Julian Baggini: Is there a real you?

譯者: Karen SONG 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

Is there a real you?

是否存在一個真實的你？

This might seem to you like a very odd question.

你也許覺得這個問題很怪，

Because, you might ask,

因為你可能會問，

how do we find the real you,

我們怎麼找到真實的自己，

how do you know what the real you is?

又要怎麼知道真實的你是怎樣的？

And so forth.

如此等等。

But the idea that there must be a real you,

真實的你應該存在，

surely that's obvious.

這個命題很明顯。

If there's anything real in the world, it's you.

如果世界上只存在一樣 真實的事物，那就是你。

Well, I'm not quite sure.

我對此並不太確定。

At least we have to understand a bit better what that means.

至少我們要深入地 理解這個命題的意思。

Now certainly, I think there are lots of things in our culture around us

當然，我認為我們的文化中 存在很多我們周圍的東西

which sort of reinforce the idea

或多或少地強化了這樣一種信念。

that for each one of us, we have a kind of a core, an essence.

那就是我們每個人 都有一個核心，一種實質。

There is something about what it means to be you which defines you,

有一些東西能夠定義你，

and it's kind of permanent and unchanging.

而這種東西是永恆不變的。

The most kind of crude way in which we have it,

我們有一些很不精確的方法，

are things like horoscopes.

比如星座。

You know, people are very wedded to these, actually.

事實上，有很多人執著與此。

People put them on their Facebook profile

人們在臉書的個人資料上 寫著自己的星座，

as though they are meaningul,

好像它有多重要似的，

you even know your Chinese horoscope as well.

還有生肖也是。

There are also more scientific versions of this,

有一些所謂更科學的辦法來定義你，

all sorts of ways of profiling personality type,

有許許多多定義性格類型的方法，

such as the Myers-Briggs tests, for example.

比如麥氏測試 (MBTI)。

I don't know if you've done those.

不知道你們有沒有 做過這項測試。

A lot of companies use these for recruitment.

許多公司將這個測試用於招聘。

You answer a lot of questions,

你要回答一大堆問題，

and this is supposed to reveal something about your core personality.

這照理來說能揭示 你的核心人格特質。

And of course, the popular fascination with this is enormous.

當然這些測試的影響很普遍。

In magazines like this, you'll see,

你會在這樣的雜誌上，

in the bottom left corner, they'll advertise in virtually every issue

左下角這種雜誌的幾乎每一期，

都有各種性格測試的廣告。

some kind of personality thing.

And if you pick up one of those magazines,

你隨便拿起一本這樣的雜誌，

it's hard to resist, isn't it?

都很難拒絕，是吧？

Doing the test to find what is your learning style,

做這些測試可以找到你 自己的學習方式是什麼、

what is your loving style, or what is your working style?

戀愛方式如何、工作方式又怎樣、

Are you this kind of person or that?

你是什麼樣的人？

So I think that we have a common-sense idea

我們有這樣一種共識，

that there is a kind of core or essence of ourselves

認為自己有一些核心特質

to be discovered.

需要被發現。

And that this is kind of a permanent truth about ourselves,

有一些關於自己的永恆真相，

something that's the same throughout life.

存在於我們的一生。

Well, that's the idea I want to challenge.

那麼，我就來挑戰一下這種認知。

And I have to say now, I'll say it a bit later,

我現在要講的， 待會兒也會講，

but I'm not challenging this just because I'm weird,

我挑戰這個認知不是因為我很怪，

the challenge actually has a very, very long and distinguished history.

而是這種挑戰實際上有 很長的一段特殊的歷史。

Here's the common-sense idea.

這是常識性的認識：

There is you.

這是你。

You are the individuals you are, and you have this kind of core.

你作為一個個人， 擁有一些核心特質。

Now in your life, what happens is that you, of course,

在你的人生中，

你會積累各種不同的經驗。

accumulate different experiences and so forth.

So you have memories,

你因此有記憶，

and these memories help to create what you are.

這些記憶幫助塑造了你自己。

You have desires, maybe for a cookie,

你有渴望，也許是渴望一塊餅乾，

maybe for something that we don't want to talk about

也許是渴望一些不可告人的東西，

at 11 o'clock in the morning in a school.

起碼在上午11點的學校 講堂裡我不方便說。

You will have beliefs.

你會有信仰。

This is a number plate from someone in America.

這是一個美國人的車牌。

I don't know whether this number plate, which says "messiah 1,"

我不知道這個寫著“彌賽亞1”的車牌

indicates that the driver believes in the messiah,

是不是代表這個司機相信彌賽亞，

or that they are the messiah.

還是代表車主自己 就是彌賽亞（即救世主）。

Either way, they have beliefs about messiahs.

不管怎麼說，他們都信彌賽亞。

We have knowledge.

我們擁有知識，

We have sensations and experiences as well.

包括直覺和經驗，

It's not just intellectual things.

而不僅僅是智力上的東西。

So this is kind of the common-sense model, I think,

我認為這就是

of what a person is.

關於「人是什麼」的常識模型。

There is a person who has all the things that make up our life experiences.

所有這些東西組成一個人的人生經驗。

But the suggestion I want to put to you today

但我今天想給大家的建議是

is that there's something fundamentally wrong with this model.

這種模型存在一個基本性的錯誤。

And I can show you what's wrong with one click.

我一下就能告訴你什麼錯了。

Which is there isn't actually a "you" at the heart of all these experiences.

這就是：在這些經驗中間 並不存在所謂的「你」。

Strange thought? Well, maybe not.

這個想法奇怪嗎？ 也許並不奇怪。

What is there, then?

那麼到底有什麼？

Well, clearly there are memories, desires, intentions, sensations,

顯然有記憶、渴望、意圖、知覺，

and so forth.

等等，

But what happens is these things exist,

但這些東西存在，

and they're kind of all integrated,

而且是完整一體的，

they're overlapped, they're connected in various different ways.

它們在許多方面 互相重疊、互相聯結。

They're connecting partly, and perhaps even mainly,

它們部分相連， 也可能是絕大部分相連，

because they all belong to one body and one brain.

因為它們都屬於同一個身體、 同一個大腦。

But there's also a narrative, a story we tell about ourselves,

但我們自己存在一種敘事， 可以講出我們自己的故事，

the experiences we have when we remember past things.

這就是我們憶起過去 而產生的體驗。

We do things because of other things.

我們因為其他事情而做某些事情。

So what we desire is partly a result of what we believe,

渴望的一部分原因在於我們的信念，

and what we remember is also informing us what we know.

記住的東西告訴我們知道什麼。

And so really, there are all these things,

確實，這些全部，

like beliefs, desires, sensations, experiences,

包括信仰、渴望、直覺、經驗，

they're all related to each other,

都是互相關聯的，

and that just is you.

而這些就是你。

In some ways, it's a small difference from the common-sense understanding.

從某種角度講，這個想法 跟常識沒太大不同；

In some ways, it's a massive one.

但從某種角度講， 卻有非常大的不同。

It's the shift between thinking of yourself

你要從把自己認為

as a thing which has all the experiences of life,

是擁有全部這些 人生經驗的某種存在，

and thinking of yourself as simply that collection

轉變為把自己認為 是這些人生經驗的

of all experiences in life.

某種簡單集合體。

You are the sum of your parts.

你就是你各個部分的總和。

Now those parts are also physical parts, of course,

當然各個部分是身體上的，

brains, bodies and legs and things,

大腦、肢體之類；

but they aren't so important, actually.

但這其實並不那麼重要。

If you have a heart transplant, you're still the same person.

如果你接受了心臟移植，你還是你；

If you have a memory transplant, are you the same person?

如果你接受了記憶移植， 那你還是你嗎？

If you have a belief transplant, would you be the same person?

如果你被移植了信仰， 你還是不是你？

Now this idea, that what we are, the way to understand ourselves,

這種理解自身存在的想法，

is as not of some permanent being, which has experiences,

認為自己不是某種 擁有經驗的永恆存在，

but is kind of a collection of experiences,

而是這些經驗的集合，

might strike you as kind of weird.

可能讓你覺得有些古怪。

But actually, I don't think it should be weird.

但事實上，我並不認為 這種想法古怪。

In a way, it's common sense.

從某種意義上說，這是常識。

Because I just invite you to think about, by comparison,

我請大家藉由比較，

think about pretty much anything else in the universe,

想想宇宙中任何一個事物，

maybe apart from the very most fundamental forces or powers.

除去最基本的動力。

Let's take something like water.

讓我們以水為例。

Now my science isn't very good.

我的科學素養很一般。

We might say something like water has two parts hydrogen

我們可以說水含有兩份氫、

and one parts oxygen, right?

一份氧，對嗎？

We all know that.

這我們都懂。

I hope no one in this room thinks that what that means

我希望這屋裡不會有人認為

is there is a thing called water, and attached to it

水是一種

are hydrogen and oxygen atoms,

外掛氫氣和氧氣原子

and that's what water is.

的東西。

Of course we don't.

我們當然不會這麼想。

We understand, very easily, very straightforwardly,

我們都能輕易又直觀的理解，

that water is nothing more

水不外乎是

than the hydrogen and oxygen molecules suitably arranged.

氫分子和氧分子組合的產物。

Everything else in the universe is the same.

宇宙中的其他物質也是如此。

There's no mystery about my watch, for example.

譬如說，我的手錶就沒什麼神秘的。

這只手錶有表面、指針、

We say the watch has a face, and hands,

and a mechanism and a battery,

一套機械系統、還有一塊電池。

But what we really mean is,

但我真正要說的，

we don't think there is a thing called the watch

是我們不會認為這些東西

to which we then attach all these bits.

是附加在手錶上面的。

We understand very clearly that you get the parts of the watch,

我們清楚地知道， 把手錶的各個部件

you put them together, and you create a watch.

組合在一起， 你就能得到一只手錶。

Now if everything else in the universe is like this,

如果宇宙中的一切事物都是如此，

why are we different?

我們又為什麼會有不同？

Why think of ourselves

為什麼我們不能把自己想成

as somehow not just being a collection of all our parts,

所有部分的集合體，

but somehow being a separate, permanent entity which has those parts?

而要把自己想成擁有這些組成部分的 某種分離、永恆的存在？

Now this view is not particularly new, actually.

這種觀念並不新。

It has quite a long lineage.

它有著自己漫長的傳承。

You find it in Buddhism,

在佛教中有，

you find it in 17th, 18th-century philosophy

在十七、十八世紀的哲學中有，

going through to the current day, people like Locke and Hume.

當代的洛克、休謨這些人的著述中也有。

But interestingly, it's also a view

但有趣的是，這種觀點

increasingly being heard reinforced by neuroscience.

不斷地被神經科學所支持。

This is Paul Broks, he's a clinical neuropsychologist,

這是保羅‧布洛克斯， 他是一位臨床神經科學家，

and he says this:

他說過：

"We have a deep intuition that there is a core,

「我們有一種根深蒂固的直覺， 認為人有一種核心特質，

an essence there, and it's hard to shake off,

這種核心特質輕易不會改變，

probably impossible to shake off, I suspect.

我甚至懷疑是絕對不可能改變。

But it's true that neuroscience shows that there is no centre in the brain

但神經科學顯示人的大腦中 不存在一個中心，

where things do all come together."

讓所有的東西集合在一起。」

So when you look at the brain,

當你觀察大腦，

and you look at how the brain makes possible a sense of self,

探求大腦如何理解自我，

you find that there isn't a central control spot in the brain.

你會發現大腦不存在中心控制點。

There is no kind of center where everything happens.

沒有中控區域。

There are lots of different processes in the brain,

大腦存在非常多的流程，

all of which operate, in a way, quite independently.

基本上都是獨立運作的。

But it's because of the way that they relate

不過，由於它們是互相聯繫的，

that we get this sense of self.

我們才有了自我的感覺。

The term I use in the book, I call it the ego trick.

我在書裡用的術語 叫做自我戲法。

It's like a mechanical trick.

這有點像機械戲法。

It's not that we don't exist,

這不是說我們不存在，

it's just that the trick is to make us feel that inside of us

這種「戲法」能讓我們的內心

is something more unified than is really there.

感覺更為統一。

Now you might think this is a worrying idea.

你也許覺得這種想法讓人擔憂。

You might think that if it's true,

也許覺得，如果這是真的，

that for each one of us there is no abiding core of self,

我們每個人都沒有 永固的核心自我，

no permanent essence,

沒有什麽核心特質，

does that mean that really, the self is an illusion?

這是否意味著 自我只是一種假象？

Does it mean that we really don't exist?

這是否意味著我們其實不存在？

There is no real you.

沒有什麽真正的你。

Well, a lot of people actually do use this talk of illusion and so forth.

確實有許多人採取這種假象說。

These are three psychologists, Thomas Metzinger, Bruce Hood,

有三位心理學家： 湯瑪斯·梅辛革、布魯斯·胡德、

Susan Blackmore,

蘇珊‧布萊克摩爾，

a lot of these people do talk the language of illusion,

這些人皆持假象說，

the self is an illusion, it's a fiction.

認為自我是一種假象，是虛構的。

But I don't think this is a very helpful way of looking at it.

但我不認為這種想法有多少建設性。

讓我們再來看看這只手錶，

Go back to the watch.

The watch isn't an illusion, because there is nothing to the watch

這只手錶並不是假象，

因為它在各部件組合之外 不存在其他東西。

other than a collection of its parts.

In the same way, we're not illusions either.

同理，我們也不是假象。

The fact that we are, in some ways, just this very, very complex collection,

事實是，從某種角度說， 我們只不過是一種複雜的集合體，

ordered collection of things,

包含有序排列的各種事物，

does not mean we're not real.

這不是說我們就不是真實的。

I can give you a very sort of rough metaphor for this.

我想提出一個粗劣的隱喻。

Let's take something like a waterfall.

讓我們談談瀑布。

These are the Iguazu Falls, in Argentina.

這是阿根廷的伊瓜蘇瀑布。

Now if you take something like this,

如果你仔細想想，

you can appreciate the fact that in lots of ways,

就能意識到， 從很多角度來看，

there's nothing permanent about this.

都沒有永恆這回事。

For one thing, it's always changing.

一樣事物永遠在變化。

The waters are always carving new channels.

水永遠在製造新的水路，

with changes and tides and the weather,

通過潮水和天氣的變化，

some things dry up, new things are created.

一些地方乾涸了，新事物出現，

Of course the water that flows through the waterfall

當然瀑布流過的水，

is different every single instance.

每一刻都是不同的。

But it doesn't mean that the Iguazu Falls are an illusion.

但這並不表示伊瓜蘇瀑布是個假象，

It doesn't mean it's not real.

並不代表它不是真實的。

What it means is we have to understand what it is

這意味著，我們要去理解

as something which has a history,

這種事物擁有歷史，

has certain things that keep it together,

是一些特定事物的集合，

but it's a process, it's fluid, it's forever changing.

但它是一個過程， 是流動的，永遠在變化。

Now that, I think, is a model for understanding ourselves,

我認為這個模型 可以用來理解我們自身，

and I think it's a liberating model.

這是一個自由的模型。

Because if you think that you have this fixed, permanent essence,

因為，如果你認為自己有什麽 固定的永恆特質，

which is always the same, throughout your life, no matter what,

終其一生、無論如何都不會改變，

in a sense you're kind of trapped.

那你可以說是進入了死胡同。

You're born with an essence,

你出生即帶有某種特質，

that's what you are until you die,

這種特質定義你的一生，

if you believe in an afterlife, maybe you continue.

如果你相信有死後的世界， 這種特質甚至能在死後繼續。

But if you think of yourself as being, in a way,

但如果你換種方式理解自己，

not a thing as such, but a kind of a process,

不是一樣「事物」， 而是一種過程，

something that is changing,

處在不斷變化之中，

then I think that's quite liberating.

我認為這是一種解放。

Because unlike the the waterfalls,

因為與瀑布不同的是，

we actually have the capacity to channel

我們其實擁有一種能力，

the direction of our development for ourselves to a certain degree.

某種程度上可以規劃自己發展的方向。

Now we've got to be careful here, right?

現在我們要小心了，對嗎？

If you watch the X-Factor too much, you might buy into this idea

如果你看太多《X音素》節目， 你可能會深信，

that we can all be whatever we want to be.

我們能成為任何想成為的人。

That's not true.

但這不對。

I've heard some fantastic musicians this morning,

我今天早上聽了幾位 超棒音樂家的表演，

and I am very confident that I could in no way be as good as them.

我堅信自己絕不可能 演奏得像他們一樣出色。

I could practice hard and maybe be good,

如果勤學苦練， 我也許能有不錯的水準，

but I don't have that really natural ability.

但我真的不具備 那種與生俱來的天賦。

There are limits to what we can achieve.

我們能達到的成就是有限的。

There are limits to what we can make of ourselves.

我們自我實現的程度是有限的。

But nevertheless, we do have this capacity

但不管怎樣，我們確實有一種能力，

to, in a sense, shape ourselves.

在一定程度上塑造自己。

The true self, as it were then,

「真我」這種東西，

is not something that is just there for you to discover,

並不是隱藏著需要你去發現的，

you don't sort of look into your soul and find your true self,

你無需內視自己的靈魂來找尋真我，

What you are partly doing, at least,

你至少可以部份地

is actually creating your true self.

創造真我。

And this, I think, is very, very significant,

我認為這很重要，

particularly at this stage of life you're at.

特別是在你們現今的人生階段。

You'll be aware of the fact

你會認識到

how much of you changed over recent years.

自己在過去幾年改變了多少。

If you have any videos of yourself, three or four years ago,

如果你有自己三、四年前的影片，

you probably feel embarrassed because you don't recognize yourself.

看著就會覺得不好意思， 你都快不認識自己了。

So I want to get that message over, that what we need to do

我希望能傳遞這個訊息，

我們需要做的就是相信我們能夠

is think about ourselves as things that we can shape,

塑造自己，決定人生軌跡，並做出改變。

and channel and change.

This is the Buddha, again:

佛祖曰：

"Well-makers lead the water,

「水人調船，

fletchers bend the arrow,

弓工調角，

carpenters bend a log of wood,

材匠調木，

wise people fashion themselves."

智者調身。」（摘自《法句經》）

And that's the idea I want to leave you with,

我希望大家記住這點，

that your true self is not something that you will have to go searching for,

你無須去尋找自我，

as a mystery, and maybe never ever find.

那這是個謎，也許你永遠無法找到。

To the extent you have a true self,

如果你有真我，

it's something that you in part discover,

那也是一種你一半能發現，

but in part create.

而另一半能去創造的東西。

and that, I think, is a liberating and exciting prospect.

我認為這觀點是一種解放， 著實令人興奮。

Thank you very much.

謝謝大家。