TEDGlobal 2011
Robin Ince: Science versus wonder?
罗宾·因斯：科学毁了幻想？
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是否科学摧毁了生活中幻想的存在？在这个爱抱怨但是很吸引人的演讲中，罗宾·因斯对此进行了辩护。我们越是对宇宙中不可思议的事情了解越多--就越会心存敬畏。
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
I'd like to apologize, first of all, to all of you
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首先我想先和大家道个歉
00:18
because I have no form
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因为我没有准备
00:20
of PowerPoint presentation.
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幻灯片
00:23
So what I'm going to do
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所以接下来的演讲中
00:25
is, every now and again, I will make this gesture,
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在需要幻灯片展示的时候
00:27
and in a moment of PowerPoint democracy,
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我会作这个手势
00:29
you can imagine what you'd like to see.
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你可以自己去发挥想象
00:33
I do a radio show.
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我有一个电台节目
00:35
The radio show is called "The Infinite Monkey Cage."
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叫做"无限的猴子笼."
00:38
It's about science, it's about rationalism.
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是个关于科学，理性的节目
00:41
So therefore, we get a lot of complaints
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因此，我们每个礼拜
00:43
every single week --
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都被投诉--
00:45
complaints including one we get very often,
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其中被投诉最多的
00:48
which is to say the very title, "Infinite Monkey Cage,"
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就是节目名称"无限的猴子笼"
00:51
celebrates the idea of vivisection.
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称其倡导活体解剖
00:54
We have made it quite clear to these people
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我们向这些投诉者明确解释
00:56
that an infinite monkey cage is roomy.
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一个无限大的猴子笼是够宽广的
00:59
(Laughter)
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：）
01:01
We also had someone else who said,
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还有些人说
01:03
"'The Infinite Monkey Cage' idea is ridiculous.
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“无限的猴子笼”的名字太荒唐了
01:05
An infinite number of monkeys
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无数的猴子
01:07
could never write the works of Shakespeare.
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根本无法写出莎士比亚的著作
01:09
We know this because they did an experiment."
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我们这么说因为他们做过一个实验”
01:12
Yes, they gave 12 monkeys a typewriter for a week,
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确实，他们给12个猴子一个打字机
01:16
and after a week, they only used it as a bathroom.
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一个星期后，猴子只把它当厕所用
01:19
(Laughter)
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：）
01:21
So the main element though, the main complaint we get --
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我们接到的主要投诉--
01:23
and one that I find most worrying --
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我最为担心的是--
01:25
is that people say, "Oh, why do you insist
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有人说“为什么你们坚持要
01:28
on ruining the magic?
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戳穿幻想？
01:30
You bring in science, and it ruins the magic."
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你们带来了科学，却摧毁了幻想”
01:32
Now I'm an arts graduate;
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我现在进修艺术研究生
01:34
I love myth and magic
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我热爱神话和幻想
01:36
and existentialism and self-loathing.
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也喜欢存在主义和自我厌恶
01:38
That's what I do.
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我就是这样的
01:40
But I also don't understand
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但是我还不明白
01:42
how it does ruin the magic.
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这怎么就毁了幻想了
01:44
All of the magic, I think,
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我认为所有
01:46
that may well be taken away by science
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可以被科学所解释的幻想
01:48
is then replaced by something as wonderful.
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是被同样奇妙的东西所代替了
01:50
Astrology, for instance:
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比如占星术
01:52
like many rationalists, I'm a Pisces.
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像许多理性主义者一样，我也是双鱼座
01:55
(Laughter)
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：）
01:58
Now astrology --
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如今的占星术--
02:00
we remove the banal idea
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我们去除了一些陈腐的东西
02:02
that your life could be predicted;
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比如可以预知生命之类的
02:04
that you'll, perhaps today, meet a lucky man
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你今天也许会遇到一位幸运的人
02:06
who's wearing a hat.
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他会戴着一顶帽子
02:08
That is gone.
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现在没这些了
02:10
But if we want to look at the sky and see predictions, we still can.
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但是如果我们希望通过观星象预测，还是可以的
02:13
We can see predictions of galaxies forming,
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我们可以据此预测星系的形成
02:16
of galaxies colliding into each other, of new solar systems.
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预测星系碰撞成为新的太阳系
02:19
This is a wonderful thing.
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这非常棒
02:21
If the Sun could one day -- and indeed the Earth, in fact --
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如果有天太阳--甚至是地球--
02:24
if the Earth could read its own astrological, astronomical chart,
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如果地球可以读懂它的天文图的话
02:28
one day it would say,
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某一天就可以说
02:30
"Not a good day for making plans.
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“今天不是吉日
02:32
You'll been engulfed by a red giant."
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你将被一个红巨星吞没”
02:34
And that to me as well,
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对我来说也很棒
02:36
that if you think I'm worried about losing worlds,
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如果你觉得我担心世界末日
02:39
well Many Worlds theory --
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那么多世界理论--
02:41
one of the most beautiful, fascinating,
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最棒，最吸引人
02:44
sometimes terrifying ideas
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有时又让人恐怖的理论之一
02:46
from the quantum interpretation --
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出自量子力学解释--
02:48
is a wonderful thing.
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是个很棒的东西
02:50
That every person here, every decision that you've made today,
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在座每一位，每一个你今天作出的决定
02:53
every decision you've made in your life,
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每一个你生命中做过的决定
02:55
you've not really made that decision,
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并不是你作出了那个决定
02:57
but in fact, every single permutation of those decisions
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而是 那些决定的每一个其他可能
03:01
is made, each one going off into a new universe.
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已经被做出，各自将在新的宇宙中发展
03:04
That is a wonderful idea.
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那是个很棒的想法
03:06
If you ever think that your life is rubbish,
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如果你曾经想过你的生活毫无意义
03:10
always remember
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记住
03:12
there's another you that's made much worse decisions than that.
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还有其他的你，做出了比你现在还要糟糕的决定
03:15
(Laughter)
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：）
03:17
If you ever think, "Ah, I want to end it all,"
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如果你曾想过“啊，我想自杀,"
03:19
don't end it all.
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不要那么做
03:21
Remember that in the majority of universes,
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记住在无数宇宙中的大部分里
03:23
you don't even exist in the first place.
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你首先就根本没有存在过
03:25
This to me, in its own strange way,
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对我来说，这虽然有点离奇
03:28
is very, very comforting.
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但是非常非常令人欣慰的
03:30
Now reincarnation, that's another thing gone -- the afterlife.
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转世，这是另一个废弃的概念--来生
03:32
But it's not gone.
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但也没完全废弃
03:34
Science actually says
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科学实际上也认为
03:36
we will live forever.
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我们将会永生
03:39
Well, there is one proviso.
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不过有一个限制性条件
03:41
We won't actually live forever. You won't live forever.
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我们事实上不会永生，你不会永生
03:44
Your consciousness, the you-ness of you, the me-ness of me --
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你的意识，你、我本身--
03:47
that gets this one go.
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都终将会逝去
03:50
But every single thing that makes us,
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但是每一个组成我们的部分
03:52
every atom in us,
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每一个原子
03:54
has already created a myriad of different things
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已经创造了无数的不同的事物
03:57
and will go on to create a myriad of new things.
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并且还将继续创造无数新事物
04:00
We have been mountains
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我们曾经是山脉
04:03
and apples and pulsars
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或苹果或脉冲星
04:05
and other people's knees.
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或是别人的膝盖
04:07
Who knows, maybe one of your atoms was once Napoleon's knee.
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谁知道呢，也许你其中的一个原子以前曾经是拿破仑的膝盖
04:10
That is a good thing.
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那很好
04:12
Unlike the occupants of the universe,
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不像宇宙的居住者们
04:14
the universe itself is not wasteful.
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宇宙本身并不浪费
04:17
We are all totally recyclable.
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我们都是可循环的
04:19
And when we die,
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当我们死后
04:21
we don't even have to be placed in different refuse sacs.
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我们甚至都不用被垃圾分类
04:24
This is a wonderful thing.
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这是件很棒的事情
04:26
Understanding, to me,
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对我来说，理解这些
04:28
does not remove the wonder and the joy.
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并不会失去幻想与乐趣
04:32
For instance, my wife could turn to me and she may say,
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比如，我夫人可以问我
04:35
"Why do you love me?"
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“你为什么爱我？”
04:37
And I can with all honesty
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我也可以诚实地
04:39
look her in the eye and say,
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看着她的眼睛说
04:41
"Because our pheromones
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“因为我们的外激素
04:43
matched our olfactory receptors."
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比较适合对方的嗅觉器官。”
04:46
(Laughter)
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：）
04:48
Though I'll probably also say something
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也许我还会说些其他的
04:50
about her hair and personality as well.
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比如她的头发和个性什么的
04:52
And that is a wonderful thing there.
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这是多好的事情啊
04:55
Love does not die because of that thing.
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爱并不会因此而变淡
04:57
Pain doesn't go away either.
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痛也同样不会消失
04:59
This is a terrible thing, even though I understand pain.
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这就不怎么好了，即使我了解痛苦
05:01
If someone punches me --
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如果有人给我一拳--
05:03
and because of my personality,
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由于我的个性
05:05
this is recently a regular occurrence --
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这是最近经常发生的事情--
05:07
I understand where the pain comes from.
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我知道疼痛来自哪里
05:09
It is basically momentum to energy
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基本上就是动能
05:12
where the four-vector is constant -- that's what it is.
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四向量是恒定的--就是那样
05:14
But at no point can I react and go,
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但我不可能说
05:16
"Ha! Is that the best momentum-to-energy fourth vector constant you've got?"
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“哈，这就是你能使出来的最好的动能四向量恒量吗？”
05:21
No, I just spit out a tooth.
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不，我只是掉了颗牙
05:23
(Laughter)
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：）
05:25
And that is all of these different things -- the love for my child.
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那就是所有不同的事情--对我孩子的爱
05:28
I have a son. His name is Archie.
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我有一个儿子，叫阿奇
05:30
I'm very lucky,
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我很幸运
05:32
because he's better than all the other children.
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他是最好的
05:34
Now I know you don't think that.
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我知道你们肯定不这么想
05:36
You may well have your own children
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因为你也许也有自己的孩子
05:38
and think, "Oh no, my child's best."
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心想，“我孩子才是最棒的”
05:41
That's the wonderful thing about evolution --
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那是关于进化论的很棒的事--
05:43
the predilection to believe
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偏向于相信自己孩子
05:45
that our child is best.
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是最好的
05:47
Now in many ways, that's just a survival thing.
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在很多不同方面，那只是个生存问题
05:50
The fact we see here is the vehicle for our genes,
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我们在这看到的是，基因的传承
05:53
and therefore we love it.
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所以我们才会偏爱
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But we don't notice that bit; we just unconditionally love.
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我们忽略了一点；我们是无条件的爱
05:58
That is a wonderful thing.
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那很棒
06:00
Though I should say that my son is best
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虽然我会说我的儿子最好
06:02
and is better than your children.
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比你们的孩子更好
06:05
I've done some tests.
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我做了些测试
06:07
And all of these things to me
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所有这些对我来说
06:09
give such joy and excitement and wonder.
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给我带来了很多快乐、兴奋和奇妙
06:12
Even quantum mechanics can give you an excuse
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甚至量子力学可以给你一个家里凌乱
06:15
for bad housework, for instance.
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的理由，比如
06:17
Perhaps you've been at home for a week on your own.
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你已经独自在家一周了
06:20
You house is in a terrible state.
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家里凌乱不堪
06:22
Your partner is about to return.
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你的另一半就要回来了
06:24
You think, what should I do?
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你想，我该做什么？
06:26
Do nothing.
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什么也不做
06:28
All you have to do
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你需要做的是
06:30
is, when she walks in, using a quantum interpretation,
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当她走进来的时候，用量子学解释
06:32
say, "I'm so sorry.
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说，“实在对不起
06:34
I stopped observing the house for a moment,
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我已经有段时间没观察过房子了
06:36
and when I started observing again,
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当我再开始去观察它的时候
06:38
everything had happened."
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就变成这样了”
06:40
(Laughter)
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：）
06:42
That's the strong anthropic principle of vacuuming.
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那是带有强烈人为意识的真空学理论
06:46
For me, it's a very, very important thing.
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对我来说，这是非常重要的事
06:48
Even on my journey up here --
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甚至是在我来这的路上--
06:50
the joy that I have on my journey up here every single time.
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我每次来这的路上都充满欢乐
06:52
If you actually think, you remove the myth and there is still something wonderful.
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如果你真的认为，你不相信虚幻，其实仍然会有些很奇妙的东西
06:55
I'm sitting on a train.
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我坐在火车上
06:57
Every time I breathe in,
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我每一次呼吸
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I'm breathing in a million-billion-billion
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我无数次的吸进
07:01
atoms of oxygen.
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氧原子
07:03
I'm sitting on a chair.
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我坐在椅子上
07:05
Even though I know the chair is made of atoms
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甚至想，我知道这个椅子是有原子构造的
07:07
and therefore actually in many ways empty space,
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因此，理论上就会有许多空隙
07:09
I find it comfortable.
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我发现这很有趣
07:11
I look out the window, and I realize
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我看着窗外，意识到
07:13
that every single time we stop and I look out that window,
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每一次我们停下来注视着那扇窗外
07:15
framed in that window,
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有框的窗户
07:17
wherever we are,
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不管我们在哪
07:19
I am observing more life
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我是在观察
07:21
than there is in the rest of the known universe
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比超越地球的已知宇宙的总和还要多的
07:24
beyond the planet Earth.
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无数生命
07:26
If you go to the safari parks
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如果你去土星或者木星
07:28
on Saturn or Jupiter,
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的徒步公园
07:30
you will be disappointed.
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你会失望
07:32
And I realize I'm observing this
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当我意识到我是在用大脑观察
07:34
with the brain, the human brain,
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人类的大脑
07:36
the most complex thing in the known universe.
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是在已知的宇宙中最复杂的东西
07:39
That, to me, is an incredible thing.
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那对我来说是不可思议的事情
07:41
And do you know what, that might be enough.
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你知道吗，那也许就够了
07:44
Steven Weinberg, the Nobel laureate, once said,
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史蒂芬·温伯格，诺贝尔奖得主，曾经说过
07:47
"The more the universe seems comprehensible,
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“宇宙越是呈现出可理解性
07:49
the more it seems pointless."
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就越显得没有意义”
07:51
Now for some people,
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如今有些人
07:53
that seems to lead to an idea of nihilism.
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将此理解为虚无主义
07:55
But for me, it doesn't. That is a wonderful thing.
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但对我来说，不是那样的，那其实挺好的
07:58
I'm glad the universe is pointless.
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我很乐于认为宇宙是无意义的
08:00
It means if I get to the end of my life,
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即如果我到了生命尽头
08:02
the universe can't turn to me and go, "What have you been doing, you idiot?
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宇宙不会跟我说：“你都干了什么，你这个笨蛋？
08:05
That's not the point."
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不该那么做。”
08:07
I can make my own purpose.
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我可以有自己的目的
08:09
You can make your own purpose.
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你也可以给自己定目标
08:11
We have the individual power
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我们都有自由意志
08:13
to go, "This is what I want to do."
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“这是我想做的事情”
08:15
And in a pointless universe, that, to me, is a wonderful thing.
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一个没有意义的宇宙，对我来说，其实是很棒的事
08:18
I have chosen to make silly jokes
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是我选择了讲些关于量子力学
08:20
about quantum mechanics and the Copenhagen interpretation.
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和哥本哈根诠释的傻傻笑话
08:23
You, I imagine, can do much better things with your time.
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那么我想 你可以更好地利用你的时间做更好的事情
08:26
Thank you very much. Goodbye.
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十分感谢，拜拜
08:28
(Applause)
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（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Robin Ince - ComedianThe rational-minded Robin Ince conducts live experiments in comedy.
Why you should listen
Is rational thought funny? And is comedy scientific? are the pair of questions on which Robin Ince has built his recent career. On his own and as part of the BBC4 radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage, Robin Ince makes science-friendly comedy with pals like Brian Cox, Ben Goldacre and Simon Singh. TIMC just won the Best Speech Programme at the 2011 Sony Radio Awards, the first science program to win in ... aeons. They recently took the show on the road as "Uncaged Monkeys," about which the Telegraph's critic said, "I was expecting more knickers thrown at the stage, to be honest."
Onstage, Ince conducts live experiments into the science of comedy and laughter. He and his team set out to discover secret of timing, discover if people are born funny, and if computers can tell jokes.
He says: "Most scientists I know have movies and novels in their houses, whereas there are novelists whose houses I've been to who don't have any science books."
Robin Ince | Speaker | TED.com