Isabel Behncke: Evolution's gift of play, from bonobo apes to humans

翻译人员: Angelia King 校对人员: Jenny Yang

I just came back from a community

我刚从一个社群回来

that holds the secret to human survival.

它们掌握着人类生存的秘密。

It's a place where women run the show,

在这个社群，女性主导一切，

have sex to say hello,

要做爱就打声招呼，

and play rules the day --

玩乐是全天的法宝--

where fun is serious business.

快乐玩耍是个正经严肃的事。

And no, this isn't Burning Man

不是的，这不是指欲火焚烧的男人

or San Francisco.

也不是指旧金山（意指多元文化）。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Ladies and gentlemen, meet your cousins.

女士们，先生们，见见你的近亲。

This is the world of wild bonobos

这就是野生倭黑猩猩的世界

in the jungles of Congo.

座落于刚果的丛林中。

Bonobos are, together with chimpanzees,

倭黑猩猩和黑猩猩是

your living closest relative.

我们大家生活里最密切相关的近亲。

That means we all share a common ancestor,

这意味我们都享有一个共同的祖先，

an evolutionary grandmother,

一个进化了的祖母，

who lived around six million years ago.

她生活在大约6百万年前。

Now, chimpanzees are well-known

现在，黑猩猩因

for their aggression.

他们的好战而闻名于世。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But unfortunately,

但不幸的是，

we have made too much of an emphasis

我们已经过分强调

of this aspect

这方面

in our narratives of human evolution.

在人类进化的历史中所起的作用。

But bonobos show us

但是倭黑猩猩显示给我们的是

the other side of the coin.

这硬币的另一面。

While chimpanzees

当黑猩猩

are dominated by big, scary guys,

被又大又吓人的雄黑猩猩统领时，

bonobo society

倭黑猩猩社群

is run by empowered females.

是由雌倭黑猩猩所领导。

These guys have really worked something out,

这些倭黑猩猩能相安无事地生活在一起，

since this leads to a highly tolerant society

由此形成了一个高度包容性的社会

where fatal violence

在这社群，致命的暴力行为

has not been observed yet.

还没有被观察到。

But unfortunately,

但不幸的是，

bonobos are the least understood

倭黑猩猩是类人猿里最难被了解的

of the great apes.

一种。

They live in the depths of the Congolese jungle,

它们生活在刚果丛林的深处，

and it has been very difficult to study them.

所以对它们的研究就是非常困难。

The Congo is a paradox --

刚果是个似是而非的矛盾体--

a land of extraordinary biodiversity and beauty,

她是一块孕育非凡的生物多样性和美丽的土地，

but also the heart of darkness itself --

但她自身也是黑暗之心--

the scene of a violent conflict

暴力冲突的场景

that has raged for decades

已经持续了几十年

and claimed nearly as many lives

这夺走了许多生命

as the First World War.

就如第一次世界大战一样。

Not surprisingly,

不足为奇的是，

this destruction also endangers bonobo survival.

这种破坏也危及倭黑猩猩的生存。

Bushmeat trades and forest loss

猎寻兽肉的买卖和丛林消失

means we couldn't fill a small stadium

意味着我们不能

with all the bonobos that are left in the world --

给在世界上仅存的倭黑猩猩们提供一个小小的栖息地--

and we're not even sure of that to be honest.

实话，我们甚至都不能确定是否会有一个小的栖息地。

Yet, in this land of violence and chaos,

然而，在这个充斥暴力和混乱的土地上

you can hear hidden laughter

你能听到隐隐约约的笑声

swaying the trees.

摇曳在树木中。

Who are these cousins?

这些近亲是些什么动物啊？

We know them as the "make love, not war" apes

我们知道它们是“做爱，不要战争”的类人猿，

since they have frequent, promiscuous

因此它们有频繁的，很随便的性生活

and bisexual sex

和双性性交

to manage conflict

来处理冲突

and solve social issues.

和解决社会问题。

Now, I'm not saying this is the solution

我现在不是说这就是解决

to all of humanity's problems --

人类所有问题的方法--

since there's more to bonobo life

因为玩乐对于倭黑猩猩来说

than the Kama Sutra.

比起欲经意味更多。

Bonobos, like humans,

倭黑猩猩就像人类，

love to play throughout their entire lives.

在它们的整个一生都爱玩乐。

Play is not just child's games.

玩乐不仅仅是孩子的游戏。

For us and them,

对于我们人类和倭黑猩猩，

play is foundational for bonding relationships

玩乐是建立亲密关系

and fostering tolerance.

和培养容忍性的基础。

It's where we learn to trust

它也让我们学会信任

and where we learn about the rules of the game.

和游戏的规则

Play increases creativity

玩乐增进了创造力

and resilience,

和适应力，

and it's all about the generation of diversity --

它都是有关多样性的产生--

diversity of interactions,

多样性的相互作用，

diversity of behaviors,

多样性的行为，

diversity of connections.

和多样性的联系。

And when you watch bonobo play,

当你看倭黑猩猩玩乐时，

you're seeing the very evolutionary roots

你会看到非常进化的根源

of human laughter, dance

有关人类的笑声，跳舞

and ritual.

和仪式。

Play is the glue

玩乐就是粘结剂

that binds us together.

使得我们相互联系在一起。

Now, I don't know how you play,

现在我虽不知你是怎么玩乐的，

but I want to show you a couple of unique clips

但我想给你们看两段

fresh from the wild.

刚从野外拍摄到的特别剪辑。

First, it's a ball game bonobo-style --

首先，这是一个倭黑猩猩式的球类游戏--

and I do not mean football.

我不是指足球。

So here,

在这儿，

we have a young female and a male

两只年轻的一雌一雄倭黑猩猩

engaged in a chase game.

在玩追逐游戏。

Have a look what she's doing.

看看她在做什么。

It might be the evolutionary origin of the phrase,

这可能就是短语

"she's got him by the balls."

“她在玩弄他的蛋蛋。”的进化起源。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Only I think that he's rather loving it here, right?

我只想到他相当喜欢这样的方式，对吧。

Yeah.

是的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So sex play is common

所以性游戏

in both bonobos and humans.

在倭黑猩猩和人类两者身上都是司空见惯的。

And this video is really interesting

这个视频真的很有趣

because it shows --

因为它证明--

this video's really interesting

这个视频真的很有趣

because it shows the inventiveness

因为它证明了

of bringing unusual elements into play --

把不寻常的因素带进游戏里所产生的创造性--

such as testicles --

例如睾丸--

and also how play both requires trust

游戏如何能寻求信任

and fosters trust --

和培养信任--

while at the same time being tremendous fun.

与此同时又乐趣无穷。

But play's a shapeshifter.

但玩乐是一个变形的过程。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Play's a shapeshifter,

玩乐是一个变形的过程，

and it can take many forms,

它可以变成许多玩乐游戏，

some of which are more quiet,

一些游戏是较安静的，

imaginative, curious --

富有想象力的，探于求索的--

maybe where wonder is discovered anew.

或许这玩乐的奇妙是发现新鲜事。

And I want you to see,

我想让大家看看，

this is Fuku, a young female,

这是福酷，一个年轻雌倭黑猩猩，

and she is quietly playing with water.

她正在悄然地玩耍水。

I think, like her,

我认为，就像她，

we sometimes play alone,

我们有时独自玩耍，

and we explore the boundaries

我们探索着

of our inner and our outer worlds.

我们内心和我们外部世界的界限。

And it's that playful curiosity

正是玩乐的新奇感

that drives us to explore, drives us to interact,

驱使我们去探索，驱使我们去互动联系。

and then the unexpected connections we form

然后我们所形成的这种意想不到的联系

are the real hotbed for creativity.

是真正孕育创造力的温床。

So these are just small tasters

因此这些仅是浅尝而已

into the insights that bonobo give us

由倭黑猩猩带给我们这种深刻的洞察力

to our past and present.

来探索我们的过去和现在。

But they also hold a secret for our future,

但它们也对我们的未来保有一个秘密，

a future where we need to adapt

在未来我们需要适应

to an increasingly challenging world

一个日益充满挑战性的世界

through greater creativity

通过史无前例的创造性

and greater cooperation.

和更多的合作来做到。

The secret is that play is the key

这秘密是玩乐是

to these capacities.

具备这些能力的关键。

In other words,

换言之，

play is our adaptive wildcard.

玩乐是我们适应未来的万能牌。

In order to adapt successfully

为了成功地适应

to a changing world,

一个变化中的世界，

we need to play.

我们需要玩乐。

But will we make the most of our playfulness?

但我们要尽可能地嬉戏玩乐吗？

Play is not frivolous.

玩乐不是无足轻重的；

Play's essential.

玩乐是至关重要的。

For bonobos and humans alike,

对于倭黑猩猩和人类一样，

life is not just red in tooth and claw.

生活不仅仅是血红的牙齿和利爪。

In times when it seems least appropriate to play,

好似最不适宜去玩乐的时候，

it might be the times when it is most urgent.

但它可能是最迫切需要玩乐的时候。

And so, my fellow primates,

那么，我的灵长类的同胞们，

let us embrace this gift from evolution

让我们拥护这天赋进化的礼物

and play together,

让我们一起嬉戏玩乐，

as we rediscover creativity,

由此我们重新发现创造力，

fellowship and wonder.

情同手足的关系和奇迹。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）