George Whitesides: Toward a science of simplicity

翻译人员: zhao weichen 校对人员: Zhu Jie

Most of the talks

大多数的演讲

that you've heard in the last several fabulous days

你在前几天那些美妙的日子听到的

have been from people who have the characteristic

都是来自一些很有特点的人

that they have thought about something,

就是他们都已经思考过一些事

they are experts, they know what's going on.

他们都是这方面的专家，他们知道这个领域的现状

All of you know about the topic

你们都知道

that I'm supposed to talk about.

今天我要谈的这个话题

That is, you know what simplicity is,

的确，你知道简洁是什么

you know what complexity is.

你也知道复杂是什么

The trouble is, I don't.

问题是，我不知道

And what I'm going to do is share with you

我接下来要做的就是和你们交流一下

my ignorance on this subject.

我对这个话题不清楚的地方

I want you to read this,

我希望你来读这些

because we're going to come back to it in a moment.

因为我们过一会将重新回到这个问题上来

The quote is from

这段引文来自

the fabled Potter Stewart

传说中的Potter Stewart

opinion on pornography.

关于色情文学的观点

And let me just read it,

我来读一下

the important details here:

重要的细节

"Shorthand description, ['hardcore pornography'];

简化的描述，赤裸裸的色情

and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly defining it.

可能我从来都不能给它下一个容易理解的定义。

But I know it when I see it."

但是我一看见这句话我就明白它的意思

I'm going to come back to that in a moment.

我们一会就会重新回到这里

So, what is simplicity?

那，什么事简洁？

It's good to start with some examples.

举一些例子作为开头可能会好一些。

A coffee cup -- we don't think about coffee cups,

一个咖啡杯。我们不去想它们

but it's much more interesting than one might think --

但是这可能比去想更有意义。

a coffee cup is a device,

咖啡杯是个物件，是的

which has a container and a handle.

它是一个容器，是的，还带一个把手，没错。

The handle enables you to hold it

把手可以使你拿起它

when the container is filled with hot liquid.

当咖啡杯里装满热的液体时，嗯~

Why is that important?

为什么这很重要？

Well, it enables you to drink coffee.

因为，这能让你喝咖啡。

But also, by the way, the coffee is hot,

但是，提醒一下，咖啡是热的，

the liquid is sterile;

液体是无菌的。

you're not likely to get cholera that way.

这样你就不大可能会感染霍乱。

So the coffee cup, or the cup with a handle,

所以咖啡杯，或者是一个有把手的杯子

is one of the tools used by society

是被人类社会应用的一种工具

to maintain public health.

来维护公众健康

Scissors are your clothes,

剪刀成就你的衣服。

glasses enable you to see things

眼镜让你看清东西

and keep you from being eaten by cheetahs

防止你被猎豹吃掉

or run down by automobiles,

或者被汽车撞到

and books are, after all, your education.

最后，书籍，是你们的教育。

But there's another class of simple things,

但是还有另外一类简单的东西

which are also very important.

它们也很重要

Simple in function,

在功能上很简单

but not at all simple in how they're constructed.

但是它们的构造上上却一点都不简单。

And the two here are just examples.

这里有两个例子

One is the cellphone, which we use every day.

一个是手机，我们每天都用

And it rests on a complexity,

它依赖于一个复杂系统

which has some characteristics

有一些特性

very different from those that my friend

与我朋友Benoit Mandelbrot

Benoit Mandelbrot discussed,

说的非常的不同

but are very interesting.

但是非常有趣

And the other, of course, is a birth control pill,

另一个例子，当然，是避孕药

which, in a very simple way,

一个非常简单的方式

fundamentally changed the structure of society

它却从根本上改变了社会的结构

by changing the role of women in it

通过改变女人在社会中的角色

by providing to them

通过给她们提供

the opportunity to make reproductive choices.

选择是否怀孕生子

So, there are two ways of thinking about this word, I think.

我认为有两种方式来看待这个词

And here I've corrupted

而且我在这里曲解

the Potter Stewart quotation

Potter Stewart的引言

by saying that we can think about something --

通过举例说我们可以想一些事情

which spans all the way from scissors

一些从剪刀跨度

to the cell phone,

到手机的各种方式

Internet and birth control pills --

从网络到避孕药

by saying that they're simple,

通过谈他们是简单的

the functions are simple,

功能是简单的

and we recognize what that simplicity is

然后我们认识到什么事简洁

when we see it.

当我们看到的时候

Or there may be another way of doing it,

又或，可能有另一种方式来解释

which is to think about the problem in terms of what --

即根据什么来考虑这个问题

if you associate with moral philosophers --

如果你与思想哲学家交往

is called the teapot problem.

被称作茶壶问题

The teapot problem I'll pose this way.

茶壶问题，我来解释一下

Suppose you see a teapot,

假设你看见一个茶壶

and the teapot is

并且这个茶壶

filled with hot water.

装满了热水

And you then ask the question:

然后你问了个问题

Why is the water hot?

为什么水是热的？

And that's a simple question.

这是个简单的问题

It's like, what is simplicity?

就像：什么事简洁？

One answer would be:

其中一个答案可能是

because the kinetic energy of the water molecules is high

因为水分子的动能很高

and they bounce against things rapidly --

使得他们之间迅速碰撞

that's a kind of physical science argument.

这是个物理学要讨论的问题

A second argument would be:

第二个答案可能是

because it was sitting on a stove with the flame on --

因为它仍然在点着火的火炉上

that's an historical argument.

那是个时间上的论点

A third is that I wanted hot water

第三个解释是，我想要热水

for tea --

来泡茶

that's an intentional argument.

那是个内在意识的问题

And, since this is coming from a moral philosopher,

然而，来自道德哲学家的答案

the fourth would be that it's part of God's plan for the universe.

即第四可能是，那是上帝对宇宙计划的一部分

All of these are possibilities.

所有的这些答案都是可能的

The point is that you get into trouble

问题是，你陷入了麻烦

when you ask a single question

当你问一个问题

with a single box for an answer,

只能有一个答案

in which that single question actually is many questions

然而这一个问题实际上是许多的问题

with quite different meanings,

这些问题有不同的含义

but with the same words.

却能用相同的文字描述

Asking, "What is simplicity?" I think falls in that category.

问题，什么事简洁？我认为应归于类别范畴

What is the state of science?

什么是科学的国度？

And, interestingly, complexity

完整，复杂

is very highly evolved.

是高端的进化

We have a lot of interesting information

我们有很多关于复杂是什么的

about what complexity is.

有趣信息

Simplicity, for reasons

简洁，由于

that are a little bit obscure,

它有些模糊

is almost not pursued,

所以几乎不能达到

at least in the academic world.

至少在学术界很难实现

We academics -- I am an academic --

我们的一些学者--我也是学者

we love complexity.

我们喜欢复杂

You can write papers about complexity,

我们可以写关于复杂的论文

and the nice thing about complexity is

关于复杂有趣的是

it's fundamentally intractable in many ways,

在许多方面它从根本上难以把握

so you're not responsible for outcomes. (Laughter)

因此，你不必为结果负责

Simplicity -- all of you really would like

简洁---你们大家喜欢的

your Waring Blender in the morning

早上你的搅拌机

to make whatever a Waring Blender does,

来做搅拌机该做的

but not explode or play Beethoven.

但绝不是爆炸或者演奏贝多芬曲目

You're not interested in the limits of these things.

你对这些东西的局限性不感兴趣

So what one is interested in

你感兴趣的是

has a lot to do with the rewards of the system.

这个系统的许多好处

And there's a lot of rewards in thinking

去思考一下

about complexity and emergence,

复杂和紧急情况将会有很多好处

not so much in thinking about simplicity.

而去想简单就没有那么什么好处

One of the things I want to do

其中我想做的一件事是

is to help you with a very important task --

是帮助你完成一项重要的工作

which you may not know that you have very often --

这项工作你可能没有意识到呢经常做

which is to understand

那就是理解

how to sit next to a physicist at a dinner party

在晚宴中怎样坐在物理学家旁边

and have a conversation. (Laughter)

怎样和他交谈

And the words that I would like you to focus on

我想让你把焦点集中在这两个词上

are complexity and emergence,

复杂 和紧急

because these will enable you to start the conversation

因为它们会让你开始一段对话

and then daydream about other things.

然后幻想其它事情

(Laughter)

（笑）

All right, what is complexity in this view of things,

好了，观察下这件事什么是复杂的？

and what is emergence?

什么是紧急的？

We have, actually, a pretty good working definition of complexity.

事实上我们已经有了一个很好的关于复杂的定义

It is a system, like traffic,

它是一个系统，就像交通

which has components.

有很多的组成部分

The components interact with one another.

这些部分整合在一起形成一个整体

These are cars and drivers. They dissipate energy.

有汽车和司机。他们消耗能量

It turns out that, whenever you have that system,

结果是，无论何时，你拥有那个系统

weird stuff happens,

奇怪的事情都会发生

and you in Los Angeles

可能身处洛杉矶的你

probably know this better than anyone.

知道这个比任何一个都好

Here's another example,

这里还有个例子

which I put up because

我举这个例子是因为

it's an example of really important current science.

这是个现代科学中一个真实而重要的例子

You can't possibly read that. It's not intended that you read it,

你不可能读过。你不会想去读。

but that's a tiny part

但是这只是发生在体内

of the chemical reactions going on

每个细胞中的化学反应的

in each of your cells at any given moment.

一小部分

And it's like the traffic that you see.

这就像你看到的交通

The amazing thing about the cell is that

关于细胞让人不可思议的是

it actually does maintain a fairly stable

它确确实实与其它细胞保持

working relationship with other cells,

稳定的工作协同关系

but we don't know why.

但是我们不知道原因

Anyone who tells you that we understand life,

任何告诉你我们理解生命人

walk away.

请走开

And let me reduce this to the simplest level.

接着，让我把这件事降到最简单的水平

We've heard from Bill Gates recently.

我们曾经收到Bill Gates 的来信

All of us, to some extent, study

我们所有的人，在某种程度上，

this thing called a Bill Gates.

学习Bill Gates

Terrific. You learn everything you can about that.

非常好！你学习到了你能学到的东西

And then there's another kind of thing that you might study,

然后又有一些其它方面的东西你可以学

and you study that hard.

你努力的学习

That's a Bono, this is a Bono.

那是Bono,这是Bono

But then, if you know everything you can know about those two things,

但是然后，假如你了解了你可以了解的关于这两样东西的所有细节

and you put them together,

又把他们总结在一起

what can you say about this combination?

那么，你能对这种结合说些什么呢？

The answer is, not a lot.

答案是：并不多！

And that's complexity.

那就是复杂

Now, imagine building that up to a city, or to a society,

现在，想象一下一个城市一个社会的建立

and you've got, obviously, an interesting problem.

很明显，你发现了一个有趣的问题

All right, so let me give you an example

好的，现在让我给你们举个

of simplicity

简单的例子

of a particular kind.

详细说明

And I want to introduce a word

然后我想介绍一个词

that I think is very useful,

我想这个词很有用

which is stacking.

就是堆积

And I'm going to use stacking for a kind of simplicity

我要简单的堆叠一下

that has the characteristic

这是很典型的

that it is so simple

它简单

and so reliable

又可行

that I can build things with it.

我可以用它来组合东西

Or I'm going to use simple to mean

或者说我要用简单的东西来实现

reliable, predictable, repeatable.

可靠性，可预言性和可重复性

And I'm going to use as an example the Internet,

我想用一个例子，互联网

because it's a particularly good example

因为它是个特别好的关于

of stacked simplicity.

堆积简单的例子

We call it a complex system, which it is,

我们就称之为复杂系统

but it's also something else.

但是也意味着其它

The Internet starts with mathematics,

互联网起始于数学

it starts with binary.

起始于二进制法则

And if you look at the list of things on the bottom,

如果你看下底部的菜单

we are familiar with the Arabic numbers

有我们熟知的阿拉伯数字

one to 10 and so on.

1到10等

In binary, one is 0001,

在二进制中，1用001表示

seven is 0111.

7用0111表示

The question is: Why is binary

问题是：为什么二进制

simpler than Arabic?

比阿拉伯数字简单？

And the answer is, simply,

答案是，简单

that if I hold up three fingers, you can count that easily,

如果你举起三个手指，你可以很容易的数清

but if I hold up this,

但是如果你举起这个

it's sort of hard to say that I just did seven.

就很难这是7

The virtue of binary is that it's the simplest possible way

它的优点是这可能是表示数字

of representing numbers.

最简单的方式

Anything else is more complicated.

其它都是复杂的

You can catch errors with it,

你可能会犯错

it's unambiguous in its reading,

在读取时很模糊

there are lots of good things about binary.

关于二进制还有很多好的方面

So it is very, very simple

因此它非常非常简单

once you learn how to read it.

只要你知道怎么去读

Now, if you like to represent

现在如果你想表示

this zero and one of binary,

一下二进制的和1

you need a device.

你需要一个工具

And think of things in your life

想象一下你生活中

that are binary,

是用二进制表示的东西

one of them is light switches.

其中一个是电灯开关

They can be on and off. That's binary.

它们可以是开或关，这是二元的

Now wall switches, we all know, fail.

我们都知道，墙体开关，会失败

But our friends who are condensed matter physicists

但是我们的高分子物理学家朋友们

managed to come up, some 50 years ago,

可以做到，在50多年前

with a very nice device, shown under that bell jar,

用一种很好的设备，就是钟罩

which is a transistor.

它是一种晶体管

A transistor is nothing more than a wall switch.

晶体管于墙体开关没有区别

It turns things on and off,

它也是开或关

but it does so without moving parts

但是，它做到这一点不用动任何一部分

and it doesn't fail, basically, for a very long period of time.

基本上，可以保持很长一段时间，不会失效

So the second layer of simplicity

因此，第二简单的

was the transistor in the Internet.

是晶体管和互联网

So, since the transistor is so simple,

因此，既然晶体管如此简单

you can put lots of them together.

你可以将大量的晶体管组合在一起

And you put lots of them together and you come with

组合在一起后，你可以组成

something called integrated circuits.

完整的集成电路

And a current integrated circuit

集成电路

might have in each one of these chips

可能存在于这些芯片之中

something like a billion transistors,

像是十亿个晶体管

all of which have to work perfectly every time.

它们每次都必须以完美的状态工作

So that's the next layer of simplicity,

这是另一个层次的简洁

and, in fact, integrated circuits

并且,实际上,集成电路

are really simple in the sense that they,

确实是简单的

in general, work really well.

就它们总体上运转的很好来说

With integrated circuits, you can build cellphones.

用集成电路,你可以制造出手机

You all are accustomed to having your cellphones work

你们早已习惯于手机

the large majority of the time.

在大部分时间都能正常工作

In Boston ... Boston is a little bit like Namibia

在波士顿,波士顿与纳米比亚有些相似

in its cell phone coverage, (Laughter)

在她们的手机信号覆盖方面

so that we're not accustomed to that all the time,

所以我们还并不总是那么适应

but some of the time.

只是一段时间

But, in fact, if you have cell phones,

但是,实际上,如果你有手机

you can now go to this nice lady

你现在可以看这位美女

who's somewhere like Namibia,

她像是个纳米比亚人

and who is extremely happy with the fact

并且她非常激动

that although she does not have

尽管她没有

an master's degree in

一个麻省理工

electrical engineering from MIT,

电子工程硕士学位

she's nonetheless able to hack her cell phone

但她还是能够修改她的手机

to get power in some funny way.

使它能以某种滑稽的方式充电

And from that comes the Internet.

放下手机，我们来看看因特网

And this is a map of bitflows across the continent.

这是一幅大洲之间数据流量的图

The two blobs that are light in the middle there

图中非常亮的两块区域

are the United States and Europe.

分别是美国和欧洲

And then back to simplicity again.

然后，我们回到有关简单的讨论

So here we have what I think is one of the great ideas,

我们现在有Google

which is Google.

我认为那是最伟大的点子之一

Which, in this simple portal

在它简洁的页面中

makes the claim

Google称

that it makes accessible

可以使用户访问

all of the world's information.

全世界的信息

But the point is that

然而，要点是

that extraordinary simple idea

这个非凡的简单创意

rests on layers of simplicity

是基于若干简单的底层

each compounded into a complexity

而每层叠加起来就成为了一个复杂的东西

that is itself simple,

但就其可靠程度而言

in the sense that it is completely reliable.

它自身也确实是简单的

All right, let me then finish off

好了，让我来总结一下

with four general statements,

总共有四个陈述

an example and two aphorisms.

一个例子和两条格言

The characteristics, which I think

我想到了一些特征

are useful to think about for simple things:

它们有助于我们思考简洁的事物

First, they are predictable.

首先，它们是可预测的

Their behavior is predictable.

它们的行为是可以预测的

Now, one of the nice characteristics

这样，简洁的事物

of simple things

具有的一个很好的特征就是

is you know what it's going to do, in general.

你通常知道它会去做什么

So simplicity and predictability

所以说，简洁和可预测

are characteristics of simple things.

是简单事物的特点

The second is, and this is a real world statement,

第二点，是源于实际的一点

they're cheap.

它们要便宜

If you have things that are cheap enough,

如果你手中的东西足够廉价

people will find uses for them,

人们就会去寻找它们的用途

even if they seem very primitive.

即使它看起来相当原始

So, for example, stones.

比如石头

You can build cathedrals out of stones,

你可以用石头建成教堂

you just have to know what it does.

你只需要知道它用来做什么

You carve them in blocks and then you

你将石头削成砖，然后你

pile them on top of one another,

将它们一个一个垒起来

and they support weight.

然后它们就能承重

So there has to be function, the function has to be predictable

所以说，它们要有一定的功能，功能要可以想得到

and the cost has to be low.

此外开销也必须低廉

What that means is

这就意味着

that you have to have a high performance

必须要有良好的性能

or value for cost.

或者价值成本

And then I would propose

然后，我会提出

as this last component

最后一个要素

that they serve, or have the potential to serve,

即它们能作为，或者有潜力成为

as building blocks.

构成的要素

That is, you can stack them.

那就是说，你可以堆砌它们

And stack can mean this way, or it can mean this way,

所说的堆砌可以是这样的，也可以是那样的

or it can mean in some arbitrary n-dimensional space.

再或者意味着任意的n维空间

But if you have something that has a function,

但是如果你有些具有某种功能的东西

and it's really cheap,

而且它非常便宜

people will find new ways of putting it together

人们就会找到新的方法将它们组合

to make new things.

来制作出新的事物

Cheap, functional, reliable things

廉价、有一定功能并且可靠的东西

unleash the creativity of people

解放了人们的创造力

who then build stuff that you could not imagine.

那些人之后制作出你想象不到的事物

There's no way of predicting the Internet

若是基于第一个晶体管

based on the first transistor.

肯定将没有办法预测因特网

It just is not possible.

它就是不可能

So these are the components.

以上就是这些要素

Now, the example

现在我想展示的

is something that I want to give you

这个例子是

from the work that we ourselves do.

来源于我们进行的工作

We are very interested in

我们致力于

delivering health care in the developing world,

对第三世界提供医疗援助

and one of the things that we wish to do in this particular business

并且我们在这件事情上想完成的

is to find a way of doing medical diagnosis

是尽可能找到

at as close to zero cost

一种几乎是零费用的

as we can manage.

医疗诊断方法

So, how does one do that?

嗯，一个人怎么才能做到这些？

This is a world in which there's no electricity,

第三世界没有电力

there's no money, there's no medical competence.

那里没有资金，没有医疗能力

And I don't want to spend your time in going through the details,

我不想用过程的细节浪费大家的时间

but in the lower right-hand corner,

但在右下角

you see an example of the kind of thing that we have.

你们可以看到我们现有的方案

It's a little paper chip.

那是一个很小的纸芯片

It has a few things printed on it

上面印了一些东西

using the same technology

印刷技术与

that you use for making comic books,

印制漫画书的相同

which was the inspiration for this particular idea.

正是这项技术为我们提供了灵感

And you put a drop, in this case, of urine at the bottom.

你滴一滴液体，对于这个纸芯片来说要滴上尿液

It wicks its way up into these little branches.

它被吸上去，进入这些小分支

You know, no power required.

你要知道，不需要其它能量

It turns colors. In this particular case,

它会变色。在这个特定情况下

you're reading kidney function.

正在看的是肾功能读数

And, since the health care worker

另外，由于这个地方的

of much of this part of the world

医疗工作者

is an 18 year-old with an AK-47,

通常是18岁左右，手拿AK-47

who happens to be out of work and is willing

碰巧没有工作，并且愿意

to go around and do this sort of thing,

四处转转然后做这类事情

he can take a picture of it with his cellphone,

他可以用自己的手机拍张照片

send the picture back to where there is a doctor,

而后将照片送回有医生的地方

and the doctor can look at it.

这样医生就能看到结果

So what you've done is to take a technology,

所以说，你所做的就是，用一种

which is available everywhere,

在任何地方都能用上的技术

make a device, which is extremely cheap,

做出一种极为廉价的装置

and make it in such a fashion

并且做成这种样子

that it is very, very reliable.

使它非常非常可靠

If we can pull this off,

如果我们能成功做到这些

if we can build more function,

如果我们可以加入更多功能

it will be stackable.

它将会是可以堆叠的

That is to say, if we can make the basic technology

那就是说，如果我们可以使一两样东西中

of one or two things work,

基本的技术生效

it will be applicable to a very, very

那它将可以适用于

large variety of human conditions,

各种不同的个人条件下

and hence, extendable in both

因此，也就具有延伸的潜力

vertical and horizontal directions.

无论是在水平、纵深方向

Part of my interest in this, I have to say,

不得不说，我的兴趣一部分

is that I would like to -- how do I put this politely? --

是我希望，或者说的客气一点

change the way, or maybe eviscerate,

改变，或者去除美国医疗体制

the capital structure of the U.S. health care system,

中资本就够的本质部分

which I think is fundamentally broken.

我认为那是从根本上坏掉的

So, let me close --

让我以--

(Applause)

（掌声）

Let me close with my two aphorisms.

让我以这两句警语作为结束

One of them is from Mr. Einstein,

其中一条来自爱因斯坦

and he says, "Everything should be made

他说，“所有的事物都要做到

as simple as possible, but not simpler."

尽量简洁但又不过分简单。”

And I think that's a very good way of thinking about the problem.

我认为那是思考这个问题非常好的方式

If you take too much out

如果你从简单的东西里

of something that's simple, you lose function.

去除太多，你就失去了它的功能

You have to have low cost,

你必须要做到低开销

but you also have to have a function.

但是你还需要功能

So you can't make it too simple.

所以说你不可以做得过于简单

And the second is a design issue,

第二条是设计的事情

and it's not directly relevant, but it's a nice statement.

它并不是那么相关，但它却是很好的叙述

This is by de Saint-Exupery.

这是de Saint-Exupery说的

And he says, "You know you've achieved perfection in design,

他说道：“你知道你的设计达到完美

not when you have nothing more to add,

不是因为你没有什么可以加上去，

but when you have nothing more to take away."

而是当你当你不能再去除些什么的时候。”

And that certainly is going in the right direction.

这句话的方向当然是对的

So, what I think one can begin to do

这是一个人可以用到并以之为开始的

with this kind of

就我所想，

cut at the word simplicity,

以简洁为目的

which doesn't cover Brancusi,

的精简

it doesn't answer the question of

这解释不了为什么说

why Mondrian is better or worse

蒙德里安的画比梵高的好还是坏

or simpler or less simpler than Van Gogh,

或者是比梵高的画简单还是复杂

and certainly doesn't address the question

而且也没有解释

of whether Mozart is simpler than Bach.

莫扎特的音乐是不是比巴赫的简单

But it does make a point --

但它确实明确了一点

which is one which, in a sense,

就是，在某种意义上

differentiates the real world of people who make things,

区分开制造的人

and the world of people who think about things,

和考虑这些东西的人

which is, there is an intellectual merit

这意味着，提出

to asking: How do we make things

“如何才能制造出

as simple as we can,

尽可能简单

as cheap as we can, as functional as we can

尽可能廉价，尽量能发挥机能

and as freely interconnectable as we can?

并能尽可能自由联系的东西”有了科学意义

If we make that kind of simplicity in our technology

如果我们在技术中加入这种简洁

and then give it to you guys,

然后将其传给你们

you can go off and do all kinds of fabulous things with it.

你们离开之后就可以利用它做各种精彩纷呈的东西

Thank you very much.

非常感谢

(Applause)

（掌声）

Chris Anderson: Quick question.

Chris Anderson: 问几个问题

So can you picture

你能想象一下

that a science of simplicity

有关简单的科学

might get to the point where

可以切中要害，不管

you could look out at various systems --

你查看的是什么样系统，

say a financial system or a legal system, health system -- and say,

比如说，财政系统或者法律系统、医疗系统，再比如说

"That has got to the point of danger

若是这些系统到了危险的境地

or dysfunctionality for the following reasons,

或者因为某些原因无法工作

and this is how we might simplify it"?

这是我们应该简化的方法么？

George Whitesides: Yes, I think you could. Because if you look

George Whitesides:是的，我想你可以，因为如果你

at the components from which the system is made

查看系统的组成部分

and examine their fragility, or their stability,

并且检查它们的脆弱度，或者是它们的牢固度

you can probably build a kind of risk assessment based on that basis.

你没准可以在那些基础之上建立起一种风险评估方式

CA: Have you started to do that?

CA:你开始做这些了么？

I mean, with the health system, you got a sort of

我的意思是，对于医疗系统，你有一种

radical solution on the cost side,

在财政方面的根本方法

but in terms of the system itself?

但是对于这个系统自身呢？

GW: Well, no.

GW:厄，没有

How do I put that simply? No.

我怎么去把它变得简单，不可能

CA: That was a simple, powerful answer. GW: Yes.

CA:这是个简单、有力的回答。 GW:是的

CA: So, in terms of

CA:那么，对于

that diagnostic technology that you've got,

你所掌握的诊断技术而言

where is that, and when do you see that

什么时候，并且你认为什么时候

maybe getting rolled out to scale.

这种诊断方式会规模壮大

GW: That's coming out soon. I mean, the systems work,

GW:那即将出现，我的意思是，那个系统开始工作

and we have to find out how to manufacture them and do things of this kind,

并且我们必须找出怎么去制造出它们，并做这一类的事情

but the basic technology works.

但是最基本的技术起了作用

CA: You've got a company set up to ...

CA:你已经建立了一家公司来--

GW: A foundation, a foundation. Not-for-profit.

GW:是一个基金会，基金会，非盈利的

CA: All right. Well, thank you so much for your talk. Thank you. (Applause)

CA:好的，非常感谢您的演讲，谢谢