TEDxBratislava
Stephen Cave: The 4 stories we tell ourselves about death
Stephen Cave: 四個死亡故事
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哲學家 Stephen Cave 以一條灰暗但非常之注目嘅題目開始演講︰你幾時第一次意識到自己會死亡？更有趣嘅題目：做乜我哋人類成日抗拒根本避唔到嘅死亡？Stephen Cave 喺呢場精彩嘅演講裏面，探討咗四個故事。呢四個喺全世界文明裡面都出現，而且係我哋用嚟減輕死亡恐懼嘅故事。
Stephen Cave - Philosopher
Philosopher Stephen Cave wants to know: Why is humanity so obsessed with living forever? Full bio
Philosopher Stephen Cave wants to know: Why is humanity so obsessed with living forever? Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
我想問一問︰
00:12
I have a question:
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00:14
Who here remembers when they first realized
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在場有邊個仲記得自己第一次意識到
00:17
they were going to die?
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自己係要面對死亡？
我記得當時我係個細路仔
00:21
I do. I was a young boy,
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00:23
and my grandfather had just died,
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而祖父啱啱過咗身
00:26
and I remember a few days later lying in bed at night
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我記得幾日後嘅夜晚我攤喺床上
00:30
trying to make sense of what had happened.
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想了解到底發生咗咩事
00:34
What did it mean that he was dead?
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祖父「死」到底係乜意思？
00:36
Where had he gone?
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佢去咗邊度？
00:38
It was like a hole in reality had opened up
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嗰刻我覺得死亡就好似
個世界有個窿打開、吞咗佢落去
00:42
and swallowed him.
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00:44
But then the really shocking
question occurred to me:
question occurred to me:
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但同時我又諗到一個非常可怕嘅問題
00:46
If he could die, could it happen to me too?
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既然祖父會死，我係唔係都會死？
00:50
Could that hole in reality open up and swallow me?
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嗰個窿會唔會都打開吞咗我架？
00:53
Would it open up beneath my bed
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會唔會趁我瞓著喺床下底
打開吞咗我？
打開吞咗我？
00:55
and swallow me as I slept?
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00:58
Well, at some point, all children
become aware of death.
become aware of death.
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其實到某個歲數
所有細路仔都會察覺到死亡
所有細路仔都會察覺到死亡
01:02
It can happen in different ways, of course,
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當然，佢哋發現嘅方式可能唔一樣
01:04
and usually comes in stages.
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但通常都係有幾個階段嘅
01:06
Our idea of death develops as we grow older.
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我哋對死亡嘅認識隨著年齡增長
01:10
And if you reach back into the dark corners
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假如你去返隱藏咗嘅記憶
01:12
of your memory,
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01:14
you might remember something like what I felt
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你可能會諗返起原來祖父過身時
01:17
when my grandfather died and when I realized
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自己都曾經諗過「我都會死﹗」
01:20
it could happen to me too,
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01:22
that sense that behind all of this
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仲有就係覺得個窿喺度等緊自己
01:25
the void is waiting.
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01:28
And this development in childhood
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呢一種童年經歷其實同
我哋人類身體發展好有關係
我哋人類身體發展好有關係
01:31
reflects the development of our species.
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01:33
Just as there was a point in your development
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當你發育嘅時候，會去到一個位
01:37
as a child when your sense of self and of time
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你對自己同時間嘅觸覺
都發展得好成熟
都發展得好成熟
01:40
became sophisticated enough
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足夠令你意識到
01:42
for you to realize you were mortal,
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你只係一個同樣會面對死亡嘅生物
01:46
so at some point in the evolution of our species,
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所以喺人類進化過程裏面
01:50
some early human's sense of self and of time
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有啲人對自我同時間嘅意識
都發展得好成熟
都發展得好成熟
01:53
became sophisticated enough
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01:55
for them to become the first human to realize,
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足以令佢哋第一個去意識到
01:58
"I'm going to die."
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「我原來會死嘅！」
02:02
This is, if you like, our curse.
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或者，呢個就係對人類嘅詛咒
02:04
It's the price we pay for being so damn clever.
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亦係我哋聰明所付出嘅代價
02:08
We have to live in the knowledge
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我哋生存，必須要知道
惡夢可能終會成真
惡夢可能終會成真
02:10
that the worst thing that can possibly happen
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02:13
one day surely will,
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終有一天，我哋所有計劃、希望、夢想
02:14
the end of all our projects,
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02:16
our hopes, our dreams, of our individual world.
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同自我嘅世界都會完結
02:19
We each live in the shadow of a personal
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而我哋各自都活喺自己嘅陰影裏面
02:23
apocalypse.
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02:25
And that's frightening. It's terrifying.
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呢樣嘢係好可怕、好恐佈
02:27
And so we look for a way out.
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所以我哋就搵方法擺脫佢
02:29
And in my case, as I was about five years old,
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由於我當時五歲，我就問媽咪
02:33
this meant asking my mum.
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02:36
Now when I first started asking
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當我問，人死嘅時候會點樣
02:38
what happens when we die,
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02:40
the grown-ups around me at the time
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當時我身邊嘅成年人
02:42
answered with a typical English mix of awkwardness
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都用典型嘅英文語氣回答
即係混雜尷尬
同半虔誠嘅基督徒口吻
同半虔誠嘅基督徒口吻
02:45
and half-hearted Christianity,
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02:48
and the phrase I heard most often
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我成日聽到嘅說話
02:50
was that granddad was now
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就係祖父喺「個天度望著我哋」
02:52
"up there looking down on us,"
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02:54
and if I should die too, which
wouldn't happen of course,
wouldn't happen of course,
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如果我離世嘅話…呢個當然唔會發生啦
02:57
then I too would go up there,
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但萬一嘅話，我都一樣會上去
03:00
which made death sound a lot like
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咁樣講，令到死亡聽上去
就好似一部「現實存在」嘅升降機
03:02
an existential elevator.
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03:05
Now this didn't sound very plausible.
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但呢種講法好似唔太合理
03:08
I used to watch a children's
news program at the time,
news program at the time,
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我嗰時收睇緊一個兒童嘅新聞節目
03:11
and this was the era of space exploration.
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嗰陣係太空探索嘅年代
03:13
There were always rockets going up into the sky,
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成日有火箭升空
03:15
up into space, going up there.
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升到上太空
03:18
But none of the astronauts when they came back
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但冇一個太空人返嚟之後
提過佢哋見到祖父
提過佢哋見到祖父
03:20
ever mentioned having met my granddad
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或者其他過咗身嘅人
03:24
or any other dead people.
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03:26
But I was scared,
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當時我有啲驚
03:27
and the idea of taking the existential elevator
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但所謂「死後坐升降機」見祖父嘅講法
03:30
to see my granddad
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03:31
sounded a lot better than being swallowed
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聽起上嚟，比趁我瞓著時
個窿會吞咗我嘅講法好好多
個窿會吞咗我嘅講法好好多
03:33
by the void while I slept.
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03:36
And so I believed it anyway,
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所以就算唔太合理，我都信咗先
03:38
even though it didn't make much sense.
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03:41
And this thought process that I went through
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而呢個由細個開始已經有嘅諗法
03:43
as a child, and have been through many times since,
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伴隨咗我好耐
03:46
including as a grown-up,
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03:48
is a product of what psychologists call
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亦都形成咗心理學家叫嘅「偏謬」
03:50
a bias.
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「偏謬」令我哋成日誤解同做錯啲嘢
03:51
Now a bias is a way in which we systematically
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03:55
get things wrong,
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03:56
ways in which we miscalculate, misjudge,
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令我哋誤算、錯判、扭曲事實
03:59
distort reality, or see what we want to see,
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或者只睇到我哋想睇嘅嘢
而我所講嘅「偏謬」
係會推翻人對死亡嘅睇法
係會推翻人對死亡嘅睇法
04:03
and the bias I'm talking about
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04:05
works like this:
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04:06
Confront someone with the fact
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04:09
that they are going to die
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令佢哋相信死亡係假嘅
04:10
and they will believe just about any story
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04:13
that tells them it isn't true
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相反，佢哋可以永生
04:15
and they can, instead, live forever,
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就算同佢哋講「升降機」嘅嘢
04:17
even if it means taking the existential elevator.
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佢哋都會信
04:22
Now we can see this as the biggest bias of all.
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我哋可以見到
呢個有關永生嘅說法係最大嘅偏謬
04:26
It has been demonstrated in over 400
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亦都喺 400 幾個實證研究裏面証明咗
04:29
empirical studies.
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04:31
Now these studies are ingenious, but they're simple.
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呢啲研究好高明，但其實又好簡單
04:33
They work like this.
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就係將一批各方面都相似嘅人分成兩組
04:35
You take two groups of people
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04:36
who are similar in all relevant respects,
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04:39
and you remind one group that they're going to die
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剩係同其中一組講佢哋會死
然後比較佢哋嘅行為
04:42
but not the other, then you compare their behavior.
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04:45
So you're observing how it biases behavior
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你就可以觀察到句說話
點樣喺人注意死亡嘅時候
點樣喺人注意死亡嘅時候
04:48
when people become aware of their mortality.
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影響佢哋嘅行為
每次結果都一樣
04:52
And every time, you get the same result:
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留意到生死嘅人更加願意
去相信得到永生嘅故事
去相信得到永生嘅故事
04:55
People who are made aware of their mortality
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04:58
are more willing to believe stories
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05:00
that tell them they can escape death
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05:02
and live forever.
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呢度有一個例子：
05:04
So here's an example: One recent study
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最近一項研究以不可知論者做對象
05:06
took two groups of agnostics,
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即係冇宗教信仰嘅人做對象
05:09
that is people who are undecided
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05:10
in their religious beliefs.
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05:13
Now, one group was asked to think about being dead.
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佢哋分成兩組，一組要諗下死亡
05:17
The other group was asked to think about
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另一組要諗下寂獨
05:18
being lonely.
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05:20
They were then asked again
about their religious beliefs.
about their religious beliefs.
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然後佢哋會再回答佢哋嘅信仰
05:23
Those who had been asked
to think about being dead
to think about being dead
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諗自己死亡嘅一組
佢哋信主耶穌嘅傾向比之前多一倍
05:26
were afterwards twice as likely to express faith
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05:29
in God and Jesus.
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05:31
Twice as likely.
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係高一倍
05:33
Even though the before they
were all equally agnostic.
were all equally agnostic.
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即使之前佢哋同樣冇信神
05:35
But put the fear of death in them,
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但只要將死亡嘅恐懼擺喺跟前
05:37
and they run to Jesus.
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佢哋就投向耶穌
証明咗只要令人諗返死亡
05:41
Now, this shows that reminding people of death
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05:45
biases them to believe, regardless of the evidence,
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無論理據係點，都能夠令佢哋相信
05:48
and it works not just for religion,
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唔只係對宗教湊效
對任何信念都一樣湊效
05:50
but for any kind of belief system
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05:52
that promises immortality in some form,
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只要啲人聽到有永生就得架啦
05:56
whether it's becoming famous
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無論係變得出名、有細路仔
05:57
or having children
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抑或係寄託喺更加大嘅民族主義度
05:59
or even nationalism,
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06:00
which promises you can live
on as part of a greater whole.
on as part of a greater whole.
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啲人都會肯制
06:03
This is a bias that has shaped
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呢樣就係改變咗
人類歷史進程嘅「偏謬」
人類歷史進程嘅「偏謬」
06:05
the course of human history.
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06:09
Now, the theory behind this bias
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呢 400 幾個研究
針對偏謬所提出嘅理論
針對偏謬所提出嘅理論
06:11
in the over 400 studies
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06:13
is called terror management theory,
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叫做「恐懼管理理論」
06:15
and the idea is simple. It's just this.
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原理好簡單
我哋想我哋嘅世界觀
06:17
We develop our worldviews,
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06:20
that is, the stories we tell ourselves
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06:22
about the world and our place in it,
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幫到我哋控制死亡嘅恐懼
06:25
in order to help us manage
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06:27
the terror of death.
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06:30
And these immortality stories
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世界觀當中有關永生嘅故事
06:32
have thousands of different manifestations,
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有成千上萬個咁多
但我認為喺咁多故事之中
06:35
but I believe that behind the apparent diversity
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06:38
there are actually just four basic forms
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嚟嚟去去都只有四種基本路數
06:41
that these immortality stories can take.
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佢哋四個都喺歷史裡面一直重覆
只係每個時代為咗配合當時嘅語言
06:44
And we can see them repeating themselves
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06:46
throughout history, just with slight variations
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而改咗少少嘢
06:49
to reflect the vocabulary of the day.
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06:52
Now I'm going to briefly introduce these four
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我簡單咁介紹下呢四個故事路數
06:55
basic forms of immortality story,
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我會令你明白呢啲故事路數
06:57
and I want to try to give you some sense
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06:58
of the way in which they're retold by each culture
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喺各個文化或世代裡面
07:01
or generation
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07:03
using the vocabulary of their day.
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點樣用當時嘅用語重新演繹
07:05
Now, the first story is the simplest.
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好，第一類故事係最簡單嘅
我哋都想避開死亡
07:07
We want to avoid death,
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07:09
and the dream of doing that in this body
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而為咗令我哋喺呢個世界得到永生
07:12
in this world forever
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07:13
is the first and simplest kind of immortality story,
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就有咗第一個同最簡單嘅永生故事
07:17
and it might at first sound implausible,
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初初聽起上嚟係覺得冇乜可能嘅
07:19
but actually, almost every culture in human history
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但其實，歷史裏面幾乎每一個人類文化
都有一啲關於長生不老藥
或不老之泉之類
或不老之泉之類
07:23
has had some myth or legend
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07:25
of an elixir of life or a fountain of youth
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07:28
or something that promises to keep us going
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可以令我哋永生嘅傳說或神話
07:31
forever.
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古埃及有呢類傳說
07:34
Ancient Egypt had such myths,
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07:36
ancient Babylon, ancient India.
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古巴比倫有、古印度都有
07:38
Throughout European history, we find them
in the work of the alchemists,
in the work of the alchemists,
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環顧成個歐洲歷史
煉金術士裏面都搵到咁嘅嘢
07:41
and of course we still believe this today,
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當然，今時今日我哋仍然會相信
07:44
only we tell this story using the vocabulary
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只係宜家我哋用科學去講呢個故事啫
07:46
of science.
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1656
07:48
So 100 years ago,
177
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1606
百幾年前，人類發現咗荷爾蒙
07:49
hormones had just been discovered,
178
457885
1819
07:51
and people hoped that hormone treatments
179
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1652
然後人就希望荷爾蒙療程
07:53
were going to cure aging and disease,
180
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2699
能夠阻止衰老、治療疾病
07:56
and now instead we set our hopes on stem cells,
181
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咁宜家，我哋將希望轉移到
幹細胞、基因工程同納米科技
幹細胞、基因工程同納米科技
07:58
genetic engineering, and nanotechnology.
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08:01
But the idea that science can cure death
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科學之所以講到可以對抗死亡
08:05
is just one more chapter in the story
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只係魔法藥水故事加插多一章而已
08:07
of the magical elixir,
185
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2233
08:09
a story that is as old as civilization.
186
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4436
呢啲魔法藥水故事
其實同人類文明一樣咁耐
其實同人類文明一樣咁耐
咁如果我哋將注碼
都押喺搵長生不老藥度
都押喺搵長生不老藥度
08:14
But betting everything on the idea of finding the elixir
187
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2780
08:16
and staying alive forever
188
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1403
08:18
is a risky strategy.
189
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1801
係咪好危險？係
08:20
When we look back through history
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2240
當我哋睇返歷史
以前搵長生不老藥嘅人
08:22
at all those who have sought an elixir in the past,
191
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2784
08:25
the one thing they now have in common
192
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1829
佢哋有嘅共通點就係
08:27
is that they're all dead.
193
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2630
佢哋都已經唔喺呢個世界
08:29
So we need a backup plan,
and exactly this kind of plan B
and exactly this kind of plan B
194
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3738
所以啲人作過第二個故事
就係第二類永生故事所講嘅「復活」
08:33
is what the second kind of immortality story offers,
195
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3571
08:36
and that's resurrection.
196
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1755
08:38
And it stays with the idea that I am this body,
197
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2374
當中嘅概念就係話
我係一個軀殼、動物
我係一個軀殼、動物
08:41
I am this physical organism.
198
509076
1975
08:43
It accepts that I'm going to have to die
199
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2168
我都會死亡
08:45
but says, despite that,
200
513219
1374
但係我可以復活
08:46
I can rise up and I can live again.
201
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2503
08:49
In other words, I can do what Jesus did.
202
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2618
換句話講，我都可以同耶穌一樣復活
08:51
Jesus died, he was three days in the [tomb],
203
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2045
耶穌死咗，喺墓嗰度過咗三天
然後佢復活重生
08:53
and then he rose up and lived again.
204
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3111
08:56
And the idea that we can all be
resurrected to live again
resurrected to live again
205
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3119
而我哋所有人都可以復活嘅諗法
係源於傳統嘅信念
08:59
is orthodox believe, not just for Christians
206
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2288
唔只係基督教先有
09:02
but also Jews and Muslims.
207
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2703
就連猶太教同回教都有
但我哋太想相信呢啲故事啦
09:04
But our desire to believe this story
208
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2164
09:07
is so deeply embedded
209
535144
2010
09:09
that we are reinventing it again
210
537154
2098
以至我哋會為個故事重新演譯過
令佢更加適合呢個科學年代
09:11
for the scientific age,
211
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1492
09:12
for example, with the idea of cryonics.
212
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2823
例如人體冷凍技術概念
09:15
That's the idea that when you die,
213
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1590
就係當你死嗰時，你可以急凍自己
09:17
you can have yourself frozen,
214
545157
1999
09:19
and then, at some point when technology
215
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2389
然後當科技先進到某個位
09:21
has advanced enough,
216
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1211
09:22
you can be thawed out and repaired and revived
217
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你可以解凍、修復、甦醒，然後復活
09:24
and so resurrected.
218
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1289
09:26
And so some people believe an omnipotent god
219
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2848
一啲人相信一位全能嘅上帝會復活佢哋
09:29
will resurrect them to live again,
220
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1879
其他人相信一位好勁嘅科學家
會令佢哋復活
會令佢哋復活
09:30
and other people believe an
omnipotent scientist will do it.
omnipotent scientist will do it.
221
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4143
09:35
But for others, the whole idea of resurrection,
222
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2714
但對其他人嚟講
成個由墓裏面復活嘅概念
09:37
of climbing out of the grave,
223
565749
2003
其實就好似一齣喪屍片一樣
09:39
it's just too much like a bad zombie movie.
224
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2719
09:42
They find the body too messy, too unreliable
225
570471
2791
如果要確保永生嘅話
肉體實在太污衊、太唔可靠啦
09:45
to guarantee eternal life,
226
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2148
09:47
and so they set their hopes on the third,
227
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3091
所以佢哋將希望擺喺第三個故事度
09:50
more spiritual immortality story,
228
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2117
一個比較靈性嘅故事度
09:52
the idea that we can leave our body behind
229
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2336
就係話我哋可以脫離肉體
09:54
and live on as a soul.
230
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2297
化成靈魂咁生活
09:57
Now, the majority of people on Earth
231
585251
1989
宜家，大部份人都相信
佢哋自己係有靈魂
佢哋自己係有靈魂
09:59
believe they have a soul,
232
587240
1773
10:01
and the idea is central to many religions.
233
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2410
而呢個觀念亦都係
好多宗教嘅核心價值
好多宗教嘅核心價值
10:03
But even though, in its current form,
234
591423
2314
「靈魂」嗰概念無論去到家下
有幾傳統都好
有幾傳統都好
10:05
in its traditional form,
235
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1915
仍是極之為人接受
10:07
the idea of the soul is still hugely popular,
236
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2163
10:09
nonetheless we are again
237
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1432
無論點樣，我哋再一次
10:11
reinventing it for the digital age,
238
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2224
因為時代唔同嘅關係，重新演譯佢
10:13
for example with the idea
239
601471
1477
例如你可以透過
將你嘅心思、你嘅心靈
將你嘅心思、你嘅心靈
10:14
that you can leave your body behind
240
602948
1990
10:16
by uploading your mind, your essence,
241
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2246
你自己成個人都上載去電腦
10:19
the real you, onto a computer,
242
607184
1956
咁樣，你嘅靈魂就可以脫離身體
10:21
and so live on as an avatar in the ether.
243
609140
4612
然後以化身存活於空間裏面
10:25
But of course there are skeptics who say
244
613752
2023
不過當然會人懷疑咁話
假如我哋睇下科學嘅證據
10:27
if we look at the evidence of science,
245
615775
1844
10:29
particularly neuroscience,
246
617619
1644
尤其係神經科學嘅數據
佢哋都指出
10:31
it suggests that your mind,
247
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1829
你嘅心思、心靈同你自己
10:33
your essence, the real you,
248
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1580
其實好大程度依賴
10:34
is very much dependent on a particular part
249
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2413
你身體嘅一個部分，就係你個腦
10:37
of your body, that is, your brain.
250
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2221
10:39
And such skeptics can find comfort
251
627306
2521
而呢班懷疑嘅人
會喺第四種故事裏邊搵到慰藉
會喺第四種故事裏邊搵到慰藉
10:41
in the fourth kind of immortality story,
252
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2258
10:44
and that is legacy,
253
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2357
嗰樣嘢就係「傳承」
10:46
the idea that you can live on
254
634442
1480
就係用你留喺世界嘅迴響
延續你嘅生命
延續你嘅生命
10:47
through the echo you leave in the world,
255
635922
2251
10:50
like the great Greek warrior Achilles,
256
638173
2349
就好似希臘戰士阿基里斯
喺特洛伊中壯烈犠牲
喺特洛伊中壯烈犠牲
10:52
who sacrificed his life fighting at Troy
257
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2629
10:55
so that he might win immortal fame.
258
643151
3053
贏得千秋萬世嘅名聲，用名聲延續後世
10:58
And the pursuit of fame is as widespread
259
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2266
人類對名氣嘅追求同以前一樣咁強
11:00
and popular now as it ever was,
260
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2141
11:02
and in our digital age,
261
650611
1579
我哋尤其喺數碼年代
更加容易得到名氣
更加容易得到名氣
11:04
it's even easier to achieve.
262
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1528
11:05
You don't need to be a great warrior like Achilles
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2324
你唔需要成為阿基里斯一樣咁嘅戰士
11:08
or a great king or hero.
264
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1693
國王或者英雄
你只需要連接到互聯網
11:09
All you need is an Internet connection
and a funny cat. (Laughter)
and a funny cat. (Laughter)
265
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4823
同有一隻攪笑嘅貓就得啦
（笑聲）
11:14
But some people prefer to leave a more tangible,
266
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2463
但有啲人鐘意遺傳一啲更加實在嘅嘢
11:17
biological legacy -- children, for example.
267
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2844
亦即係生物嘅遺物，例如細路仔咁
11:19
Or they like, they hope, to live on
268
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2276
或者佢哋希望
寄託喺更加大嘅事物上面去繼續生存
11:22
as part of some greater whole,
269
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1717
11:23
a nation or a family or a tribe,
270
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2449
例如國家、家庭、種族
11:26
their gene pool.
271
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2466
或者佢哋嘅基因
但又係啦，總會有人質疑
11:28
But again, there are skeptics
272
676773
1513
11:30
who doubt whether legacy
273
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1713
「傳承」實際上算唔算得上係永生
11:31
really is immortality.
274
679999
1975
舉個例
11:33
Woody Allen, for example, who said,
275
681974
2077
伍迪 ‧ 艾倫講過︰
11:36
"I don't want to live on in
the hearts of my countrymen.
the hearts of my countrymen.
276
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2496
「我唔想喺其他國民嘅心裏面住，
我住喺自己嘅屋就好啦。」
11:38
I want to live on in my apartment."
277
686547
2197
11:40
So those are the four
278
688744
1767
以上就係四種永生嘅故事
11:42
basic kinds of immortality stories,
279
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2183
你哋都明白到呢四種故事喺每一代
11:44
and I've tried to give just some sense
280
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1642
11:46
of how they're retold by each generation
281
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2293
11:48
with just slight variations
282
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1587
總會有少少嘅改動去切合唔同年代
11:50
to fit the fashions of the day.
283
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2305
11:52
And the fact that they recur in this way,
284
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3489
正正因為佢哋喺唔同信念系統裏面
11:56
in such a similar form but
in such different belief systems,
in such different belief systems,
285
704010
2988
改少少嘢而重新演譯
11:58
suggests, I think,
286
706998
1578
我認為
我哋應該對任何一個故事版本
12:00
that we should be skeptical of the truth
287
708576
2402
都抱有懷疑
12:02
of any particular version of these stories.
288
710978
3761
12:06
The fact that some people believe
289
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2111
有啲人相信全能嘅上帝會復活佢哋
12:08
an omnipotent god will resurrect them to live again
290
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2665
12:11
and others believe an omnipotent scientist will do it
291
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3701
而另一啲人就相信犀利嘅科學家會
12:15
suggests that neither are really believing this
292
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3038
呢樣嘢話畀我哋聽呢兩班人
都冇按理據嘅可信性
去揀佢哋要信嘅嘢
去揀佢哋要信嘅嘢
12:18
on the strength of the evidence.
293
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2670
12:20
Rather, we believe these stories
294
728924
2426
相反，我哋信呢啲故事
只係因為我哋一開始有偏謬，所以至信
12:23
because we are biased to believe them,
295
731350
1983
12:25
and we are biased to believe them
296
733333
1828
我哋之所以有偏謬
係因為我哋太驚死亡啦
係因為我哋太驚死亡啦
12:27
because we are so afraid of death.
297
735161
4270
12:31
So the question is,
298
739431
2055
所以問題係
12:33
are we doomed to lead the one life we have
299
741486
3472
我哋係否命中注定
要活喺恐懼同否定之中？
要活喺恐懼同否定之中？
12:36
in a way that is shaped by fear and denial,
300
744958
3693
12:40
or can we overcome this bias?
301
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3075
定係我哋可以擺脫呢種偏謬？
12:43
Well the Greek philosopher Epicurus
302
751726
2467
希臘哲學家 Epicurus 認為
我哋可以擺脫偏謬
我哋可以擺脫偏謬
12:46
thought we could.
303
754193
1728
12:47
He argued that the fear of death is natural,
304
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3548
佢指出對死亡嘅恐懼係自然嘅
12:51
but it is not rational.
305
759469
2415
但唔係理性
佢話：「死亡對我哋根本冇嘢，
12:53
"Death," he said, "is nothing to us,
306
761884
2658
12:56
because when we are here, death is not,
307
764542
2850
因為當我哋仲在世時，死亡唔存在。
12:59
and when death is here, we are gone."
308
767392
3753
而當死亡來臨時，我哋已經唔存在。」
13:03
Now this is often quoted, but it's difficult
309
771145
1798
呢句話經常被引用
但要真正理解同做到呢句話係好難嘅
13:04
to really grasp, to really internalize,
310
772943
2322
13:07
because exactly this idea of being gone
311
775265
2163
因為好難想像到
人離開世界時嘅情況
人離開世界時嘅情況
13:09
is so difficult to imagine.
312
777428
2139
13:11
So 2,000 years later, another philosopher,
313
779567
2231
所以二千年後
另一位哲學家
路德維希 ‧ 維特根斯坦
路德維希 ‧ 維特根斯坦
13:13
Ludwig Wittgenstein, put it like this:
314
781798
3457
咁樣演繹：
13:17
"Death is not an event in life:
315
785255
2944
「死亡唔係生命裏嘅一環，
我哋生存並唔係為咗經歷死亡。」
13:20
We do not live to experience death.
316
788199
3642
13:23
And so," he added,
317
791841
1194
佢又話：「從呢個角度諗，
生命並冇盡頭。」
生命並冇盡頭。」
13:25
"in this sense, life has no end."
318
793035
2935
13:27
So it was natural for me as a child
319
795970
3176
所以，我細個時驚黑洞會食咗我
13:31
to fear being swallowed by the void,
320
799146
2367
係好正常嘅，只係唔理性啫
13:33
but it wasn't rational,
321
801513
1879
13:35
because being swallowed by the void
322
803392
1985
因為冇一個人係為咗
俾黑洞吞食而生存
俾黑洞吞食而生存
13:37
is not something that any of us
323
805377
2078
13:39
will ever live to experience.
324
807455
3270
13:42
Now, overcoming this bias is not easy because
325
810725
2529
要克服呢個偏謬並唔容易
因為死亡嘅恐懼深深埋喺我哋心入邊
13:45
the fear of death is so deeply embedded in us,
326
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2959
但當我哋知道恐懼本身係非理性
13:48
yet when we see that the fear itself is not rational,
327
816213
4482
13:52
and when we bring out into the open
328
820695
2130
當我哋拆穿呢啲故事
點樣靜雞雞咁誤導我哋時
點樣靜雞雞咁誤導我哋時
13:54
the ways in which it can unconsciously bias us,
329
822825
2698
13:57
then we can at least start
330
825523
1851
咁我哋至少可以
將佢哋對我哋人生嘅影響減到最低
13:59
to try to minimize the influence it has
331
827374
2634
14:02
on our lives.
332
830008
1883
14:03
Now, I find it helps to see life
333
831891
2818
我發覺將生命睇成一本書係好有幫助
14:06
as being like a book:
334
834709
1844
14:08
Just as a book is bounded by its covers,
335
836553
2468
一本書前後都有封面
14:11
by beginning and end,
336
839021
1277
而我哋嘅生命就係由出生同死亡包著
14:12
so our lives are bounded by birth and death,
337
840298
3738
14:16
and even though a book is
limited by beginning and end,
limited by beginning and end,
338
844036
3515
就算一本書受制於底同面
14:19
it can encompass distant landscapes,
339
847551
2136
佢裏面都可以印有遙遠國度嘅風景
14:21
exotic figures, fantastic adventures.
340
849687
3230
異國風情嘅相、難忘嘅旅程
14:24
And even though a book is
limited by beginning and end,
limited by beginning and end,
341
852917
3349
就算一本書受制於佢嘅開始同結束
14:28
the characters within it
342
856266
1823
裡面嘅角色睇嘢並唔會有界限
14:30
know no horizons.
343
858089
2842
14:32
They only know the moments
that make up their story,
that make up their story,
344
860931
3157
佢哋剩係會知道佢哋出現過嘅時空
14:36
even when the book is closed.
345
864088
2940
14:39
And so the characters of a book
346
867028
2136
正因為咁
書裡邊嘅角色都唔會怕
嚟到書嘅最後一頁
嚟到書嘅最後一頁
14:41
are not afraid of reaching the last page.
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14:44
Long John Silver is not afraid of you
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海滋客唔會怕你讀完《金銀島》
14:46
finishing your copy of "Treasure Island."
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14:49
And so it should be with us.
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所以我哋都應該好似啲故事人物一樣
14:51
Imagine the book of your life,
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想像一下你自己生命嘅嗰本書
14:53
its covers, its beginning and end,
and your birth and your death.
and your birth and your death.
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佢嘅封面、開頭、收尾、出生同死亡
14:56
You can only know the moments in between,
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你只知道書中間嘅內容
14:58
the moments that make up your life.
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構成你生命嘅中間內容
你根本冇理由需要因為
書以外嘅嘢而驚
書以外嘅嘢而驚
15:00
It makes no sense for you to fear
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15:02
what is outside of those covers,
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15:04
whether before your birth
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包括你出世之前，抑或你死咗之後
15:06
or after your death.
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1976
15:07
And you needn't worry how long the book is,
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你亦都毋須擔心書有幾厚
15:10
or whether it's a comic strip or an epic.
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擔心佢係漫畫定係史詩
你只需要問自己有冇
為你本書編寫好嘅故事
為你本書編寫好嘅故事
15:13
The only thing that matters
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15:15
is that you make it a good story.
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多謝
15:19
Thank you.
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（掌聲）
15:21
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Stephen Cave - PhilosopherPhilosopher Stephen Cave wants to know: Why is humanity so obsessed with living forever?
Why you should listen
Stephen Cave is a writer and philosopher who is obsessed with our obsession with immortality. In 2012 he published Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization, an inquiry into humanity's rather irrational resistance to the inevitability of death. Cave moves across time and history's major civilizations and religions to explore just what drives this instinct -- and what that means for the future. Cave writes for The Financial Times and contributes to The New York Times, The Guardian and Wired.
Stephen Cave | Speaker | TED.com