Why there's no such thing as objective reality | Greg Anderson

Transcriber:

譯者: 楊佳穎 118-30 審譯者: Helen Chang

In the next few minutes,

在接下來的幾分鐘裡，

I hope to change the way you think about the very nature of reality itself.

我希望能改變各位對於 「現實」本質的看法。

I'm not a physicist, and I'm not a philosopher.

我不是物理學家，也不是哲學家。

I'm a historian.

我是歷史學家。

And after studying the ancient Greeks and many other premodern peoples

我以專業人士的身分， 花了超過二十年研究古希臘人

for more than 20 years as a professional,

以及許多其他前現代民族之後，

I've become convinced

我深深相信，

that they all lived in real worlds very different from our own.

他們所生活的現實世界 和我們的非常不一樣。

當然，現今你我都認為理所當然

Now, of course, you and I here today,

we take it for granted

that there's just one ultimate reality out there --

只存在一個唯一的現實——

our reality,

我們的現實，

a fixed universal world of experience

很確定且眾所皆知的經驗世界，

ruled by timeless laws of science and nature.

由永恆的科學與自然法則來掌管。

But I want you to see things differently.

但我希望你能採用不同的觀點。

I want you to see that humans have always lived in a pluriverse

我希望你用的視角是： 人類一直都生活在多元宇宙中，

存在著許多不同的世界，

of many different worlds,

not in a universe of just one.

同時宇宙也不只有一個。

And if you're willing to see this pluriverse of many worlds,

如果你願意去了解這種 由許多世界形成的多元宇宙，

it will fundamentally change, I hope,

我希望那將從根本上改變

the way you think about the human past

你對於人類過往的，

and hopefully the present and the future as well.

希望還有對於現在及未來的看法。

Now, let's get started by asking three basic questions

咱們先從三個基本問題開始，

about the contents of our reality,

這些問題和我們現實的內容有關，

the real world that you and I share right here, right now.

也就是此時此地， 你我共享的這個現實世界。

First of all:

首先：

What is it that makes something real in our real world?

在我們的現實世界裡， 什麼樣的東西才是真實的？

Well, for us, real things are material things,

對我們來說，真實的東西 就是實質的東西，

things made of matter that we can somehow see,

由我們能夠看見的物質 所形成的東西，

like atoms, people, trees, mountains, planets ...

比如原子、人、樹木、山、星球……

By the same token,

同樣地，

invisible, immaterial things -- like gods and demons,

看不見、非實質的東西—— 比如神和惡魔、

heavens and hells --

天堂和地獄——

these are considered unreal.

它們被視為非真實的。

They're simply beliefs,

它們只是信仰，

subjective ideas that exist only in the realm of the mind.

是主觀的想法，只存在於大腦中。

To be real,

若要被視為真實，

a thing must exist objectively,

一樣東西必須要有客觀的存在，

in some visible material form,

以及可看見的實體形式，

whether our minds can perceive it or not.

無論我們的大腦能不能察覺到它。

Second: What are the most important things in our real world?

第二：在我們的現實世界裡， 最重要的東西是什麼？

Answer: human things --

答案：人類的東西——

people, cities, societies,

人、城市、社會、文化、政府、經濟。

cultures, government, economies.

Why is this?

為何是如此？

Well, because we humans think we're special.

因為我們人類認為自己很特別。

We think we're the only creatures on the planet

我們認為地球上的生物中

who have things like language, reason, free will.

只有我們才有語言、理智、自由意志。

By contrast, nonhuman things, to us, are just part of nature,

相較之下，對我們來說， 非人類的東西就只是自然的一部分，

a mere backdrop to human culture,

僅僅是人類文化的背景、環境，

a mere environment of things that we feel entitled to use

而且我們自認有權 可以任意使用當中的資源。

however we want.

And third:

第三：

What does it mean to be a human in our real world?

在我們的現實世界中， 身為人類的意涵是什麼？

Well, it means being an individual,

這意味著身為一個個體，

a person who lives ultimately for oneself.

自始至終都為自己而活。

We think nature has made us this way,

我們認為這就是大自然的規律，

giving each and every one of us all of the reason, the right,

藉由給予每個個體理智、權利、

the freedom and the self-interest

自由與利己，

to thrive and compete with other individuals

讓他們茁壯成長， 並互相爭奪重要的維生資源。

for all of life's important resources.

But I'm suggesting to you that this real world of ours

可是我要提醒你，「我們」的現實世界

is neither timeless nor universal.

不是永恆的，也不普遍，

It's just one of countless different real worlds

只是無數個不同的現實世界裡，

that humans have experienced in history.

人類歷史有記載的一個世界。

What, then, would another world look like?

那麼，其他世界長什麼樣呢？

Well, let's look at one,

我們來看個例子：

the real world of the classical Athenians in ancient Greece.

古希臘雅典人的現實世界。

Now, of course, we usually know the Athenians as our cultural ancestors,

當然，現今，我們一般認為 雅典人是我們的文化始祖，

是西方傳統、哲學、民主、 戲劇等的先驅。

pioneers of our Western traditions, philosophy, democracy, drama

and so forth.

But their real world was nothing like our own.

但他們的現實世界與我們的大相逕庭。

The real world of the Athenians was alive with things

雅典人的現實世界充滿了

that we would consider immaterial and thus unreal.

我們認為非實質甚至是虛幻的東西，

It pulsated with things like gods,

那個世界是隨著像是神、

spirits, nymphs, Fates,

鬼魂、精靈、命運、

curses, oaths, souls

詛咒、誓約、靈魂，

and all kinds of mysterious energies and magical forces.

以及各種神祕能量與魔力運作的。

Indeed the most important things in their real world

很明顯在他們的現實世界中，

were not humans at all, but gods.

最重要的不是人類，而是神。

Why?

為什麼？

Because gods were awesome -- literally.

因為神是令人敬畏的——名副其實，

They controlled all the things that made life possible:

祂們掌控著所有 影響生命存亡的事物：

sunshine, rainfall, crop harvests,

陽光、降雨、農作物的收成、

childbirth, personal health, family wealth,

分娩、個人健康、家庭財富、

sea voyages, battlefield victories.

航海、戰場上的勝利。

There were over 200 gods in Athens,

雅典有超過200位的神，

and they were not remote, detached divinities

祂們並非超然、遙不可及，

watching over human affairs from afar.

只從遠處看著人類活動，

They were really there, immediately there in experience,

而是確實存在在那裡， 人類很容易就能遇到。

living in temples,

祂們住在神廟裡、

attending sacrifices,

還會參與祭祀、

mingling with the Athenians at their festivals, banquets and dances.

甚至跟雅典人一起 參加祭典、宴會和舞會。

And in the real world of the Athenians, humans did not live apart from nature.

在雅典人的現實世界， 人類的生活與大自然密不可分。

Their lives were dictated by the rhythms of the seasons

他們的日常作息由季節的變換

and by the life cycles of crops and animals.

以及農作物、動物的生命週期決定。

Indeed the land of the Athenians itself

事實上，雅典人所居住的那片土地

was not just a piece of property or territory.

不僅僅是他們的財產或領土，

It was a goddess, a living goddess

更是一位女神，一位活生生的女神，

that had once given birth to the first Athenians

使第一個雅典人誕生，

and had nurtured and cared for all of their descendants ever since,

並培育、庇佑其後代的場所，

with her precious gifts of soils, water, stone and crops.

藉由賜予他們土壤、 水、石頭和農作物。

Indeed, if anything should pollute her soils with unlawful bloodshed,

說實在，如果任何人事物 以非法的殺戮汙染女神的土地，

it had to be expelled immediately, beyond her boundaries,

該人事物必須立即被驅逐， 流放到她的地盤之外，

whether it was a man, an animal or just a fallen roof tile.

無論那是人、動物、 還是從屋頂上落下的瓦片。

And in the real world of the Athenians, there were no individuals.

另外，在雅典人的現實世界中 不存在「個體」這個概念，

All Athenians were inseparable from their families,

所有雅典人與各自的家庭 都是不可分割的，

and all Athenian families were expected to live together and work together

而他們被期望與家人一同生活、工作，

as a single body, like cells of a living organism.

如同一個組織，活器官的細胞組織。

They called this social body simply "demos," the people,

他們稱這種社會群體為「demos」， 也就是「人們」的意思，

and they called their way of life "demokratia,"

稱自己的生活方式為「demokratia」，

but it was nothing like our modern democracy,

但這跟我們現代的民主（democracy）無關，

because Athenians were not born to be individuals living for themselves.

因為雅典人並非作為個體、為自己而活，

They were born to serve and preserve the families and the social body

而是生來服務與維持 他們的家庭和社群——

that had given them life in the first place.

當初賦予他們生命的場所。

In sum,

總結來說，

the whole Athenian way of being human was radically different from our own.

雅典人作為人類活著的方式， 和我們有根本上的不同。

Nature had programmed them to live as one, as a unitary social body,

大自然在他們身上編寫了

作為統一的社會群體， 以整體為單位生活的編碼，

and it had designed them expressly to coexist and collaborate

而且，還特意將他們設計成能夠

with all manner of nonhuman beings,

與各種非人存在共處、合作，

especially their 200 gods

尤其是那 200 位神 以及神聖、如母親般的女神。

and their divine earth mother.

Life in Athens was thus sustained by what we can call a "cosmic ecology,"

雅典的生活型態可說是 我們所謂的「宇宙生態」，

a symbiotic ecology of gods, motherland and people.

一種神、大地之母 與人民共生共存的生態。

Now, of course, to us today in our real world,

當然，對現今的我們來說， 在我們的現實世界，

we look at their real world and, well, it looks strange,

會認為他們的現實世界， 呃，看起來很奇怪、

weird, bizarre, exotic and, of course, unreal.

怪異、超乎尋常、奇特， 當然，還有不真實。

But it has many major things in common

但是他們的現實世界

with the real world experienced by numerous other premodern peoples,

和其他眾多前現代民族所經歷的， 有著許多重要的共通點。

including, for example,

舉例來說，

the ancient Egyptians,

古埃及人、

ancient Chinese

古中國人，

and the peoples of precolonial Peru, Mexico,

還有那些被殖民前的祕魯、墨西哥、

India, Bali, Hawaii.

印度、峇里、夏威夷的民族。

In all of those premodern real worlds,

在那些前現代的現實世界中，

gods controlled all of the conditions of existence.

神掌控了所有存在的狀態，

Nonhumans were always expected to collaborate with humans

非人總是被期望與人類相互合作，

and vice versa.

反之亦然。

And humans were expected to serve their communities,

而人類則被期待去服務他們的社群，

not to live for themselves as individuals.

而非成為利己的個體。

Indeed, in the grand scheme of history,

事實上，從漫長的歷史洪流來看，

it's our real world, our reality, that is the great exception to the rule --

我們的現實世界、我們的真實 才是那些法則中最大的例外——

the exotic one, the strange one.

我們才是奇特、怪異的一方。

Only in our real world is reality itself a purely material order.

只有我們的現實世界才是真實， 純粹由物質組成的秩序；

Only in our real world are nonhumans always subordinate to humans.

只有我們的現實世界才會 將非人當成次要於人類的存在；

And only in our real world are humans born to be individuals.

只有在我們的現實世界中 人類生來就是個體。

Why this uniqueness?

為什麼我們如此特別？

Well, because our real world was shaped and forged

因為我們的現實世界是在一個

in a unique environment,

獨特的環境下塑造出來的，

a historically unprecedented environment in early modern Europe,

一個在早期現代歐洲 前所未有的環境，

with its scientific revolution, its enlightenment,

當時除了有科學革命、啟蒙運動，

its novel, experimental, capitalist way of life.

還有新奇、具實驗性 且資本主義的生活型態。

Yet, despite this uniqueness,

然而，儘管擁有這份獨特，

我們仍理所當然地 將自身的現實視為唯一的真實，

we just take it for granted that our reality is the one true reality,

that all humans in history have lived in only our real world,

甚至認為過去所有的人類 也都活在「我們」的世界裡，

whether they knew it or not.

無論他們是否這麼想。

And just think for a moment of the colossal arrogance

我們來研究一下這段相當傲慢、 自以為是的說法。

of this assumption.

Basically, we're saying, "We modern Westerners are right about reality,

基本上，我們說的是： 「我們現代西方人的才真實，

and everybody else in all of history

而整個歷史中， 除了我們以外的所有人

is wrong."

都錯誤。」

Basically, we're saying that all of those extraordinary civilizations of the past

從根本來說，這段話是指 那些令人驚奇的古文明

were really just lucky accidents,

實際上都只是幸運的意外，

because they were all founded on nothing more

因為它們只構築於

than myths, illusions and false ideas about reality.

神話、幻想與對現實的錯誤觀念。

Why are we so certain that we're right?

為何我們如此肯定自己是正確的？

Why do we just take it for granted that we know more?

為何我們理所當然地 認為自己懂得更多？

Why do we struggle to take seriously the real worlds of premodern peoples?

為何我們難以認真去看待 前現代民族的現實世界？

Well, because we think our modern sciences

因為我們認為我們的現代科學

provide the only truly objective knowledge of reality.

對真實提供了唯一確切的客觀知識。

But do they?

但真是如此嗎？

For more than a hundred years now,

至今的幾百年間，

the very idea of an objective reality has been seriously and continually questioned

客觀現實的概念被眾多不同領域的專家

by experts in many different fields,

嚴肅、持續地質疑，

from physics and biology to philosophy.

從物理、生物到哲學都有。

Basically, these experts would suggest

基本上，這些專家都暗示說，

that reality is not simply a material order given to us by nature.

現實不僅僅是 大自然給予我們的物質秩序，

It is something that humans actively participate in producing

其實人類的心智與環境互動時，

when their minds interact with their environment.

也正好積極參與了現實的產生。

Here's a way to think about it.

我們可以這麼思考：

In order to make sense of experience,

為了理解感知到的經驗，

every people in the past, in effect, had to devise a model of the real world.

事實上，過去的每個人都 必須構思出一個現實世界的模型。

They would then use that model as the basis for their whole way of life,

而他們會利用這個模型 作為自身的生活方式、

all of its practices, its norms, its values.

習俗、常規以及價值觀的基礎。

And if that way of life proved to be successful in practice, sustainable,

另外，如果它們在實務上 被證明是可行的、持久的，

then the truth of the model would be confirmed

該模型就會被認定為事實，

by the evidence of everyday experience: "It works!"

證據就是每天都能感受到： 「它有效耶！」

And thus, once the model became internalized in mind

因此，一旦該模型被內化於人心、

and baked into the environment,

深根於環境，

the effect of a stable real world would be generated

隨著該現實世界逐漸穩定 其影響力也會開始擴大，

by ongoing interactions between the two,

藉由人類的心智與環境

between minds on the one hand, environments on the other.

兩者之間不斷地互動。

Let's take a quick example.

讓我們直接舉個例子。

Why are we so convinced in our modern world

為何我們如此深信

在現代的世界裡 我們所有人生來就是個體呢？

that we're all, ultimately, natural individuals?

Well, because a bunch of social scientists in early modern Europe

因為一群早期現代歐洲的社會科學家

decided that we were,

決定了這件事。

and because their model of a world full of natural competitive individuals

也因為他們提出的世界模型， 充滿了生來彼此競爭的個體，

became the basis for a new, capitalist way of life

成為了新的、資本主義的 生活型態的基礎，

that generated unprecedented levels of wealth --

進而創造了史無前例的財富——

at least for the lucky few --

至少少數幸運的人是如此——

and because all of us who've been raised in capitalist nations ever since

也因為我們至今都是 在資本主義國家長大，

have been continually socialized to be individuals by our families,

在社會化的過程中， 透過家庭、學校與社會。

我們會逐漸長成一個個體，

our schools and our societies,

更因為我們幾乎每天 都被控制人們生活的各種體系，

and because we are treated precisely as individuals

almost every day of our lives

by the structures which control those lives,

當成一個個體對待，

like our liberal democracy and our capitalist economy.

像是我們的自由民主制 和資本主義的經濟型態。

In other words,

換句話說，

our minds and our environment continually conspire

我們的心智與周遭的環境 不停地互通有無，

to make our individuality seem entirely natural.

讓我們的獨立性看起來 完全是與生俱來的。

In sum:

總的來說：

no human being has ever experienced a truly objective reality.

沒有任何人類經歷過 一個真正客觀的現實。

Different peoples have always experienced different realities,

不同人們總是經歷過不同的現實，

each one shaped by whatever model of the world

各個都是由相異的世界模型所構成，

happened to be embedded in minds and environment at the time.

且該模型在當時 都深植於人們的內心與環境。

In other words,

換句話說，

humans have always lived in a pluriverse of many different real worlds,

人類一直都生活在多元宇宙中， 裡頭存在著各種不同的現實世界，

not in a universe of just one.

當然，宇宙也不只一個。

Let me close with three thoughts that follow from this conclusion.

最後讓我用三個觀點來做總結。

First of all,

第一，

we modern Westerners need to stop thinking that all premodern peoples

我們現代西方人必須 停止認為所有前現代民族

are somehow more primitive or less enlightened than ourselves.

比我們更加原始或更不理性。

Their real world, with all their gods and magical forces,

他們那充滿神明與魔力的現實世界，

were just as real as our own.

就跟我們的世界一樣真實。

Indeed, those real worlds

事實上，那些現實世界

anchored ways of life that sustained the lives of multitudes

穩固了能夠維持眾人生命的生活方式，

for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years.

長達了好幾百，甚至是好幾千年。

Their real worlds were different;

他們的現實世界確實與我們不同，

they were not wrong.

但不代表那是錯的。

Second:

第二，

we modern Westerners need to get over ourselves.

我們現代西方人必須清醒過來。

(Laughter)

We need to be a little more humble.

對於所有卓越的科技成就， 我們必須再謙虛一點。

For all of its extraordinary technological accomplishments,

our brave new modern real world

我們現代無畏、嶄新的現實世界，

has imperiled the whole future of the planet in barely 300 years.

只用了僅僅 300 年 就讓這個星球的未來陷入危機，

It's made possible all manner of historical horrors:

使得各種歷史恐怖成為可能：

genocides across entire continents,

橫跨整片大陸的種族清洗、

mass exploitation of colonized peoples,

對殖民地人民的大規模剝削、

industrial servitude,

工業上的過度勞役、

two disastrous world wars,

兩次毀滅性的世界大戰、

the Holocaust,

納粹大屠殺、

nuclear warfare,

核子戰爭、

species extinctions,

物種滅絕、

environmental degradation,

環境汙染、

factory farming

工廠化養殖、

and, of course, global warming.

當然，還有全球暖化。

The evidence is there if you want to see it.

證據就擺在眼前， 如果你願意正視的話，

Our model of reality has failed catastrophically in practice.

我們的世界模型 實際上糟到一個極點。

Third:

第三，

other models and other real worlds are possible.

其他模型與其他現實世界 是有可能存在的。

Other worlds are being lived right now, as we speak,

於我們說話的此時此刻，其他世界

in what remains of history's pluriverse,

也在歷史的多元宇宙的 遺跡當中同時運作著。

in places like Amazonia, the Andes, Southern Mexico,

像是亞馬遜雨林、 安地斯山脈、墨西哥南部、

Northern Canada, Australia

加拿大北部、澳洲

and all the other places where Indigenous peoples are struggling

以及其他所有當地原住民正奮力

to preserve their highly sustainable ancestral ways of life

保存他們承自祖先、 高度永續的生活模式的地方，

to prevent them being destroyed by modernity's ever-expanding universe.

為了防止被現代性 日益擴大的宇宙給摧毀。

I suggest that all of these nonmodern peoples past and present

我認為，從過去到現在， 所有的非現代民族

have so much to teach us

能幫助我們理解更多

about living more sustainable lives in other possible worlds.

關於在其他可能的世界中 活得更加永續的事。

So let's start right now to try to learn from them

所以，讓我們現在就開始 試著向他們學習吧，

before it's too late.

在一切都太遲以前。

Let's try to magnify our imaginations.

讓我們試著擴大自己的想像力。

Let's start to imagine other possible ways of being human

讓我們開始想像 以其他可能的方式作為人類

in other possible worlds.

生活在其他可能的世界。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼聲）