或泪滴形。

These Acheulian hand axes --

这些阿舍利手斧--

they're named after St. Acheul in France,

名称取自法国的圣阿舍尔，

where finds were made in 19th century --

这些手斧是十九世纪在那儿发现的--

have been unearthed in their thousands,

出土了数千件，

scattered across Asia, Europe and Africa,

散布在亚洲、欧洲和非洲，

almost everywhere Homo erectus

几乎遍布每一处直立人

and Homo ergaster roamed.

或者匠人到过的地方。

Now, the sheer numbers of these hand axes

这些手斧众多的数量

shows that they can't have been made

表明它们不是用于

for butchering animals.

屠宰动物。

And the plot really thickens when you realize

更复杂的是当你考虑到，

that, unlike other pleistocene tools,

不像其他更新世的工具，

the hand axes often exhibit

在这些手斧

no evidence of wear

精美脆弱的刀刃边缘

on their delicate blade edges.

找不到任何磨损的痕迹。

And some, in any event, are too big

而且它们中的一些，无论用在屠宰什么动物上，

to use for butchery.

都太大了点。

Their symmetry, their attractive materials

它们的对称性，和引人注意的材料

and, above all,

还有，尤其是，

their meticulous workmanship

它们那精细的做工

are simply quite beautiful

对我们来说非常美丽，

to our eyes, even today.

即使在今天也是如此。

So what were these ancient --

因此这些古老的--

I mean, they're ancient, they're foreign,

我是说，它们是古老的，异域的，

but they're at the same time

但同时它们

somehow familiar.

也是我们熟悉的。

What were these artifacts for?

这些人工制品的用途是什么？

The best available answer

已有的最佳答案是

is that they were literally

它们就是

the earliest known works of art,

已知最早的艺术品，

practical tools transformed

从实用工具转变

into captivating aesthetic objects,

成迷人的审美对象，

contemplated both for their elegant shape

它们那优雅的形状

and their virtuoso craftsmanship.

和精湛的工艺让人凝望深思。

Hand axes mark

手斧标志了

an evolutionary advance in human history --

人类历史上进化的进步--

tools fashioned to function

从实用工具到审美对象

as what Darwinians call "fitness signals" --

就好像达尔文主义者所说的适应性信号

that is to say, displays

这就是说，它展示出了

that are performances

类似孔雀尾巴

like the peacock's tail,

的用途，

except that, unlike hair and feathers,

只是与毛发和羽毛不同，

the hand axes are consciously

手斧是有意识的

cleverly crafted.

精巧制品。

Competently made hand axes

制作精良的手斧

indicated desirable personal qualities --

表明了富有魅力的个人品质--

intelligence, fine motor control,

智力，精细的动作控制，

planning ability,

规划能力，

conscientiousness

责任心

and sometimes access to rare materials.

有时还有能得到稀有材料的能力。

Over tens of thousands of generations,

经过千万代的传承，

such skills increased the status

这样的技巧提供了

of those who displayed them

制作者的地位

and gained a reproductive advantage

并比那些能力较差的人赢得了

over the less capable.

更多的繁衍后代的优势。

You know, it's an old line,

这是一句很古老的话了

but it has been shown to work --

但是现在仍然能起作用--

"Why don't you come up to my cave, so I can show you my hand axes?"

“让我们到我的洞里去，这样我就能给你看看我的手斧了。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Except, of course, what's interesting about this

当然，有趣的是，

is that we can't be sure how that idea was conveyed,

我们无法确认这样的观点是如何传播的，

because the Homo erectus

因为制作这些

that made these objects

物品的直立人

did not have language.

没有语言。

It's hard to grasp,

这很难理解，

but it's an incredible fact.

但这也是难以置信的事实。

This object was made

这一物品是在语言出现之前的

by a hominid ancestor,

5万年前至10万年前

Homo erectus or Homo ergaster,

由原始人类祖先--

between 50,000 and 100,000 years

直立人或匠人--

before language.

制作出来的。

Stretching over a million years,

延绵超过一百万年，

the hand axe tradition

手斧传统

is the longest artistic tradition

是人类和原始人历史上

in human and proto-human history.

最长时间的艺术传统。£

By the end of the hand axe epic, Homo sapiens --

在手斧世代结束的时候，智人--

as they were then called, finally --

最终以此来称呼他们--

were doubtless finding new ways

毫无疑问的找到了

to amuse and amaze each other

相互娱乐的新方法，

by, who knows, telling jokes,

谁知道呢，通过讲笑话，

storytelling, dancing, or hairstyling.

讲故事、跳舞或美发。

Yes, hairstyling -- I insist on that.

是的， 美发-- 我坚持这点。

For us moderns,

对我们现代人来说，

virtuoso technique

精湛的技术

is used to create imaginary worlds

用于在小说和电影中

in fiction and in movies,

创造想象中的世界，

to express intense emotions

用音乐、绘画和舞蹈

with music, painting and dance.

来表达强烈的情感。

But still,

但尽管如此，

one fundamental trait

这种古人的基本品质

of the ancestral personality persists

保留在我们的

in our aesthetic cravings:

审美渴望中：

the beauty we find

我们在技巧性表现

in skilled performances.

中发现的美。

From Lascaux to the Louvre

从拉斯科洞窟到罗浮宫

to Carnegie Hall,

再到卡耐基音乐厅，

human beings

人类

have a permanent innate taste

对艺术中的精湛技巧

for virtuoso displays in the arts.

有种自发的永恒的欣赏。

We find beauty

我们在绝世制作的

in something done well.

事物中发现美。

So the next time you pass a jewelry shop window

因此，下次你经过陈列

displaying a beautifully cut

着切成泪滴形的

teardrop-shaped stone,

漂亮宝石的珠宝店橱窗时，

don't be so sure

不要太肯定

it's just your culture telling you

这只是你所接收到的文化影响了你

that that sparkling jewel is beautiful.

告诉你闪闪发光的珠宝是美丽的。

Your distant ancestors loved that shape

你的祖先也很喜欢这形状，

and found beauty in the skill needed to make it,

并在制作这一形状所需技能中发现了美，

even before

这甚至发生在

they could put their love into words.

在他们能把他们的爱付诸文字之前。

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

美是存在于观者的眼中么？

No, it's deep in our minds.

不，它深深的在我们的思想中。

It's a gift handed down from the intelligent skills

它是一种天赋，来自于我们

and rich emotional lives

远祖的智慧和

of our most ancient ancestors.

丰富的情感生活。

Our powerful reaction to images,

我们对图像、

to the expression of emotion in art,

对艺术中情感的表达、

to the beauty of music, to the night sky,

对音乐与夜空的美妙的

will be with us and our descendants

强烈的反应将与我们同在，与我们的后代同在，

for as long as the human race exists.

只要人类还存在着。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）