Why humans run the world | Yuval Noah Harari | TED

翻译人员: Coco Shen 校对人员: Sanqiang Xiao

Seventy-thousand years ago, our ancestors were insignificant animals.

七万年前，我们的先祖 不过是各种动物中的一种

The most important thing to know about prehistoric humans

当你想到原人时，最重要的是

is that they were unimportant.

他们有多不重要。

Their impact on the world was not much greater than that of jellyfish

他们对世界的影响力，

or fireflies or woodpeckers.

和水母、萤火虫、啄木鸟差别不大。

Today, in contrast, we control this planet.

今天,相反地,我们变成地球的霸主。

And the question is:

所以问题是：

How did we come from there to here?

我们是怎么走到这一步的？

How did we turn ourselves from insignificant apes,

我们是如何从毫不起眼的人猿，

minding their own business in a corner of Africa,

在非洲的角落自生自灭，

into the rulers of planet Earth?

摇身一变成为地球霸主的？

Usually, we look for the difference between us and all the other animals

通常我们会在个体差异上，

on the individual level.

检视我们与其它动物的差别，

We want to believe -- I want to believe --

我们想要相信 － 我想要相信，

that there is something special about me,

我有些特别的地方

about my body, about my brain,

我的身体，我的大脑，

that makes me so superior to a dog or a pig, or a chimpanzee.

让我比狗、猪，或是黑猩猩更高级。

But the truth is that, on the individual level,

但事实是，就个体差异来说，

I'm embarrassingly similar to a chimpanzee.

我和黑猩猩尴尬地相似。

And if you take me and a chimpanzee and put us together on some lonely island,

如果你把我和一头黑猩猩放在孤岛上，

and we had to struggle for survival to see who survives better,

看我们之间谁能生存的更好，

I would definitely place my bet on the chimpanzee, not on myself.

我会赌是黑猩猩，而不是我。

And this is not something wrong with me personally.

这不是我个人的错，

I guess if they took almost any one of you, and placed you alone

我想如果有人把你们其中任何人，

with a chimpanzee on some island,

和一头黑猩猩一起放在孤岛上，

the chimpanzee would do much better.

黑猩猩绝对会生存的更好。

The real difference between humans and all other animals

真正让人类与其它动物分别开来的特质

is not on the individual level;

不是个体的，

it's on the collective level.

而是群体的。

Humans control the planet because they are the only animals

人类控制地球是因为我们是唯一

that can cooperate both flexibly and in very large numbers.

可以大规模灵活合作的动物。

Now, there are other animals --

其它动物，

like the social insects, the bees, the ants --

那些社会性昆虫，蜜蜂、蚂蚁，

that can cooperate in large numbers, but they don't do so flexibly.

它们也可以大规模地合作， 但没有像我们这么灵活。

Their cooperation is very rigid.

它们的合作方式是固定的。

There is basically just one way in which a beehive can function.

蜂巢总是用同一种方式运作。

And if there's a new opportunity or a new danger,

就算遇见新的机会或威胁，

the bees cannot reinvent the social system overnight.

蜜蜂也无法在一夜之间创造一种社会制度，

They cannot, for example, execute the queen

比如说，它们无法处死蜂后，

and establish a republic of bees,

建立蜜蜂共和国，

or a communist dictatorship of worker bees.

工蜂也不能组成共产政权。

Other animals, like the social mammals --

其它群居的哺乳类动物，

the wolves, the elephants, the dolphins, the chimpanzees --

像是狼、大象、海豚、黑猩猩 －

they can cooperate much more flexibly,

它们的合作更灵活，

but they do so only in small numbers,

但规模有限，

because cooperation among chimpanzees

因为黑猩猩合作的基础是

is based on intimate knowledge, one of the other.

对彼此的亲密的认知。

I'm a chimpanzee and you're a chimpanzee,

要是你我都是黑猩猩，

and I want to cooperate with you.

我想和你合作，

I need to know you personally.

我会需要先认识你。

What kind of chimpanzee are you?

你是哪种黑猩猩？

Are you a nice chimpanzee?

善良的黑猩猩？

Are you an evil chimpanzee?

还是邪恶的黑猩猩？

Are you trustworthy?

你可靠吗？

If I don't know you, how can I cooperate with you?

如果我不认识你， 我们怎么合作？

The only animal that can combine the two abilities together

唯一拥有这两种特质

and cooperate both flexibly and still do so in very large numbers

能大规模合作，又能保持灵活的，

is us, Homo sapiens.

只有我们，智人。

One versus one, or even 10 versus 10,

一比一，甚至十比十，

chimpanzees might be better than us.

黑猩猩都比我们优秀。

But, if you pit 1,000 humans against 1,000 chimpanzees,

但，如果数目提高到 一千个人和一千头黑猩猩，

the humans will win easily, for the simple reason

人类就能轻易获胜。

that a thousand chimpanzees cannot cooperate at all.

因为上千头黑猩猩无法一起合作。

And if you now try to cram 100,000 chimpanzees

如果你尝试把十万头黑猩猩，

into Oxford Street, or into Wembley Stadium,

塞进牛津街、温布利体育馆

or Tienanmen Square or the Vatican,

天安门广场或梵蒂冈，

you will get chaos, complete chaos.

绝对会陷入一片混乱。

Just imagine Wembley Stadium with 100,000 chimpanzees.

想象塞满十万头黑猩猩的温布利体育馆，

Complete madness.

那个景象将有多疯狂。

In contrast, humans normally gather there in tens of thousands,

相對的，就算成千上万的人在会场里

and what we get is not chaos, usually.

通常也不会陷入混乱。

What we get is extremely sophisticated and effective networks of cooperation.

我们有效率、有制度地合作。

All the huge achievements of humankind throughout history,

人类在历史上达成的巨大成就，

whether it's building the pyramids or flying to the moon,

无论是金字塔还是上月球，

have been based not on individual abilities,

都不是建立在个体的能力，

but on this ability to cooperate flexibly in large numbers.

而是群体的灵活合作。

Think even about this very talk that I'm giving now:

想想我这场演讲，

I'm standing here in front of an audience of about 300 or 400 people,

我在三四百个人面前演讲

most of you are complete strangers to me.

你们中的大多数我都不认识

Similarly, I don't really know all the people who have organized

我不认识所有组织

and worked on this event.

或参与这个活动的人。

I don't know the pilot and the crew members of the plane

我不认识昨天带我飞抵伦敦的

that brought me over here, yesterday, to London.

驾驶员和机组人员。

I don't know the people who invented and manufactured

我不认识是谁发明和制造

this microphone and these cameras, which are recording what I'm saying.

这些正在拍摄我的演讲的录像机和麦克风

I don't know the people who wrote all the books and articles

为了准备这段演讲，我读了不少书和论文，

that I read in preparation for this talk.

我却不认识它们的作者。

And I certainly don't know all the people

我更不知道

那些正在网上观看这个演讲的人

who might be watching this talk over the Internet,

somewhere in Buenos Aires or in New Delhi.

他们可能在布宜诺斯艾利斯或是在新德里

Nevertheless, even though we don't know each other,

而且，尽管我们不认识彼此，

we can work together to create this global exchange of ideas.

却能在世界的舞台上， 一同参与、创造、交换意见，

This is something chimpanzees cannot do.

这是黑猩猩所做不到的。

They communicate, of course,

当然，它们也能沟通，

but you will never catch a chimpanzee traveling to some distant chimpanzee band

但你不会看到一只黑猩猩远渡重洋，

to give them a talk about bananas or about elephants,

对另一群黑猩猩讲解香蕉或大象，

or anything else that might interest chimpanzees.

或任何黑猩猩有兴趣的事。

Now cooperation is, of course, not always nice;

合作自然不是只有好事。

all the horrible things humans have been doing throughout history --

人类历史上所有恐怖的事件 －

and we have been doing some very horrible things --

我们的确做过一些非常恐怖的事 －

all those things are also based on large-scale cooperation.

它们同样也是人类大规模合作达成的。

Prisons are a system of cooperation;

监狱是一种合作系统，

slaughterhouses are a system of cooperation;

屠宰场是一种合作系统，

concentration camps are a system of cooperation.

集中营是一种合作系统。

Chimpanzees don't have slaughterhouses and prisons and concentration camps.

黑猩猩没有屠宰场、监狱、或集中营。

Now suppose I've managed to convince you perhaps that yes,

现在或许我已经说服你，

we control the world because we can cooperate flexibly in large numbers.

因为我们大规模灵活合作的能力， 我们掌控了世界。

The next question that immediately arises

下一个问题随之而来。

in the mind of an inquisitive listener is:

好奇的听众心里想：

How, exactly, do we do it?

我们是怎么做到的？

What enables us alone, of all the animals, to cooperate in such a way?

在所有动物中， 为什么只有我们这样合作？

The answer is our imagination.

答案是我们的想象力。

We can cooperate flexibly with countless numbers of strangers,

我们之所以可以和无数陌生人一同合作，

because we alone, of all the animals on the planet,

因为在这星球上的所有动物中

can create and believe fictions, fictional stories.

只有我们能创造和相信虚构的故事，

And as long as everybody believes in the same fiction,

只要大家一同相信同一个故事，

everybody obeys and follows the same rules,

每个人服从并执行一样的规则，

the same norms, the same values.

一样的基准，一样的价值观，

All other animals use their communication system

其它动物的沟通，

only to describe reality.

只限于描述真实的物事。

A chimpanzee may say, "Look! There's a lion, let's run away!"

黑猩猩说：“看啊！有狮子！快跑！”

Or, "Look! There's a banana tree over there! Let's go and get bananas!"

或是：“看啊！那有香蕉树！ 去摘香蕉吧！”

Humans, in contrast, use their language not merely to describe reality,

而人类呢，我们的语言 不只是用来描述现实，

but also to create new realities, fictional realities.

更能用来创造新的现实， 想象的现实。

A human can say, "Look, there is a god above the clouds!

人可以说：“看啊！云上有神！

And if you don't do what I tell you to do,

如果你不听从命令，

when you die, God will punish you and send you to hell."

神会在你死后惩罚你直达地狱。”

And if you all believe this story that I've invented,

如果你相信我发明的故事，

then you will follow the same norms and laws and values,

你就会依循一样的基准、法则、价值观，

and you can cooperate.

你就会合作。

This is something only humans can do.

这件事只有人类做得到。

You can never convince a chimpanzee to give you a banana

你永远无法说服一只黑猩猩交出香蕉，

by promising him, "... after you die, you'll go to chimpanzee heaven ..."

就算你承諾它：“死後， 你可以到黑猩猩天堂......“

(Laughter)

（笑声）

"... and you'll receive lots and lots of bananas for your good deeds.

“到时候你的善行， 会为你赢得无数的香蕉。

So now give me this banana."

现在，快把香蕉给我。”

No chimpanzee will ever believe such a story.

没有一只黑猩猩会相信这种故事。

Only humans believe such stories,

只有人类会相信这种故事。

which is why we control the world,

这就是黑猩猩关在动物园或实验室，

whereas the chimpanzees are locked up in zoos and research laboratories.

我们却称霸世界的原因。

Now you may find it acceptable that yes,

或许你现在可以接受，

in the religious field, humans cooperate by believing in the same fictions.

在宗教领域， 拥有相同信念的人一同合作。

Millions of people come together to build a cathedral or a mosque

百万人同心合力建造教堂、清真寺

or fight in a crusade or a jihad, because they all believe in the same stories

一同参加圣战

因为他们信仰神、天堂和地狱。

about God and heaven and hell.

But what I want to emphasize is that exactly the same mechanism

但我想说的是同样的机制

underlies all other forms of mass-scale human cooperation,

存在于人类各种的大规模合作。

not only in the religious field.

不限于宗教领域。

Take, for example, the legal field.

譬如，法制领域。

Most legal systems today in the world are based on a belief in human rights.

现在世界上大部分的法律， 都以人权为基础。

But what are human rights?

但人权是什么？

Human rights, just like God and heaven, are just a story that we've invented.

人权，就像神和天堂， 都是我们发明的故事。

They are not an objective reality;

它们不是客观的事实；

they are not some biological effect about homo sapiens.

它们不是某种智人的生理反应。

Take a human being, cut him open, look inside,

解剖人体，往里探看，

you will find the heart, the kidneys, neurons, hormones, DNA,

里面有心脏、肾脏、神经元、荷尔蒙、基因

but you won't find any rights.

但你找不到什么权利。

The only place you find rights are in the stories

权利只存在故事里，

that we have invented and spread around over the last few centuries.

我们在这几个世纪里创造、散播的故事。

They may be very positive stories, very good stories,

这些故事很好、很正面，

but they're still just fictional stories that we've invented.

但仍然是我们虚构的。

The same is true of the political field.

政治领域也一样。

The most important factors in modern politics are states and nations.

国家是今日政治里最重要的元素。

But what are states and nations?

但国家是什么？

They are not an objective reality.

它们不是客观事实，

A mountain is an objective reality.

山陵是客观事实，

You can see it, you can touch it, you can even smell it.

你看得到，摸得到，甚至闻得到。

But a nation or a state,

但国家，

like Israel or Iran or France or Germany,

以色列、伊朗、法国或德国，

this is just a story that we've invented

只是我们创造，

and became extremely attached to.

并且非常依赖的故事。

The same is true of the economic field.

经济领域也一样。

The most important actors today in the global economy

公司和企业是今日

are companies and corporations.

全球金融中不可或缺的元素。

Many of you today, perhaps, work for a corporation,

你们当中的许多人为企业工作，

like Google or Toyota or McDonald's.

像谷歌或丰田或麦当劳。

What exactly are these things?

它们是什么？

They are what lawyers call legal fictions.

律师叫它们法人。

They are stories invented and maintained

需要有巫师创造和维持，

by the powerful wizards we call lawyers.

不过我们通常叫这些巫师叫律师。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And what do corporations do all day?

企业都在做些什么？

Mostly, they try to make money.

它们主要的功能是赚钱。

Yet, what is money?

但钱是什么？

Again, money is not an objective reality; it has no objective value.

钱也不是客观事实。

Take this green piece of paper, the dollar bill.

这张绿色的纸，一元钞票。

Look at it -- it has no value.

它其实一文不值。

You cannot eat it, you cannot drink it,

你不能吃它，不能喝它，

you cannot wear it.

不能把它穿在身上。

But then came along these master storytellers --

但这些大故事家来了 －

the big bankers,

大银行家，

the finance ministers,

各国的财政部长，

the prime ministers --

总理 －

and they tell us a very convincing story:

他们说着同一个动人的故事：

"Look, you see this green piece of paper?

“你看这张绿色的纸，

It is actually worth 10 bananas."

它可以换十个香蕉。”

And if I believe it, and you believe it,

如果我信了，你也信了，

and everybody believes it,

大家都信了，

it actually works.

这事就成了。

I can take this worthless piece of paper,

我可以拿着这张一文不值的纸，

go to the supermarket,

到任何超市，

give it to a complete stranger whom I've never met before,

把它交给一位素昧平生的陌生人，

and get, in exchange, real bananas which I can actually eat.

拿到我可以吃的，真的香蕉。

This is something amazing.

这未必太神气了。

You could never do it with chimpanzees.

黑猩猩可办不到。

Chimpanzees trade, of course:

当然，黑猩猩也懂得交换

"Yes, you give me a coconut, I'll give you a banana."

”你给我一颗椰子，我给你一根香蕉。“

That can work.

也行。

But, you give me a worthless piece of paper

但如果你给我一张废纸

and you except me to give you a banana?

然后要我给你一根香蕉？

No way!

想都别想！

What do you think I am, a human?

你把我当什么了，人类吗？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Money, in fact, is the most successful story

钱，其实是人类史上，

ever invented and told by humans,

最成功的故事。

because it is the only story everybody believes.

因为它是唯一一个所有人都相信的故事。

Not everybody believes in God,

不是每个人都相信神，

not everybody believes in human rights,

不是每个人都追求人权，

not everybody believes in nationalism,

不是每个人都爱国，

but everybody believes in money, and in the dollar bill.

但每个人都相信钱，相信现金。

Take, even, Osama Bin Laden.

就像拉登。

He hated American politics and American religion

他憎恨美国的政策和信仰，

and American culture,

美国文化，

but he had no objection to American dollars.

但他绝对对美金没有意见。

He was quite fond of them, actually.

他其实挺爱它们的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

To conclude, then:

结论是：

We humans control the world because we live in a dual reality.

我们人类称霸世界， 因为我们活在双重现实里。

All other animals live in an objective reality.

其它动物活在客观事实里。

Their reality consists of objective entities,

它们的真实世界存在于客观现实，

like rivers and trees and lions and elephants.

像河流、树木、狮子和大象。

We humans, we also live in an objective reality.

我们人类也活在客观现实里。

In our world, too, there are rivers and trees and lions and elephants.

我们也有河流、树木、狮子和大象。

But over the centuries,

但几个世纪来，

we have constructed on top of this objective reality

我们在客观现实上，

a second layer of fictional reality,

建构了另一个层次的虚拟现实，

a reality made of fictional entities,

一个由虚拟现实组成的真实世界。

like nations, like gods, like money, like corporations.

国家、神、钱、企业。

And what is amazing is that as history unfolded,

厉害的是在历史进程里，

this fictional reality became more and more powerful

虚构的现实日渐强大，

so that today, the most powerful forces in the world

直到今日，世界上最强大的力量，

are these fictional entities.

是这些虚构的主体。

Today, the very survival of rivers and trees and lions and elephants

今天，幸存的河流、树、狮子和大象，

depends on the decisions and wishes of fictional entities,

仰赖着这些虚构主体的决定和期待生存，

like the United States, like Google, like the World Bank --

像美国、谷歌、世界银行 －

entities that exist only in our own imagination.

这些只存在于我们想象中的主体。

Thank you.

谢谢各位。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Bruno Giussani: Yuval, you have a new book out.

Bruno Guissani：乌瓦尔， 你有一本新书即将出版。

After Sapiens, you wrote another one,

出版《人类大历史》后， 你又写了一本，

and it's out in Hebrew, but not yet translated into ...

希伯来文的版本已经出版了， 但还没翻译成......

Yuval Noah Harari: I'm working on the translation as we speak.

乌瓦尔·诺亚·哈拉利： 我现在正在翻译。

BG: In the book, if I understand it correctly,

BG：在这本书里， 如果我想得没错的话，

you argue that the amazing breakthroughs that we are experiencing right now

你说我们现在经历的这些奇妙的技术突破

not only will potentially make our lives better,

不只会让我们的生活更好，

but they will create -- and I quote you --

更有可能创造 － 你这么说 －

"... new classes and new class struggles, just as the industrial revolution did."

“新的阶级和新的阶级斗争， 就像工业革命时期一样。”

Can you elaborate for us?

你可以多说一点吗？

YNH: Yes. In the industrial revolution,

哈拉利：好的。在工业革命时期，

we saw the creation of a new class of the urban proletariat.

我们创造了城市中的无产阶级。

And much of the political and social history of the last 200 years involved

过去两百年的社经历史，

what to do with this class, and the new problems and opportunities.

都在处理由此而生的新问题和机会。

Now, we see the creation of a new massive class of useless people.

现在，一群没用的人组成了一个新阶级，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

As computers become better and better in more and more fields,

计算机在各个领域越来越强，

there is a distinct possibility that computers will out-perform us

很快的，计算机在许多领域上会胜过人类，

in most tasks and will make humans redundant.

人类将变得多余。

And then the big political and economic question

这个世纪

of the 21st century will be,

最大的政治和经济问题是，

"What do we need humans for?",

“我们需要人类做什么？”

or at least, "What do we need so many humans for?"

至少是“我们需要这么多人做什么？”

BG: Do you have an answer in the book?

BG：书里会找到答案吗？

YNH: At present, the best guess we have is to keep them happy

哈拉利：目前， 我们只能用药物、电子游戏

with drugs and computer games ...

尽量让他们开心

(Laughter)

（笑声）

but this doesn't sound like a very appealing future.

虽然好像也不是什么值得期待的前景。

BG: Ok, so you're basically saying in the book and now,

BG：所以你在书里和现在所说的是，

that for all the discussion about the growing evidence

各种讨论和证据都显示，

of significant economic inequality, we are just kind of at the beginning

所有的贫富差距、经济不平等，

of the process?

都只是刚刚开始而已？

YNH: Again, it's not a prophecy;

哈拉利：这不是预言；

it's seeing all kinds of possibilities before us.

只是评估眼前的所有可能性。

One possibility is this creation of a new massive class of useless people.

其中一种可能是创造了一种无用阶级，

Another possibility is the division of humankind

另一种可能是用生理

into different biological castes,

把人类分成几种阶级，

with the rich being upgraded into virtual gods,

富人升等为神，

and the poor being degraded to this level of useless people.

穷人则贬到无用之人的阶级。

BG: I feel there is another TED talk coming up in a year or two.

BG：我想一两年内会有这个 TED 演说。

Thank you, Yuval, for making the trip.

谢谢你远道而来。

YNH: Thanks!

哈拉利：谢谢！

(Applause)

（掌声）