Right now
就在此刻
you have a movie playing inside your head.
你的脑海里正在播放一部电影
It’s an amazing multi-track movie.
这是一部很神奇的多轨电影
It has 3D vision and surround sound
3D版本 环绕立体声
for what you’re seeing and hearing right now,
它就在你眼前耳边播放
but that’s just the start of it.
但这仅仅只是开始
Your movie has smell and taste and touch.
这部电影还涉及嗅觉 味觉 触觉
It has a sense of your body,
它让你有身体上的感受
pain, hunger, orgasms.
痛苦 饥饿 性高潮
It has emotions,
它有情绪
anger and happiness.
愤怒 幸福
It has memories, like scenes from your childhood playing before you.
它有记忆 童年时期的情景就在眼前播放
And it has this constant voiceover narrative
在意识思维之流中
in your stream of conscious thinking.
画外音在不停地进行讲述
At the heart of this movie
电影的核心内容
is you experiencing all this directly.
就是你对所有这一切的直接体验
This movie is your stream of consciousness,
这部电影就是你的意识流
the subject of experience of the mind and the world.
以心灵与世界体验为主题
Consciousness is one of the fundamental facts of human existence.
意识是人类存在的基本事实之一
Each of us is conscious.
我们每个人都是有意识的
We all have our own inner movie, you and you and you.
我们都有着各自的内心电影 你 你 还有你
There’s nothing we know about more directly.
没有什么比它更让人直接心领神会的了
At least, I know about my consciousness directly.
至少 我觉得我是这样的
I can’t be certain that you guys are conscious.
但我可不确定你们是否意识到了
Consciousness also is what makes life worth living.
意识也让人生变得有价值
If we weren’t conscious, nothing in our lives would have meaning or value.
没有意识 生命中任何事物都会失去意义 价值
But at the same time, it’s the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe.
但与此同时 意识也是宇宙间最神秘的现象
Why are we conscious?
我们为何会有意识？
Why do we have these inner movies?
为何会有内心电影？
Why aren’t we just robots who process all this input, produce all that output,
我们为何不只是处理输入 然后再进行输出
without experiencing the inner movie at all?
根本不用体验内心电影的机器人？
Right now, nobody knows the answers to those questions.
直至如今 依旧无人知晓
I’m going to suggest that to integrate consciousness into science,
我的建议是 若要把意识纳入科学范畴
some radical ideas may be needed.
就需要引进一些激进的观点
Some people say a science of consciousness is impossible.
有人说研究意识的科学是无法进行的
Science, by its nature, is objective.
科学 本质上是客观的
Consciousness, by its nature, is subjective.
而意识 本质上是主观的
So there can never be a science of consciousness.
所以根本就不可能有意识科学
For much of the 20th century, that view held sway.
差不多整个20世纪 此观点都占主导地位
Psychologists studied behavior objectively,
心理学家客观地研究行为
neuroscientists studied the brain objectively,
神经科学家客观地研究大脑
and nobody even mentioned consciousness.
甚至完全无人提及意识
Even 30 years ago, when TED got started,
即便在30年前 当TED刚开始运作时
there was very little scientific work on consciousness.
也很少有关于意识方面的科学研究
Now, about 20 years ago, all that began to change.
但就在大约20年前 一切开始改变
Neuroscientists like Francis Crick
像弗朗西斯·克里克这样的神经科学家
and physicists like Roger Penrose
罗杰·彭罗斯这样的物理学家
said now is the time for science to attack consciousness.
都说现在科学研究应该攻克意识领域了
And since then, there’s been a real explosion, a flowering of scientific work on consciousness.
自那时起 意识方面的研究开始蓬勃发展
And this work has been wonderful. It’s been great.
这类研究很神奇 很了不起
But it also has some fundamental limitations so far.
但迄今为止也有其根本局限性
The centerpiece of the science of consciousness in recent years
近年来意识科学研究的核心
has been the search for correlations,
就是找寻相关性
correlations between certain areas of the brain and certain states of consciousness.
即大脑的特定区域与意识特定状态之间的相关性
We saw some of this kind of work from Nancy Kanwisher
我们见过南希·坎维舍尔的此类研究
and the wonderful work she presented just a few minutes ago.
还有就在几分钟前她的精彩呈现
Now we understand much better, for example,
现在我们的理解得到了增进 例如
the kinds of brain areas that go along with the conscious experience of seeing faces
当看到各种面孔时 在感到痛苦或者幸福时
or of feeling pain or of feeling happy.
意识体验与大脑不同区域之间的对应关系
But this is still a science of correlations.
但这还是关于相关性的科学
It’s not a science of explanations.
并非解释性的科学
We know that these brain areas go along with certain kinds of conscious experience,
我们知道这些大脑区域对应着某种类型的意识体验
but we don’t know why they do.
但是不知道为何如此
I like to put this by saying that this kind of work from neuroscience
我想说 神经科学的这类研究
is answering some of the questions we want answered about consciousness,
回答了部分我们想要了解的意识问题
the questions about what certain brain areas do and what they correlate with.
即大脑特定领域的作何功能 与何相关的问题
But in a certain sense, those are the easy problems.
但从某种意义上说 那些都是简单的问题
No knock on the neuroscientists.
这不是打击神经科学家
There are no truly easy problems with consciousness.
确实并没有真正容易回答的意识问题
But it doesn’t address
但这却没有解开
the real mystery at the core of this subject:
该领域核心的真正奥秘 那就是：
why is it that all that physical processing in a brain
为什么大脑内的所有生理过程
should be accompanied by consciousness at all?
都有意识伴随？
Why is there this inner subjective movie?
为什么会存在这种主观内心电影？
Right now, we don’t really have a bead on that.
此刻 我们毫无头绪
And you might say, let’s just give neuroscience a few years.
你可能又要说 再给神经科学几年时间吧
It’ll turn out to be another emergent phenomenon
这将会被证明是另一种涌现现象
like traffic jams, like hurricanes, like life,
就像交通拥堵 飓风 就像生命这些现象一样
and we’ll figure it out.
我们会搞清楚的
The classical cases of emergence are all cases of emergent behavior,
涌现的典型案例都是涌现行为案例
how a traffic jam behaves, how a hurricane functions,
交通拥堵的发展模式 飓风的运行模式
how a living organism reproduces and adapts and metabolizes,
生命有机体的繁殖 适应和代谢的模式
all questions about objective functioning.
所有问题都关乎客观功能
You could apply that to the human brain in explaining some of the behaviors
你可以将之运用于对人脑的研究 用涌现现象
and the functions of the human brain as emergent phenomena:
来解释人脑的某些行为模式及其功能：
how we walk, how we talk, how we play chess,
如行走方式 说话方式 下棋模式
all these questions about behavior.
这些都是行为问题
But when it comes to consciousness,
但当涉及意识
questions about behavior are among the easy problems.
关于行为的问题就都属于简单的问题了
When it comes to the hard problem, that’s the question of why is it
说到难题 那就是为什么
that all this behavior is accompanied by subjective experience?
这些行为都伴随有主观体验
And here, the standard paradigm of emergence,
在此 涌现的标准范式
even the standard paradigms of neuroscience,
即便是神经科学的标准范式
don’t really, so far, have that much to say.
至今也回答不了这些问题
Now, I’m a scientific materialist at heart.
我是一个纯粹的科学唯物主义者
I want a scientific theory of consciousness that works,
我希望能有一个解释得清楚的科学的意识理论
and for a long time, I banged my head against the wall
长期以来 我挖空心思
looking for a theory of consciousness in purely physical terms that would work.
就想寻找一个说得通的能用纯物理方式描述的意识理论
But I eventually came to the conclusion that that just didn’t work for systematic reasons.
但最终我的结论是：由于系统性原因 这是无法做到的
It’s a long story, but the core idea
说来话长 但是核心观点就是
is just that what you get from purely reductionist explanations
用物理学和基于大脑研究术语从纯还原主义观
in physical terms, in brain-based terms, is stories about the functioning of a system,
来解释 就会得到各种关于系统运作
its structure, its dynamics, the behavior it produces,
结构 动态 其所产生的行为方面的描述
great for solving the easy problems — how we behave, how we function —
这有益于解决简单问题——如我们的行为方式 运作方式
but when it comes to subjective experience —
但是要说到主观体验
why does all this feel like something from the inside? —
为何感觉所有这些都像是来自内心的东西？
that’s something fundamentally new,
那是根本上全新的东西
and it’s always a further question.
而且这也涉及到更深层次上的问题
So I think we’re at a kind of impasse here.
所以 我认为我们走入了死胡同
We’ve got this wonderful, great chain of explanation,
我们已经拥有了一个神奇而伟大的解释链
we’re used to it, where physics explains chemistry,
而且对此很习惯：我们用物理学来解释化学
chemistry explains biology,
用化学来解释生物学
biology explains parts of psychology.
用生物学来解释部分心理学
But consciousness doesn’t seem to fit into this picture.
但是意识好像放不进这个框架
On the one hand, it’s a datum that we’re conscious.
一方面 我们具有意识 这是已知信息
On the other hand, we don’t know how to accommodate it into our scientific view of the world.
另一方面 我们不知如何将其纳入现有的世界科学观
So I think consciousness right now is a kind of anomaly,
所以我认为意识目前就是个异常研究对象
one that we need to integrate
我们要把它整合纳入
into our view of the world, but we don’t yet see how.
已有的世界观 但我们不知道该怎样做
Faced with an anomaly like this,
面对这样的异常事物
radical ideas may be needed,
就需要有激进的想法
and I think that we may need one or two ideas
我认为我们需要有一两个这样的想法
that initially seem crazy
哪怕一开始貌似疯狂
before we can come to grips with consciousness scientifically.
但之后能让我们科学地了解意识
Now, there are a few candidates
那些疯狂想法会是什么
for what those crazy ideas might be.
现在 就有这么几个备选观点
My friend Dan Dennett, who’s here today, has one.
我的朋友丹·丹尼特就有一个这样的想法 他就在现场
His crazy idea is that there is no hard problem of consciousness.
他的疯狂想法就是 根本就不存在什么关于意识的难题
The whole idea of the inner subjective movie
那个关于内心主观电影的整套说法
involves a kind of illusion or confusion.
就是某种错觉 困惑
Actually, all we’ve got to do
实际上 我们所要做的
is explain the objective functions, the behaviors of the brain,
就是去解释大脑的客观功能和行为表现
and then we’ve explained everything that needs to be explained.
这样我们就已经解释了所有需要解释的问题了
Well I say, more power to him.
那就再让他发展一下他的理论
That’s the kind of radical idea that we need to explore
如果想得到关于意识的纯还原主义
if you want to have a purely reductionist brain-based theory of consciousness.
基于大脑的理论的话 那便是我们需要探索的疯狂想法
At the same time, for me and for many other people,
但同时 对于我和许多其他人来说
that view is a bit too close to simply
那个观点几近于
denying the datum of consciousness to be satisfactory.
否认关于意识这个已知信息 认为它不恰当
So I go in a different direction.
所以 我要朝另外一个方向看
In the time remaining, I want to explore
在余下的时间里 我要讲述
two crazy ideas that I think may have some promise.
另外两个我认为有些前景的疯狂想法
The first crazy idea is that consciousness is fundamental.
第一个疯狂想法就是认为意识是本质属性
Physicists sometimes take some aspects of the universe as fundamental building blocks:
物理学家们有时把宇宙的某些方面–
space and time and mass.
时间 空间 质量 作为基本构成属性
They postulate fundamental laws governing them,
他们提出能制约上述属性的基本定律
like the laws of gravity or of quantum mechanics.
例如万有引力定律或量子力学定律
These fundamental properties and laws aren’t explained in terms of anything more basic.
这些基本属性和定律并没有用更根本的东西来解释
Rather, they’re taken as primitive,
它们被认为就是最原始的起点
and you build up the world from there.
世界从这里建立起来
Now sometimes, the list of fundamentals expands.
但有时 基本属性列表扩展了
In the 19th century, Maxwell figured out
在19世纪 麦克斯韦尔发现
that you can’t explain electromagnetic phenomena
无法用已有的基本属性——时间 空间 质量
in terms of the existing fundamentals — space, time, mass, Newton’s laws —
牛顿定律 来解释电磁现象
so he postulated fundamental laws of electromagnetism
所以 他提出了电磁学基本定律假设
and postulated electric charge as a fundamental element that those laws govern.
并假设电荷是那些定律约束的基本要素
I think that’s the situation we’re in with consciousness.
我想 对于意识 我们处于相同的境地
If you can’t explain consciousness in terms of the existing fundamentals —
如果你无法用现有的基础属性来解释意识
space, time, mass, charge —
即空间 时间 质量 电荷
then as a matter of logic, you need to expand the list.
那么 以同样的逻辑 你就需要扩展列表
The natural thing to do is to postulate
很自然 我们要做的事就是去假设
consciousness itself as something fundamental,
意识本身就是某种基本属性
a fundamental building block of nature.
自然界的基础构成部分
This doesn’t mean you suddenly can’t do science with it.
这并不意味着突然不能对它做科学研究了
This opens up the way for you to do science with it.
这其实是为对它做科学研究开辟了道路
What we then need is to study the fundamental laws governing consciousness,
需要做的就是研究管辖意识的基本定律
the laws that connect consciousness to other fundamentals:
找到能将意识与其它如空间 时间 质量
space, time, mass, physical processes.
物理过程等基本属性相联系的定律
Physicists sometimes say
物理学家们有时说
that we want fundamental laws so simple
希望基础定律要简单
that we could write them on the front of a t-shirt.
简单到可以直接将其写到T恤衫上
Well I think something like that is the situation we’re in with consciousness.
我觉得 那就和在研究意识的状况是一样
We want to find fundamental laws so simple
我们也希望其基础定律简单
we could write them on the front of a t-shirt.
简单到可以直接写到体恤衫上
We don’t know what those laws are yet,
虽然还不知道那些定律是什么
but that’s what we’re after.
但是那就是我们追求的
The second crazy idea is that consciousness might be universal.
第二个疯狂想法是：意识可能是普遍存在的
Every system might have some degree of consciousness.
每个系统都可能在某种程度上有意识存在
This view is sometimes called panpsychism:
这种观点有时被称为泛心论：
pan for all, psych for mind,
世间万物都具有心理活动
every system is conscious,
每个体系都具有意识
not just humans, dogs, mice, flies,
不仅是人类 狗 老鼠 苍蝇
but even Rob Knight’s microbes,
即便是罗伯·奈特所讲的微生物
elementary particles.
基本粒子也会有意识
Even a photon has some degree of consciousness.
即使是光子也有一定程度的意识
The idea is not that photons are intelligent or thinking.
该想法不是说光子具有智慧 或者能思考
It’s not that a photon is wracked with angst
不是说光子能被焦虑所折磨
because it’s thinking, “Aww, I’m always buzzing around near the speed of light.
因为它在想：“噢 我总以接近光的速度在这嗡嗡作响
I never get to slow down and smell the roses.”
我从未慢下来闻闻玫瑰花香”
No, not like that.
不 不是这样的
But the thought is maybe photons might have
但这个想法想要说的是 也许光子可能
some element of raw, subjective feeling,
有部分原始的 主观的感觉元素
some primitive precursor to consciousness.
一些原始的意识前身
This may sound a bit kooky to you.
这可能听上去有点古怪
I mean, why would anyone think such a crazy thing?
我是说 为什么会有人有如此疯狂的想法？
Some motivation comes from the first crazy idea,
部分促成此想法的原因源于第一个疯狂想法
that consciousness is fundamental.
认为意识是一种基本属性
If it’s fundamental, like space and time and mass,
如果意识就像空间 时间 质量一样是基本属性的话
it’s natural to suppose that it might be universal too, the way they are.
理所当然可以认为它有可能也是普遍存在且原本就是这样
It’s also worth noting that although the idea seems counterintuitive to us,
同样值得注意的是 尽管这个想法似乎有悖常理
it’s much less counterintuitive to people from different cultures,
但对于来自不同文化的人们来说就没那么怪异
where the human mind is seen as much more continuous with nature.
他们认为人的思维与自然的联系更加紧密
A deeper motivation comes from the idea that
此想法有更深层的动机
perhaps the most simple and powerful way
即 找出意识与物理过程
to find fundamental laws connecting consciousness to physical processing
相联系的基本定律最简单 最有效的方式
is to link consciousness to information.
可能就是把意识与信息联系起来
Wherever there’s information processing, there’s consciousness.
哪里有信息处理 哪里就有意识
Complex information processing, like in a human, complex consciousness.
有复杂的信息处理 就会有复杂的意识 例如人类的
Simple information processing, simple consciousness.
简单的信息处理 就意味着简单的意识
A really exciting thing is in recent years
近年来 有一件令人兴奋的事
a neuroscientist, Giulio Tononi, has taken this kind of theory
神经科学家Giulio Tononi采纳了这种理论
and developed it rigorously with a mathematical theory.
并运用数学理论以严谨的方式推动其发展
He has a mathematical measure of information integration
他应用了一种信息整合数学测量单位
which he calls phi,
他称之为phi
measuring the amount of information integrated in a system.
用于测量整合进入系统中的信息量
And he supposes that phi goes along with consciousness.
他认为phi值与意识相关联
So in a human brain,
因此 由于人类大脑中
incredibly large amount of information integration,
有着令人难以置信的信息整合量
high degree of phi, a whole lot of consciousness.
其phi值很高 就意味着具有大量的意识
In a mouse, medium degree of information integration,
老鼠能进行中等程度的信息融合
still pretty significant,
量还是很大的
pretty serious amount of consciousness.
这就意味相当程度量的意识
But as you go down to worms,
但是小到虫子的程度
microbes, particles,
微生物 粒子
the amount of phi falls off.
其phi值就一落千丈了
The amount of information integration falls off,
尽管整合信息量一落千丈
but it’s still non-zero.
但依旧不是零
On Tononi’s theory, there’s still going to be a non-zero degree of consciousness.
Tononi的理论中 还是会有非零程度意识
In effect, he’s proposing a fundamental law of consciousness: high phi, high consciousness.
实际上 他提出的是意识基本定律：phi值越高 意识越强
Now, I don’t know if this theory is right,
我不知道这个理论是否正确
but it’s actually perhaps the leading theory right now in the science of consciousness,
但这确实可能是目前意识科学领域里最主导的理论
and it’s been used to integrate a whole range of scientific data,
它已经被应用于系列科学数据的整合之中
and it does have a nice property that it is in fact simple enough
该定律确实很不错 它足够简单
you can write it on the front of a t-shirt.
简单到可以把它写在体恤衫上
Another final motivation is that
另一最终动机是：
panpsychism might help us to integrate
泛心论可能促成
consciousness into the physical world.
从意识向物理世界的融合
Physicists and philosophers have often observed
物理学家和哲学家经常说
that physics is curiously abstract.
物理学深奥而抽象
It describes the structure of reality using a bunch of equations,
它通过一堆公式来描述现实的结构
but it doesn’t tell us about the reality that underlies it.
但是却没能告诉我们物理背后的现实
As Stephen Hawking puts it,
正如斯蒂芬·霍金所表达：
what puts the fire into the equations?
是什么使公式能表达出自然定律？
Well, on the panpsychist view,
从泛心论者视角来看
you can leave the equations of physics as they are,
物理公式可以保持原样
but you can take them to be describing the flux of consciousness.
但是可以用它们来描述意识的波动变化
That’s what physics really is ultimately doing,
那就是物理学真正终极在做的事
describing the flux of consciousness.
就是去描述意识的波动变化
On this view, it’s consciousness that puts the fire into the equations.
这种观点认为 是意识使得方程有了意义
On that view, consciousness doesn’t dangle outside the physical world
该观点认为意识并非悬于物质世界之外
as some kind of extra.
显得多余
It’s there right at its heart.
它处于正中心
This view, I think, the panpsychist view,
我认为 这种观点 泛心论观点
has the potential to transfigure our relationship to nature,
有可能会改变我们与自然之间的关系
and it may have some pretty serious social and ethical consequences.
可能会导致非常严重的社会及道德方面的后果
Some of these may be counterintuitive.
其中有一些可能是有悖常理的
I used to think I shouldn’t eat anything which is conscious,
我曾经认为不应该吃任何具有意识的东西
so therefore I should be vegetarian.
所以应该成为一个素食主义者
Now, if you’re a panpsychist and you take that view,
但是如果你是个泛心论者而你又持这种想法
you’re going to go very hungry.
那你就要挨饿了
So I think when you think about it,
所以我觉得 经过思考
this tends to transfigure your views,
这会改变你的想法
whereas what matters for ethical purposes and moral considerations,
然而 出于伦理目的和道德考量 最重要的
not so much the fact of consciousness,
并不是意识作为事实存在与否
but the degree and the complexity of consciousness.
而是意识的度量与复杂性
It’s also natural to ask about consciousness in other systems, like computers.
很自然 人们会问起其它系统的意识问题 例如计算机
What about the artificially intelligent system in the movie “Her,” Samantha?
电影《她》中那个人工智能系统萨曼莎是什么情况？
Is she conscious?
她有意识思想吗？
Well, if you take the informational, panpsychist view,
如果你持有信息泛心论观点的话
she certainly has complicated information processing and integration,
（就能明白）因为她肯定会进行复杂的信息处理和整合
so the answer is very likely yes, she is conscious.
所以答案很可能就是“是的” 她有意识
If that’s right, it raises pretty serious ethical issues about both the ethics
如果是这样的话 就会引发非常严肃的道德问题
of developing intelligent computer systems
无论是发展智能计算机系统道德问题
and the ethics of turning them off.
还是之后将其关闭的道德问题
Finally, you might ask about the consciousness of whole groups, the planet.
最后 你可能要问到整个群体和星球的意识问题
Does Canada have its own consciousness?
加拿大这个国家是否有自己的意识呢？
Or at a more local level,
或者在更局部一点水平上
does an integrated group like the audience at a TED conference,
融合性的群体就像TED会议的观众
are we right now having a collective TED consciousness,
我们此刻是否具有TED集体意识
an inner movie for this collective TED group
是否有这个TED集体的内心电影
which is distinct from the inner movies of each of our parts?
而它是否与我们每个个体组成部分的内心电影不同呢？
I don’t know the answer to that question,
我不知道问题的答案是什么
but I think it’s at least one worth taking seriously.
但至少值得我们严肃思考
Okay, so this panpsychist vision,
好 因此这个泛心论观点
it is a radical one,
是一个很激进的观点
and I don’t know that it’s correct.
我不知道它是否正确
I’m actually more confident about the first crazy idea,
我其实更相信意识是一种基本属性
that consciousness is fundamental,
这来自第一个疯狂想法
than about the second one, that it’s universal.
胜于说它是普遍存在的第二种想法
I mean, the view raises any number of questions,
我是说 这个观点引发了各种问题
has any number of challenges,
受到各种挑战
like how do those little bits of consciousness add up
例如这些意识是怎么一点一滴聚少成多的
to the kind of complex consciousness we know and love.
然后构成了我们所知所爱的复杂意识
If we can answer those questions,
如果能回答那些问题的话
then I think we’re going to be well on our way to a serious theory of consciousness.
那么我认为我们即将阔步在通往严肃意识理论之路上
If not, well, this is the hardest problem perhaps in science and philosophy.
如果不能 这可能就是科学和哲学上最难以回答的问题
We can’t expect to solve it overnight.
我们不可能指望一夜之间就能解决
But I do think we’re going to figure it out eventually.
但是我认为我们最终会得到答案
Understanding consciousness is a real key, I think,
我认为 了解意识是一把真正的钥匙
both to understanding the universe
既能让我们了解宇宙
and to understanding ourselves.
也能让我们了解自己
It may just take the right crazy idea.
可能我们就是需要有正确的疯狂想法
Thank you.
非常感谢
[Applause]
[鼓掌]