ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Damon Horowitz - Philosopher, entrepreneur
Damon 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 >>

More profile about the speaker
Damon Horowitz | Speaker | TED.com
TED2011

Damon Horowitz: Philosophy in prison

达蒙·霍洛维茨:监狱哲学

Filmed:
1,417,089 views

达蒙·霍洛维茨在普林斯顿大学的项目是给圣昆汀州立监狱的囚犯讲授大学哲学课。在这个精炼的演讲里,他讲述了一个动人的关于是非价值观的故事。
- Philosopher, entrepreneur
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遇见 Tony托尼. He's my student学生.
0
0
2000
说说托尼 他是我的学生
00:17
He's about my age年龄,
1
2000
2000
跟我差不多年纪
00:19
and he's in San Quentin昆汀 State Prison监狱.
2
4000
3000
他在圣昆汀州立监狱服刑
00:22
When Tony托尼 was 16 years年份 old,
3
7000
3000
在他16岁的时候
00:25
one day, one moment时刻,
4
10000
3000
有一天,
00:28
"It was mom's妈妈的 gun.
5
13000
2000
“那是我妈的枪
00:30
Just flash it, scare the guy. He's a punk朋克.
6
15000
2000
拿它吓唬吓唬这人。这家伙是个刺头
00:32
He took some money; we'll take his money. That'll那会 teach him.
7
17000
2000
他有点钱,我们拿了钱,也是给他点颜色看看。
00:34
Then last minute分钟, I'm thinking思维, 'Can't“不能 do this. This is wrong错误.'
8
19000
3000
最后一刻,我想:‘我不该这么做,这不对。’
00:37
My buddy伙伴 says, 'C'mon“来吧, let's do this.'
9
22000
2000
同伴说:‘别拖拉了,快动手!’
00:39
I say, 'Let's'让我们 do this.'"
10
24000
4000
我说:“动手吧!”
00:44
And those three words, Tony's托尼的 going to remember记得,
11
29000
2000
托尼会记住这三个字
00:46
because the next下一个 thing he knows知道, he hears就听 the pop流行的.
12
31000
2000
因为他立刻听到了响声
00:48
There's the punk朋克 on the ground地面, puddle水坑 of blood血液.
13
33000
2000
而那个刺头躺倒在血泊里
00:50
And that's felony重罪 murder谋杀 --
14
35000
2000
谋杀重罪
00:52
25 to life, parole言语 at 50 if you're lucky幸运,
15
37000
2000
终生监禁,运气好的话50岁能假释
00:54
and Tony's托尼的 not feeling感觉 very lucky幸运.
16
39000
3000
但托尼似乎不太走运
00:57
So when we meet遇到 in my philosophy哲学 class in his prison监狱
17
42000
3000
我们在他监狱的哲学课碰到时
01:00
and I say, "In this class, we will discuss讨论 the foundations基金会 of ethics伦理,"
18
45000
4000
我说:“这门课我们讨论道德基础。”
01:04
Tony托尼 interrupts中断 me.
19
49000
2000
托尼打断了我
01:06
"What are you going to teach me about right and wrong错误?
20
51000
2000
“你要教我什么是是非?”
01:08
I know what is wrong错误. I have doneDONE wrong错误.
21
53000
3000
我知道什么是错的。我做过错事。
01:11
I am told every一切 day,
22
56000
2000
每一天我都知道
01:13
by every一切 face面对 I see, every一切 wall I face面对, that I am wrong错误.
23
58000
3000
每一天我看着面前每堵墙,我知道我错了。
01:16
If I ever get out of here, there will always be a mark标记 by my name名称.
24
61000
3000
要是我出不去,我的名字上肯定有个污点
01:19
I'm a convict定罪; I am branded品牌 'wrong'错误.'
25
64000
2000
我是个罪犯,我的标签就是‘错误’
01:21
What are you going to tell me about right and wrong错误?"
26
66000
3000
你还有什么要告诉我哪些错的哪些对的?”
01:24
So I say to Tony托尼,
27
69000
3000
我跟托尼说
01:27
"Sorry, but it's worse更差 than you think.
28
72000
3000
“抱歉,但你的情况比你以为的还糟
01:30
You think you know right and wrong错误?
29
75000
2000
你以为你知道对与错?
01:32
Then can you tell me what wrong错误 is?
30
77000
2000
那你能告诉我什么是错的?
01:34
No, don't just give me an example.
31
79000
2000
不要单给我例子
01:36
I want to know about wrongness不正当 itself本身, the idea理念 of wrong错误.
32
81000
3000
我要知道错这个概念
01:39
What is that idea理念?
33
84000
2000
错是什么意思?
01:41
What makes品牌 something wrong错误?
34
86000
2000
是什么导致它是错的?
01:43
How do we know that it's wrong错误? Maybe you and I disagree不同意.
35
88000
3000
我们怎么知道一件事情是错的?也许你我意见不同
01:46
Maybe one of us is wrong错误 about the wrong错误.
36
91000
2000
也许我们之一对错的理解是错的
01:48
Maybe it's you, maybe it's me -- but we're not here to trade贸易 opinions意见;
37
93000
2000
也许是你也许是我-但我们不是来交换意见的
01:50
everyone's大家的 got an opinion意见.
38
95000
2000
谁都有自己的意见
01:52
We are here for knowledge知识.
39
97000
2000
我们是为知识而来的
01:54
Our enemy敌人 is thoughtlessness轻率. This is philosophy哲学."
40
99000
4000
我们的敌人是不思考 这是哲学。”
01:58
And something changes变化 for Tony托尼.
41
103000
3000
托尼有了改变
02:03
"Could be I'm wrong错误. I'm tired of being存在 wrong错误.
42
108000
3000
“也许是我错了。我不想错下去了。
02:06
I want to know what is wrong错误.
43
111000
2000
我想知道什么是错
02:08
I want to know what I know."
44
113000
2000
我想知道我的想法
02:10
What Tony托尼 sees看到 in that moment时刻 is the project项目 of philosophy哲学,
45
115000
3000
托尼那一刻明白了哲学的概念
02:13
the project项目 that begins开始 in wonder奇迹 --
46
118000
2000
哲学始于探究-
02:15
what Kant康德 called "admiration钦佩 and awe威严
47
120000
2000
康德所谓的“位我上者,灿烂星空;
02:17
at the starry星光灿烂 sky天空 above以上 and the moral道德 law within."
48
122000
3000
道德律令,在我心中。”
02:20
What can creatures生物 like us know of such这样 things?
49
125000
2000
人类生命能对此认知多少?
02:22
It is the project项目 that always takes us back to the condition条件 of existence存在 --
50
127000
3000
哲学的概念总是将我们带回存在的问题-
02:25
what Heidegger海德格尔 called "the always already已经 there."
51
130000
3000
海德格尔所谓的“已然存在”
02:28
It is the project项目 of questioning疑问 what we believe and why we believe it --
52
133000
3000
这是个质疑我们的认知及其背后理由的概念
02:31
what Socrates苏格拉底 called "the examined检查 life."
53
136000
2000
也就是苏格拉底所说的“经过检验的生活”
02:33
Socrates苏格拉底, a man wise明智的 enough足够 to know that he knows知道 nothing.
54
138000
3000
苏格拉底,一个知道自己一无所知的智者
02:36
Socrates苏格拉底 died死亡 in prison监狱,
55
141000
3000
他死于狱中
02:39
his philosophy哲学 intact完整.
56
144000
3000
但他的哲学长存于世
02:42
So Tony托尼 starts启动 doing his homework家庭作业.
57
147000
2000
托尼开始思考
02:44
He learns获悉 his whys个为什么 and whereforeswherefores, his causes原因 and correlations相关,
58
149000
2000
他去理解他的何所来何所去,他的前因后果
02:46
his logic逻辑, his fallacies谬论.
59
151000
2000
他的逻辑,他的谬论
02:48
Turns out, Tony's托尼的 got the philosophy哲学 muscle肌肉.
60
153000
2000
托尼有哲学的领悟力
02:50
His body身体 is in prison监狱, but his mind心神 is free自由.
61
155000
2000
他身在监狱,但心却自由
02:52
Tony托尼 learns获悉 about the ontologically本体论 promiscuous淫乱,
62
157000
2000
托尼理解了本体性混杂
02:54
the epistemologically认识论 anxious,
63
159000
2000
认识性焦虑
02:56
the ethically道德 dubious可疑, the metaphysically形而上学 ridiculous荒谬.
64
161000
3000
道德可疑性和形而上学的荒谬
02:59
That's Plato柏拉图, Descartes笛卡尔, Nietzsche尼采
65
164000
2000
分别是柏拉图,笛卡儿,尼采
03:01
and Bill法案 Clinton克林顿.
66
166000
2000
和比尔・克林顿
03:03
So when he gives me his final最后 paper,
67
168000
3000
最后他在递交给我的期末报告里
03:06
in which哪一个 he argues主张 that the categorical明确的 imperative势在必行
68
171000
2000
讨论了绝对命令
03:08
is perhaps也许 too uncompromising坚定的
69
173000
2000
对处理日常生活中的冲突
03:10
to deal合同 with the conflict冲突 that affects影响 our everyday每天
70
175000
2000
也许是过于不妥协的态度
03:12
and challenges挑战 me to tell him
71
177000
2000
并要我告诉他
03:14
whether是否 therefore因此 we are condemned谴责 to moral道德 failure失败,
72
179000
2000
是否因此我们注定道德失灵
03:16
I say, "I don't know.
73
181000
2000
我说:“我不知道,
03:18
Let us think about that."
74
183000
2000
我们想想这个问题。”
03:20
Because in that moment时刻, there's no mark标记 by Tony's托尼的 name名称;
75
185000
2000
那一刻,托尼的名字上没有污点
03:22
it's just the two of us standing常设 there.
76
187000
2000
仅仅是我们两个人站在那里
03:24
It is not professor教授 and convict定罪,
77
189000
2000
不是教授和罪犯
03:26
it is just two minds头脑 ready准备 to do philosophy哲学.
78
191000
2000
仅仅是两个心灵探讨哲学
03:28
And I say to Tony托尼,
79
193000
2000
我对托尼说
03:30
"Let's do this."
80
195000
3000
”动手吧!“
03:33
Thank you.
81
198000
2000
谢谢
03:35
(Applause掌声)
82
200000
9000
(掌声)
Translated by Chunxiang Qian
Reviewed by Yvonne Fu

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Damon Horowitz - Philosopher, entrepreneur
Damon 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 >>

More profile about the speaker
Damon Horowitz | Speaker | TED.com