ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kwame Anthony Appiah - Philosopher
Kwame Anthony Appiah is a philosopher, cultural theorist and novelist. His latest book is "The Honor Code," exploring moral revolutions.

Why you should listen

Kwame Anthony Appiah works on political and moral theory, the philosophy of language and mind, and African intellectual history. In his 2010 book The Honor Code, he explores a hidden engine of reform: appeals to honor. Examining moral revolutions in the past—and campaigns against abhorrent practices today—he shows that appeals to reason, morality, or religion aren’t enough to ring in reform.

He's the author of Lines of Descent, a thoughtful look at the career of sociologist W.E.B. DuBois, and Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, which studied "the powerful ties that connect people across religions, culture and nations … and of the deep conflicts within them." In 2008, Appiah published Experiments in Ethics, in which he reviews the relevance of empirical research to ethical theory. Appiah has also published several novels, including Avenging Angel, Nobody Likes Letitia and Another Death in Venice. 
 

More profile about the speaker
Kwame Anthony Appiah | Speaker | TED.com
TEDSalon NY2014

Kwame Anthony Appiah: Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question)

奎迈·安东尼·阿皮亚: 宗教是好还是坏?(一个刁钻的问题)

Filmed:
1,809,043 views

人们以宗教的名义做了许多好事,也同样做了许多坏事。但到底什么是宗教--它本身是好还是坏?哲学家 奎迈·安东尼·阿皮亚给我们提供了一个既广博又出人意料的观察视角。
- Philosopher
Kwame Anthony Appiah is a philosopher, cultural theorist and novelist. His latest book is "The Honor Code," exploring moral revolutions. Full bio

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

00:12
People say things about religion宗教 all the time.
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人们总是在谈论着宗教。
00:16
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
00:18
The late晚了, great Christopher克里斯托弗 Hitchens希钦斯
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已故的伟大的克里斯托弗·希钦斯
00:20
wrote a book called "God Is Not Great"
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写过一本书,叫做《上帝并不伟大》
00:22
whose谁的 subtitle字幕 was, "Religion宗教 Poisons毒药 Everything."
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它的副标题是:宗教毒害一切。
00:25
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
00:27
But last month, in Time magazine杂志,
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但是,在上个月的《时代》杂志上,
00:31
Rabbi拉比 David大卫 Wolpe沃尔普, who I gather收集
is referred简称 to as America's美国 rabbi拉比,
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拉比·戴维·沃尔普,
也就是那个被誉为美国的拉比(先知)的人,
00:35
said, to balance平衡 that against反对
that negative characterization描述,
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为了反对这些对于宗教的消极看法,
00:40
that no important重要 form形成 of social社会 change更改
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他说:只有有组织的宗教活动
00:42
can be brought about except through通过 organized有组织的 religion宗教.
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能够带来重要的社会形势的变革。
00:46
Now, remarks备注 of this sort分类 on the negative
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至今为止这些对于宗教的不好
00:48
and the positive side are very old.
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乃至好的评价都已经是老生常谈了。
00:52
I have one in my pocket口袋 here
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我现在就能想到一个:
00:54
from the first century世纪 BCEBCE by Lucretius卢克莱修,
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公元前的第一个世纪,
卢克莱修(古罗马哲学家及诗人),
01:00
the author作者 of "On the Nature性质 of Things," who said,
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也就是《物性论》的作者,他说,
01:03
"TantumTantum religio的宗教 potuitpotuit suaderesuadere malorummalorum" --
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"Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum" (拉丁文)
01:07
I should have been able能够 to learn学习 that by heart
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我应该是已经把它铭记于心了的,
01:10
which哪一个 is, that's how much religion宗教
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它的意思就是,宗教
01:12
is able能够 to persuade说服 people to do evil邪恶,
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是可以使人们做一些邪恶的事情的,
01:15
and he was talking about the fact事实
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同时他还陈述了一个真实案例:
01:17
of Agamemnon's阿伽门农的 decision决定 to place地点 his daughter女儿
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阿伽门农决定将其女儿
01:20
Iphigenia伊菲革涅亚 on an altar of sacrifice牺牲
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依菲琴尼亚作为祭祀的贡品,
01:22
in order订购 to preserve保留 the prospects前途 of his army军队.
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为的是保佑他的军队
能够在以后的战争中所向披靡。
01:25
So there have been these long debates辩论
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因而从这个事件中就可以看出,
01:28
over the centuries百年, in that case案件, actually其实,
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实际上,有关宗教的讨论可以追溯到很久以前,
01:30
we can say over the millennia千年, about religion宗教.
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我们甚至可以说超过了一千年。
01:31
People have talked about it a lot,
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人们说了很多关于宗教的问题,
01:33
and they've他们已经 said good and bad
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有好有坏,
01:35
and indifferent冷漠 things about it.
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观点不一。
01:39
What I want to persuade说服 you of today今天
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而我今天想和大家分享的
01:40
is of a very simple简单 claim要求,
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只是一个很简单的想法:
01:42
which哪一个 is that these debates辩论 are
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所有的这些争论
01:44
in a certain某些 sense preposterous荒谬,
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在某种程度上都是荒谬的,
01:47
because there is no such这样 thing as religion宗教
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因为这个世界上根本没有宗教这种东西,
01:51
about which哪一个 to make these claims索赔.
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所以也就不应该产生这些观点。
01:53
There isn't a thing called religion宗教,
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既然这个世界上根本没有宗教这种东西,
01:54
and so it can't be good or bad.
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我们也不应该评价其好坏。
01:57
It can't even be indifferent冷漠.
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它甚至不能作为一个中立的说法。
01:59
And if you think about claims索赔
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如果你想想
02:02
about the nonexistence不存在 of things,
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其他的不存在的事物,
02:06
one obvious明显 way to try and establish建立
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一个很明显的检验这个观点
02:08
the nonexistence不存在 of a purported声称 thing
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是不是不存在的一个方法是
02:10
would be to offer提供 a definition定义 of that thing
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按照这些观点定义这个事物,
02:13
and then to see whether是否 anything satisfied满意 it.
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然后看看是否能寻找到符合这个定义的事物。
02:15
I'm going to start开始 out on that little route路线
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我今天的演讲也将按照这条小路线
02:19
to begin开始 with.
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出发。
02:20
So if you look in the dictionaries字典
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当你希望依靠翻阅字典来
02:22
and if you think about it,
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明白宗教的意思时,
02:24
one very natural自然 definition定义 of religion宗教
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你会发现字典上
02:26
is that it involves涉及 belief信仰 in gods or in spiritual精神 beings众生.
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它的定义与相信上帝或者精神层面的事物有关。
02:32
As I say, this is in many许多 dictionaries字典,
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就像我刚才说的,
这是大多数字典中给出的答案,
02:33
but you'll你会 also find it actually其实
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但是你也会发现,实际上,
02:36
in the work of Sir先生 Edward爱德华 Tylor泰勒,
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在爱德华·泰勒的著作中也提到了这个观点,
02:38
who was the first professor教授
of anthropology人类学 at Oxford牛津,
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泰勒是牛津大学的第一位人类学教授,
02:40
one of the first modern现代 anthropologists人类学家.
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也是近代第一批人类学家中的一员。
02:42
In his book on primitive原始 culture文化,
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在他有关远古文化的著作中,
02:44
he says the heart of religion宗教
is what he called animism万物有灵论,
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他说,宗教的中心应该称作万物有灵论,
02:47
that is, the belief信仰 in spiritual精神 agency机构,
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也就是信仰神的使者,
02:49
belief信仰 in spirits.
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信仰神灵。
02:51
The first problem问题 for that definition定义
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这个定义首先出现的一个问题
02:53
is from a recent最近 novel小说 by Paul保罗 Beatty比蒂 called "Tuff凝灰岩."
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源于保罗•贝蒂最新出版的一本小说,叫做《塔夫》。
02:56
There's a guy talking to a rabbi拉比.
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他写道一个人向拉比求助。
02:57
The rabbi拉比 says he doesn't believe in God.
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然而拉比却说他自己并不相信上帝。
03:00
The guy says, "You're a rabbi拉比,
how can you not believe in God?"
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这个人又说,
”你是拉比,你怎么能不相信上帝呢?“
03:02
And the reply回复 is, "It's what's
so great about being存在 Jewish犹太.
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他回答道,“这就是作为一名犹太人的好处,
03:06
You don't have to believe in a God per seSE,
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你并不用信奉上帝本身,
03:08
just in being存在 Jewish犹太." (Laughter笑声)
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只要相信自己是个犹太人就行。”(笑声)
03:10
So if this guy is a rabbi拉比, and a Jewish犹太 rabbi拉比,
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所以,如果这个人是一个拉比,
并且是一个犹太人的拉比,
03:13
and if you have to believe in
God in order订购 to be religious宗教,
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同时你又为了有宗教信仰而信仰上帝,
03:16
then we have the rather counterintuitive有悖常理 conclusion结论
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那么我们会得出一个看似违反常理的结论,
03:20
that since以来 it's possible可能 to be a Jewish犹太 rabbi拉比
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既然可以有一个犹太的拉比
03:22
without believing相信 in God,
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不信奉上帝,
03:24
Judaism犹太教 isn't a religion宗教.
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那么犹太教就不是一个宗教。
03:26
That seems似乎 like a pretty漂亮 counterintuitive有悖常理 thought.
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这仿佛是一个非常有悖常理的想法。
03:29
Here's这里的 another另一个 argument论据 against反对 this view视图.
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这里还有另外一个反对这一观点的说法。
03:33
A friend朋友 of mine, an Indian印度人 friend朋友 of mine,
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我一个朋友,一个印度朋友,
03:35
went to his grandfather祖父 when he was very young年轻,
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在他很小的时候,有一次他去看他的祖父,
03:37
a child儿童, and said to him,
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这时候他还是个孩子,他对他的祖父说,
03:38
"I want to talk to you about religion宗教,"
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“我想和你谈谈宗教这个话题,”
03:40
and his grandfather祖父 said, "You're too young年轻.
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他的祖父说,“你现在还太小,
03:42
Come back when you're a teenager青少年."
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等你变成一个真正的少年以后再来和我讨论这个话题。”
03:43
So he came来了 back when he was a teenager青少年,
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当他成为少年以后,他又回来了,
03:45
and he said to his grandfather祖父,
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他对他祖父说,
03:47
"It may可能 be a bit late晚了 now
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“现在讨论这个话题也许有点晚了,
03:48
because I've discovered发现 that
I don't believe in the gods."
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因为我已经发现了我并不相信上帝。”
03:52
And his grandfather祖父, who was a wise明智的 man, said,
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而他祖父则是一个非常明智的人,他说,
03:54
"Oh, so you belong属于 to the atheist无神论者 branch
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“哦,原来你是传统印度教中
03:56
of the Hindu印度教 tradition传统." (Laughter笑声)
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无神论分支的一份子。”(笑声)
03:59
And finally最后, there's this guy,
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最后,这个人
04:03
who famously著名 doesn't believe in God.
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变成一位非常有名的无神论着,
04:05
His name名称 is the Dalai达赖 Lama喇嘛.
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他的名字是达赖喇嘛。
04:07
He often经常 jokes笑话 that he's one
of the world's世界 leading领导 atheists无神论者.
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他总是开玩笑说他是世界上最有名的无神论者之一。
04:10
But it's true真正, because the Dalai达赖 Lama's达赖喇嘛 religion宗教
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这是事实,因为达赖喇嘛的宗教信仰中
04:13
does not involve涉及 belief信仰 in God.
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并不涉及相信上帝。
04:15
Now you might威力 think this just shows节目
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现在,你也许会认为
04:17
that I've given特定 you the wrong错误 definition定义
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我刚才给大家展示的这些是对宗教的错误定义,
04:20
and that I should come up with some other definition定义
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我还应该找到一些其他的定义
04:22
and test测试 it against反对 these cases
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并逐一检测他们的正确性,
04:24
and try and find something that captures捕获
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尝试找到一个定义能够囊括
04:26
atheistic无神论 Judaism犹太教, atheistic无神论 Hinduism印度教,
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无神犹太教,无神印度教,
04:29
and atheistic无神论 Buddhism佛教 as forms形式 of religiosity笃信,
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无神佛教,以及其他各种形式的信仰。
04:33
but I actually其实 think that that's a bad idea理念,
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但我真的认为这是一个坏主意,
04:34
and the reason原因 I think it's a bad idea理念
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我之所以认为它是一个坏主意
04:37
is that I don't think that's how
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是因为我不相信
04:38
our concept概念 of religion宗教 works作品.
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我们这个寻找宗教定义的方法会起作用。
04:40
I think the way our concept概念 of religion宗教 works作品
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我认为我们对宗教的定义之所以起作用
04:42
is that we actually其实 have, we have a list名单
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实际上是因为我们列了一张
04:45
of paradigm范例 religions宗教
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宗教变化表
04:47
and their sub-parts子部分, right,
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以及其分支,对吧,
04:50
and if something new comes along沿
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如果出现了什么新的东西,
04:52
that purports欲使 to be a religion宗教,
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而他们又打算把自己划入宗教范畴内,
04:54
what we ask is, "Well, is it like one of these?"
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我们就会问,“看,它们是不是和现存的那些很像呢?”
04:56
Right?
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”不是吗?“
04:59
And I think that's not only
how we think about religion宗教,
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我想,这不是仅仅关于我们对宗教怎么看,
05:01
and that's, as it were,
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而是,
05:03
so from our point of view视图,
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仅从我个人观点来讲,
05:04
anything on that list名单 had better be a religion宗教,
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我们认为那张清单上的每个名字最好都能是一种宗教,
05:06
which哪一个 is why I don't think an account帐户 of religion宗教
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这也就是为什么我不认为排除了
05:08
that excludes排除 Buddhism佛教 and Judaism犹太教
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佛教和犹太教的宗教定义
05:10
has a chance机会 of being存在 a good starter起动机,
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不是一个好的开始,
05:13
because they're on our list名单.
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因为它们的名字已经在我们的名单上了。
05:15
But why do we have such这样 a list名单?
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但是,为什么我们会有这样的一个名单呢?
05:17
What's going on? How did it come about
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究竟发生了什么事?我们究竟是如何创造出
05:19
that we have this list名单?
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这个名单的呢?
05:21
I think the answer回答 is a pretty漂亮 simple简单 one
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我认为,答案是非常简单的,
05:24
and therefore因此 crude原油 and contentious争议.
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同时也是粗糙且富有争议的。
05:27
I'm sure a lot of people will disagree不同意 with it,
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我相信很多人都不会同意我的看法,
05:29
but here's这里的 my story故事,
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但是,这是我的故事,
05:30
and true真正 or not, it's a story故事 that I think
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无论对错,我认为这个故事
05:33
gives you a good sense of how
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都可以给大家一个关于这份清单的来历的
05:35
the list名单 might威力 have come about,
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好的启发,
05:37
and therefore因此 helps帮助 you to think about
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因为可以帮大家明白
05:38
what use the list名单 might威力 be.
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这份清单的作用究竟是什么。
05:40
I think the answer回答 is, European欧洲的 travelers旅客,
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我认为答案就是,欧洲的探险家们,
05:43
starting开始 roughly大致 about the time of Columbus哥伦布,
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在大约哥伦布时期
05:45
started开始 going around the world世界.
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开始周游全世界。
05:46
They came来了 from a Christian基督教 culture文化,
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他们所信仰的某个基督文化,
05:49
and when they arrived到达 in a new place地点,
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当他们到达一个新地方以后,
05:51
they noticed注意到 that some people
didn't have Christianity基督教,
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他们就发现当地的一些人并没有信仰基督教,
05:53
and so they asked themselves他们自己
the following以下 question:
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因而他们问了自己以下的一个问题:
05:55
what have they got instead代替 of Christianity基督教?
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如果他们不信基督教,那他们信什么呢?
05:59
And that list名单 was essentially实质上 constructed.
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就这样,那份清单一点点建立出来了。
06:02
It consists of the things that other people had
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它包含了那些不信基督教的人
06:04
instead代替 of Christianity基督教.
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用什么其他信仰来代替基督教。
06:07
Now there's a difficulty困难 with proceeding诉讼 in that way,
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但是,用这种方式继续进行下去面临着一些问题,
06:10
which哪一个 is that Christianity基督教 is extremely非常,
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因为基督教是非常特殊的,
06:13
even on that list名单, it's an extremely非常 specific具体 tradition传统.
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即便是在这份清单里,它的传统惯例也是很特别的。
06:17
It has all kinds of things in it
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基督教里所存在的东西
06:19
that are very, very particular特定
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都是非常非常特别的,
06:21
that are the results结果 of the specifics细节
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因为它们都是基督教历史的
06:23
of Christian基督教 history历史,
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特定产物。
06:26
and one thing that's at the heart of it,
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在基督教中处于核心的东西,
06:27
one thing that's at the heart of
most understandings理解 of Christianity基督教,
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也就是基督教的核心教义,
06:30
which哪一个 is the result结果 of the
specific具体 history历史 of Christianity基督教,
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都是基督教历史的特定产物。
06:32
is that it's an extremely非常 creedal信条 religion宗教.
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这是一个有着极其严重的教条主义的宗教
06:36
It's a religion宗教 in which哪一个 people are really concerned关心
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这个宗教的人们真正关心的是
06:38
about whether是否 you believe the right things.
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你是否信仰正确的东西。
06:41
The history历史 of Christianity基督教, the
internal内部 history历史 of Christianity基督教,
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基督教的历史,基督教的内部历史,
06:43
is largely大部分 the history历史 of people killing谋杀 each other
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其实大部分讲的都是人们之间的互相残杀,
06:45
because they believed相信 the wrong错误 thing,
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因为他们没有信仰正确的东西。
06:47
and it's also involved参与 in
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当然,这其中也包括
06:49
struggles斗争 with other religions宗教,
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与其他宗教的争端,
06:51
obviously明显 starting开始 in the Middle中间 Ages时代,
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这些争端明显始于中世纪时期,
06:55
a struggle斗争 with Islam伊斯兰教,
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与伊斯兰教的争端,
06:56
in which哪一个, again, it was the infidelity不忠,
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又是因为无神与有神的争辩,
06:59
the fact事实 that they didn't believe the right things,
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认为他们没有信仰正确的事物
07:01
that seemed似乎 so offensive进攻 to the Christian基督教 world世界.
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这对基督教的世界是一种严重的冒犯。
07:05
Now that's a very specific具体 and particular特定 history历史
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当然,那是基督教非常特别的
07:07
that Christianity基督教 has,
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历史故事,
07:10
and not everywhere到处 is everything
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但是,没有任何地方的任何事情
07:13
that has ever been put on this sort分类 of list名单 like it.
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是像基督教一样被列到这个清单中的。
07:17
Here's这里的 another另一个 problem问题, I think.
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接下来,我认为还有另一个问题。
07:18
A very specific具体 thing happened发生.
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发生了一件特殊的事情。
07:20
It was actually其实 advertedadverted to earlier,
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其实我们前面有提到过这个问题,
07:21
but a very specific具体 thing happened发生
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一件非常特殊的事情发生在
07:23
in the history历史 of the kind of Christianity基督教
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基督教的历史中,
07:25
that we see around us
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这个历史是被我们
07:26
mostly大多 in the United联合的 States状态 today今天,
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现代美国人所熟知的。
07:28
and it happened发生 in the late晚了 19th century世纪,
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这件事情发生在十九世纪后期,
07:32
and that specific具体 thing that happened发生
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这件在十九世纪
07:33
in the late晚了 19th century世纪
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发生的重要的事
07:34
was a kind of deal合同 that was cut
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就是一个切断
07:37
between之间 science科学,
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与科学之间联系,
07:39
this new way of organizing组织 intellectual知识分子 authority权威,
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这是一个管理知识权威(科学)
07:45
and religion宗教.
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与宗教的新手段。
07:46
If you think about the 18th century世纪, say,
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你设想一下十八世纪,
07:48
if you think about intellectual知识分子 life
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如果你设想一下
07:50
before the late晚了 19th century世纪,
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十九世纪以前的知识界,
07:52
anything you did, anything you thought about,
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所有你做的事,你想的事,
07:55
whether是否 it was the physical物理 world世界,
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无论它是属于物理界,
07:58
the human人的 world世界,
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人类社会,
08:00
the natural自然 world世界 apart距离 from the human人的 world世界,
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除了人类社会以外的自然界,
08:02
or morality道德, anything you did
193
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1967
或者是伦理道德方面,所有你做的事
08:04
would have been framed陷害 against反对 the background背景
194
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都会被当时的社会背景中的条条框框所限制住,
08:05
of a set of assumptions假设 that were religious宗教,
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也就是宗教的背景,
08:08
Christian基督教 assumptions假设.
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基督教的背景。
08:09
You couldn't不能 give an account帐户
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你不可能在当时的世界中
08:11
of the natural自然 world世界
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提出一个观点
08:12
that didn't say something about its relationship关系,
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却又不解释它与宗教、基督教之间的联系,
08:15
for example, to the creation创建 story故事
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1808
例如,与亚伯拉罕故事中的
08:17
in the Abrahamic亚伯拉罕 tradition传统,
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创世纪,
08:19
the creation创建 story故事 in the first book of the Torah托拉.
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创世纪是犹太律法书的第一卷。
08:22
So everything was framed陷害 in that way.
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所以说,所有事都要按照这个限制展开,
08:25
But this changes变化 in the late晚了 19th century世纪,
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但是在十九世纪末期发生的改变,
08:28
and for the first time, it's possible可能 for people
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第一次,使人们有可能
08:30
to develop发展 serious严重 intellectual知识分子 careers职业生涯
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建立起严谨的知识领域
08:32
as natural自然 historians历史学家 like Darwin达尔文.
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以及出现像达尔文这样的自然历史学家。
08:34
Darwin达尔文 worried担心 about the relationship关系 between之间
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达尔文担心他所说的话
08:36
what he said and the truths真理 of religion宗教,
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与宗教给人们输入的事实之间的冲突,
08:39
but he could proceed继续, he could write books图书
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但是他还是可以继续进行自己的研究,
08:41
about his subject学科
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他可以写有关他研究内容的书籍,
08:43
without having to say what the relationship关系 was
212
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而不用解释他的研究内容与
08:45
to the religious宗教 claims索赔,
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宗教教义之间的关系,
08:47
and similarly同样, geologists地质学家
increasingly日益 could talk about it.
214
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同理,地质学家们也在逐渐的谈论他们的发现。
08:49
In the early 19th century世纪, if you were a geologist地质学家
215
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1802
在十九世纪初期,如果你是一个地质学家
08:51
and made制作 a claim要求 about the age年龄 of the Earth地球,
216
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1923
你发表了关于地球年龄的言论,
08:53
you had to explain说明 whether是否 that was consistent一贯
217
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1642
你需要解释,地球是不是一直存在的,
08:55
or how it was or wasn't consistent一贯
218
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它是如何一直存在或者不存在的,
08:56
with the age年龄 of the Earth地球 implied默示
219
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因为在《创世纪》中已经
08:57
by the account帐户 in Genesis创世纪.
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阐述过了地球的年龄。
08:59
By the end结束 of the 19th century世纪,
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在十九世纪末期,
09:00
you can just write a geology地质学 textbook教科书
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你可以写一些有关地质学的教科书,
09:02
in which哪一个 you make arguments参数
about how old the Earth地球 is.
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在里面你可以讨论旧时的地球是什么样的。
09:04
So there's a big change更改, and that division,
224
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这是一个非常大的改变,这种分离,
09:06
that intellectual知识分子 division of
labor劳动 occurs发生 as I say, I think,
225
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2935
这种智慧与劳动力的分离,我认为,
09:09
and it sort分类 of solidifies凝固 so that by the end结束
226
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2825
在十九世纪末期的欧洲
09:12
of the 19th century世纪 in Europe欧洲,
227
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得到了加深。
09:15
there's a real真实 intellectual知识分子 division of labor劳动,
228
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1991
因为那时候出现了真正的智力与劳动力的分离,
09:17
and you can do all sorts排序 of serious严重 things,
229
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2000
你可以做各种各样严谨的研究,
09:19
including包含, increasingly日益, even philosophy哲学,
230
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3902
其中包括各种各样的领域,甚至包括哲学,
09:23
without being存在 constrained受限 by the thought,
231
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而且不用被当时的思想所禁锢:
09:26
"Well, what I have to say has to be consistent一贯
232
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“我所说的话必须始终如一的
09:28
with the deep truths真理 that are given特定 to me
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贯穿在宗教传统教义的
09:31
by our religious宗教 tradition传统."
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真理中。”
09:33
So imagine想像 someone有人 who's谁是 coming未来 out
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所以 ,大家想象一下如果谁走出了那个世界,
09:35
of that world世界, that late-晚了-19th-centuryTH-世纪 world世界,
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也就是十九世纪的末期的那个世界,
09:39
coming未来 into the country国家 that I grew成长 up in, Ghana加纳,
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来到了我长大的地方,加纳,
09:43
the society社会 that I grew成长 up in, Asante阿桑特,
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来到了我长大的社会阿桑特
09:45
coming未来 into that world世界
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1406
进入这个社会以后,
09:47
at the turn of the 20th century世纪
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来到二十世纪的转折点,
09:49
with this question that made制作 the list名单:
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2023
带着以下的这些问题:
09:51
what have they got instead代替 of Christianity基督教?
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3763
他们用什么信仰代替了基督教?
09:54
Well, here's这里的 one thing he would have noticed注意到,
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2857
这有一件事是值得我们大家注意的,
09:57
and by the way, there was a
person who actually其实 did this.
244
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顺便说一下,真的有人这么做了。
10:00
His name名称 was Captain队长 Rattray拉特雷,
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1299
他就是拉特雷上尉,
10:01
he was sent发送 as the British英国的
government政府 anthropologist人类学家,
246
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2052
他作为英国政府特派的一名人类学家来到了阿桑特,
10:03
and he wrote a book about Asante阿桑特 religion宗教.
247
591502
1993
并写了一本有关阿桑特的宗教信仰的书。
10:05
This is a soul灵魂 disc圆盘.
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这是一个灵魂唱片,
10:08
There are many许多 of them in the British英国的 Museum博物馆.
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因为阿桑特的的许多东西都保留在大英博物馆里。
10:10
I could give you an interesting有趣, different不同 history历史
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我可以给大家讲一个有趣而又与众不同的历史故事,
10:11
of how it comes about that many许多 of the things
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2165
关于为什么很多
10:13
from my society社会 ended结束 up in the British英国的 Museum博物馆,
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3391
属于我成长的社会的事物最终会被保留在大英博物馆里,
10:17
but we don't have time for that.
253
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1811
但是由于时间的原因我就不给大家讲了。
10:18
So this object目的 is a soul灵魂 disc圆盘.
254
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1492
但是,这是一张灵魂唱片。
10:20
What is a soul灵魂 disc圆盘?
255
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1138
那么什么是灵魂唱片呢?
10:21
It was worn磨损的 around the necks脖子
256
609575
1829
这是阿桑特国王挂在脖子上
10:23
of the soul-washers灵魂垫圈 of the Asante阿桑特 king国王.
257
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2570
用来净化灵魂所使用的。
10:25
What was their job工作? To wash the king's国王 soul灵魂.
258
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3555
他们的工作是什么呢?是净化国王的灵魂。
10:29
It would take a long while
259
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1905
要是解释灵魂怎么会
10:31
to explain说明 how a soul灵魂 could be the kind of thing
260
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2227
成为一件可以被净化的东西
10:33
that could be washed,
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1300
可能要花费很长一段时间,
10:34
but Rattray拉特雷 knew知道 that this was religion宗教
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2779
但是,拉特雷认为这就是宗教
10:37
because souls灵魂 were in play.
263
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3503
因为其中有灵魂这个重要因素的参与。
10:41
And similarly同样,
264
629243
1746
与此相似的
10:42
there were many许多 other things, many许多 other practices做法.
265
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2207
还有很多其他的事情,其他的事实。
10:45
For example, every一切 time anybody任何人
had a drink, more or less,
266
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2363
例如,每次有人喝酒时,无论是多是少,
10:47
they poured a little bit on the ground地面
267
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2022
他们都会倒一点到地上,
10:49
in what's called the libation,
268
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1729
他们叫这种仪式为奠酒祭神,
10:51
and they gave some to the ancestors祖先.
269
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1689
为的是将酒倒给祖先一些。
10:52
My father父亲 did this. Every一切 time
he opened打开 a bottle瓶子 of whiskey威士忌酒,
270
640999
2349
我的父亲每次打开一瓶新的威士忌时都会这么做,
10:55
which哪一个 I'm glad高兴 to say was very often经常,
271
643348
1521
我很高兴的是,他经常会开新的酒喝,
10:56
he would take the top最佳 off and
pour off just a little on the ground地面,
272
644869
3879
他会倒一点点在地上。
11:00
and he would talk to,
273
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1351
然后他会说话,
11:02
he would say to Akroma-Ampim爱若玛-Ampim, the founder创办人 of our line线,
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3540
他会与我们的祖先Akroma-Ampim说话,
11:05
or Yao姚明 Antony安东尼, my great uncle叔叔,
275
653639
1596
或者与我的祖叔叔安东尼·姚说话,
11:07
he would talk to them,
276
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1895
他与他们说话,
11:09
offer提供 them a little bit of this.
277
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2223
同时给他们倒一些酒。
11:11
And finally最后, there were these
huge巨大 public上市 ceremonials的仪式.
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2885
最后,我要说的是一些宏大的公共仪式。
11:14
This is an early-早-19th-centuryTH-世纪 drawing画画
279
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1416
这是一幅十九世纪早期由
11:15
by another另一个 British英国的 military军事 officer
280
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1273
另一位英国军官所画的画,
11:16
of such这样 a ceremonial仪式,
281
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2050
画中主要描述了这样的一个仪式,
11:18
where the king国王 was involved参与,
282
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2128
国王也参与到了这个仪式当中,
11:21
and the king's国王 job工作,
283
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1406
而且这就是他工作的一部分,
11:22
one of the large parts部分 of his job工作,
284
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1189
也是很大的一部分,
11:23
apart距离 from organizing组织 warfare and things like that,
285
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2951
他的工作除了组织战争这类事情之外,
11:26
was to look after the tombs墓葬 of his ancestors祖先,
286
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3346
就是看好祖先的墓地。
11:29
and when a king国王 died死亡,
287
677997
1997
当国王死后,
11:31
the stool粪便 that he satSAT on was blackened熏黑
288
679994
1514
他所坐的椅子会被涂黑,
11:33
and put in the royal王室的 ancestral temple寺庙,
289
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2884
放到皇家陵庙中。
11:36
and every一切 40 days,
290
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2129
每隔四十天,
11:38
the King国王 of Asante阿桑特 has to go and do cult礼拜
291
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1855
阿桑特的国王都要去陵庙祭祀
11:40
for his ancestors祖先.
292
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1362
祖先。
11:41
That's a large part部分 of his job工作,
293
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1502
这是他工作中很大的一部分,
11:43
and people think that if he doesn't do it,
294
691240
1873
而且人们认为如果他不这样做,
11:45
things will fall秋季 apart距离.
295
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1731
所有的事情都会分崩瓦解。
11:46
So he's a religious宗教 figure数字,
296
694844
2366
所以,他是一个宗教领袖,
11:49
as Rattray拉特雷 would have said,
297
697210
1325
就像拉特雷说的那样,
11:50
as well as a political政治 figure数字.
298
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2625
他同时也是一个政治领袖。
11:53
So all this would count计数 as religion宗教 for Rattray拉特雷,
299
701160
4684
这一切对于拉特雷来说都是宗教的一种表现,
11:57
but my point is that when you look
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705844
1939
但是我认为当你看到
11:59
into the lives生活 of those people,
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这的人是如何生活的时候,
12:01
you also find that every一切 time they do anything,
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709165
2745
你也会发现每当他们要做什么事的时候,
12:03
they're conscious意识 of the ancestors祖先.
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2034
都会想着他们的祖先。
12:05
Every一切 morning早上 at breakfast早餐,
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713944
2033
每一顿早餐,
12:07
you can go outside the front面前 of the house
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1826
你都要来到房子的前面
12:09
and make an offering to the god tree, the nyameNYAME duaDUA
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给你的家院子里的尼阿美圣树
12:12
outside your house,
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1184
献上祭品。
12:14
and again, you'll你会 talk to the gods
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1317
同时,你也要和神灵们讲话,
12:15
and the high gods and the low gods
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1026
无论是是位高的神还是位低的神,你都要和他们讲话,
12:16
and the ancestors祖先 and so on.
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也要和祖先们讲话。
12:18
This is not a world世界
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1536
这不是一个
12:19
in which哪一个 the separation分割 between之间 religion宗教 and science科学
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宗教与科学相分离的社会
12:22
has occurred发生.
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1574
会发生的事情。
12:24
Religion宗教 has not being存在 separated分离
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在这个社会中,只要有生命的存在,
12:25
from any other areas of life,
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1276
就会有宗教的产生。
12:26
and in particular特定,
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1997
特别要提出的是,
12:28
what's crucial关键 to understand理解 about this world世界
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1695
对于想要理解这个社会很重要的一点是,
12:30
is that it's a world世界 in which哪一个 the job工作
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1538
这个社会中的工作,
12:32
that science科学 does for us
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1138
也就是本应由科学提供给我们的工作,
12:33
is doneDONE by what Rattray拉特雷 is going to call religion宗教,
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3144
却是由拉特雷口中的宗教创造的,
12:36
because if they want an explanation说明 of something,
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744432
1940
因为如果他们想要一个事物的解释,
12:38
if they want to know why the crop作物 just failed失败,
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746372
1828
如果他们想要知道为什么庄稼收成不好,
12:40
if they want to know why it's raining下雨
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1286
如果他们想要知道为什么会下雨,
12:41
or not raining下雨, if they need rain,
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2418
或者当他们需要雨时,他们会问为什么还不下雨,
12:43
if they want to know why
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2524
如果他们想要知道为什么
12:46
their grandfather祖父 has died死亡,
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1859
他们的祖父会死去,
12:48
they are going to appeal上诉 to the very same相同 entities实体,
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2908
他们会用同一种方式寻求答案,
12:51
the very same相同 language语言,
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1442
用同一种语言寻求助,
12:52
talk to the very same相同 gods about that.
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向同样的神求助。
12:55
This great separation分割, in other words,
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2089
换句话说,这个社会并没有发生
12:57
between之间 religion宗教 and science科学 hasn't有没有 happened发生.
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1931
宗教与科学之间的巨大分离。
12:59
Now, this would be a mere historical历史的 curiosity好奇心,
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4325
现在,这也许仅仅是一件历史趣事,
13:03
except that in large parts部分 of the world世界,
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3452
但其实上,在世界上绝大一部分地区,
13:07
this is still the truth真相.
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2744
这都是事实。
13:09
I had the privilege特权 of going to a wedding婚礼
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777794
2008
有一次,我有幸参加一个
13:11
the other day in northern北方 Namibia纳米比亚,
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1765
在北纳米比亚举行的婚礼,
13:13
20 miles英里 or so south of the Angolan安哥拉 border边境
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2845
这是在英格拉边界向南20英里处的
13:16
in a village of 200 people.
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1733
一个居住着200人的小村庄。
13:18
These were modern现代 people.
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1168
这些都是现代人。
13:19
We had with us Oona乌娜 Chaplin卓别林,
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1891
和我们在一起的一个人叫奥娜·卓别林,
13:21
who some of you may可能 have heard听说 of,
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789204
1409
也许在座的各位中也许有人听过她的名字,
13:22
and one of the people from
this village came来了 up to her,
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790613
2079
村庄中的一个找到了她,
13:24
and said, "I've seen看到 you in 'Game'游戏 of Thrones权力.'"
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2731
和她说,“我看到过你在《权利游戏》中的表演。”
13:27
So these were not people who
were isolated孤立 from our world世界,
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3828
所以说,这些人不是过着与世隔绝的生活,
13:31
but nevertheless虽然, for them,
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1529
但是,对于他们来说,
13:32
the gods and the spirits are still very much there,
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2553
神灵和精神仍然是他们生活中非常重要的部分。
13:35
and when we were on the bus总线 going back and forth向前
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803333
1826
当我们乘坐公共汽车在各种
13:37
to the various各个 parts部分 of the [ceremony仪式],
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805159
1662
活动中来来回回的时候,
13:38
they prayed祈祷 not just in a generic通用 way
349
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2577
我们发现,他们并不是笼统的祷告一些事,
13:41
but for the safety安全 of the journey旅程,
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809398
1461
而是专门祈祷旅途安全,
13:42
and they meant意味着 it,
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911
而且他们是很认真的,
13:43
and when they said to me that my mother母亲,
352
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3162
当他们和我说,我的母亲,
13:46
the bridegroom's新郎 [grandmother祖母],
353
814932
1691
也就是新郎的“祖母”,
13:48
was with us, they didn't mean it figuratively比喻.
354
816623
2562
和我们在一起,他们不是指一个象征的意义,
13:51
They meant意味着, even though虽然 she was a dead person,
355
819185
2755
他们是真心的觉得即便她过世了,
13:53
they meant意味着 that she was still around.
356
821940
2578
但是她还在他们身边。
13:56
So in large parts部分 of the world世界 today今天,
357
824518
2549
所以,在当今世界的大多数地方,
13:59
that separation分割 between之间 science科学 and religion宗教
358
827067
2162
宗教和科学的分离
14:01
hasn't有没有 occurred发生 in large parts部分 of the world世界 today今天,
359
829229
1681
并没有发生。
14:02
and as I say, these are not --
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3728
就像我说的,这些人并不是----
14:06
This guy used to work for Chase and at the World世界 Bank银行.
361
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4802
这个人曾经在大通银行和世界银行工作过。
14:11
These are fellow同伴 citizens公民 of the world世界 with you,
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839440
2707
他们是与你我一样的世界公民,
14:14
but they come from a place地点 in which哪一个 religion宗教
363
842147
1809
只不过他们所生活的地方
14:15
is occupying占用 a very different不同 role角色.
364
843956
1911
宗教所扮演的角色和我们不同。
14:17
So what I want you to think about
next下一个 time somebody wants
365
845867
2126
所以我希望在下次有人试着
14:19
to make some vast广大 generalization概括 about religion宗教
366
847993
2480
将不同宗教看成同一类东西时,
14:22
is that maybe there isn't such这样 a thing
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2741
大家可以思考一下,也许宗教并不存在,
14:25
as a religion宗教, such这样 a thing as religion宗教,
368
853214
2631
没有宗教这种东西,
14:27
and that therefore因此 what they say
369
855845
1656
所以他们说的那些话
14:29
cannot不能 possibly或者 be true真正.
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2813
都不可能是事实。
14:32
(Applause掌声)
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3212
(掌声)
Translated by Ma Nan
Reviewed by Psycho Decoder

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kwame Anthony Appiah - Philosopher
Kwame Anthony Appiah is a philosopher, cultural theorist and novelist. His latest book is "The Honor Code," exploring moral revolutions.

Why you should listen

Kwame Anthony Appiah works on political and moral theory, the philosophy of language and mind, and African intellectual history. In his 2010 book The Honor Code, he explores a hidden engine of reform: appeals to honor. Examining moral revolutions in the past—and campaigns against abhorrent practices today—he shows that appeals to reason, morality, or religion aren’t enough to ring in reform.

He's the author of Lines of Descent, a thoughtful look at the career of sociologist W.E.B. DuBois, and Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, which studied "the powerful ties that connect people across religions, culture and nations … and of the deep conflicts within them." In 2008, Appiah published Experiments in Ethics, in which he reviews the relevance of empirical research to ethical theory. Appiah has also published several novels, including Avenging Angel, Nobody Likes Letitia and Another Death in Venice. 
 

More profile about the speaker
Kwame Anthony Appiah | Speaker | TED.com