TED2011
Damon Horowitz: Philosophy in prison
Damon Horowitz: 監獄裡的哲理
Filmed:
Readability: 3.7
1,417,089 views
Damon Horowitz 通過監獄大學的項目教導哲理，把大專層次的課程帶到聖昆廷州立監獄的犯人。在這個強大有力的短談，他訴說遇到一個有關正確與錯誤的事例，以及它如何迅速變成他個人的故事。
Damon Horowitz - Philosopher, entrepreneur
Damon Horowitz explores what is possible at the boundaries of technology and the humanities. Full bio
Damon Horowitz explores what is possible at the boundaries of technology and the humanities. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
Meet Tony. He's my student.
0
0
2000
這位是東尼。他是我的學生。
00:17
He's about my age,
1
2000
2000
他大概是我的年齡，
00:19
and he's in San Quentin State Prison.
2
4000
3000
他在聖昆廷的州立監獄。
00:22
When Tony was 16 years old,
3
7000
3000
當東尼16歲時，
00:25
one day, one moment,
4
10000
3000
有一天，一個時刻，
00:28
"It was mom's gun.
5
13000
2000
「 這是媽媽的槍。
00:30
Just flash it, scare the guy. He's a punk.
6
15000
2000
只要亮一亮相，嚇嚇那傢伙。他是個小流氓。
00:32
He took some money; we'll take his money. That'll teach him.
7
17000
2000
他之前取了一些錢, 我們要拿回他的，教訓他。
00:34
Then last minute, I'm thinking, 'Can't do this. This is wrong.'
8
19000
3000
然後在最後一分鐘，我在想， 『不能這樣做，這是不對的。』
00:37
My buddy says, 'C'mon, let's do this.'
9
22000
2000
我的朋友說：『來吧，讓我們去幹。』
00:39
I say, 'Let's do this.'"
10
24000
4000
我說，『讓我們就這樣幹。』
00:44
And those three words, Tony's going to remember,
11
29000
2000
這句話，東尼會記得，
00:46
because the next thing he knows, he hears the pop.
12
31000
2000
因為接下來的事情，便是他聽到砰的一聲。
00:48
There's the punk on the ground, puddle of blood.
13
33000
2000
那個小流氓在地面上, 躺在一坑血水之中。
00:50
And that's felony murder --
14
35000
2000
接著是重罪謀殺--
00:52
25 to life, parole at 50 if you're lucky,
15
37000
2000
25年到終生，如果幸運，在50年後假釋,
00:54
and Tony's not feeling very lucky.
16
39000
3000
而東尼不感覺幸運。
00:57
So when we meet in my philosophy class in his prison
17
42000
3000
所以，當我們在獄中哲學課會面時，
01:00
and I say, "In this class, we will discuss the foundations of ethics,"
18
45000
4000
我說，「 在這課程中，我們將會討論道德的基礎，」
01:04
Tony interrupts me.
19
49000
2000
東尼打斷我,
01:06
"What are you going to teach me about right and wrong?
20
51000
2000
問 :「你要教我對與錯的什麼呢?
01:08
I know what is wrong. I have done wrong.
21
53000
3000
因為我知道什麼是錯的，我已經做錯了。
01:11
I am told every day,
22
56000
2000
我每一天，
01:13
by every face I see, every wall I face, that I am wrong.
23
58000
3000
每一個人的臉, 我對着的每一面牆, 都告訴我我錯了。
01:16
If I ever get out of here, there will always be a mark by my name.
24
61000
3000
如果我有機會離開這裡，我的名字將永遠有一個標誌。
01:19
I'm a convict; I am branded 'wrong.'
25
64000
2000
我是一個罪犯，我被烙印『 犯錯』。
01:21
What are you going to tell me about right and wrong?"
26
66000
3000
你要告訴我什麼是對與不對？ 」
01:24
So I say to Tony,
27
69000
3000
我對東尼說，
01:27
"Sorry, but it's worse than you think.
28
72000
3000
「 很抱歉，但它比你想像還更糟糕。
01:30
You think you know right and wrong?
29
75000
2000
你認為你知道對與錯?
01:32
Then can you tell me what wrong is?
30
77000
2000
那你能告訴我什麼是錯嗎?
01:34
No, don't just give me an example.
31
79000
2000
不, 不要只是給我一個例子。
01:36
I want to know about wrongness itself, the idea of wrong.
32
81000
3000
我想知道錯的本身, 錯的基礎理念。
01:39
What is that idea?
33
84000
2000
那概念究竟是什麼?
01:41
What makes something wrong?
34
86000
2000
什麼因素令東西成為錯呢?
01:43
How do we know that it's wrong? Maybe you and I disagree.
35
88000
3000
我們怎樣知道錯呢? 當你和我意見分歧。
01:46
Maybe one of us is wrong about the wrong.
36
91000
2000
也許我們其中之一是錯上加錯。
01:48
Maybe it's you, maybe it's me -- but we're not here to trade opinions;
37
93000
2000
也許是你, 也許是我--但我們在這裡不是為了要交換意見;
01:50
everyone's got an opinion.
38
95000
2000
每個人都有自己的意見。
01:52
We are here for knowledge.
39
97000
2000
我們在這裡是為了知識。
01:54
Our enemy is thoughtlessness. This is philosophy."
40
99000
4000
我們的敵人是輕率。這就是哲學。」
01:58
And something changes for Tony.
41
103000
3000
東尼像有所領悟。
02:03
"Could be I'm wrong. I'm tired of being wrong.
42
108000
3000
「可能是我錯了。我厭倦自己的錯誤。
02:06
I want to know what is wrong.
43
111000
2000
我想知道什麼是錯的。
02:08
I want to know what I know."
44
113000
2000
我想知道我知道甚麼。 」
02:10
What Tony sees in that moment is the project of philosophy,
45
115000
3000
東尼在那一刻看到的是哲學的項目，
02:13
the project that begins in wonder --
46
118000
2000
該項目開始於奇妙的驚異--
02:15
what Kant called "admiration and awe
47
120000
2000
是康德(德國古典哲學創始人) 稱為 「 對頭上的
02:17
at the starry sky above and the moral law within."
48
122000
3000
星空和之內的道德律欽佩和敬畏 」。
02:20
What can creatures like us know of such things?
49
125000
2000
我們這樣的生物可以理解像這的樣事情嗎？
02:22
It is the project that always takes us back to the condition of existence --
50
127000
3000
是這項目總是把我們帶回到了存在的條件 --
02:25
what Heidegger called "the always already there."
51
130000
3000
是海德格(德國哲學家)稱為「 已然存在」。
02:28
It is the project of questioning what we believe and why we believe it --
52
133000
3000
這學問是要質疑我們相信什麼和為什麼相信--
02:31
what Socrates called "the examined life."
53
136000
2000
蘇格拉底稱為「檢驗的人生」。
02:33
Socrates, a man wise enough to know that he knows nothing.
54
138000
3000
蘇格拉底, 一個有足夠智慧是以覺悟我們什麼都不知道的人。
02:36
Socrates died in prison,
55
141000
3000
蘇格拉底死在獄中，
02:39
his philosophy intact.
56
144000
3000
保留他完整的哲學。
02:42
So Tony starts doing his homework.
57
147000
2000
因此，東尼開始做他的作業。
02:44
He learns his whys and wherefores, his causes and correlations,
58
149000
2000
他探悉了理由和原因，來頭和關連，
02:46
his logic, his fallacies.
59
151000
2000
他的邏輯，他的謬論。
02:48
Turns out, Tony's got the philosophy muscle.
60
153000
2000
原來, 東尼具有不少哲學頭腦。
02:50
His body is in prison, but his mind is free.
61
155000
2000
他的肉身是在監獄裡，但他的精神是自由的。
02:52
Tony learns about the ontologically promiscuous,
62
157000
2000
東尼了解了本體論的混雜，
02:54
the epistemologically anxious,
63
159000
2000
知識論的焦慮，
02:56
the ethically dubious, the metaphysically ridiculous.
64
161000
3000
道德上的可疑，和形而上學的荒謬。
02:59
That's Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche
65
164000
2000
也就是柏拉圖，笛卡爾，尼采
03:01
and Bill Clinton.
66
166000
2000
和比爾柯林頓。
03:03
So when he gives me his final paper,
67
168000
3000
所以當他給我他最後的論文，
03:06
in which he argues that the categorical imperative
68
171000
2000
其中他認為康德的無上命令
03:08
is perhaps too uncompromising
69
173000
2000
或許對我們日常生活的衝突
03:10
to deal with the conflict that affects our everyday
70
175000
2000
顯得太不近情理時
03:12
and challenges me to tell him
71
177000
2000
他挑戰我要告訴他
03:14
whether therefore we are condemned to moral failure,
72
179000
2000
是否我們因此被譙讓到道德上失敗,
03:16
I say, "I don't know.
73
181000
2000
我說,「 我不知道，
03:18
Let us think about that."
74
183000
2000
讓我們去想想這個。」
03:20
Because in that moment, there's no mark by Tony's name;
75
185000
2000
因為在那一刻, 東尼的名字沒有囚犯的標記,
03:22
it's just the two of us standing there.
76
187000
2000
只是我們兩個人站在那裡。
03:24
It is not professor and convict,
77
189000
2000
這不是教授和囚徒，
03:26
it is just two minds ready to do philosophy.
78
191000
2000
而是兩個頭腦準備思考哲學。
03:28
And I say to Tony,
79
193000
2000
所以我對東尼說:
03:30
"Let's do this."
80
195000
3000
「 讓我們去幹。」
03:33
Thank you.
81
198000
2000
謝謝。
03:35
(Applause)
82
200000
9000
(掌聲)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Damon Horowitz - Philosopher, entrepreneurDamon Horowitz explores what is possible at the boundaries of technology and the humanities.
Why you should listen
Damon Horowitz is a philosophy professor and serial entrepreneur. He recently joined Google as In-House Philosopher / Director of Engineering, heading development of several initiatives involving social and search. He came to Google from Aardvark, the social search engine, where he was co-founder and CTO, overseeing product development and research strategy. Prior to Aardvark, Horowitz built several companies around applications of intelligent language processing. He co-founded Perspecta (acquired by Excite), was lead architect for Novation Biosciences (acquired by Agilent), and co-founded NewsDB (now Daylife).
Horowitz teaches courses in philosophy, cognitive science, and computer science at several institutions, including Stanford, NYU, University of Pennsylvania and San Quentin State Prison.
Get more information on the Prison University Project >>
Damon Horowitz | Speaker | TED.com