The new political story that could change everything | George Monbiot

譯者: Ching-Tung Hsu 審譯者: Thomas Tam

Do you feel trapped

你有沒有覺得自己被困在

in a broken economic model?

一個千瘡百孔的經濟模式中？

A model that's trashing the living world

正在摧毀我們現有世界的同時

and threatens the lives of our descendants?

也對我們未來的後代產生威脅

A model that excludes billions of people

在將數億人排除在外後

while making a handful unimaginably rich?

卻讓少數一群人富可敵國

That sorts us into winners and losers,

這個模式將人們分成贏家或輸家

and then blames the losers for their misfortune?

然後將輸家的失敗原因 推卸到他們自身的不幸

Welcome to neoliberalism,

歡迎你來到新自由主義

the zombie doctrine that never seems to die,

擁有那無法推翻的殭屍信條

however comprehensively it is discredited.

是終究不可信賴的

Now you might have imagined that the financial crisis of 2008

各位可能想像過 2008 年金融危機過後

would have led to the collapse of neoliberalism.

新自由主義應該崩潰

After all, it exposed its central features,

畢竟，這場金融危機 揭示了它潛藏的核心特徵：

which were deregulating business and finance,

對商業和金融放寬了管制

tearing down public protections,

因此摧毀了公眾的保障

throwing us into extreme competition with each other,

讓人們彼此極端地競爭

as, well, just a little bit flawed.

持分者卻輕描淡寫地說 只是有點瑕疵罷了！

And intellectually, it did collapse.

從學術的角度 新自由主義的確崩壞了

But still, it dominates our lives.

但新自由主義仍然支配我們的生活

Why?

為什麼？

Well, I believe the answer is that we have not yet produced

我認為那是因為我們還沒有創造出

a new story with which to replace it.

一個能夠取代它的新故事

Stories are the means by which we navigate the world.

故事是指引我們在生活中 找到方向的媒介

They allow us to interpret its complex and contradictory signals.

讓我們詮釋世界中 既複雜又矛盾的信號

When we want to make sense of something,

當我們想理解某件事物時

the sense we seek is not scientific sense

所尋找的並不是科學的意義

but narrative fidelity.

而是敘事的忠實性

Does what we are hearing reflect the way

我們所聽見的，是否能夠反映出

that we expect humans and the world to behave?

我們期望的人類與社會的行為模式？

Does it hang together?

兩者是否可以配合？

Does it progress

情節的變化又可否

as a story should progress?

像其他故事一樣的發展？

Now, we are creatures of narrative,

我們人類是說故事的生物

and a string of facts and figures, however important facts and figures are --

一連串的事實和數據 不管他們有多麼重要——

and, you know, I'm an empiricist, I believe in facts and figures --

我是個經驗主義者 我相信的是事實與數據——

but those facts and figures have no power to displace a persuasive story.

然而它們還是不如故事具有說服力

The only thing that can replace a story

能取代一個故事的

is a story.

只有另一個故事

You cannot take away someone's story

你無法刪除某人已有的故事

without giving them a new one.

除非你能賦與新的故事

And it's not just stories in general that we are attuned to,

使我們覺得熟悉的 不僅僅是故事本身

but particular narrative structures.

也包括它所遵循特定的敘事結構

There are a number of basic plots that we use again and again,

許多橋段被一再地反覆利用

and in politics there is one basic plot

而在政壇中，有一個簡單的劇本

which turns out to be tremendously powerful,

卻為使用者帶來巨大的效益

and I call this "the restoration story."

我叫它：「重建和平劇本」

It goes as follows.

情節是這樣的：

Disorder afflicts the land,

一個強大並邪惡的勢力

caused by powerful and nefarious forces

正在摧殘一方領土

working against the interests of humanity.

剝削這土地上所居住人們的權利

But the hero will revolt against this disorder,

但有位英雄奮起反抗

fight those powerful forces,

挑戰這股惡勢力

against the odds overthrow them

逆勢推翻這個政權

and restore harmony to the land.

然後使和平重歸這片土地

You've heard this story before.

你們一定聽過這樣的故事

It's the Bible story.

這是聖經裡的故事

It's the "Harry Potter" story.

「哈利波特」的故事

It's the "Lord of the Rings" story.

「魔戒」的故事

It's the "Narnia" story.

「納尼雅」的故事

But it's also the story

但這也是過去幾千年

that has accompanied almost every political and religious transformation

大多數政權與宗教變革時

going back millennia.

所發生的故事劇本

In fact, we could go as far as to say

事實上，我們可以這麼說

that without a powerful new restoration story,

如果沒有一個強而有力的 重建和平劇本

a political and religious transformation

政權或宗教的改革

might not be able to happen.

也許就不會發生

It's that important.

故事就是這麼重要

After laissez-faire economics triggered the Great Depression,

在自由市場經濟造成的經濟大蕭條後

John Maynard Keynes sat down to write a new economics,

約翰·梅納德·凱因斯 創造了一種新的經濟模式

and what he did was to tell a restoration story,

而事實上，他所做的 只是寫出了一齣新的重建劇本

and it went something like this.

而故事內容是這樣：

Disorder afflicts the land!

災難降臨在我們的土地上！

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Caused by the powerful and nefarious forces of the economic elite,

由掌控全世界財富的經濟菁英們

which have captured the world's wealth.

所組成強大邪惡勢力所造成的

But the hero of the story,

但這故事中的英雄

the enabling state, supported by working class and middle class people,

是被中下階層支持及賦予權力的政府

will contest that disorder,

它撥亂反正、去除這場災難

will fight those powerful forces by redistributing wealth,

對抗那強大的勢力、重新分配財富

and through spending public money on public goods

政府並將公款花在 能夠造福大眾的事情上

will generate income and jobs,

創造收入和工作機會

restoring harmony to the land.

然後將大地回復和諧平靜

Now like all good restoration stories,

現在，就好像所有優秀的 重建劇本一樣

this one resonated across the political spectrum.

這個故事在政壇中引起了共鳴

Democrats and Republicans, labor and conservatives,

民主黨和共和黨、工黨和保守黨

left and right all became, broadly, Keynesian.

左派和右派全成為 凱恩斯經濟主義的信徒

Then, when Keynesianism ran into trouble

後來，在 1970 年代 凱恩斯經濟主義同樣陷入困境

in the 1970s,

the neoliberals, people like Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman,

新自由主義學家 例如弗里德里希·海耶克

和米爾頓·傅利曼

came forward with their new restoration story,

創造了一個新的重建劇本

and it went something like this.

故事如下——

You'll never guess what's coming.

你絕對猜不到故事的情節

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Disorder afflicts the land!

災難降臨到我們的土地上！

Caused by the powerful and nefarious forces

是由權力過大 萬惡的政府所造成的！

of the overmighty state,

whose collectivizing tendencies crush freedom and individualism

政府的集體化傾向 摧毀了個人主義和人們的自由

and opportunity.

還有機遇！

But the hero of the story, the entrepreneur,

但故事中的英雄——企業家們

will fight those powerful forces,

將會對抗這股強大勢力

roll back the state,

削弱政府的權力

and through creating wealth and opportunity,

並創造財富與新機遇

restore harmony to the land.

最後，將和平帶回我們的土地

And that story also resonated across the political spectrum.

而這個故事同樣地 在政壇中產生了共鳴

Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and labor,

共和黨和民主黨、保守黨和工黨

they all became, broadly, neoliberal.

全歸屬新自由主義學派

Opposite stories

這兩個截然不同的故事

with an identical narrative structure.

卻有著一模一樣的架構

Then, in 2008,

後來，在 2008 年

the neoliberal story fell apart,

新自由主義的故事開始土崩瓦解

and its opponents came forward with ...

而與之對抗的勢力就是——

nothing.

什麼都沒有！

No new restoration story!

沒有一個新的重建劇本！

The best they had to offer was a watered-down neoliberalism

他們所提出的 不過是稀釋了的新自由主義

or a microwaved Keynesianism.

或加熱過的凱恩斯經濟主義而已

And that is why we're stuck.

而這就是我們被困的原因

Without that new story,

沒有新的故事指引

we are stuck with the old failed story

我們只能被困在這個持續失敗

that keeps on failing.

過期的故事劇本裡

Despair is the state we fall into

由於創造力的匱乏

when our imagination fails.

我們掉進了絕望的深淵

When we have no story that explains the present

當沒有一篇故事能夠

向我們解釋當下

and describes the future,

並描繪未來

hope evaporates.

希望也終將灰飛煙滅

Political failure is at heart

政治失敗說白了就是

a failure of imagination.

靈感的匱乏

Without a restoration story

如果我們沒有一個重建劇本

that can tell us where we need to go,

來告訴我們應該往哪裡走

nothing is going to change,

改變是不會發生的

but with such a restoration story,

反之，要是我們擁有 一個創新的重建劇本

almost everything can change.

一切都有改變的可能

The story we need to tell

我們所要訴說的這個故事

is a story which will appeal to as wide a range of people as possible,

是一個能跨越政治鴻溝

crossing political fault lines.

能夠激勵所有人的故事

It should resonate with deep needs and desires.

它應該能夠與人們的 內在渴望與需求產生共鳴

It should be simple and intelligible,

以現實為基礎

and it should be grounded in reality.

簡單而富有深意

Now, I admit that all of this sounds like a bit of a tall order.

我承認，這聽起來像個艱鉅的任務

But I believe that in Western nations,

但在西方國家某個角落

there is actually a story like this

一定有一個這樣的故事

waiting to be told.

在等待著被訴說

Over the past few years,

在過去的這幾年中

there's been a fascinating convergence of findings

我們在幾個不同 科學領域的諸多研究中

in several different sciences,

總結出一條令人驚豔的結論

in psychology and anthropology and neuroscience and evolutionary biology,

我們發現不管是心理學、人類學 神經科學、還是進化生物學

and they all tell us something pretty amazing:

他們都指出：

that human beings have got this massive capacity for altruism.

人類擁有著巨大的利他能力

Sure, we all have a bit of selfishness and greed inside us,

即使我們或多或少 都有一些自私與貪婪

but in most people, those are not our dominant values.

但這些並不是大多數人的主流價值觀

And we also turn out to be the supreme cooperators.

其實，我們非常善於合作

We survived the African savannas,

我們能夠在非洲大草原上倖存

despite being weaker and slower than our predators and most of our prey,

儘管與我們的對手 和絕大多數獵物相比

畢竟又慢又弱

by an amazing ability to engage in mutual aid,

究其原因，是我們擁有 驚人的互助能力

and that urge to cooperate has been hardwired into our minds

和一股天擇的合作慾望

已深深烙印在我們的本能中

through natural selection.

These are the central, crucial facts about humankind:

這是關乎人類 我們必須暸解的核心事實：

our amazing altruism and cooperation.

非凡的利他與合作天性

But something has gone horribly wrong.

但其中的某些事情出現了錯誤

Disorder afflicts the land.

讓災難降臨到大地

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Our good nature has been thwarted by several forces,

我們良善的本能 正受到數股力量的阻撓

but I think the most powerful of them is the dominant political narrative

但我認爲其中最為強大

莫過於主導這個時代的政治故事

of our times,

which tells us that we should live in extreme individualism

它告訴我們，人生就應該 遵循極端的自我主義

and competition with each other.

並不斷地與他人競爭

It pushes us to fight each other, to fear and mistrust each other.

它強迫我們互相爭鬥 教導我們畏懼、彼此不信任

It atomizes society.

迫使我們的社會支離破碎

It weakens the social bonds that make our lives worth living.

因而弱化了那賦予我們 人生價值的社交連結

And into that vacuum

在真空狀態中

grow these violent, intolerant forces.

卻被暴力和偏狹的思維所填滿

We are a society of altruists,

我們的社會確實由利他主義者組成

but we are governed by psychopaths.

但管理我們的，卻是一群瘋子

(Applause)

（掌聲）

But it doesn't have to be like this.

但其實，我們不需要像這樣

It really doesn't,

真的沒有必要

because we have this incredible capacity for togetherness and belonging,

因為我們在合群與歸屬的 這兩個特性上，有著無限潛能

and by invoking that capacity,

藉由激發起這項潛能

we can recover those amazing components of our humanity:

我們就能尋回 作為人類最棒的一部份：

our altruism and cooperation.

「利他」與「合作」

Where there is atomization, we can build a thriving civic life

我們可以在這個分崩離析的土地上

with a rich participatory culture.

建構一個富有參與性 而欣欣向榮的社會

Where we find ourselves crushed between market and state,

當我們發覺自己被困在 市場與政治中間時

we can build an economics that respects both people and planet.

可以重建一個 尊重人類與地球的新經濟

And we can create this economics around that great neglected sphere,

我們可以創造一個新的經濟學

圍繞着被忽視已久的公共領域

the commons.

The commons is neither market nor state, capitalism nor communism,

公共領域既非屬於市場 也不屬於政府、資本主義或共產主義

but it consists of three main elements:

但它擁有三大核心要素：

a particular resource;

一個特定的資源

a particular community that manages that resource;

一個能夠管理其資源的特定組群

and the rules and negotiations the community develops to manage it.

和一組由社區制訂的管理規則和協議

Think of community broadband or community energy cooperatives

就像是社區寬頻 或者是社區能源合作社

or the shared land for growing fruit and vegetables

又或是一畝被共同擁有的田地

that in Britain we call allotments.

英國人稱之為「土地分配」

A common can't be sold, it can't be given away,

一個不能變賣 也不能轉贈的公共財產

and its benefits are shared equally among the members of the community.

而田地的收成由社區成員平分

Where we have been ignored and exploited,

我們身處這個被忽略 與受利用的社會裡

we can revive our politics.

大可以將政治復甦

We can recover democracy from the people who have captured it.

把民主政治帶回人們最初的理念

We can use new rules and methods of elections

用新的規範與方法來選舉

to ensure that financial power never trumps democratic power again.

保證經濟勢力再也不會 凌駕於民主主權之上

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Representative democracy should be tempered by participatory democracy

代議民主制應當通過 參與式民主加以調和

so that we can refine our political choices,

我們才得以完善我們的政策

and that choice should be exercised as much as possible at the local level.

而政策應該竭盡所能 推廣到地方的層次實施

If something can be decided locally, it shouldn't be determined nationally.

能在地方解決的事情 就不用拿到國家的層級處理

And I call all this the politics of belonging.

我管這叫政治歸屬

Now, I think this has got the potential to appeal

我相信要廣泛使人同意的理念

across quite a wide range of people,

and the reason for this is that among the very few values

只有社區歸屬感——

that both left and right share

一個左派與右派之間

are belonging and community.

屈指可數的共同理念

And we might mean slightly different things by them,

雖然兩派在詞彙的定義上是有些不同

but at least we start with some language in common.

但至少這是個出發點

In fact, you can see a lot of politics as being a search for belonging.

事實上，許多政壇上的事件 無非是找尋歸屬感

Even fascists seek community,

就算是法西斯主義者 也在找尋屬於他們的社區

albeit a frighteningly homogenous community

儘管那是一個可怕的同質社區——

where everyone looks the same and wears the same uniform

每個人都看起來很相似 還穿著一樣的制服

and chants the same slogans.

和高呼著同樣的口號

What we need to create is a community based on bridging networks,

我們需要創造的，是橋接網絡社會

not bonding networks.

並非是綁定網絡社會

Now a bonding network brings together people from a homogenous group,

綁定網絡是將人們綑綁在一起 形成了一個高度相似的族群

whereas a bridging network brings together people from different groups.

反之，橋接網絡能促進 多元化的族群融合

And my belief is that if we create

我的信念是

如果我們能夠創造足夠豐富 及充滿活力的橋接網絡社區

sufficiently rich and vibrant bridging communities,

we can thwart the urge for people to burrow into the security

我們就能阻止人們不必要的舉動——

of a homogenous bonding community

為了防備他人的傷害 躲進同質群體、安全的角落

defending themselves against the other.

So in summary,

總而言之

our new story could go something like this.

我們新的故事可以像這樣書寫：

Disorder afflicts the land!

災難降臨了大地！

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Caused by the powerful and nefarious forces

由那些擁有強大邪惡力量的人

of people who say there's no such thing as society,

托詞這世上根本不存在 真正的共益社區

who tell us that our highest purpose in life

那些人告訴我們，做人的最高訴求

is to fight like stray dogs over a dustbin.

是要像流浪犬一樣，彼此爭奪垃圾桶

But the heroes of the story, us,

但故事中的英雄——我們

we'll revolt against this disorder.

將會對此反抗

We will fight those nefarious forces by building rich, engaging,

我們要對抗這股邪惡勢力 建立既富足、有參與性、

inclusive and generous communities,

有包容性和寬厚的社會

and, in doing so,

與此同時

we will restore harmony to the land.

恢復我們和諧的社區

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Now whether or not you feel this is the right story,

不管你是否認為這就是「對」的故事

我希望你能同意 我們的確需要一個新的故事

I hope you'll agree that we need one.

We need a new restoration story,

一個全新的重建劇本

which is going to guide us out of the mess we're in,

來指引我們度過現在所處的混亂

which tells us why we're in the mess and tells us how to get out of that mess.

告訴我們身處混亂的原因 和如何離開這場混亂

And that story, if we tell it right,

如果我們訴說的方式正確

will infect the minds of people across the political spectrum.

這個故事將會感染許多人 不管他們的政治傾向是什麼

Our task is to tell the story that lights the path to a better world.

我們的使命是講述一個 能夠引領我們前往更美好未來的故事

Thank you.

謝謝！

(Applause)

（掌聲）