意识是科学研究中的一大难题 我认为意识研究很可能是
So consciousness is one of the deepest questions in science and I think consciousness may very
科学研究解决过的终极奥秘中又最为深奥的问题之一
well be the deepest question and one of the deepest mysteries science has ever coped with.
其中一个理由就是神经科学是所有科学领域中非常独立的研究领域
And this is one reason, by the way, that neuroscience is a very unique field in all of sciences.
它也是唯一一个 研究对象或研究器官即为
So neuroscience is the only field in which the thing or the organ being studies is also
研究者的领域
doing the studying.
现在神经科学引发了一些可能的问题 是吧？
Now this raises a number of potential concerns, right?
神经科学研究真的可能吗？
Is that even possible?
设备 器官或者是计算系统真的有自我理解能力吗？
Can a device or an organ or a computational system understand itself?
而那正是我们面对问题 比如意识的本质问题时
And that’s what we’re asking our brains to do when we’re faced with problems such
要求大脑做的事情
as the nature of consciousness.
而且对于神经科学领域以及科学家们而言 意识的本质问题是尤其难以研究的
And the nature of consciousness is extremely hard to study for neuroscience and scientists
因为太难去衡量判断了
because it’s very hard to measure.
但是一些人指出或者说他们相信 意识产生的原因之一就是
But some people have proposed or believe that one of the reasons consciousness evolved is
它使得我们形成对未来的设想
to allow us to simulate future scenarios.
类似于我们说的心理时光旅行
And this relates to something called mental time travel.
心理时光旅行是我们重现过去的经历的能力
So mental time travel is the ability that we have to relive past experiences.
所以我们可能都花了过度的精力幻想过去或者是
So we’ve all spent perhaps inordinate amounts of time daydreaming about the past or reliving
重温已经发生了的事情 并赋予这些事情不一样的结果 我们还对过去的
things that have happened and giving those things alternate endings and simulating them
事情进行模拟 探索要如何在未来利用这些经历
in the past to see how we can use them in the future.
我们也花了很多时间幻想未来
We also spend a lot of time daydreaming about the future.
重点是 我们通过大脑将自己置身于未来的设想中的能力
And importantly our ability to mentally project ourselves into the future is perhaps one of
可能是我们最宝贵的能力 即我们人类最可贵的认知能力
the most valuable things, the most valuable cognitive abilities of our species.
我认为未来导向的时光旅行从多方面造就了当今人类的智慧
I think in many ways future-oriented time travel makes Homo sapiens sapien.
它造就了人类智慧 因为它使我们致力于钻研
It makes Homo sapiens wise because it’s what gives us the ability to engage in endeavors
而这是其它动物做不到的
that other animals cannot do.
如果你想想我们人类的一大特征就像：制作工具
So if you think about something as a signature of our species: making a tool.
制作工具 通过打磨黑曜石制作刀片 其实也暗含了
Making a tool, carving a blade out of an obsidian stone, is something that implicitly requires
对于未来思考的需要
a thought of the future.
这就说是我为了未来在做一些事情
It means I’m doing something for something in the future.
所以我做这件事是有目的的
So I have a purpose for that.
或许在人类最伟大的创造当中 农业也算其中之一
Similarly perhaps one of the most important inventions of humankind is agriculture.
现在播下种子 将来收割成果或确保未来有
This notion of planting a seed today and reaping its benefits or assuring a source of food
食物来源 这个概念也是驱使人类进步的一个因素
in the future is one thing that drove our species forward.
而且也同样需要进行时光旅行 它要求我们
And that again is something that requires mental time travel, that requires our ability
具备思考遥远的未来的能力
to think in the distant future.