The 4 stories we tell ourselves about death | Stephen Cave

Translator: kalina chu Reviewer: Bighead Ge

I have a question:

我想問一問︰

Who here remembers when they first realized

在場有邊個仲記得自己第一次意識到

they were going to die?

自己係要面對死亡？

我記得當時我係個細路仔

I do. I was a young boy,

and my grandfather had just died,

而祖父啱啱過咗身

and I remember a few days later lying in bed at night

我記得幾日後嘅夜晚我攤喺床上

trying to make sense of what had happened.

想了解到底發生咗咩事

What did it mean that he was dead?

祖父「死」到底係乜意思？

Where had he gone?

佢去咗邊度？

It was like a hole in reality had opened up

嗰刻我覺得死亡就好似

個世界有個窿打開、吞咗佢落去

and swallowed him.

But then the really shocking question occurred to me:

但同時我又諗到一個非常可怕嘅問題

If he could die, could it happen to me too?

既然祖父會死，我係唔係都會死？

Could that hole in reality open up and swallow me?

嗰個窿會唔會都打開吞咗我架？

Would it open up beneath my bed

會唔會趁我瞓著喺床下底 打開吞咗我？

and swallow me as I slept?

Well, at some point, all children become aware of death.

其實到某個歲數 所有細路仔都會察覺到死亡

It can happen in different ways, of course,

當然，佢哋發現嘅方式可能唔一樣

and usually comes in stages.

但通常都係有幾個階段嘅

Our idea of death develops as we grow older.

我哋對死亡嘅認識隨著年齡增長

And if you reach back into the dark corners

假如你去返隱藏咗嘅記憶

of your memory,

you might remember something like what I felt

你可能會諗返起原來祖父過身時

when my grandfather died and when I realized

自己都曾經諗過「我都會死﹗」

it could happen to me too,

that sense that behind all of this

仲有就係覺得個窿喺度等緊自己

the void is waiting.

And this development in childhood

呢一種童年經歷其實同 我哋人類身體發展好有關係

reflects the development of our species.

Just as there was a point in your development

當你發育嘅時候，會去到一個位

as a child when your sense of self and of time

你對自己同時間嘅觸覺 都發展得好成熟

became sophisticated enough

for you to realize you were mortal,

足夠令你意識到

你只係一個同樣會面對死亡嘅生物

so at some point in the evolution of our species,

所以喺人類進化過程裏面

some early human's sense of self and of time

有啲人對自我同時間嘅意識 都發展得好成熟

became sophisticated enough

for them to become the first human to realize,

足以令佢哋第一個去意識到

"I'm going to die."

「我原來會死嘅！」

This is, if you like, our curse.

或者，呢個就係對人類嘅詛咒

It's the price we pay for being so damn clever.

亦係我哋聰明所付出嘅代價

We have to live in the knowledge

我哋生存，必須要知道 惡夢可能終會成真

that the worst thing that can possibly happen

one day surely will,

終有一天，我哋所有計劃、希望、夢想

the end of all our projects,

our hopes, our dreams, of our individual world.

同自我嘅世界都會完結

We each live in the shadow of a personal

而我哋各自都活喺自己嘅陰影裏面

apocalypse.

And that's frightening. It's terrifying.

呢樣嘢係好可怕、好恐佈

And so we look for a way out.

所以我哋就搵方法擺脫佢

And in my case, as I was about five years old,

由於我當時五歲，我就問媽咪

this meant asking my mum.

Now when I first started asking

當我問，人死嘅時候會點樣

what happens when we die,

the grown-ups around me at the time

當時我身邊嘅成年人

answered with a typical English mix of awkwardness

都用典型嘅英文語氣回答

即係混雜尷尬 同半虔誠嘅基督徒口吻

and half-hearted Christianity,

and the phrase I heard most often

我成日聽到嘅說話

was that granddad was now

就係祖父喺「個天度望著我哋」

"up there looking down on us,"

and if I should die too, which wouldn't happen of course,

如果我離世嘅話…呢個當然唔會發生啦

then I too would go up there,

但萬一嘅話，我都一樣會上去

which made death sound a lot like

咁樣講，令到死亡聽上去

an existential elevator.

就好似一部「現實存在」嘅升降機

Now this didn't sound very plausible.

但呢種講法好似唔太合理

I used to watch a children's news program at the time,

我嗰時收睇緊一個兒童嘅新聞節目

and this was the era of space exploration.

嗰陣係太空探索嘅年代

There were always rockets going up into the sky,

成日有火箭升空

up into space, going up there.

升到上太空

But none of the astronauts when they came back

但冇一個太空人返嚟之後 提過佢哋見到祖父

ever mentioned having met my granddad

or any other dead people.

或者其他過咗身嘅人

But I was scared,

當時我有啲驚

and the idea of taking the existential elevator

但所謂「死後坐升降機」見祖父嘅講法

to see my granddad

sounded a lot better than being swallowed

聽起上嚟，比趁我瞓著時 個窿會吞咗我嘅講法好好多

by the void while I slept.

And so I believed it anyway,

所以就算唔太合理，我都信咗先

even though it didn't make much sense.

And this thought process that I went through

而呢個由細個開始已經有嘅諗法

as a child, and have been through many times since,

伴隨咗我好耐

including as a grown-up,

is a product of what psychologists call

亦都形成咗心理學家叫嘅「偏謬」

a bias.

Now a bias is a way in which we systematically

「偏謬」令我哋成日誤解同做錯啲嘢

get things wrong,

ways in which we miscalculate, misjudge,

令我哋誤算、錯判、扭曲事實

distort reality, or see what we want to see,

或者只睇到我哋想睇嘅嘢

and the bias I'm talking about

而我所講嘅「偏謬」 係會推翻人對死亡嘅睇法

works like this:

Confront someone with the fact

that they are going to die

and they will believe just about any story

令佢哋相信死亡係假嘅

that tells them it isn't true

and they can, instead, live forever,

相反，佢哋可以永生

even if it means taking the existential elevator.

就算同佢哋講「升降機」嘅嘢

佢哋都會信

Now we can see this as the biggest bias of all.

我哋可以見到

呢個有關永生嘅說法係最大嘅偏謬

It has been demonstrated in over 400

亦都喺 400 幾個實證研究裏面証明咗

empirical studies.

Now these studies are ingenious, but they're simple.

呢啲研究好高明，但其實又好簡單

They work like this.

You take two groups of people

就係將一批各方面都相似嘅人分成兩組

who are similar in all relevant respects,

and you remind one group that they're going to die

剩係同其中一組講佢哋會死

but not the other, then you compare their behavior.

然後比較佢哋嘅行為

So you're observing how it biases behavior

你就可以觀察到句說話 點樣喺人注意死亡嘅時候

when people become aware of their mortality.

影響佢哋嘅行為

And every time, you get the same result:

每次結果都一樣

People who are made aware of their mortality

留意到生死嘅人更加願意 去相信得到永生嘅故事

are more willing to believe stories

that tell them they can escape death

and live forever.

So here's an example: One recent study

呢度有一個例子：

最近一項研究以不可知論者做對象

took two groups of agnostics,

that is people who are undecided

即係冇宗教信仰嘅人做對象

in their religious beliefs.

Now, one group was asked to think about being dead.

佢哋分成兩組，一組要諗下死亡

The other group was asked to think about

另一組要諗下寂獨

being lonely.

They were then asked again about their religious beliefs.

然後佢哋會再回答佢哋嘅信仰

Those who had been asked to think about being dead

諗自己死亡嘅一組

were afterwards twice as likely to express faith

佢哋信主耶穌嘅傾向比之前多一倍

in God and Jesus.

Twice as likely.

係高一倍

Even though the before they were all equally agnostic.

即使之前佢哋同樣冇信神

But put the fear of death in them,

但只要將死亡嘅恐懼擺喺跟前

and they run to Jesus.

佢哋就投向耶穌

Now, this shows that reminding people of death

証明咗只要令人諗返死亡

biases them to believe, regardless of the evidence,

無論理據係點，都能夠令佢哋相信

and it works not just for religion,

唔只係對宗教湊效

but for any kind of belief system

對任何信念都一樣湊效

that promises immortality in some form,

只要啲人聽到有永生就得架啦

whether it's becoming famous

無論係變得出名、有細路仔

or having children

or even nationalism,

抑或係寄託喺更加大嘅民族主義度

which promises you can live on as part of a greater whole.

啲人都會肯制

This is a bias that has shaped

呢樣就係改變咗 人類歷史進程嘅「偏謬」

the course of human history.

Now, the theory behind this bias

呢 400 幾個研究 針對偏謬所提出嘅理論

in the over 400 studies

is called terror management theory,

叫做「恐懼管理理論」

and the idea is simple. It's just this.

原理好簡單

我哋想我哋嘅世界觀

We develop our worldviews,

that is, the stories we tell ourselves

about the world and our place in it,

幫到我哋控制死亡嘅恐懼

in order to help us manage

the terror of death.

And these immortality stories

世界觀當中有關永生嘅故事

have thousands of different manifestations,

有成千上萬個咁多

but I believe that behind the apparent diversity

但我認為喺咁多故事之中

there are actually just four basic forms

嚟嚟去去都只有四種基本路數

that these immortality stories can take.

佢哋四個都喺歷史裡面一直重覆

And we can see them repeating themselves

只係每個時代為咗配合當時嘅語言

throughout history, just with slight variations

而改咗少少嘢

to reflect the vocabulary of the day.

Now I'm going to briefly introduce these four

我簡單咁介紹下呢四個故事路數

basic forms of immortality story,

and I want to try to give you some sense

我會令你明白呢啲故事路數

of the way in which they're retold by each culture

喺各個文化或世代裡面

or generation

using the vocabulary of their day.

點樣用當時嘅用語重新演繹

Now, the first story is the simplest.

好，第一類故事係最簡單嘅

We want to avoid death,

我哋都想避開死亡

and the dream of doing that in this body

而為咗令我哋喺呢個世界得到永生

in this world forever

is the first and simplest kind of immortality story,

就有咗第一個同最簡單嘅永生故事

and it might at first sound implausible,

初初聽起上嚟係覺得冇乜可能嘅

but actually, almost every culture in human history

但其實，歷史裏面幾乎每一個人類文化

has had some myth or legend

都有一啲關於長生不老藥 或不老之泉之類

of an elixir of life or a fountain of youth

or something that promises to keep us going

可以令我哋永生嘅傳說或神話

forever.

Ancient Egypt had such myths,

古埃及有呢類傳說

ancient Babylon, ancient India.

古巴比倫有、古印度都有

Throughout European history, we find them in the work of the alchemists,

環顧成個歐洲歷史

煉金術士裏面都搵到咁嘅嘢

and of course we still believe this today,

當然，今時今日我哋仍然會相信

only we tell this story using the vocabulary

只係宜家我哋用科學去講呢個故事啫

of science.

So 100 years ago,

百幾年前，人類發現咗荷爾蒙

hormones had just been discovered,

and people hoped that hormone treatments

然後人就希望荷爾蒙療程

were going to cure aging and disease,

能夠阻止衰老、治療疾病

and now instead we set our hopes on stem cells,

咁宜家，我哋將希望轉移到 幹細胞、基因工程同納米科技

genetic engineering, and nanotechnology.

But the idea that science can cure death

科學之所以講到可以對抗死亡

is just one more chapter in the story

只係魔法藥水故事加插多一章而已

of the magical elixir,

a story that is as old as civilization.

呢啲魔法藥水故事 其實同人類文明一樣咁耐

But betting everything on the idea of finding the elixir

咁如果我哋將注碼 都押喺搵長生不老藥度

and staying alive forever

is a risky strategy.

係咪好危險？係

When we look back through history

當我哋睇返歷史

at all those who have sought an elixir in the past,

以前搵長生不老藥嘅人

the one thing they now have in common

佢哋有嘅共通點就係

is that they're all dead.

佢哋都已經唔喺呢個世界

So we need a backup plan, and exactly this kind of plan B

所以啲人作過第二個故事

就係第二類永生故事所講嘅「復活」

is what the second kind of immortality story offers,

and that's resurrection.

And it stays with the idea that I am this body,

當中嘅概念就係話 我係一個軀殼、動物

I am this physical organism.

It accepts that I'm going to have to die

我都會死亡

but says, despite that,

但係我可以復活

I can rise up and I can live again.

In other words, I can do what Jesus did.

換句話講，我都可以同耶穌一樣復活

Jesus died, he was three days in the [tomb],

耶穌死咗，喺墓嗰度過咗三天

and then he rose up and lived again.

然後佢復活重生

And the idea that we can all be resurrected to live again

而我哋所有人都可以復活嘅諗法

is orthodox believe, not just for Christians

係源於傳統嘅信念

唔只係基督教先有

but also Jews and Muslims.

就連猶太教同回教都有

But our desire to believe this story

但我哋太想相信呢啲故事啦

is so deeply embedded

that we are reinventing it again

以至我哋會為個故事重新演譯過

for the scientific age,

令佢更加適合呢個科學年代

for example, with the idea of cryonics.

例如人體冷凍技術概念

That's the idea that when you die,

就係當你死嗰時，你可以急凍自己

you can have yourself frozen,

and then, at some point when technology

然後當科技先進到某個位

has advanced enough,

you can be thawed out and repaired and revived

你可以解凍、修復、甦醒，然後復活

and so resurrected.

And so some people believe an omnipotent god

一啲人相信一位全能嘅上帝會復活佢哋

will resurrect them to live again,

and other people believe an omnipotent scientist will do it.

其他人相信一位好勁嘅科學家 會令佢哋復活

But for others, the whole idea of resurrection,

但對其他人嚟講

成個由墓裏面復活嘅概念

of climbing out of the grave,

it's just too much like a bad zombie movie.

其實就好似一齣喪屍片一樣

They find the body too messy, too unreliable

如果要確保永生嘅話

肉體實在太污衊、太唔可靠啦

to guarantee eternal life,

and so they set their hopes on the third,

所以佢哋將希望擺喺第三個故事度

more spiritual immortality story,

一個比較靈性嘅故事度

the idea that we can leave our body behind

就係話我哋可以脫離肉體

and live on as a soul.

化成靈魂咁生活

Now, the majority of people on Earth

宜家，大部份人都相信 佢哋自己係有靈魂

believe they have a soul,

and the idea is central to many religions.

而呢個觀念亦都係 好多宗教嘅核心價值

But even though, in its current form,

「靈魂」嗰概念無論去到家下 有幾傳統都好

in its traditional form,

the idea of the soul is still hugely popular,

仍是極之為人接受

nonetheless we are again

無論點樣，我哋再一次

reinventing it for the digital age,

因為時代唔同嘅關係，重新演譯佢

for example with the idea

例如你可以透過 將你嘅心思、你嘅心靈

that you can leave your body behind

by uploading your mind, your essence,

你自己成個人都上載去電腦

the real you, onto a computer,

and so live on as an avatar in the ether.

咁樣，你嘅靈魂就可以脫離身體

然後以化身存活於空間裏面

But of course there are skeptics who say

不過當然會人懷疑咁話

if we look at the evidence of science,

假如我哋睇下科學嘅證據

particularly neuroscience,

尤其係神經科學嘅數據

it suggests that your mind,

佢哋都指出

你嘅心思、心靈同你自己

your essence, the real you,

is very much dependent on a particular part

其實好大程度依賴

你身體嘅一個部分，就係你個腦

of your body, that is, your brain.

And such skeptics can find comfort

而呢班懷疑嘅人 會喺第四種故事裏邊搵到慰藉

in the fourth kind of immortality story,

and that is legacy,

嗰樣嘢就係「傳承」

the idea that you can live on

就係用你留喺世界嘅迴響 延續你嘅生命

through the echo you leave in the world,

like the great Greek warrior Achilles,

就好似希臘戰士阿基里斯 喺特洛伊中壯烈犠牲

who sacrificed his life fighting at Troy

so that he might win immortal fame.

贏得千秋萬世嘅名聲，用名聲延續後世

And the pursuit of fame is as widespread

人類對名氣嘅追求同以前一樣咁強

and popular now as it ever was,

and in our digital age,

我哋尤其喺數碼年代 更加容易得到名氣

it's even easier to achieve.

You don't need to be a great warrior like Achilles

你唔需要成為阿基里斯一樣咁嘅戰士

or a great king or hero.

國王或者英雄

All you need is an Internet connection and a funny cat. (Laughter)

你只需要連接到互聯網

同有一隻攪笑嘅貓就得啦

（笑聲）

But some people prefer to leave a more tangible,

但有啲人鐘意遺傳一啲更加實在嘅嘢

biological legacy -- children, for example.

亦即係生物嘅遺物，例如細路仔咁

Or they like, they hope, to live on

或者佢哋希望

寄託喺更加大嘅事物上面去繼續生存

as part of some greater whole,

a nation or a family or a tribe,

例如國家、家庭、種族

their gene pool.

或者佢哋嘅基因

But again, there are skeptics

但又係啦，總會有人質疑

who doubt whether legacy

「傳承」實際上算唔算得上係永生

really is immortality.

Woody Allen, for example, who said,

舉個例

伍迪 ‧ 艾倫講過︰

"I don't want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen.

「我唔想喺其他國民嘅心裏面住，

I want to live on in my apartment."

我住喺自己嘅屋就好啦。」

So those are the four

以上就係四種永生嘅故事

basic kinds of immortality stories,

and I've tried to give just some sense

你哋都明白到呢四種故事喺每一代

of how they're retold by each generation

with just slight variations

總會有少少嘅改動去切合唔同年代

to fit the fashions of the day.

And the fact that they recur in this way,

正正因為佢哋喺唔同信念系統裏面

in such a similar form but in such different belief systems,

改少少嘢而重新演譯

suggests, I think,

我認為

that we should be skeptical of the truth

我哋應該對任何一個故事版本

of any particular version of these stories.

都抱有懷疑

The fact that some people believe

有啲人相信全能嘅上帝會復活佢哋

an omnipotent god will resurrect them to live again

and others believe an omnipotent scientist will do it

而另一啲人就相信犀利嘅科學家會

suggests that neither are really believing this

呢樣嘢話畀我哋聽呢兩班人

都冇按理據嘅可信性 去揀佢哋要信嘅嘢

on the strength of the evidence.

Rather, we believe these stories

相反，我哋信呢啲故事

because we are biased to believe them,

只係因為我哋一開始有偏謬，所以至信

and we are biased to believe them

我哋之所以有偏謬 係因為我哋太驚死亡啦

because we are so afraid of death.

So the question is,

所以問題係

are we doomed to lead the one life we have

我哋係否命中注定 要活喺恐懼同否定之中？

in a way that is shaped by fear and denial,

or can we overcome this bias?

定係我哋可以擺脫呢種偏謬？

Well the Greek philosopher Epicurus

希臘哲學家 Epicurus 認為 我哋可以擺脫偏謬

thought we could.

He argued that the fear of death is natural,

佢指出對死亡嘅恐懼係自然嘅

but it is not rational.

但唔係理性

"Death," he said, "is nothing to us,

佢話：「死亡對我哋根本冇嘢，

because when we are here, death is not,

因為當我哋仲在世時，死亡唔存在。

and when death is here, we are gone."

而當死亡來臨時，我哋已經唔存在。」

Now this is often quoted, but it's difficult

呢句話經常被引用

to really grasp, to really internalize,

但要真正理解同做到呢句話係好難嘅

because exactly this idea of being gone

因為好難想像到 人離開世界時嘅情況

is so difficult to imagine.

So 2,000 years later, another philosopher,

所以二千年後

Ludwig Wittgenstein, put it like this:

另一位哲學家 路德維希 ‧ 維特根斯坦

咁樣演繹：

"Death is not an event in life:

「死亡唔係生命裏嘅一環，

我哋生存並唔係為咗經歷死亡。」

We do not live to experience death.

And so," he added,

佢又話：「從呢個角度諗， 生命並冇盡頭。」

"in this sense, life has no end."

So it was natural for me as a child

所以，我細個時驚黑洞會食咗我

to fear being swallowed by the void,

係好正常嘅，只係唔理性啫

but it wasn't rational,

because being swallowed by the void

因為冇一個人係為咗 俾黑洞吞食而生存

is not something that any of us

will ever live to experience.

Now, overcoming this bias is not easy because

要克服呢個偏謬並唔容易

the fear of death is so deeply embedded in us,

因為死亡嘅恐懼深深埋喺我哋心入邊

yet when we see that the fear itself is not rational,

但當我哋知道恐懼本身係非理性

and when we bring out into the open

當我哋拆穿呢啲故事 點樣靜雞雞咁誤導我哋時

the ways in which it can unconsciously bias us,

then we can at least start

咁我哋至少可以

to try to minimize the influence it has

將佢哋對我哋人生嘅影響減到最低

on our lives.

Now, I find it helps to see life

我發覺將生命睇成一本書係好有幫助

as being like a book:

Just as a book is bounded by its covers,

一本書前後都有封面

by beginning and end,

so our lives are bounded by birth and death,

而我哋嘅生命就係由出生同死亡包著

and even though a book is limited by beginning and end,

就算一本書受制於底同面

it can encompass distant landscapes,

佢裏面都可以印有遙遠國度嘅風景

exotic figures, fantastic adventures.

異國風情嘅相、難忘嘅旅程

And even though a book is limited by beginning and end,

就算一本書受制於佢嘅開始同結束

the characters within it

裡面嘅角色睇嘢並唔會有界限

know no horizons.

They only know the moments that make up their story,

佢哋剩係會知道佢哋出現過嘅時空

even when the book is closed.

And so the characters of a book

正因為咁

are not afraid of reaching the last page.

書裡邊嘅角色都唔會怕 嚟到書嘅最後一頁

Long John Silver is not afraid of you

海滋客唔會怕你讀完《金銀島》

finishing your copy of "Treasure Island."

And so it should be with us.

所以我哋都應該好似啲故事人物一樣

Imagine the book of your life,

想像一下你自己生命嘅嗰本書

its covers, its beginning and end, and your birth and your death.

佢嘅封面、開頭、收尾、出生同死亡

You can only know the moments in between,

你只知道書中間嘅內容

the moments that make up your life.

構成你生命嘅中間內容

It makes no sense for you to fear

你根本冇理由需要因為 書以外嘅嘢而驚

what is outside of those covers,

whether before your birth

包括你出世之前，抑或你死咗之後

or after your death.

And you needn't worry how long the book is,

你亦都毋須擔心書有幾厚

or whether it's a comic strip or an epic.

擔心佢係漫畫定係史詩

The only thing that matters

你只需要問自己有冇 為你本書編寫好嘅故事

is that you make it a good story.

多謝

Thank you.

（掌聲）

(Applause)