TED | 真实的自己存在吗？

演讲简介

 

自我是什么？这是一个常被反复提到的哲学问题。多年以来，有许多各领域的大家都做了不同的解读。而本期TED的演讲嘉宾Julian Baggini就将从哲学以及神经科学结合的角度来给我们分享他对自我概念的解读。一起来看看吧。

 

 

 

演讲精彩片段（节选）欣赏

 

Let's take something like a waterfall. These are the Iguazu Falls, in Argentina. Now if you takesomething like this, you can appreciate the fact that in lots of ways, there'snothing permanent about this. For one thing, it's always changing. The watersare always carving new channels. with changes and tides and the weather, somethings dry up, new things are created. Of course the water that flows throughthe waterfall is different every single instance.

让我们谈谈瀑布。 这是阿根廷的伊瓜苏瀑布。 如果你仔细想想， 就能意识到， 从很多角度来看，都没有永恒这回事。 一样事物永远在变化。 水永远在制造新的水路， 通过潮水和天气的变化， 一些地方干涸了，新事物出现， 当然瀑布流过的水， 每一刻都是不同的。

 

But it doesn't mean that theIguazu Falls are an illusion. It doesn't mean it's not real. What it means iswe have to understand what it is as something which has a history, has certainthings that keep it together, but it's a process, it's fluid, it's foreverchanging.

但这并不表示伊瓜苏瀑布是个假象， 并不代表它不是真实的。 这意味着，我们要去理解 这种事物拥有历史， 是一些特定事物的集合， 但它是一个过程， 是流动的，永远在变化。

 

Now that, I think, is a model forunderstanding ourselves, and I think it's a liberating model. Because if youthink that you have this fixed, permanent essence, which is always the same,throughout your life, no matter what, in a sense you're kind of trapped. You'reborn with an essence, that's what you are until you die, if you believe in anafterlife, maybe you continue.

我认为这个模型 可以用来理解我们自身， 这是一个自由的模型。 因为，如果你认为自己有什么 固定的永恒特质， 终其一生、无论如何都不会改变，那你可以说是进入了死胡同。 你出生即带有某种特质， 这种特质定义你的一生， 如果你相信有死后的世界， 这种特质甚至能在死后继续。

 

But if you think of yourself as being, in a way,not a thing as such, but a kind of a process, something that is changing, thenI think that's quite liberating. Because unlike the the waterfalls, we actuallyhave the capacity to channel the direction of our development for ourselves toa certain degree. Now we've got to be careful here, right?

但如果你换种方式理解自己， 不是一样「事物」，而是一种过程， 处在不断变化之中， 我认为这是一种解放。 因为与瀑布不同的是， 我们其实拥有一种能力， 某种程度上可以规划自己发展的方向。 现在我们要小心了，对吗？

 

If you watch theX-Factor too much, you might buy into this idea that we can all be whatever wewant to be. That's not true. I've heard some fantastic musicians this morning,and I am very confident that I could in no way be as good as them. I couldpractice hard and maybe be good, but I don't have that really natural ability.There are limits to what we can achieve. There are limits to what we can makeof ourselves. But nevertheless, we do have this capacity to, in a sense, shape our selves.

如果你看太多《X音素》节目， 你可能会深信， 我们能成为任何想成为的人。 但这不对。 我今天早上听了几位 超棒音乐家的表演，我坚信自己绝不可能 演奏得像他们一样出色。 如果勤学苦练， 我也许能有不错的水平， 但我真的不具备 那种与生俱来的天赋。 我们能达到的成就是有限的。 我们自我实现的程度是有限的。但不管怎样，我们确实有一种能力， 在一定程度上塑造自己。

 

The true self, as it were then, is not something that is just therefor you to discover, you don't sort of look into your soul and find your trueself, What you are partly doing, at least, is actually creating your true self.And this, I think, is very, very significant, particularly at this stage oflife you're at. You'll be aware of the fact how much of you changed over recentyears. If you have any videos of yourself, three or four years ago, youprobably feel embarrassed because you don't recognize yourself.

 「真我」这种东西， 并不是隐藏着需要你去发现的， 你无需内视自己的灵魂来找寻真我， 你至少可以部份地创造真我。 我认为这很重要， 特别是在你们现今的人生阶段。 你会认识到 自己在过去几年改变了多少。 如果你有自己三、四年前的影片， 看着就会觉得不好意思， 你都快不认识自己了。

 

So I want to get that message over, thatwhat we need to do is think about ourselves as things that we can shape, andchannel and change. This is the Buddha, again: "Well-makers lead thewater, fletchers bend the arrow, carpenters bend a log of wood, wise peoplefashion themselves." And that's the idea I want to leave you with, thatyour true self is not something that you will have to go searching for, as amystery, and maybe never ever find. To the extent you have a true self, it'ssomething that you in part discover, but in part create. and that, I think, isa liberating and exciting prospect. Thank you very much.

我希望能传递这个讯息， 我们需要做的就是相信我们能够 塑造自己，决定人生轨迹，并做出改变。 佛祖曰： 「水人调船， 弓工调角，材匠调木， 智者调身。」（摘自《法句经》） 我希望大家记住这点， 你无须去寻找自我， 那这是个谜，也许你永远无法找到。 如果你有真我， 那也是一种你一半能发现，而另一半能去创造的东西。 我认为这观点是一种解放， 着实令人兴奋。 谢谢大家。