ABOUT THE SPEAKER
James Flynn - Moral philosopher
James Flynn challenges our fundamental assumptions about intelligence.

Why you should listen

Year over year, people fare better on standardized tests, a global phenomenon known as the Flynn Effect. James Flynn, the New Zealand-based researcher who discovered this, believes that environmental factors play a greater role in intelligence than genetics does.

His latest findings, discussed in his 2012 book Are We Getting Smarter?, also suggest that women are not only as intelligent as men, but superior when it comes to executive function. “Women, when exposed to modernity, do equal men for IQ,” Flynn said to TV ONE’s Greg Boyed. “But in the formal educational setting where they apply their intelligence, they’re outperforming men all hollow.”

Flynn, a retired university professor, has written extensively about the connection between ongoing equality and IQ gains, democracy and human rights. He also wrote a compelling book about books, The Torchlight List, in which he lists 200 must-reads.

More profile about the speaker
James Flynn | Speaker | TED.com
TED2013

James Flynn: Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents'

为什么我们的智商比我们的祖先高

Filmed:
4,330,212 views

每一代的智商都比前一代的智商高,这一理论叫做“弗林效应”。我们真的是越变越聪明,还是想法不同了呢?在二十世纪快速前行的认知历史里,道德哲学家詹姆士弗林提出:我们思想方式的巨变有着惊人的(不总是积极的)后续效应。
- Moral philosopher
James Flynn challenges our fundamental assumptions about intelligence. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
We are going to take a quick voyage航程
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让我们一起浏览一下
00:15
over the cognitive认知 history历史 of the 20th century世纪,
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20 世纪的认知历史吧。
00:18
because during that century世纪,
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因为在这个世纪里,
00:20
our minds头脑 have altered改变 dramatically显着.
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我们的思想发生了极大的改变。
00:23
As you all know, the cars汽车 that people drove开车 in 1900
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大家都知道,1900 年人们所驾驶的汽车已经因为
00:26
have altered改变 because the roads道路 are better
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道路状况的改善和
00:28
and because of technology技术.
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科技的进步而彻底改变了。
00:31
And our minds头脑 have altered改变, too.
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我们的思想也改变了。
00:33
We've我们已经 gone走了 from people who confronted面对 a concrete具体 world世界
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我们已经从面对具象的世界
00:37
and analyzed分析 that world世界 primarily主要 in terms条款
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来分析如何
00:40
of how much it would benefit效益 them
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从中受益的人,
00:42
to people who confront面对 a very complex复杂 world世界,
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变成面对非常复杂的世界的人。
00:47
and it's a world世界 where we've我们已经 had to develop发展
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这个世界让我们需要有
00:49
new mental心理 habits习惯, new habits习惯 of mind心神.
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新的心理习惯、 新的思维习惯。
00:52
And these include包括 things like
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其中包括
00:54
clothing服装 that concrete具体 world世界 with classification分类,
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面对这个具象我们需要分类
00:59
introducing引入 abstractions抽象 that we try to make
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需要抽象分析以保持
01:01
logically逻辑 consistent一贯,
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逻辑上的一致。
01:04
and also taking服用 the hypothetical假想 seriously认真地,
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我们也需要做假设分析。
01:06
that is, wondering想知道 about what might威力 have been
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就是说,我们想知道这世界的演变过程,
01:09
rather than what is.
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而不仅仅是知道这世界现在是怎么样。
01:11
Now, this dramatic戏剧性 change更改 was drawn to my attention注意
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这一重大变化引起了我的注意。
01:15
through通过 massive大规模的 I.Q. gains收益 over time,
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人们的智商随时间的推移而不断增高,
01:18
and these have been truly massive大规模的.
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这种改变可以说是个剧变。
01:21
That is, we don't just get a few少数 more questions问题 right
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就是说,我们不是只答对几个
01:25
on I.Q. tests测试.
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智商测试题。
01:27
We get far more questions问题 right on I.Q. tests测试
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我们答对的智商测试题比
01:30
than each succeeding下一 generation
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我们之前的每一代答对得都多得多,
01:32
back to the time that they were invented发明.
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甚至是追溯回智商测试刚发明的时代。
01:35
Indeed确实, if you score得分了 the people a century世纪 ago
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事实上,如果你按照现代标准给
01:39
against反对 modern现代 norms规范,
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一个世纪前的人们的智商打分,
01:40
they would have an average平均 I.Q. of 70.
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他们的平均智商只能达到70分。
01:43
If you score得分了 us against反对 their norms规范,
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如果你按照他们那个时代的标准给我们打分,
01:46
we would have an average平均 I.Q. of 130.
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我们的平均智商会达到130分。
01:50
Now this has raised上调 all sorts排序 of questions问题.
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当然这就会有很多问题出来了。
01:53
Were our immediate即时 ancestors祖先
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我们的祖先是不是
01:55
on the verge边缘 of mental心理 retardation迟缓?
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到了智力障碍的边缘?
01:58
Because 70 is normally一般 the score得分了 for mental心理 retardation迟缓.
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因为 70 分通常是智障的分数。
02:02
Or are we on the verge边缘 of all being存在 gifted天才?
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还有,我们现代人算不算是天才呀?
02:05
Because 130 is the cutting切割 line线 for giftedness天赋.
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因为130分是天才的分割线。
02:10
Now I'm going to try and argue争论 for a third第三 alternative替代
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现在我给你们讲讲第三种可能性。
02:13
that's much more illuminating照明 than either of those,
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这种可能性比前面的两个提问会更有启发性。
02:17
and to put this into perspective透视,
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让我们换个角度,
02:19
let's imagine想像 that a Martian火星 came来了 down to Earth地球
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想象一个火星人来到地球
02:22
and found发现 a ruined毁了 civilization文明.
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并发现了一个被破坏的文明。
02:25
And this Martian火星 was an archaeologist考古学家,
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恰好这个火星人是一个考古学家,
02:28
and they found发现 scores分数, target目标 scores分数,
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他们发现了一些靶环,
02:30
that people had used for shooting射击.
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人们这个来计算射击分数。
02:33
And first they looked看着 at 1865,
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首先他们看到的是1865 年的,
02:36
and they found发现 that in a minute分钟,
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他们发现,在一分钟内,
02:38
people had only put one bullet子弹 in the bullseye靶心.
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只有一颗子弹被射中了靶心。
02:42
And then they found发现, in 1898,
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然后他们发现,在 1898 年,
02:44
that they'd他们会 put about five bullets子弹 in the bullseye靶心 in a minute分钟.
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一分钟约有五发子弹被射中靶心。
02:48
And then about 1918 they put a hundred bullets子弹 in the bullseye靶心.
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到了1918年的时候,就有100 颗子弹射中靶心了。
02:53
And initially原来, that archaeologist考古学家 would be baffled困惑.
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最初,那(火星)考古学家会困惑。
02:57
They would say, look, these tests测试 were designed设计
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他们会说,你看,这些测试旨在
02:59
to find out how much people were steady稳定 of hand,
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测试人们的手法如何稳健,
03:03
how keen敏锐 their eyesight眼力 was,
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视力是如何敏锐,
03:06
whether是否 they had control控制 of their weapon武器.
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以及是否有对武器的控制力的。
03:08
How could these performances演出 have escalated升级
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这些射击成绩怎么会提升得
03:11
to this enormous巨大 degree?
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如此迅速?
03:13
Well we now know, of course课程, the answer回答.
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我们现在当然知道答案。
03:16
If that Martian火星 looked看着 at battlefields战场,
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而如果那火星人去看看战场,
03:18
they would find that people had only muskets火枪
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他们会找到在内战期间
03:21
at the time of the Civil国内 War战争
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只带着步枪的战士;
03:23
and that they had repeating重复 rifles步枪
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在美西战争期间
03:25
at the time of the Spanish-American美西 War战争,
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用连发猎枪的战士;
03:28
and then they had machine guns枪炮
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还有在一次世界大战期间
03:30
by the time of World世界 War战争 I.
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用机关枪的战士。
03:33
And, in other words, it was the equipment设备
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换句话说,是
03:35
that was in the hands of the average平均 soldier士兵
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普通士兵手中的武器装备不同了,
03:38
that was responsible主管, not greater更大 keenness敏锐 of eye
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而不是视力够不够敏锐,
03:41
or steadiness稳健 of hand.
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或者手法够不够稳健。
03:43
Now what we have to imagine想像 is the mental心理 artillery炮兵
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现在我们应该理解
03:46
that we have picked采摘的 up over those hundred years年份,
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这几百年来的心智上的飞跃。
03:50
and I think again that another另一个 thinker思想家 will help us here,
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另一位思想家将帮助我们理解这一问题,
03:54
and that's Luria卢里亚.
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他叫罗瑞亚。
03:56
Luria卢里亚 looked看着 at people
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罗瑞亚早在进入科学时代之前
03:58
just before they entered进入 the scientific科学 age年龄,
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就开始观察
04:02
and he found发现 that these people
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并发现人们往往
04:04
were resistant to classifying分类 the concrete具体 world世界.
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拒绝对具象世界进行分类分析。
04:07
They wanted to break打破 it up
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他们想把这世界细分
04:08
into little bits that they could use.
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成他们可以从中受益的不同类别。
04:11
He found发现 that they were resistant
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他发现人们拒绝
04:13
to deducing推导 the hypothetical假想,
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去推导假说,
04:17
to speculating投机 about what might威力 be,
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去猜测可能性。
04:19
and he found发现 finally最后 that they didn't deal合同 well
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他发现人们不擅于
04:22
with abstractions抽象 or using运用 logic逻辑 on those abstractions抽象.
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抽象分析或逻辑思考。
04:26
Now let me give you a sample样品 of some of his interviews面试.
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现在我给你们讲讲他的一些调研。
04:30
He talked to the head man of a person
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他采访了俄罗斯农村的
04:32
in rural乡村 Russia俄国.
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一位首领。
04:34
They'd他们会 only had, as people had in 1900,
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在1900 年,人们
04:36
about four years年份 of schooling教育.
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大约受四年的学校教育。
04:38
And he asked that particular特定 person,
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他问那位首领,
04:41
what do crows乌鸦 and fish have in common共同?
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乌鸦和鱼有什么共同点?
04:44
And the fellow同伴 said, "Absolutely绝对 nothing.
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那人说:"绝对没有。
04:47
You know, I can eat a fish. I can't eat a crow乌鸦.
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你当然知道,我可以吃一条鱼,但我不能吃一只乌鸦。
04:50
A crow乌鸦 can peck at a fish.
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一只乌鸦可以啄食一条鱼。
04:53
A fish can't do anything to a crow乌鸦."
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但一条鱼可对付不了乌鸦"。
04:56
And Luria卢里亚 said, "But aren't they both animals动物?"
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罗瑞亚说,"但这两者不都是动物吗?"
04:59
And he said, "Of course课程 not.
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首领说,"当然不是。
05:00
One's那些 a fish.
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其中一个是鱼。
05:02
The other is a bird."
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另外一个是鸟呀。
05:04
And he was interested有兴趣, effectively有效,
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这位首领真的对
05:06
in what he could do with those concrete具体 objects对象.
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怎么利用这些具体的事物感兴趣。
05:10
And then Luria卢里亚 went to another另一个 person,
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罗瑞亚又去采访了另一个人。
05:12
and he said to them,
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他对他们说,
05:15
"There are no camels骆驼 in Germany德国.
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"在德国没有骆驼。
05:17
Hamburg汉堡 is a city in Germany德国.
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汉堡是德国的一个城市。
05:20
Are there camels骆驼 in Hamburg汉堡?"
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那汉堡有骆驼吗?"
05:22
And the fellow同伴 said,
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这个人回答道,
05:23
"Well, if it's large enough足够, there ought应该 to be camels骆驼 there."
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"嗯,如果德国足够大的话,那里就应该有骆驼。"
05:27
And Luria卢里亚 said, "But what do my words imply意味着?"
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罗瑞亚说,"可是我问的是汉堡呀?"
05:31
And he said, "Well, maybe it's a small village,
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那人回答说,"嗯,也许汉堡是一个小村庄,
05:34
and there's no room房间 for camels骆驼."
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没有足够的地方留给骆驼呢"。
05:36
In other words, he was unwilling不甘 to treat对待 this
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换句话说,他只愿意将这个问题
05:38
as anything but a concrete具体 problem问题,
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当成一个具体的问题来回答。
05:41
and he was used to camels骆驼 being存在 in villages村庄,
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他习惯于骆驼是豢养在村庄里的,
05:44
and he was quite相当 unable无法 to use the hypothetical假想,
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他自己真的无法假设
05:48
to ask himself他自己 what if there were no camels骆驼 in Germany德国.
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德国真的就没有骆驼。
05:53
A third第三 interview访问 was conducted进行
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第三次采访是
05:55
with someone有人 about the North Pole.
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有关北极的问题。
05:58
And Luria卢里亚 said, "At the North Pole, there is always snow.
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罗瑞亚说,"北极呢,总是有雪的。
06:03
Wherever哪里 there is always snow, the bears are white白色.
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只要哪里一直有雪,那儿的熊就是白色的。
06:06
What color颜色 are the bears at the North Pole?"
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那么在北极的熊是什么颜色?"
06:10
And the response响应 was, "Such这样 a thing
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被采访者的回答是,"这种事
06:12
is to be settled安定 by testimony见证.
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只能由证据来说话。
06:14
If a wise明智的 person came来了 from the North Pole
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如果一个智者从北极来
06:17
and told me the bears were white白色,
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告诉我熊是白色的
06:19
I might威力 believe him,
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我可能会相信他。
06:21
but every一切 bear that I have seen看到 is a brown棕色 bear."
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但我见过的每一只熊都是棕色的呀。”
06:25
Now you see again, this person has rejected拒绝
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这回你又看到,这个人也拒绝
06:28
going beyond the concrete具体 world世界
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超越具象世界,
06:30
and analyzing分析 it through通过 everyday每天 experience经验,
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拒绝通过平常的经验来分析。
06:33
and it was important重要 to that person
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对那个人来说,重要的是
06:35
what color颜色 bears were --
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熊是什么颜色 — —
06:37
that is, they had to hunt打猎 bears.
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就是说,他们需要捕获这样的熊(来生存)。
06:39
They weren't willing愿意 to engage从事 in this.
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他们不愿意进一步分析。
06:41
One of them said to Luria卢里亚,
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其中一个人对罗瑞亚说:
06:43
"How can we solve解决 things that aren't real真实 problems问题?
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"我们怎么能解决不是真问题的问题呢?
06:47
None没有 of these problems问题 are real真实.
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所有这些问题都不是真正的问题呀。
06:49
How can we address地址 them?"
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我们怎么能知道呢?"
06:51
Now, these three categories类别 --
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现在,有三种分析方法— —
06:55
classification分类,
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分类分析,
06:56
using运用 logic逻辑 on abstractions抽象,
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使用抽象逻辑,
06:58
taking服用 the hypothetical假想 seriously认真地 --
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和认真假设 — —
07:01
how much difference区别 do they make in the real真实 world世界
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这些分析方法对认识采访室以外的
07:04
beyond the testing测试 room房间?
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世界会有影响吗?
07:05
And let me give you a few少数 illustrations插图.
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让我给你几个例子。
07:08
First, almost几乎 all of us today今天 get a high school学校 diploma文凭.
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第一,今天在场的几乎所有人都有高中毕业文凭。
07:12
That is, we've我们已经 gone走了 from four to eight years年份 of education教育
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就是说,我们已经从4至8年的教育
07:15
to 12 years年份 of formal正式 education教育,
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进步到 12 年的正规教育,
07:18
and 52 percent百分 of Americans美国人
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52%的美国人
07:20
have actually其实 experienced有经验的 some type类型 of tertiary第三 education教育.
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接受了专科以上的高等教育。
07:24
Now, not only do we have much more education教育,
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现在,我们不仅接受更多的教育,
07:28
and much of that education教育 is scientific科学,
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而且接受更多科学知识的教育。
07:30
and you can't do science科学 without classifying分类 the world世界.
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不会对世界进行分类分析就不能搞科研;
07:34
You can't do science科学 without proposing建议 hypotheses假设.
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提不出假说也不能搞科研;
07:38
You can't do science科学 without making制造 it logically逻辑 consistent一贯.
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没有逻辑上的一致性也没法搞科研。
07:42
And even down in grade年级 school学校, things have changed.
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甚至在小学阶段,分析问题的方法也已经发生了变化。
07:46
In 1910, they looked看着 at the examinations考试
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人们研究1910 年的
07:49
that the state of Ohio俄亥俄州 gave to 14-year-olds- 年的孩子,
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俄亥俄州针对 14 岁儿童的考题。
07:53
and they found发现 that they were all
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他们发现考题
07:55
for socially社交上 valued价值 concrete具体 information信息.
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全部是针对具体事物的社会价值的。
07:58
They were things like,
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考试的内容是这样的,
07:59
what are the capitals首都 of the 44 or 45 states状态
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当时的44 或 45 州的
08:02
that existed存在 at that time?
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首府是什么?
08:05
When they looked看着 at the exams考试
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而他们研究的
08:06
that the state of Ohio俄亥俄州 gave in 1990,
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1990 年俄亥俄州的考题
08:09
they were all about abstractions抽象.
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则全部是些抽象问题。
08:12
They were things like,
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比如说,
08:13
why is the largest最大 city of a state rarely很少 the capital首都?
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为什么是一个州的最大城市往往不是首府?
08:19
And you were supposed应该 to think, well,
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你可能会想,嗯,
08:20
the state legislature立法机关 was rural-controlled农村控制,
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国家立法机关由农村控制的,
08:23
and they hated the big city,
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他们不喜欢大城市
08:25
so rather than putting the capital首都 in a big city,
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所以比起在大城市建首府,
08:28
they put it in a county seat座位.
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他们更愿意把它放在小镇。
08:29
They put it in Albany奥尔巴尼 rather than New York纽约.
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他们把首府建在奥尔巴尼,而不是纽约。
08:32
They put it in Harrisburg哈里斯堡 rather than Philadelphia费城.
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他们把首府建在哈里斯堡,而不是费城。
08:35
And so forth向前.
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等等。
08:37
So the tenor男高音 of education教育 has changed.
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所以说,教育的进程已经改变。
08:40
We are educating教育 people to take the hypothetical假想 seriously认真地,
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我们正教育人们要认真地假设,
08:44
to use abstractions抽象, and to link链接 them logically逻辑.
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要使用抽象思维,然后把它和逻辑思维结合起来。
08:47
What about employment雇用?
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那么就业情况呢?
08:50
Well, in 1900, three percent百分 of Americans美国人
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在 1900 年,美国人中只有3%
08:53
practiced professions职业 that were cognitively认知 demanding严格.
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是专业从业者。
08:57
Only three percent百分 were lawyers律师 or doctors医生 or teachers教师.
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只有3%的人是律师、医生和教师。
09:01
Today今天, 35 percent百分 of Americans美国人
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而今天,35%的美国人
09:04
practice实践 cognitively认知 demanding严格 professions职业,
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是专业从业者。
09:07
not only to the professions职业 proper正确 like lawyer律师
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不仅有像律师这样的专门职业,
09:10
or doctor医生 or scientist科学家 or lecturer讲师,
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或者医生,科学家,讲师,
09:12
but many许多, many许多 sub-professions子行业
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而且有很多很多细分的专业
09:14
having to do with being存在 a technician技术员,
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需要技术员,
09:16
a computer电脑 programmer程序员.
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计算机程序员来做。
09:18
A whole整个 range范围 of professions职业 now make cognitive认知 demands需要.
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一系列的专业产生了一系列的专业需求。
09:23
And we can only meet遇到 the terms条款 of employment雇用
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在现代社会,我们只能满足某专业的就业条款,
09:25
in the modern现代 world世界 by being存在 cognitively认知
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而我们对知识的掌握
09:28
far more flexible灵活.
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却灵活机动得多。
09:30
And it's not just that we have many许多 more people
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这并不只是说我们有更多的人
09:33
in cognitively认知 demanding严格 professions职业.
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从事有专业技能的职业。
09:36
The professions职业 have been upgraded升级.
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这些专业行业本身也已经升级换代。
09:39
Compare比较 the doctor医生 in 1900,
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我们比较一下,1900 年
09:41
who really had only a few少数 tricks技巧 up his sleeve,
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只会几手的医生
09:44
with the modern现代 general一般 practitioner从业者 or specialist专家,
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和现代社会的医生和医学专家。
09:47
with years年份 of scientific科学 training训练.
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后者受过多年的科学培训。
09:49
Compare比较 the banker银行家 in 1900,
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再比较一下,1900 年
09:52
who really just needed需要 a good accountant会计
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只需要是一个好会计的银行家
09:54
and to know who was trustworthy可靠 in the local本地 community社区
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他们只需要知道当地社区谁是值得信赖的人
09:57
for paying付款 back their mortgage抵押.
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然后帮他们抵押贷款。
10:00
Well, the merchant商人 bankers银行家 who brought the world世界 to their knees膝盖
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那么现在呢,整个世界都得臣服于银行家的脚下。
10:03
may可能 have been morally道德 remiss失职,
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他们在道义上可能有所欠缺,
10:05
but they were cognitively认知 very agile敏捷.
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可是他们的专业技能却异常地敏锐。
10:08
They went far beyond that 1900 banker银行家.
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现代银行家远远超出了1900年的银行家。
10:12
They had to look at computer电脑 projections预测
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他们需要懂得房屋市场的
10:15
for the housing住房 market市场.
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计算机预算。
10:17
They had to get complicated复杂 CDO-squaredCDO平方
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他们需要获得复杂的债务抵押债券
10:20
in order订购 to bundle debt债务 together一起
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然后将所有的债务捆绑在一起
10:23
and make debt债务 look as if it were actually其实 a profitable有利可图 asset财富.
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让客户觉得债务是一项有利可图的投资。
10:27
They had to prepare准备 a case案件 to get rating评分 agencies机构
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他们需要向评级机构申请
10:30
to give it a AAAAAA,
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获得3A级信用度(企业信用的最高等级)。
10:31
though虽然 in many许多 cases, they had virtually实质上 bribed贿赂 the rating评分 agencies机构.
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虽然在很多情况下,他们大多贿赂评级机构。
10:35
And they also, of course课程, had to get people
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当然,他们还要让客户
10:37
to accept接受 these so-called所谓 assets资产
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接受所谓的“资产”,
10:40
and pay工资 money for them
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为他们付钱,
10:41
even though虽然 they were highly高度 vulnerable弱势.
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即使知道客户其实是蒙受很大损失的。
10:44
Or take a farmer农民 today今天.
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拿现在的农夫为例。
10:45
I take the farm农场 manager经理 of today今天 as very different不同
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我觉得现在的农场主与
10:49
from the farmer农民 of 1900.
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1900年的农夫相比非常不一样。
10:51
So it hasn't有没有 just been the spread传播
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虽然这个职业还没有被归类为
10:53
of cognitively认知 demanding严格 professions职业.
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专业从业者,
10:56
It's also been the upgrading升级 of tasks任务
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但这个职业也升级成为
10:59
like lawyer律师 and doctor医生 and what have you
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像律师、 医生之类
11:01
that have made制作 demands需要 on our cognitive认知 faculties各系.
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需要专业知识的从业者。
11:05
But I've talked about education教育 and employment雇用.
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我上面已经谈及教育和就业方面的例子。
11:08
Some of the habits习惯 of mind心神 that we have developed发达
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我们在20世纪
11:12
over the 20th century世纪
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养成的一些思维习惯
11:13
have paid支付 off in unexpected意外 areas.
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已经在意想不到的领域收益颇丰。
11:16
I'm primarily主要 a moral道德 philosopher哲学家.
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我是一个道德哲学家,
11:18
I merely仅仅 have a holiday假日 in psychology心理学,
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对心理学不感兴趣。
11:22
and what interests利益 me in general一般 is moral道德 debate辩论.
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一般吸引我的话题都是道德辩论。
11:26
Now over the last century世纪,
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2731
自上一世纪开始,
11:29
in developed发达 nations国家 like America美国,
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2350
在和美国一样的发达国家,
11:31
moral道德 debate辩论 has escalated升级
242
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1981
道德辩论有大幅增加的趋势。
11:33
because we take the hypothetical假想 seriously认真地,
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3339
因为我们认真地做出假设,
11:36
and we also take universals共性 seriously认真地
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我们也认真地对待事物的共性,
11:40
and look for logical合乎逻辑 connections连接.
245
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并找出合乎逻辑的共同处。
11:43
When I came来了 home in 1955 from university大学
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马丁路德金时代的1955年
11:46
at the time of Martin马丁 Luther路德 King国王,
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2307
当我从大学回到家。
11:49
a lot of people came来了 home at that time
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2322
那时有很多学生都从学校回家
11:51
and started开始 having arguments参数 with their parents父母 and grandparents祖父母.
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与他们的父母和祖父母进行辩论。
11:55
My father父亲 was born天生 in 1885,
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3228
我的父亲出生于 1885 年,
11:58
and he was mildly温和 racially种族 biased.
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他有轻度种族偏见。
12:00
As an Irishman爱尔兰人, he hated the English英语 so much
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作为一个爱尔兰人,他十分讨厌英国。
12:03
he didn't have much emotion情感 for anyone任何人 else其他.
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而对其他人没有什么讨厌的想法。
12:05
(Laughter笑声)
254
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(笑声)
12:08
But he did have a sense that black黑色 people were inferior.
255
716600
4508
但他确实觉得黑人是劣等的。
12:13
And when we said to our parents父母 and grandparents祖父母,
256
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2848
当我们问我们的父母和祖父母,
12:15
"How would you feel if tomorrow明天 morning早上 you woke醒来 up black黑色?"
257
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4493
"如果明早一起床你发现自己是黑人了你会怎么想?"
12:20
they said that is the dumbest最愚蠢的 thing you've ever said.
258
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3621
他们说,这就是你说过的最愚蠢的话。
12:24
Who have you ever known已知 who woke醒来 up in the morning早上 --
259
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2502
你见过谁一早上醒来-
12:26
(Laughter笑声) --
260
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2402
(笑声)-
12:28
that turned转身 black黑色?
261
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就一下子变成黑人了?
12:30
In other words, they were fixed固定 in the concrete具体
262
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3516
换句话说,他们固执于一些具体的
12:33
mores习俗 and attitudes态度 they had inherited遗传.
263
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3513
习俗和固有的态度上。
12:37
They would not take the hypothetical假想 seriously认真地,
264
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他们不会认真地假设。
12:40
and without the hypothetical假想,
265
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1484
可是没有假设,
12:41
it's very difficult to get moral道德 argument论据 off the ground地面.
266
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就很难把道德上的争论进行下去。
12:45
You have to say, imagine想像 you were
267
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2635
那你要说了,试想你
12:48
in Iran伊朗, and imagine想像 that your relatives亲戚们
268
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5585
在伊朗,试想你的亲戚
12:53
all suffered遭遇 from collateral抵押 damage损伤
269
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2700
所遭受的摧残
12:56
even though虽然 they had doneDONE no wrong错误.
270
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1946
其实他们什么都没做错。
12:58
How would you feel about that?
271
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2061
你会怎么想?
13:00
And if someone有人 of the older旧的 generation says,
272
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2720
老一辈的人会回答说,
13:03
well, our government政府 takes care关心 of us,
273
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1930
嗯,我们的政府关照我们,
13:05
and it's up to their government政府 to take care关心 of them,
274
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2943
他们的政府关照他们。
13:08
they're just not willing愿意 to take the hypothetical假想 seriously认真地.
275
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4068
他们真的不愿意认真地对待假设。
13:12
Or take an Islamic清真 father父亲 whose谁的 daughter女儿 has been raped强奸,
276
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3367
还有一个例子,一个伊斯兰的父亲,他的女儿被强奸了,
13:15
and he feels感觉 he's honor-bound荣誉绑定 to kill her.
277
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3210
他会觉得自己有权杀了她。
13:18
Well, he's treating治疗 his mores习俗
278
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2360
是的,他就是在按照习俗办事,
13:21
as if they were sticks and stones石头 and rocks岩石 that he had inherited遗传,
279
789272
3900
这些习俗就像他所继承的石头和棍子一样,
13:25
and they're unmovable不可移动 in any way by logic逻辑.
280
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2645
是很难被改变的。
13:27
They're just inherited遗传 mores习俗.
281
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2576
他们只是机械地继承习俗。
13:30
Today今天 we would say something like,
282
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2201
今天我们会说,
13:32
well, imagine想像 you were knocked被撞 unconscious无意识 and sodomized鸡奸.
283
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3577
嗯,想象一下你被撞昏迷或被摧残了。
13:36
Would you deserve值得 to be killed杀害?
284
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1673
你就该被杀吗?
13:37
And he would say, well that's not in the Koran可兰经.
285
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2895
他会说,古兰经没有记载那些东西,
13:40
That's not one of the principles原则 I've got.
286
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4022
那不是我信奉的信条之一。
13:44
Well you, today今天, universalize划一 your principles原则.
287
812761
2841
那么今天,你应该把信条广义化。
13:47
You state them as abstractions抽象 and you use logic逻辑 on them.
288
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3557
用抽象思维来说明它,用逻辑思维来实践它。
13:51
If you have a principle原理 such这样 as,
289
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2273
如果你有一项信条是,
13:53
people shouldn't不能 suffer遭受 unless除非 they're guilty有罪 of something,
290
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3646
除非有罪,人就不应该被摧残。
13:57
then to exclude排除 black黑色 people
291
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2096
然后再排除黑人。
13:59
you've got to make exceptions例外, don't you?
292
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2498
你是不是一定要弄出个例外来?
14:01
You have to say, well, blackness of skin皮肤,
293
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2988
你不得不说,嗯,肤色黑,
14:04
you couldn't不能 suffer遭受 just for that.
294
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2623
你不能只是为肤色黑就该受苦。
14:07
It must必须 be that blacks黑人 are somehow不知何故 tainted污点.
295
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3263
一定是是黑人某些方面是脏的坏的。
14:10
And then we can bring带来 empirical经验 evidence证据 to bear, can't we,
296
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3167
然后我们需要举出实例来,我们能吗?
14:13
and say, well how can you consider考虑 all blacks黑人 tainted污点
297
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2916
那么,你怎么可以觉得所有黑人都是脏的坏的呢?
14:16
when St. Augustine奥古斯丁 was black黑色 and Thomas托马斯 Sowell索维尔 is black黑色.
298
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3794
圣奥古斯汀是黑人和托马斯·索威尔是黑人。
14:20
And you can get moral道德 argument论据 off the ground地面, then,
299
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3425
你无法在道德辩论中取胜,
14:23
because you're not treating治疗 moral道德 principles原则 as concrete具体 entities实体.
300
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4554
因为你不再把道德原则当做具体的个例,
14:28
You're treating治疗 them as universals共性,
301
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1937
你把这些原则广义化,
14:30
to be rendered呈现 consistent一贯 by logic逻辑.
302
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2779
让这些原则符合逻辑。
14:33
Now how did all of this arise出现 out of I.Q. tests测试?
303
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那么,这一切都是如何提高我们的智商的呢?
14:36
That's what initially原来 got me going on cognitive认知 history历史.
304
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这就是为什么我一开始就痴迷研究认知历史。
14:40
If you look at the I.Q. test测试,
305
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1885
看看智商测试,
14:42
you find the gains收益 have been greatest最大 in certain某些 areas.
306
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3985
你会发现它在某种特定领域中得到极大的提高。
14:46
The similarities相似之处 subtest分测验 of the Wechsler韦克斯勒
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相似还有韦氏子测试,
14:48
is about classification分类,
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那是关于分类分析的。
14:51
and we have made制作 enormous巨大 gains收益
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在分类分析的测试终,
14:53
on that classification分类 subtest分测验.
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我们也取得了巨大的进步。
14:56
There are other parts部分 of the I.Q. test测试 battery电池
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智商测试的其他部分
14:59
that are about using运用 logic逻辑 on abstractions抽象.
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是关于对抽象事物运用逻辑思维的。
15:02
Some of you may可能 have taken采取 Raven's乌鸦 Progressive进步 Matrices矩阵,
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你们中也许有人已经做过瑞文渐进矩阵,
15:06
and it's all about analogies类比.
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是关于类比分析的。
15:08
And in 1900, people could do simple简单 analogies类比.
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在 1900 年,人们能做简单的类比分析。
15:12
That is, if you said to them, cats are like wildcats野猫.
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也就是说,如果你对他们说,猫是象野猫一样。
15:16
What are dogs小狗 like?
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那狗像什么?
15:18
They would say wolves.
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他们会说象狼。
15:20
But by 1960, people could attack攻击 Raven's乌鸦
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但到 1960 年,人们可以在瑞文渐进矩阵上
15:23
on a much more sophisticated复杂的 level水平.
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更进一步。
15:26
If you said, we've我们已经 got two squares广场 followed其次 by a triangle三角形,
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如果你说,我们有两个正方形在一个三角形后面,
15:31
what follows如下 two circles?
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那两个圆后面跟着什么?
15:33
They could say a semicircle半圆.
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他们会说是一个半圆。
15:35
Just as a triangle三角形 is half of a square广场,
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就象说三角形是一个正方形的一半一样,
15:37
a semicircle半圆 is half of a circle.
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半圆是一个圆形的一半。
15:40
By 2010, college学院 graduates毕业生, if you said
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到 2010 年,如果你问大学毕业生,
15:44
two circles followed其次 by a semicircle半圆,
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两个圆排在一个半圆之后,
15:47
two sixteenssixteens followed其次 by what,
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两个十六岁跟在什么之后呢?
15:50
they would say eight, because eight is half of 16.
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他们说8,因为8是 16 的一半。
15:53
That is, they had moved移动 so far from the concrete具体 world世界
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这就是,他们已经可以脱离具象世界
15:56
that they could even ignore忽视
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更深远地思考问题了。他们甚至可以忽略
15:59
the appearance出现 of the symbols符号 that were involved参与 in the question.
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智商题中那些符号的外观。
16:03
Now, I should say one thing that's very disheartening令人沮丧.
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但现在我还应该说一件非常令人沮丧的事。
16:06
We haven't没有 made制作 progress进展 on all fronts战线.
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那就是我们还没有在所有的方面上都取得进步。
16:09
One of the ways方法 in which哪一个 we would like to deal合同
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处理现代社会
16:12
with the sophistication诡辩 of the modern现代 world世界
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复杂问题的方法之一,
16:14
is through通过 politics政治,
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就是通过政治。
16:16
and sadly可悲的是 you can have humane人道 moral道德 principles原则,
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可悲的是,你可以有人性的道德原则,
16:19
you can classify分类, you can use logic逻辑 on abstractions抽象,
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你可以分类分析,你可以在抽象问题上运用逻辑,
16:24
and if you're ignorant愚昧 of history历史 and of other countries国家,
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如果你是无视历史和其他国家,
16:27
you can't do politics政治.
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你就不能搞好政治活动。
16:29
We've我们已经 noticed注意到, in a trend趋势 among其中 young年轻 Americans美国人,
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我们注意到,年轻的美国人有这样一个趋势,
16:32
that they read less history历史 and less literature文学
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他们很少读历史和文学
16:35
and less material材料 about foreign国外 lands土地,
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更不要提外国的历史和文学。
16:38
and they're essentially实质上 ahistorical非历史.
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这些年轻人基本上与历史无关。
16:39
They live生活 in the bubble泡沫 of the present当下.
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他们活在当下的泡沫里。
16:42
They don't know the Korean朝鲜的 War战争 from the war战争 in Vietnam越南.
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他们不知道朝鲜战争也不知道越南战争。
16:44
They don't know who was an ally盟友 of America美国 in World世界 War战争 IIII.
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他们不知道谁是第二次世界大战中的美国盟友。
16:49
Think how different不同 America美国 would be
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想象一下,美国会将是如何的不同吧。
16:51
if every一切 American美国 knew知道 that this is the fifth第五 time
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如果每个美国人都知道这已经是第五次
16:55
Western西 armies军队 have gone走了 to Afghanistan阿富汗 to put its house in order订购,
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西方军队进驻阿富汗了,
16:59
and if they had some idea理念 of exactly究竟 what had happened发生
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如果每个美国人都知道
17:02
on those four previous以前 occasions场合.
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前面的四次都发生了什么。
17:05
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
17:06
And that is, they had barely仅仅 left,
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1948
但是,他们(美国的年轻人)几乎从来没有离开
17:08
and there wasn't a trace跟踪 in the sand.
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他们生活的小圈子。
17:10
Or imagine想像 how different不同 things would be
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再想象一下,事情会如何不同吧!
17:13
if most Americans美国人 knew知道 that we had been lied说谎
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如果大多数美国人都知道我们一直被欺骗着
17:16
into four of our last six wars战争.
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参加了六场战争中的四场。
17:19
You know, the Spanish西班牙语 didn't sink水槽 the battleship主力舰 Maine缅因州,
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你知道吗?西班牙没有击沉缅因战舰,
17:22
the Lusitania路西塔尼亚 was not an innocent无辜 vessel船只
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卢西塔尼亚号也不是无辜的。
17:24
but was loaded with munitions弹药,
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它载满武器弹药。
17:27
the North Vietnamese越南 did not attack攻击 the Seventh第七 Fleet舰队,
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北越没有根本攻击第七舰队,
17:31
and, of course课程, Saddam萨达姆 Hussein侯赛因 hated al Qaeda凯达
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并且,当然,萨达姆 · 侯赛因痛恨基地组织,
17:34
and had nothing to do with it,
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跟他们一点儿关系也没有。
17:36
and yet然而 the administration行政 convinced相信 45 percent百分 of the people
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然而,政府当局却能让45%的美国人相信
17:40
that they were brothers兄弟 in arms武器,
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萨达姆和基地组织关系紧密。
17:41
when he would hang one from the nearest最近的 lamppost路灯.
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这样他(领导者)就找到了理由(去打仗)。
17:45
But I don't want to end结束 on a pessimistic悲观 note注意.
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但,我不想用悲观的基调做结语。
17:49
The 20th century世纪 has shown显示 enormous巨大 cognitive认知 reserves储量
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在20 世纪,我们普通人呈现出巨大认知潜力。
17:53
in ordinary普通 people that we have now realized实现,
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3653
我们自己已经充分认识到这一点。
17:57
and the aristocracy贵族 was convinced相信
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以往的贵族相信
17:59
that the average平均 person couldn't不能 make it,
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普通人永远不会
18:01
that they could never share分享 their mindset心态
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拥有象他们那样的思维
18:04
or their cognitive认知 abilities能力.
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和认知能力。
18:07
Lord Curzon寇松 once一旦 said
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柯曾爵士曾经说过:
18:09
he saw people bathing洗澡 in the North Sea,
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他看见人们在北海沐浴,
18:11
and he said, "Why did no one tell me
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他问,"为什么没有人告诉我
18:12
what white白色 bodies身体 the lower降低 orders命令 have?"
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白人怎么这么没有秩序?
18:15
As if they were a reptile爬虫.
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就好像他们是爬虫。”
18:18
Well, Dickens狄更斯 was right and he was wrong错误. [Correction更正: Rudyard拉迪亚德 Kipling吉卜林]
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其实呢,狄更斯是对和他是错的。[更正: 拉迪亚德 · 吉卜林]
18:21
[Kipling吉卜林] said, "The colonel's上校的 lady淑女 and Judy朱迪 O'Grady奥格雷迪
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[吉卜林] 说:"上校的夫人和茱蒂奥格雷迪
18:25
are sisters姐妹 underneath the skin皮肤."
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在皮肤以下是姐妹呢"。
18:28
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
Translated by Sophia Liu
Reviewed by Lin Piao

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
James Flynn - Moral philosopher
James Flynn challenges our fundamental assumptions about intelligence.

Why you should listen

Year over year, people fare better on standardized tests, a global phenomenon known as the Flynn Effect. James Flynn, the New Zealand-based researcher who discovered this, believes that environmental factors play a greater role in intelligence than genetics does.

His latest findings, discussed in his 2012 book Are We Getting Smarter?, also suggest that women are not only as intelligent as men, but superior when it comes to executive function. “Women, when exposed to modernity, do equal men for IQ,” Flynn said to TV ONE’s Greg Boyed. “But in the formal educational setting where they apply their intelligence, they’re outperforming men all hollow.”

Flynn, a retired university professor, has written extensively about the connection between ongoing equality and IQ gains, democracy and human rights. He also wrote a compelling book about books, The Torchlight List, in which he lists 200 must-reads.

More profile about the speaker
James Flynn | Speaker | TED.com