Robin Ince: Science versus wonder?

82,859 views ・ 2011-11-18

TED


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翻译人员: Jiwei Qu 校对人员: Chunxiang Qian
00:15
I'd like to apologize, first of all, to all of you
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首先我想先和大家道个歉
00:18
because I have no form
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因为我没有准备
00:20
of PowerPoint presentation.
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幻灯片
00:23
So what I'm going to do
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所以接下来的演讲中
00:25
is, every now and again, I will make this gesture,
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在需要幻灯片展示的时候
00:27
and in a moment of PowerPoint democracy,
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我会作这个手势
00:29
you can imagine what you'd like to see.
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你可以自己去发挥想象
00:33
I do a radio show.
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我有一个电台节目
00:35
The radio show is called "The Infinite Monkey Cage."
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叫做"无限的猴子笼."
00:38
It's about science, it's about rationalism.
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是个关于科学,理性的节目
00:41
So therefore, we get a lot of complaints
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因此,我们每个礼拜
00:43
every single week --
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都被投诉--
00:45
complaints including one we get very often,
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其中被投诉最多的
00:48
which is to say the very title, "Infinite Monkey Cage,"
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就是节目名称"无限的猴子笼"
00:51
celebrates the idea of vivisection.
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称其倡导活体解剖
00:54
We have made it quite clear to these people
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我们向这些投诉者明确解释
00:56
that an infinite monkey cage is roomy.
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一个无限大的猴子笼是够宽广的
00:59
(Laughter)
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:)
01:01
We also had someone else who said,
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还有些人说
01:03
"'The Infinite Monkey Cage' idea is ridiculous.
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“无限的猴子笼”的名字太荒唐了
01:05
An infinite number of monkeys
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无数的猴子
01:07
could never write the works of Shakespeare.
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根本无法写出莎士比亚的著作
01:09
We know this because they did an experiment."
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我们这么说因为他们做过一个实验”
01:12
Yes, they gave 12 monkeys a typewriter for a week,
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确实,他们给12个猴子一个打字机
01:16
and after a week, they only used it as a bathroom.
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一个星期后,猴子只把它当厕所用
01:19
(Laughter)
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:)
01:21
So the main element though, the main complaint we get --
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我们接到的主要投诉--
01:23
and one that I find most worrying --
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我最为担心的是--
01:25
is that people say, "Oh, why do you insist
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有人说“为什么你们坚持要
01:28
on ruining the magic?
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戳穿幻想?
01:30
You bring in science, and it ruins the magic."
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你们带来了科学,却摧毁了幻想”
01:32
Now I'm an arts graduate;
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我现在进修艺术研究生
01:34
I love myth and magic
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我热爱神话和幻想
01:36
and existentialism and self-loathing.
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也喜欢存在主义和自我厌恶
01:38
That's what I do.
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我就是这样的
01:40
But I also don't understand
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但是我还不明白
01:42
how it does ruin the magic.
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这怎么就毁了幻想了
01:44
All of the magic, I think,
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我认为所有
01:46
that may well be taken away by science
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可以被科学所解释的幻想
01:48
is then replaced by something as wonderful.
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是被同样奇妙的东西所代替了
01:50
Astrology, for instance:
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比如占星术
01:52
like many rationalists, I'm a Pisces.
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像许多理性主义者一样,我也是双鱼座
01:55
(Laughter)
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:)
01:58
Now astrology --
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如今的占星术--
02:00
we remove the banal idea
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我们去除了一些陈腐的东西
02:02
that your life could be predicted;
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比如可以预知生命之类的
02:04
that you'll, perhaps today, meet a lucky man
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你今天也许会遇到一位幸运的人
02:06
who's wearing a hat.
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他会戴着一顶帽子
02:08
That is gone.
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现在没这些了
02:10
But if we want to look at the sky and see predictions, we still can.
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但是如果我们希望通过观星象预测,还是可以的
02:13
We can see predictions of galaxies forming,
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我们可以据此预测星系的形成
02:16
of galaxies colliding into each other, of new solar systems.
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预测星系碰撞成为新的太阳系
02:19
This is a wonderful thing.
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这非常棒
02:21
If the Sun could one day -- and indeed the Earth, in fact --
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如果有天太阳--甚至是地球--
02:24
if the Earth could read its own astrological, astronomical chart,
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如果地球可以读懂它的天文图的话
02:28
one day it would say,
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某一天就可以说
02:30
"Not a good day for making plans.
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“今天不是吉日
02:32
You'll been engulfed by a red giant."
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你将被一个红巨星吞没”
02:34
And that to me as well,
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对我来说也很棒
02:36
that if you think I'm worried about losing worlds,
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如果你觉得我担心世界末日
02:39
well Many Worlds theory --
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那么多世界理论--
02:41
one of the most beautiful, fascinating,
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最棒,最吸引人
02:44
sometimes terrifying ideas
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有时又让人恐怖的理论之一
02:46
from the quantum interpretation --
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出自量子力学解释--
02:48
is a wonderful thing.
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是个很棒的东西
02:50
That every person here, every decision that you've made today,
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在座每一位,每一个你今天作出的决定
02:53
every decision you've made in your life,
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每一个你生命中做过的决定
02:55
you've not really made that decision,
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并不是你作出了那个决定
02:57
but in fact, every single permutation of those decisions
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而是 那些决定的每一个其他可能
03:01
is made, each one going off into a new universe.
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已经被做出,各自将在新的宇宙中发展
03:04
That is a wonderful idea.
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那是个很棒的想法
03:06
If you ever think that your life is rubbish,
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如果你曾经想过你的生活毫无意义
03:10
always remember
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记住
03:12
there's another you that's made much worse decisions than that.
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还有其他的你,做出了比你现在还要糟糕的决定
03:15
(Laughter)
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:)
03:17
If you ever think, "Ah, I want to end it all,"
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如果你曾想过“啊,我想自杀,"
03:19
don't end it all.
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不要那么做
03:21
Remember that in the majority of universes,
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记住在无数宇宙中的大部分里
03:23
you don't even exist in the first place.
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你首先就根本没有存在过
03:25
This to me, in its own strange way,
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对我来说,这虽然有点离奇
03:28
is very, very comforting.
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但是非常非常令人欣慰的
03:30
Now reincarnation, that's another thing gone -- the afterlife.
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转世,这是另一个废弃的概念--来生
03:32
But it's not gone.
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但也没完全废弃
03:34
Science actually says
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科学实际上也认为
03:36
we will live forever.
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我们将会永生
03:39
Well, there is one proviso.
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不过有一个限制性条件
03:41
We won't actually live forever. You won't live forever.
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我们事实上不会永生,你不会永生
03:44
Your consciousness, the you-ness of you, the me-ness of me --
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你的意识,你、我本身--
03:47
that gets this one go.
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都终将会逝去
03:50
But every single thing that makes us,
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但是每一个组成我们的部分
03:52
every atom in us,
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每一个原子
03:54
has already created a myriad of different things
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已经创造了无数的不同的事物
03:57
and will go on to create a myriad of new things.
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并且还将继续创造无数新事物
04:00
We have been mountains
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我们曾经是山脉
04:03
and apples and pulsars
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或苹果或脉冲星
04:05
and other people's knees.
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或是别人的膝盖
04:07
Who knows, maybe one of your atoms was once Napoleon's knee.
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谁知道呢,也许你其中的一个原子以前曾经是拿破仑的膝盖
04:10
That is a good thing.
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那很好
04:12
Unlike the occupants of the universe,
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不像宇宙的居住者们
04:14
the universe itself is not wasteful.
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宇宙本身并不浪费
04:17
We are all totally recyclable.
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我们都是可循环的
04:19
And when we die,
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当我们死后
04:21
we don't even have to be placed in different refuse sacs.
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我们甚至都不用被垃圾分类
04:24
This is a wonderful thing.
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这是件很棒的事情
04:26
Understanding, to me,
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对我来说,理解这些
04:28
does not remove the wonder and the joy.
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并不会失去幻想与乐趣
04:32
For instance, my wife could turn to me and she may say,
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比如,我夫人可以问我
04:35
"Why do you love me?"
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“你为什么爱我?”
04:37
And I can with all honesty
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我也可以诚实地
04:39
look her in the eye and say,
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看着她的眼睛说
04:41
"Because our pheromones
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“因为我们的外激素
04:43
matched our olfactory receptors."
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比较适合对方的嗅觉器官。”
04:46
(Laughter)
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:)
04:48
Though I'll probably also say something
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也许我还会说些其他的
04:50
about her hair and personality as well.
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比如她的头发和个性什么的
04:52
And that is a wonderful thing there.
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这是多好的事情啊
04:55
Love does not die because of that thing.
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爱并不会因此而变淡
04:57
Pain doesn't go away either.
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痛也同样不会消失
04:59
This is a terrible thing, even though I understand pain.
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这就不怎么好了,即使我了解痛苦
05:01
If someone punches me --
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如果有人给我一拳--
05:03
and because of my personality,
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由于我的个性
05:05
this is recently a regular occurrence --
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这是最近经常发生的事情--
05:07
I understand where the pain comes from.
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我知道疼痛来自哪里
05:09
It is basically momentum to energy
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基本上就是动能
05:12
where the four-vector is constant -- that's what it is.
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四向量是恒定的--就是那样
05:14
But at no point can I react and go,
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但我不可能说
05:16
"Ha! Is that the best momentum-to-energy fourth vector constant you've got?"
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“哈,这就是你能使出来的最好的动能四向量恒量吗?”
05:21
No, I just spit out a tooth.
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不,我只是掉了颗牙
05:23
(Laughter)
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:)
05:25
And that is all of these different things -- the love for my child.
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那就是所有不同的事情--对我孩子的爱
05:28
I have a son. His name is Archie.
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我有一个儿子,叫阿奇
05:30
I'm very lucky,
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我很幸运
05:32
because he's better than all the other children.
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他是最好的
05:34
Now I know you don't think that.
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我知道你们肯定不这么想
05:36
You may well have your own children
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因为你也许也有自己的孩子
05:38
and think, "Oh no, my child's best."
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心想,“我孩子才是最棒的”
05:41
That's the wonderful thing about evolution --
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那是关于进化论的很棒的事--
05:43
the predilection to believe
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偏向于相信自己孩子
05:45
that our child is best.
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是最好的
05:47
Now in many ways, that's just a survival thing.
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在很多不同方面,那只是个生存问题
05:50
The fact we see here is the vehicle for our genes,
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我们在这看到的是,基因的传承
05:53
and therefore we love it.
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所以我们才会偏爱
05:55
But we don't notice that bit; we just unconditionally love.
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我们忽略了一点;我们是无条件的爱
05:58
That is a wonderful thing.
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那很棒
06:00
Though I should say that my son is best
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虽然我会说我的儿子最好
06:02
and is better than your children.
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比你们的孩子更好
06:05
I've done some tests.
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我做了些测试
06:07
And all of these things to me
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所有这些对我来说
06:09
give such joy and excitement and wonder.
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给我带来了很多快乐、兴奋和奇妙
06:12
Even quantum mechanics can give you an excuse
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甚至量子力学可以给你一个家里凌乱
06:15
for bad housework, for instance.
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的理由,比如
06:17
Perhaps you've been at home for a week on your own.
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你已经独自在家一周了
06:20
You house is in a terrible state.
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家里凌乱不堪
06:22
Your partner is about to return.
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你的另一半就要回来了
06:24
You think, what should I do?
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你想,我该做什么?
06:26
Do nothing.
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什么也不做
06:28
All you have to do
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你需要做的是
06:30
is, when she walks in, using a quantum interpretation,
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当她走进来的时候,用量子学解释
06:32
say, "I'm so sorry.
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说,“实在对不起
06:34
I stopped observing the house for a moment,
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我已经有段时间没观察过房子了
06:36
and when I started observing again,
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当我再开始去观察它的时候
06:38
everything had happened."
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就变成这样了”
06:40
(Laughter)
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:)
06:42
That's the strong anthropic principle of vacuuming.
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那是带有强烈人为意识的真空学理论
06:46
For me, it's a very, very important thing.
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对我来说,这是非常重要的事
06:48
Even on my journey up here --
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甚至是在我来这的路上--
06:50
the joy that I have on my journey up here every single time.
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我每次来这的路上都充满欢乐
06:52
If you actually think, you remove the myth and there is still something wonderful.
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如果你真的认为,你不相信虚幻,其实仍然会有些很奇妙的东西
06:55
I'm sitting on a train.
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我坐在火车上
06:57
Every time I breathe in,
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我每一次呼吸
06:59
I'm breathing in a million-billion-billion
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我无数次的吸进
07:01
atoms of oxygen.
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氧原子
07:03
I'm sitting on a chair.
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我坐在椅子上
07:05
Even though I know the chair is made of atoms
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甚至想,我知道这个椅子是有原子构造的
07:07
and therefore actually in many ways empty space,
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因此,理论上就会有许多空隙
07:09
I find it comfortable.
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我发现这很有趣
07:11
I look out the window, and I realize
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我看着窗外,意识到
07:13
that every single time we stop and I look out that window,
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每一次我们停下来注视着那扇窗外
07:15
framed in that window,
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有框的窗户
07:17
wherever we are,
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不管我们在哪
07:19
I am observing more life
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我是在观察
07:21
than there is in the rest of the known universe
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比超越地球的已知宇宙的总和还要多的
07:24
beyond the planet Earth.
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无数生命
07:26
If you go to the safari parks
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如果你去土星或者木星
07:28
on Saturn or Jupiter,
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的徒步公园
07:30
you will be disappointed.
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你会失望
07:32
And I realize I'm observing this
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当我意识到我是在用大脑观察
07:34
with the brain, the human brain,
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人类的大脑
07:36
the most complex thing in the known universe.
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是在已知的宇宙中最复杂的东西
07:39
That, to me, is an incredible thing.
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那对我来说是不可思议的事情
07:41
And do you know what, that might be enough.
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你知道吗,那也许就够了
07:44
Steven Weinberg, the Nobel laureate, once said,
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史蒂芬·温伯格,诺贝尔奖得主,曾经说过
07:47
"The more the universe seems comprehensible,
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“宇宙越是呈现出可理解性
07:49
the more it seems pointless."
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就越显得没有意义”
07:51
Now for some people,
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如今有些人
07:53
that seems to lead to an idea of nihilism.
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将此理解为虚无主义
07:55
But for me, it doesn't. That is a wonderful thing.
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但对我来说,不是那样的,那其实挺好的
07:58
I'm glad the universe is pointless.
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我很乐于认为宇宙是无意义的
08:00
It means if I get to the end of my life,
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即如果我到了生命尽头
08:02
the universe can't turn to me and go, "What have you been doing, you idiot?
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宇宙不会跟我说:“你都干了什么,你这个笨蛋?
08:05
That's not the point."
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不该那么做。”
08:07
I can make my own purpose.
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我可以有自己的目的
08:09
You can make your own purpose.
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你也可以给自己定目标
08:11
We have the individual power
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我们都有自由意志
08:13
to go, "This is what I want to do."
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“这是我想做的事情”
08:15
And in a pointless universe, that, to me, is a wonderful thing.
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一个没有意义的宇宙,对我来说,其实是很棒的事
08:18
I have chosen to make silly jokes
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是我选择了讲些关于量子力学
08:20
about quantum mechanics and the Copenhagen interpretation.
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和哥本哈根诠释的傻傻笑话
08:23
You, I imagine, can do much better things with your time.
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那么我想 你可以更好地利用你的时间做更好的事情
08:26
Thank you very much. Goodbye.
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十分感谢,拜拜
08:28
(Applause)
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(掌声)
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