好的 All right.
我们已经讨论了 We've been talking about arguments
那些让我们相信 that might give us reason to believe
灵魂存在的论证 in the existence of an immaterial soul.
目前为止 我们讨论的这些论证 The kinds of arguments we have been considering so far
都是在 "最佳解释推理" all fall under the general rubric of
这个一般准则下进行的的 "Inference to the best explanation."
我们 或者灵魂论的拥护者们假设 We posit--or the fans of souls posit--
灵魂是存在的 the existence of souls
这就能解释一些我们自身不解的东西 so as to explain something that needs explaining about us.
我已经讲过一系列这样的论证 I've gone through a series of such arguments,
上次课结束时我提到的一个论证认为 and the one that we ended with last time was the suggestion that
我们只有相信灵魂存在 we need to believe in the existence of a soul
才能解释我们拥有自由意志这一事实 in order to explain the fact that we've got free will.
我们拥有自由意志这一事实 The fact that we've got free will is something
被大多数人认为理所应当 that most of us take for granted about ourselves.
但人们对此的诟病 But the complaint then,
或物理主义的反驳者认为 or the objection to the physicalist,
人不可能仅仅是一个物理实体 takes the form that we couldn't be a merely physical entity
因为物理实体不可能有自由意志 because no merely physical entity could have free will.
而人有自由意志 But we've got free will,
所以在我们身上有着 so there's got to be something
超越物理实体的特质 more to us than just being a physical object.
现在如果我们让二元论者去解释 Now, if we push the dualist to explain
什么是自由意志 它又是如何否定 what is it about free will that rules out
人仅仅是物理实体这种可能性的 the possibility that we are merely physical objects,
我认为他们自然会这样 I think the natural suggestion to spell out the argument
阐述这个论证 goes like this,
这是就我们在上节课结束时讲到的内容 and this is where we were at the end of last time.
以上的观点是 The thought is that,
自由和被决定 there's a kind of incompatibility
这两者是不相容的 with being free and being determined.
我的意思是 根据物理主义者的观点 I mean, after all from the physicalist's point of view,
人只是一种"高级"的机器人 we're just a kind of glorified robot,
能做到大多数科幻电影里 able to do all sorts of things that
大多数机器人所能做到的事 most robots in most science fiction movies can do.
但是 在某种意义上 But still, in a sense,
人只是"高级"的物理实体 we're just a glorified physical object.
人只是机器人 We're just a robot.
而且这一反驳指出 机器人是被编程的 And robots, the objection goes, are programmed;
机器人必须遵照程序做事 they necessarily follow their program.
我们甚至可以这样说 More generally speaking, we might say,
它们受制于决定性的法则 they're subject to deterministic laws...
即 作为物理实体 that, as physical objects,
它们必须按照 it's true of them that they must do
物理定律和自然法则的要求去做 what the laws of physics and laws of nature require that they do.
物理定律是以决定论式的形式给出的 And the laws of physics are-- take a deterministic form,
尽管决定论这个词有些术语化 determinism being a bit of philosopher's jargon
如果我们以某种方式 for when it's true of these laws that
设定了一个物体或者一个系统 or a physical--or a system--
它们就会遵循决定论 that if you set it up a certain way,
产生这样那样的因果关系 cause and effect plays out such that,
给定了初始设置 given that initial setup,
就会有完全相同的结果 the very same effect must follow.
自然法则决定了 It's determined by the laws of nature
这个结果必然跟随这个原因产生 that the effect that follows will follow from that cause.
所以 如果你将一盘磁带 And so, if you rewind the tape
反反复复地播放 and play it again over and over and over again,
每次你播放的内容 each time you set things up the very same way
从头到尾的起承转合一定是 they must move or transform or change or end up
绝对一致的 in the very same state.
这就是决定论的含义 Well, that's what determinism is all about.
从直觉上讲 And intuitively,
对于很多人来说 it seems plausible to many people
你不可能既有自由意志又服从于决定论 that you couldn't have free will and be subject to determinism.
因为自由意志的内涵就是 Because the notion of free will was that
即使我再次处在相同的地点 even if I was in the very same spot again,
相同的情况下 the very same situation again,
我也可能做出不同的选择 I could've chosen differently.
我并非注定要做那个选择的 So I wasn't determined or predetermined to make that choice.
因此我们要更完整地阐述这个论证的话 So if we were to spell out the argument somewhat more fully,
它应该是 人有自由意志 it might be, "We have free will,
但人不能既有自由意志 but you can't both have free will
又遵从决定论 或服从确定性的定律 and be subject to determinism or subject to deterministic laws."
而每个物理实体 或者说每个纯粹的物理实体 And every physical object, or every purely physical object,
都遵从着确定性的定律 is subject to deterministic laws
因为物理定律是确定性的 because the laws of physics are deterministic.
综上所述 你就能得到这样的结论 You put these things together and you get the conclusion that we,
由于我们有自由意志 since we've got free will,
所以不可能是纯粹的物理对象 can't be a purely physical object.
在我们身上一定存在着 There must be something
超越于物理实体的特质 more than the purely physical to us.
这是上节课结束时 That's the argument I put up on the board
我在黑板上所写的论证 at the end of last class.
现在我们从这里开始 And here we've got it up here now.
一 人有自由意志 One, we have free will.
二 所有服从决定论的东西都没有自由意志 Two, nothing subject to determinism has free will.
三 所有纯粹的物理系统都服从于决定论 Three, all purely physical systems are subject to determinism.
所以 我们得到一个结论 So--a conclusion--
我们不是纯粹的物理系统 We are not a purely physical system.
要解释我们有自由意志这一事实 To explain the fact that we've got free will,
反驳者会说 so the objection goes,
我们不得不诉诸 或者假定灵魂存在 we have to appeal to-- we have to posit--the existence of a soul,
这里提到的灵魂是非物质并超出物质的东西 something non-physical, something more than purely physical.
这个论证就是这样 Well, that's the argument.
但是我并不认为这个论证有说服力 But I don't myself find the argument compelling.
现在 首先要注意的是 Now, the first thing to notice is
只有三个前提全部成立才能得出结论 that to get the conclusion we need all three premises.
放弃我们已得到的结论 Give up the conclusion that we've got--
放弃"我们有自由意志"这个前提 Give up the premise that "We've got free will,"
就不能推出我们是非物质的 it won't follow that we're non-physical.
即使某些有自由意志的东西 Even if something that did have free will
必然是非物质的 would have to be non-physical,
那也推不出来我们是非物质的 it wouldn't follow that we're non-physical.
对每一条假设都是如此 That's true for each one of the premises.
抛开这一点 结论就不成立了 Give it up, the conclusion doesn't go through.
有趣的是 And the interesting thing is that
每一个前提似乎都有其合理质疑之处 each one of these premises could be plausibly challenged.
正如我上次所说的 Now, as I said last time,
自由意志这个主题 或者说自由意志 the subject of free will--or free will,
决定论 因果论 责任 determinism, causation and responsibility,
这一堆问题 this cluster of problems--
是极端困难和复杂的物理问题 is an extremely difficult and complicated physical problem.
要讨论它们的话肯定会花掉一整个学期 And we could easily devote an entire semester to discussing it.
所以对它们我现在只做一个 So all we're doing here is
最简单 最浅层次的分析 the most quick and superficial glance.
但我还是要简短地指出 But still, let me quickly point out
为什么你们会拒不认同 why you could resist
从自由意志的角度来论证灵魂的存在 the argument from free will to the existence of a soul.
首先 像我刚才提到的 First of all, as I just noted,
这个论证的成立需要前提一 the argument needs premise number one.
必须要有事实证明我们有灵魂 It's got to be the case to prove that we've got a soul--
至少是为了能够证明这个论证 at least for this argument to work to prove
人是有灵魂的 that we've got a soul--
必须要有事实证明我们有自由意志 it's got to be the case that we've got free will.
这种观点会受到质疑的 Now, that could be challenged.
有这样一些哲学家 他们说 There are philosophers who have said
我们确实相信自己有自由意志 we certainly believe that we've got free will,
但这只是一种错觉 but it's an illusion.
我们并不是真的有自由意志 We don't really have free will.
的确 我们为什么没有自由意志 Indeed, why don't we have free will?
这个论证的其余部分 For precisely the reasons that are pointed to
会为我们指出切确的原因 by the rest of the argument.
有人会说 They might say,
人是物理实体 "Oh, well, you know, we're physical objects;
我们服从于决定论 determinism is true of us.
而遵循决定论的物理实体 No physical object that's subject to determinism
是没有自由意志的 could have free will,
所以人没有自由意志 so we don't have free will.
当然 我们错误地相信自己有自由意志 Of course, we mistakenly believe we've got free will.
我们生活在人有自由意志 We are physical objects that labor under the illusion that
这样的错觉下 we have free will,
但毕竟 but after all,
自由意志不是那种可以看得到的东西 对吧 free will isn't something that you can just see, right?
你不能通过窥视自己的心灵 You can't peer into your mind
确切地看到你有自由意志 and see the fact that you've got free will.
是的 我们曾经觉得 Yes, we've got the sense that
我们可以做出与现实不同的事 we could've acted differently,
但可能这只是错觉 but maybe that's an illusion."
有哲学家按照这种思路 As I say, there are philosophers who've argued that way,
否定了人有自由意志 have denied that we have free will
如果我们由此得出 and if we do conclude that
人没有自由意志这个结论 we don't actually have free will,
那么这个论证也不再 then we no longer have
支持灵魂存在这个说法 this argument for the existence of a soul.
这是回避这条论证的一种方法 It's a way to avoid the argument;
尽管这条论证有它自身的价值 although, for what it's worth,
应该说 我个人认为 I should mention I don't myself believe that
人有自由意志 并没有错 it's false that we have free will.
也就是说 我认为前提一是成立的 That is to say, I do think premise one is true.
我认为人确实有自由意志 I myself think we do have free will.
尽管我不喜欢 So although I don't like,
或是我不认为这条论证可靠 I don't believe the argument is sound--
但前提一恰是我想要反驳的 Premise one doesn't happen to be the premise
它作为前提并非偶然 I myself would want to reject.
但还有其他两个关键的前提 But there are other, there are two other key premises.
来说说前提三吧 What about premise number three,
所有纯粹的物理体系都遵从决定论 "All purely physical systems are subject to determinism."
要论证成立 这也是个必要的前提 Well, we need that premise as well to make the argument go.
让我们想想看 Suppose we think,
人不能既有自由意志又遵从决定论 "Look, you can't have free will and determinism.
这两者不能结合 You can't combine them."
这两种不能结合的观点 The view that you can't combine them is
有时被称为 "不相容论" sometimes known as "Incompatibilism".
原因显而易见 For the obvious reason.
这种观点认为这两个东西是不相容的 It's the view that these two things are incompatible.
人不能既服从决定论又有自由意志 You can't have determinism and free will.
假定我们相信不相容论 Suppose we do believe in incompatibilism
并认为人有自由意志 and believe that we've got free will.
就能够推理出 It would follow then
我们不遵从确定性法则 that we're not subject to deterministic laws.
二元论者认为 Well, the dualist says,
这表明我们必须相信 "That shows us that we have to believe that
人有非物质性的一面 there's something non-physical about us.
毕竟 按照前提三 Because after all, premise three:
所有纯粹的物理系统都遵从决定论 'All purely physical systems are subject to determinism.'
基本的物理定律 Isn't it true after all that
难道不都是决定性的吗 the basic laws of physics are deterministic laws?
问题的答案是 "这可说不准" And the answer is, "Well it's not so clear that it is true."
谁说的 Which is just to say
这个论证的前提三也是可以反驳的 that premise three of the argument can be rejected as well.
在这一点上我必须承认 Now, at this point I have to just confess,
像我之前承认过的那样 as I've confessed at other times before,
前提三是关于实证科学的 the three is a claim about empirical science.
我们最经典的的自然规律告诉了我们什么 What does our best theory about the laws of nature tell us?
我不是科学家 And I'm no scientist and
也不是实证方面的专家 I'm no specialist in sort of empirical matters,
相信我 and believe me,
关于量子力学 我并没有发言权 I'm no authority on quantum mechanics,
那可是基础物理中最经典的理论 our best theory of fundamental physics.
别人告诉了我这么一个例子 Still, I take it--I gather--here's what I'm told--
量子力学的正统理论认为 that the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics says that,
尽管有很多人可能不相信 despite what many of us might've otherwise believed,
物理学的基本定律事实上也不是确定性的 the fundamental laws of physics are not, in fact, deterministic.
这意味着什么 What does that mean?
假定我们有某种放射性原子 Suppose we've got some sort of radioactive atom,
它们以一定的几率衰变 which has a certain chance of decaying.
这意味着什么 好的 这意味着 What does that mean? Well, it means that,
就是说 有可能 you know, there's maybe, let's say,
这个原子会在未来的二十四小时内分裂 that in the next 24 hours it will break down.
我们设定未来二十四小时中 Eighty percent of atoms
有百分之八十的原子会分裂 that are set up like that break down in the next 24 hours;
另外百分之二十的原子不会 20 percent of them don't.
按照量子力学的正统理论 Now, according to quantum mechanics under the standard interpretation,
也就是说 在未来二十四小时内 that's all there is to say about it. You have an atom like that,
这个原子有百分之八十的概率会分裂 80 percent chance in the next 24 hours it will break down.
如果它确实分裂的话 Suppose it does break down!
我们能解释为什么它会分裂么 Can we say why it broke down?
当然 我们会说 Sure. We can say,
它分裂的概率是百分之八十 "Well, after all there was an 80 percent chance that it would."
如果一个原子在二十四小时内没有分裂的话 Take an atom that after 24 hours hasn't broken down.
我们能解释他为什么没有分裂么 Can we say why it hasn't broken down?
当然 它不分裂的概率是百分之二十 Sure. There was a 20 percent chance that it wouldn't.
我们能解释 Can we explain why the ones
为什么那个分裂了的原子分裂了 that do break down break down and the ones
而没分裂的原子没有分裂吗 that don't break down don't break down?
不能 我们只能说 No. All we can say is,
这个原子分裂的概率是百分之八十 there was an 80 percent chance it would,
不分裂的概率是百分之二十 20 percent chance it wouldn't,
它们当中的大部分会分裂 而一部分不会 so most of them do, some of them don't.
这个解释就说到这 That's as deep as the explanation goes.
不再深入了 There is nothing more.
现在 你知道 Now, you know,
当我们用决定论的观点去分析这个问题时 when we've got our deterministic hats on,
我们自己寻思着 we think to ourselves,
这背后一定有某种具有 "There's got to be some underlying
因果关系的解释 causal explanation,
某种关于分裂原子的特性 some feature about the break-down atoms
能解释为什么它们分裂了 that explains why they broke down
而由于这种特性不存在于未分裂的原子 and that was missing from the non-break-down atoms
因而解释了它们为什么不能分裂 that explains why they don't break down.
毕竟 我们相信决定论 不是吗 After all, determinism, right?
如果你精确地把原子以 If you set up the atoms
同种方式设置 exactly the same way,
它们肯定会分裂 they've always got to break down."
但答案是 But the answer is,
根据量子力学的标准解释 according to the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics,
这并非如此 that's not how it works.
而真正的解释却是 All there is to say is,
有些原子会分裂 "Some of these are going to break down,
而有些则不会 and some of these won't."
物理学的基本法则 The fundamental laws of physics,
根据量子力学的标准解释来说 according to the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics,
这都是概率决定的 are probabilistic.
而决定论在基础物理学范畴内并不正确 Determinism is not true at the level of fundamental physics.
我是这么听说的 Well, that's what I'm told.
记着 我没有资格说 Believe me, I'm in no position to say,
我只不过听别人这么说 but that's what I'm told.
当然了 And of course,
如果我听说的是真的 if that's true,
那前提三就是错的 then premise three is false.
那么所有的纯粹物理系统 It just isn't true that all purely physical systems
都遵从决定论就是错的了 are subject to determinism.
因此即使最终证实 So even if it does turn out
你不能同时拥有自由意志和遵从决定论 that you can't have free will and determinism,
也不能排除我们是纯粹 that doesn't rule out the possibility
物理实体的可能性 that we are purely physical objects,
因为并不是所有的纯粹物理系统 because not all purely physical systems
都遵从决定论 are subject to determinism.
如果决定论在基础水平上不适用于我们 If determinism isn't true of us at the fundamental level,
那即使你不能 then even if you couldn't
同时遵从决定论和拥有自由意志 both have determinism and free will,
我们仍能拥有自由意志 we could still have free will,
而且 尽管如此 and yet, for all that,
我们仍旧属于纯粹的物理系统 still be purely physical systems.
当我竭力指出 While I'm busy pointing out ways
为什么这种论证无法成功时 in which the argument doesn't succeed,
我也想要花点时间 I also want to just take a moment
顺便说说前提二也不能免于批评 and mention that premise two is also subject to criticism.
前提二是一种不相容论的主张 Premise two was the incompatibilist claim that,
即 任何遵从决定论的东西 "Nothing subject to determinism
都没有有自由意志 has free will."
你不能将二者结合 You can't combine them.
它们是不相容的 They're incompatible.
现在 不相容主义 我这样称呼它 Now, incompatibilism, I take it,
在这里大概是像某种从常识出发的观点 is probably something like the common-sense view here.
这是一种我们大多数人都相信的观点 It's the view that probably most of you believe,
但是再一次的 需要指出 but again, it's worth noting
从哲学讲它是站不住脚的 that philosophically it can be challenged.
有哲学家 There are philosophers--
这里我要对他们敬意并声明 and here I'll tip my hat and say,
我也是他们中的一员 有哲学家相信 I'm one of them--there are philosophers who believe that,
事实上 自由意志的观点 in fact, the idea of free will
和决定论并非是不相容的 is not incompatible with determinism.
所以即使我们真的服从于决定论 So even if determinism were true of us,
那也不能排除我们有自由意志的可能 that wouldn't rule out our having free will,
因为你能 because you can--
尽管表面看来并非如此 appearances to the contrary notwithstanding--
同时遵从决定论和拥有自由意志 have both determinism and free will.
它们是相容的 They're compatible.
因此 这一观点被称为相容主义 Hence, this view is known as compatibilism.
如果我们接受相容主义 If we accept compatibilism,
我们就能说 we'll be able to say,
看啊 或许我们拥有自由意志 "Look, maybe we have free will
而决定论也适用于我们 and determinism is true of us;
但尽管如此 but for all that,
我们仍旧只是纯粹的物理系统 we're still just purely physical systems."
即便量子力学是错的 而且不知怎的 Even if quantum mechanics was wrong and somehow,
在宏观水平上 you know, at the macro level
所有的非决定性都蒸发了 all the indeterminism boils out--
不管发生了什么 whatever--
在宏观水平上我们都成了决定论的系统 and at the macro level we are deterministic systems,
那又如何 so what?
如果一个决定论系统能在此情况下 If a deterministic system could
仍然拥有自由意志 nonetheless have free will,
我们仍可能只是纯粹的物理系统 we could still be purely physical systems.
现在 注意了 Now, mind you,
今天我没说过任何 I haven't said anything today
来说服你们相信相容主义的话 to convince you of the truth of compatibilism,
我也不打算那样做 nor am I going to try to do that.
我的观点不过就是说我们不应该这么草率地 My point here was only to say we shouldn't be so quick
认为我们不得不相信 to think that we have to believe in
灵魂的存在 the existence of a soul in order to
从而解释我们有自由意志 explain our having free will.
只有这个论证的所有前提都成立 It takes all of the premises of the argument
才能得出灵魂存在的结论 to get the conclusion that the soul exists.
而这里的每一个前提都可能站不住脚 And each one of the premises can be challenged.
这里我并不只是指 And here I mean not merely,
从逻辑上讲 well, logically speaking,
你当然可以 you know, of course you can
反驳这个论证的每一个前提 reject any premise of any argument.
不 我是指 我们有合理的哲学 No. I mean, there are reasonable philosophical
或科学依据使我们 or scientific grounds for
怀疑这的每一个前提 worrying about each one of the premises.
因为这个论证的要求太苛刻了 The argument requires a lot.
但这并不表明这个论证就不成立 That doesn't prove that the argument fails,
而它确实意味着 but it does mean
如果你要用这种途径 that you're going to have your work cut out for you
来证明灵魂存在的话 if you're going to use this route
你需要有人帮你解答疑团 to arguing for the existence of a soul.
好吧 让我们概括一下 All right. Let's recap.
我说过 As I said,
我们考察了各种各样 we've been considering different kinds of arguments
证明灵魂存在的论证 for the existence of a soul,
每一种都诉诸我们的某种特性 each of which appeals to some feature about us--
我们的创造性 我们的感知能力 our creativity, our ability to feel,
当然还有我们定性方面的经验 the fact that we have a qualitative aspect of experience,
我们推理的能力 our ability to reason--
诸如此类的 what have you.
有些关于我们的事实需要解释 Some fact about us that calls out for explanation,
而二元论者的主张是 and the claim on the part of the dualists was,
如果不诉诸灵魂 我们就无法解释这些 we couldn't explain it without appealing to a soul.
而我也辩驳过了 And I've argued--
我给你们讲过为什么我认为 I've shared with you my reasons for thinking
这些论证并不具有说服力 that those arguments are not compelling.
但注意 至今我提到过的 But notice that all of the kinds of considerations
所有特性 I pointed to so far
也许都是我们已经习以为常 are what we might think of as everyday,
熟悉了的特性 familiar features about us.
我们能思考推理 感知创造 It's an everyday occurrence that we can think and reason
或能做出不同的选择 拥有自由意志 and feel and be creative, or choose otherwise
都是每天存在的事 and have free will.
或许更好支持灵魂存在的论证应着眼于 Maybe the better arguments for the soul focus
不寻常的 超自然的现象 not on the everyday but on the unusual,
而非日常所见 on the supernatural.
这里我们就有了全新的一类论证 Here we might then have an entire other family of arguments,
一系列的论证 set of arguments--again,
但仍需遵循 still of the form
"最佳解释推理" "Inference to the best explanation."
或许我们需要假设灵魂存在以解释鬼魂 Maybe we need to posit the soul in order to explain ghosts.
或许我们需要假设灵魂存在以探讨第六感 Maybe we need to posit the soul in order to explain ESP;
或许我们需要假设灵魂存在 maybe we need to posit the soul in order to
来解释濒死体验 explain near-death experiences.
或许我们需要假设灵魂存在来解释 Maybe we need to posit the soul in order to explain
降神或者与死者通灵 what goes on in séance or communications
之类的是怎么一回事 from the dead or what have you.
对于以上任意一个 For any one of those,
我们都能再次提出一个论证 we could again run an argument where we say,
看啊 这里有某个东西需要解释 "Look, here is something that needs explaining.
而最佳的解释是诉诸灵魂的 The best explanation appeals to the soul."
现在 我会加速 Now, I'm going to be rather quicker
讨论这类论证 in discussing this family of arguments,
但起码让我花几分钟 but let me take at least a couple of minutes
来稍微提一下 and do something about that.
以濒死体验为例 Take, for example, near-death experiences.
你们读过一些课程包里 This is something that you read a bit about in the selection
希克和沃恩的书的摘录 from Schick and Vaughn in your course packet
你们大多数人估计都很熟悉里面的基本思想 The basic idea was probably familiar to most of you anyway,
它认为下列事情会在这样的人身上 that the following thing happens with people who,
你知道 you know,
也许他们的心脏突然停止跳动 maybe their heart goes into a cardiac arrest--
或诸如此类 what have you.
他们死在手术台上 They die on the operating table,
但很快他们又起死回生 我们可以这样说 but then they're brought back to life, as we put it.
而询问他们时 很多人都会说 And many such people, when we question them afterwards,
那是一种很神奇的体验 have a very striking experience.
而其中最振奋的就是 And one of the things that's striking is,
不管一个人的 how similar the experience is
生活经验及文化背景 from person to person and from culture to culture--
有多相似 他们都能感受到 that they've got some notion,
当他们在手术台上死去 as they were dead on the operating table,
身体已经逝去 of leaving their body.
或许他们开始飘浮在自己身体之上 Perhaps they begin to view their body from up--
从上往下看 floating up above it.
最终 或许 Eventually, perhaps,
在这些例子中他们都会体验到自己离开 they leave the operating room altogether in this experience
当时的手术室 that they're having,
并感到愉悦和欣喜 and they have a feeling of joy and euphoria;
他们会有某种穿越隧道 they have some experience of going through a tunnel,
并在隧道尽头看见一些亮光的体验 seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
或许在隧道的另一头 Perhaps at the other end of the tunnel
他们开始某种交流 they begin to have some communications
或者看见早已死去的挚爱亲友 or see some loved one who has died previously
看见他们传统教义中 or perhaps some famous religious person in their--
或宗教传统中的 in the teaching of their tradition--
某个著名宗教人物 their religious tradition.
他们会感到 They have the sense that
他们所做的 what they've done
可以说是死亡后升入了天堂 is basically died and gone to heaven.
但是突然他们被猛拽回来 But then suddenly they get yanked back,
然后他们在病房里 and they wake up, you know,
醒了过来 in the hospital room.
所以他们经历了濒死体验 So they've had near-death experiences.
或者一种更好的表述方式 Or perhaps a better way to put it
是他们经历了死亡体验 would be they've had death experiences
但是之后被带回人世 but then have been brought back to life.
这种事确实存在 不是吗 Now, there it is, right?
你调查了这些人 You survey people,
而这些人确实有这些体验 and people have these experiences.
现在我们不得不问问自己 And now we have to ask ourselves,
这又怎么解释呢 "What explains this?"
这有一种直截了当的解释 And here's a perfectly straightforward and natural explanation.
这些人死了 These people died.
他们的肉体死了 他们去了另一个世界 Their bodies died, and they went to the next world.
他们到了来生 They went to the next life.
他们去了天堂但之后又被突然拽回来 They went to heaven but then were yanked back.
但是他们的肉体那时却躺在手术台上 Now, their bodies were lying there on the operating table;
他们的肉体并不在天堂 their bodies weren't in heaven.
所以某种非肉体的东西去了天堂 So something non-bodily went to heaven.
这种解释就是这么说的 That's how the explanation goes.
这是一种自然 It's a natural,
了当地对所发生事情的解释 straightforward explanation of what's gone on here.
因此 这是一个最佳解释推理 Hence, inference to the best explanation.
我们需要假设灵魂 We need to posit the soul,
某种非物质的 能在肉体死后还存在的东西 something immaterial that survives the death of the body,
能离开肉体 升入天堂 that can leave the body, go up to heaven;
尽管 正如在这些例子里发生的 though, as it happens in these cases,
它们之间的联系从未完全破裂 the tie is never completely broken.
他们被猛拽回来 They get yanked back;
他们的灵魂不知什么原因被猛拽回来 the soul gets yanked back by whatever cause,
并重新和肉体连接上 and reconnected to the body.
这就好似我们可能会认为 It's as though we might think of
存在两个房间 there being two rooms--
比方说 to use a kind of analogy here.
一个房间代表这个世界 There is the room that this world represents,
代表今生 this life represents.
而在这些经历里发生的就是 And what happens in these experiences is
你的灵魂离开这个房间 到达第二个房间 that your soul leaves this room and goes into a second room,
代表另一个世界或来世的房间 the room of the next world or the next life,
但出于各种原因 but for various reasons,
你的灵魂不能留在另一个房间里 isn't allowed to stay in the next room.
它被猛拽回这个房间 It gets yanked back to this room.
这是一个可能的解释 Well, that's a possible explanation.
而马上 And in a moment,
我要问你们这是否是最好的解释 I'll ask whether it's the best possible explanation,
但在我们转向那个问题之前 but before we do turn to that question,
有一个对这一整套 there is an objection to
看待问题的方式的反驳 this entire way of looking at things
或许值得我们稍微停留并考虑一番 that's probably worth pausing for a moment and considering.
这个反驳和这门课伊始我们讨论的 The objection is similar to the kind of dismissive attitude
某个问题一样都带着某种轻蔑的态度 that we saw at the beginning of the course about the question,
我们能幸免于死吗 "Could I survive my death?"
在生命已经消逝之后还会有生命吗 Well, duh. Could there be life after there is no more life?
当然没有 Well, of course not.
这一反驳说道 Here the objection says,
这种有两个房间的想法肯定是错的 this two-room notion's got to be mistaken.
人们所说的自身死亡时 It can't be that what's going on in near-death experiences
所产生的濒死体验 is that people are reporting about
是绝对不可能发生的 因为 what it's like to be dead because--
这种反驳这样说道 so the objection says--
他们没有真正死掉 they never really died.
毕竟 20分钟后 After all, 20 minutes later,
或者不管多久 or whatever it is,
他们能下床活动了 there they are up and about.
呃 并不是下床活动 Well, not up and about;
他们大概还躺在病床上 they're presumably lying in their hospital beds,
但他们显然活过来了 but they're clearly alive.
因此 便得出了 Hence, it follows that
他们从未真正死过的结论 they never really died.
或者 如果你想的话 Or, if you want,
你可以说或许他们死过 you could say maybe they died,
但既然他们没有永久地死去 but since they obviously didn't die permanently--
毕竟他们被救活了 after all they were brought back to life--
那么他们怎么可能告诉我们 how could they possibly tell us
永久死亡是什么样子的呢 what it's like to be permanently dead?
我们怎么能把他们的体验当作 How can we take their experiences
对来生的真实报告呢 as veridical reports of the afterlife?
因为我们想知道的是 Because what we want to know is
永久死去是什么样的 what is like to be permanently dead,
而这些人并没有永久地死去 and these people were never permanently dead.
无论他们有多么不寻常的体验 So whatever unusual experiences they may be having,
那也不是他们的来生体验 they are not reports of the afterlife.
这就是反驳的观点 That's how the objection goes.
尽管 Although, I think,
我停下来提出那个反驳 I was pausing for a moment to raise that objection,
但我想这不是一个需要 it's not an objection that
我们认真对待的反驳 I think we should take all that seriously.
假设我们同意 Suppose we were to agree,
严格说来这些人没有死 all right, strictly speaking these people didn't die.
或者严格说来 至少他们没有 Or strictly speaking they didn't die,
永久地死去 certainly at least, permanently.
难道这就意味着 Does it follow from that
他们的经验不能成为证据证明 that their experiences should not be taken as evidence of
来生是什么样的吗 what the afterlife is like?
我想这真是一个有误导性的反驳 I think that's really a misguided objection.
假设某人说 Suppose somebody said,
我在法国住了二十年 "Look, I spent 20 years living in France,
之后我回到美国 and then I came back to the United States.
我想告诉你法国是什么样的 And so I want to tell you what it's like in France."
别人就会说 And somebody says,
你也清楚 你从没有永久地搬到法国 "You know, you never really moved to France permanently.
所以你在法国的经验 不管怎么样 So your experiences in France, whatever they are--
即使很有趣 interesting as they may be--
那也不能让人了解 can't really cast any light on
永久地搬到法国是什么样的 what it would be like to permanently move to France.
你会说 有没有搞错啊 You'd say, "Give me a break!"
不是吗 的确如此 Right? "It's true that, of course,
我没有永久地搬到法国 I didn't move to France permanently.
但是我仍然有些法国的经验 Still, I have some experience of France.
所以我可以 毕竟二十年还是有很多 And so I can--a great deal after all, 20 years--
关于住在法国是什么样的感觉 I can give you a pretty good idea of
我可以给你很好的描述 what it's like to live in France,
就算在我的有生之年我再也不会 even if I didn't move there for the rest of my life
搬回法国 without ever coming back."
如果你只是去法国待了几天就回来的话 You can't say quite as much if you've only been in France
的确没有多少可说的 for a couple of days before coming back,
但是你仍然可以说出一些相关的东西 but still you can say something relevant.
的确 假设我从没去过法国 Indeed, suppose I never went into France at all.
假设我只是曾经 Suppose all that happened was
站在法国的边境线上看过法国 I stood right on the border and peered into France,
同处在法国的人聊过天 talked to some people in France.
他们站在边境线的那边 They were on the French side of the border,
我站在这边 I was on the other side,
但是我和他们聊过一会儿 but I talked to them for a while.
确实我从未踏进那片土地 Still, I never went in,
即便如此 这仍有助于我谈论 but for all that I might have something helpful
法国是个什么样的国家 to say about what it's like in France.
如果关于法国的例子是对的 Well, if that's the right thing to say about the France case,
那为什么关于濒死体验 then why not say the same thing about
我们就不能得出相同的结论呢 the near-death experience case?
即使这些人没在第二个房间待过 Even if these people didn't stay in the second room,
他们没有保持死亡状态 they didn't stay dead,
但是他们多少有些死亡的体验 they had some experience of being dead.
这难道与死了没关系吗 Isn't that relevant to what it would be like to be dead?
或者即使我们说 Or even if we say,
不 严格说来 "No. Strictly speaking,
这些人根本没死 these people didn't die at all.
他们只不过在边缘上探视 They were just on the border looking in.
严格地说 他们从来就没死过 They never, strictly speaking, died at all."
那又如何 So what?
他们毕竟在边境上探视过 They were on the border looking in.
要说这些都是不相干的经验 To suggest that that couldn't be relevant evidence
就好比说我现在不能告诉你 is like saying I can't tell you anything interesting about
走廊上发生了什么 what's going on in the hallway right now,
毕竟我不在走廊上 because after all I'm not in the hallway;
我在教室里面 I'm here in the lecture hall.
那又如何 So what?
就算我现在在教室里 Even though I'm here in the lecture hall,
我仍然能看到走廊 并告诉你发生了什么 I can see into the hallway and tell you what's going on in it.
因此想要在哲学基础上 So attempts to dismiss the appeal to near-
驳回这种诉诸濒死体验 death experiences on what we might call philosophical grounds--
这可不是一个好的哲学观 this would be the bad notion of philosophy--
从哲学基础上来看 on philosophical grounds,
我想那是不明智的 I think that's got to be misguided.
但是 这并不意味着 Still, that doesn't mean
我们应该相信那些从濒死体验角度 that we should believe the argument for
来证明灵魂存在的论证 the existence of the soul from near-death experiences,
因为问题仍在 because the question remains,
对于濒死体验的 "What's the best explanation of
最好解释是什么 what's going on in near-death experiences?"
我说过 一种可能性就是 Now, one possibility, as I suggested,
之前我称为 两个房间的解释 was what I called a second ago the "Two-room explanation."
这里是今生的房间 There's the room of this life,
那里有一个来世的房间 and there's the room of the next life
有濒死体验的人 and people who have near-death experiences
或者短暂地进入到第二个房间 either temporarily were in the second room
或者至少对第二个房间匆匆一瞥 or else at least they were glancing into the second room.
这是一种可能的解释 That's one possible explanation.
当然 还有另一种可能的解释 But of course, there's a different possible explanation--
一间房的解释 the one-room explanation.
人只有这一辈子 There's just life, this life,
当你靠近这间房的墙时 and as you come very close to the wall of the room,
一切看起来 感觉起来 things end up looking and seeming and feeling
跟把这面墙放在房子中间有很大的不同 rather different than they do in the middle of the room.
也许一间房的比喻并不是最好的 Now, maybe the one-room metaphor is not the best metaphor,
因为它立刻会引出这个问题 because it immediately prompts the question,
墙的另一边是什么呢 "Well, what's on the other side of the wall?"
当然 And of course,
物理主义者的看法就是 the physicalist's suggestion is
墙的另一边什么也没有 there isn't anything on the other side of the wall.
也许对此更好的表述方式是 So maybe a better way to talk about it would just be:
生命是一个生物学过程 Life's a biological process;
我们对这个过程都很熟悉 we're all familiar with that process,
在它的中期 sort of, in its middle stretches.
在它的末期 In its closing stretches,
一些异常的生物学过程介入 some fairly unusual biological processes kick in.
在少见 但并非从未听闻的 In rare, but not unheard of,
情况下 有些人开始 cases, some people begin
经历那样一些不正常的生理过程 to have those unusual biological processes
然后回归正常的生物学过程 and then return to the normal biological processes
他们可以谈论 and can talk about
在那个不正常的生物过程里发生了什么 what was happening in the unusual biological processes.
那也只不过是说 Which is just to say,
关于濒死体验我们需要给出 we need to offer a biological/physical explanation of
一个生物学或物理学的解释 what goes on in near-death experiences.
注意 这还不是一个物理主义的解释 Now, mind you, that's not yet to offer the physical explanation;
这只是一张期票 it's just a promissory note.
我们现在有两个对立的解释 We now have two rival explanations,
二元论解释是灵魂 因此我们进入 the soul, dualist, explanation that we went into
到了另一个世界的 而物理主义 the other world and the physicalist,
从物理角度 用期票解释了 promissory note that we can explain the white lights
白光 兴奋的感觉 and the feeling of euphoria
以及在远处看到自己身体的现象 and seeing your body from a distance in physical terms.
我们并没有什么物理学的解释 We don't really have very much of a physical explanation
除非我们能够对濒死体验的各方面 until we begin to offer scientific accounts of
给出科学的阐释 each of those aspects of near-death experience.
但事实上 这却是科学家研究的领域 But this is, in fact, an area on which scientists work.
你们可以看到希克和沃恩在阅读材料里 And you saw some of the beginnings of an explanation
对某个解释做了一个开头 offered in the reading by Schick and Vaughn.
比如说 当身体受到压力 So, for example, when the body is in stress,
这在生物学过程的末端 as would likely happen toward the end of
极易发生 the biological processes,
当身体受压时 when the body is in stress,
身体就会放出一定的内啡肽 certain endorphins get released by the body.
也许这能解释兴奋的感觉 Perhaps that explains the feelings of euphoria.
身体受压时 When the body is in stress,
我们收到对大脑视觉区域 we have various unusual stimulations of
各种不同寻常的的刺激 the visual sections of the brain,
也许这可以解释白光 and perhaps that explains the white light
或者在隧道里压抑的感觉 or the feeling of compression in the tunnel.
我不是什么科学家 Now, again, I'm not any kind of scientist
所以我没有资格说 and so I'm not in any position to say,
看 这个解释的细节就是这样 "Look, here are the details of the explanation."
你通过这些阅读材料得到一些初步了解后 But you get the beginnings of that sketched in the readings,
你就需要作出判断了 and it's a judgment call you've got to make.
我们用创伤后应激 Does it seem more plausible
来解释这些当你濒临死亡时 that we can explain these experiences
你的身体和大脑 in terms of the traumatic stress
所经历的体验 这看起来 that your body and brain is going through
会更合理吗 when you are near dying?
或者这样说更合理 Or is it more plausible to suggest,
这里发生的就是 "No. What's happened here
灵魂从与身体的联系中解脱了 is a soul has been released from connection with the body."
在我看来 For my money,
我觉得这些初步的 I find the beginnings
科学解释已经足够有说服力 of the scientific explanation sufficiently persuasive
足够令人信服 and sufficiently compelling
而从濒死体验的角度 that I don't find the argument from near-
来证明灵魂存在论证 death experience--as an argument for the existence of a soul--
我认为它不是特别有说服力 I don't find it especially persuasive.
当然 还有很多其他的东西 Of course, there are various other things
我们可以诉诸 we could appeal to in terms of
超自然事件 不是吗 supernatural occurrences, right?
我已经提到过其中之一 现在只是讨论 I've only mentioned--only discussed now in detail--
其中的细节 one of them.
但仍有很多关于 But there are a variety of things about
有人能和死人 或鬼魂 people who can communicate from
或者降神会交流之类的传言 the dead or ghosts or seances or what have you.
对于这些东西 And what the physicalist
物理主义者该怎么做 would need to do for each one of those--
对于这些 你可以想到二元论者会说 For each one of those you can imagine a dualist who says,
我们需要相信有灵魂才能解释通灵 "We need to believe in a soul so as to explain seances.
我们怎么解释通灵的那个人 How do we explain the fact that the person
好像真的知道 who's conducting the seance knows things about,
只有你死去的叔叔才知道的故事 your history that only your dead uncle would know?"
二元论者可以诉诸鬼魂之类的来解释 The dualist can explain that by appealing to ghosts and the like.
物理主义者又如何解释这种事呢 How does the physicalist explain things like that?
一个简单的答案就是 我不知道 Short answer is, I don't know.
我不是那种 I'm not the kind of person
喜欢用物理主义 who makes it his business to try to
自然主义 唯物主义的科学角度 explain away those things in physicalist,
来解释东西的人 naturalistic, materialistic, scientific terms.
但的确有这样的人 But there are people who make it their business.
比如说 有一个魔术师 So, for example, there's a magician--
问题不在于 The question is not,
我能否给你解释通灵任何 could I explain to you how the seance manages
做到这些惊人事情的 to do the amazing things that it does?
你要想问我那些 就是在浪费时间 You're wasting your time asking somebody like me.
你要问的是魔术师 The person to ask is a magician,
他们的职业就是愚弄别人 somebody whose profession it is to fool people
让人相信他们有魔法 and make it look like they can do things with magic.
而事实上 有些专业的魔术师 So in fact, there are professional magicians
主要揭露那些声称 who make it their business to debunk people
能和死人沟通的人的秘密 who claim to genuinely be in contact with the dead and the like.
有这样一个魔术师 There's a magician,
好像他叫 "令人惊奇"的兰迪 I think his name is The Amazing Randi,
他有一个长期的悬赏 who has a sort of standing offer;
他说 你展示给我看通灵 he says, "You show me what happened in the seance
或如何同死人交流 or in communication with the dead or what have you,
我就告诉你这是怎么做到的 and I'll show you how to do it.
我会给你揭开谜底 I'll debunk it for you."
他给出一个长期悬赏 Spoiler alert. And he has a standing offer,
他说 我将不计报酬 he says, "I'll pay whatever the amount is,
给第一个在我面前展示 $10,000 to the first person
我用魔术无法再现的超自然 who can document some effect done in supernatural terms
现象的人10000美元 that I can't reproduce through trickery."
目前为止还没出现那样的人 So far he's never had to pay out.
那并不能证明二元论是错的 Well again, that doesn't prove the dualist is wrong.
可能存在真正的通灵 It could be that there are genuine seances.
也许真的有鬼魂 It could be that there really are ghosts.
也许真的可以和死去的人交流 It could be that there really is communication from the dead.
和往常一样 As is typically the case,
你必须自己决定 you've got to decide for yourself
哪种解释更合适 what strikes you as the better explanation.
是超自然的 Is the supernatural,
二元论的解释 dualist explanation the more likely one?
还是物理主义的解释 Or is the physicalist explanation the more likely one?
你做了一个梦 Look, you have a dream
梦见你死去的妈妈回来跟你说话 where your dead mother has come back to talk to you.
一个可能的解释 二元论者会说 One possible explanation, the dualist,
那是你妈妈的鬼魂 that's the ghost of your mother,
她是一个非物质的灵魂 immaterial soul that she is,
在你睡觉的时候跟你交流 communicating to you while you're asleep.
第二个可能的解释就是 Second possible explanation,
那只不过是个梦 it's just a dream.
当然你会梦到你妈妈 Of course you dream about your mother
那是因为你潜意识里惦记着她 because your unconscious cares about her.
哪种解释更合适 What's the better explanation?
我们这里没有时间一个接一个地 We don't have the time here to go case,
看这些例子 然后问 by case, by case, and ask ourselves,
这个证据是怎么让一方打倒另一方的 "How does the evidence fall down one side versus the other?"
但当我考察这个证据时 But when I review the evidence,
我认为 I come away thinking there's
没有比物理证据更好的理由 no good reason to move beyond the physical.
简单概括一下就是 So again, let's recap.
主张灵魂存在的一方声称 One group of arguments for the existence of a soul says,
我们必须假设灵魂存在 才能解释一些 "We need to posit a soul in order to explain something,
司空见惯或是超自然的现象 whether it's something everyday or something supernatural."
灵魂的存在将成为 The existence of a soul would be
一种可能的解释的开端 the beginnings of a possible explanation.
但问题绝不是 But the question is never,
那是一个可能的解释吗 "Is that a possible explanation?"
而是 那是最佳的解释吗 but, "Is it the best explanation?"
所以当我考察各种论证时 And when I review these various arguments,
我不会说最佳解释肯定是 I come away thinking the better explanation
物理主义的 falls with the physicalist.
注意 我并不否认 Mind you, I don't want to deny
物理主义者在某些方面 that there are some things the physicalist
做出的某些解释不充分 has not yet done a very compelling job of explaining.
如我之前所言 我认为特别是那些 In particular, as I've mentioned previously, i think
对于意识本质的研究 there are mysteries and puzzles
还存在许多奥秘和难题 about the nature of consciousness,
拿定性的体验来说 The qualitative aspect of experience,
闻咖啡 吃菠萝 看到红色 what it's like to smell coffee or taste pineapple
具体是什么感觉 or see red.
都很难运用物理主义术语加以解释 It's very hard to see how you explain that in physicalist terms.
所以由此看来 So to that extent,
我们可以说 目前这还没有定论 I think we can say the jury may still be out.
但我们也不能说 But I don't think what we should say is,
二元论的解释更好 "The better explanation lies with the dualist."
因为我认为灵魂存在的假设并未 Because I think positing a soul doesn't
给予我们一个合理的解释 really yet offer us the explanation.
它只是承诺给出一个解释 It just holds out the promise of an explanation.
这最多只能算是平局 所以 So at best that's a tie, and hence,
还没有令人信服的理由来接受灵魂的存在 no compelling reason to accept the existence of a soul.
除非 It would be one thing,
我们能看出 if we could see
所有物理主义的解释都行不通 that no conceivable physicalist explanation could possibly work.
但我不认为我们处于这样的境地 But I don't think we're in that situation.
我们现在的处境就是 All we're in right now is,
也许关于意识存在的一些东西 perhaps in existence of that with regard to consciousness,
或其他什么的 我们现在还不知如何解释 maybe some other things, we don't yet see how to explain it.
但是不知道 But not yet seeing
怎么解释并不等于 how to explain it is not the same thing as seeing
不能用物理主义解释 that it can't be explained on physicalist terms.
当然 Of course, again,
如果我们拥有一个 if we had a dualist explanation with
既可行又详尽的二元论解释 some details really worked out,
也许我们就会说 maybe we'd have to say,
看哪 这才是更好的解释 "Look, this is the better explanation."
但是二元论还没有给出 But dualism doesn't so much offer the explanation
这样的解释 typically as just say,
也许我们假设非物质的存在会好一些 "Well, maybe we'd be better off positing something immaterial."
但这个并没有什么说服力 That, I think, is not a very compelling argument.
那我们就要问了 Well, let's ask.
还有什么其他论据 What other kinds of arguments could be
可以证明灵魂的存在呢 offered for the existence of a soul?
强调一点 I want to emphasize the point that
到现在为止 我提及的各种论据 the various arguments that I have been talking about so far,
尽管它们都是 although they have this common strand--
最佳解释的推论 "Inference to the best explanation"--
但每一个都是独立而分明的 are each separate and distinct arguments.
即使一些行不通 但其他的还有可能行得通 One of them might work even though the other ones don't work.
但我现在想转到完全不同的一类论证 But I want to turn now to a rather different kind of argument.
我接下来要介绍的 The argument I'm about to sketch
是一个纯粹的哲学论证 is a purely philosophical argument,
并非绝对意义上的 not really so much a matter of
解释优劣决定孰强孰弱 who can explain this or that feature of us better than anybody else.
这是一个没有任何经验前提的论证 It's an argument that doesn't seem to have any empirical premises;
它完全只是躺在椅子上对哲学的思考得出 it works from purely armchair philosophical reflection.
但令人称道的是 And the striking thing is that
很多人认为这个论证是令人信服的 many people find this a pretty compelling argument.
我要提到的这个论证 可以追溯到笛卡尔 The argument I'm going to give traces back to Descartes,
一位伟大的早期近代哲学家 the great early modern philosopher.
我不打算对这个论证进行详细讨论 Well, I'm not going to follow the details of this argument,
只是说一下笛卡尔的基本思想 but the basic idea goes back to Descartes.
现在 请你们和我一起想象一个故事 And it starts by asking you to imagine a story.
我将以第一人称的方式来讲述 So I'm going to tell the story in the first person.
在故事中讲的是我自己 I'm going to tell about myself,
但你们会发现 but you know, you'll find the argument sort of,
如果你们相信故事说的是你们自己 perhaps more persuasive if, as I tell the story,
这个论证就会更有说服力 you imagine the story being told about you.
所以你们应该 So each one of you should
把自己想象为故事的主角 translate this into a story about yourself.
在你们的某个清晨 You know, your morning.
我应该说是在我的某个清晨 So this is a story about my morning.
想象 当然 实际上并没发生 Imagine--this didn't, of course, actually happen,
最关键的地方就是想象 but imagine--the crucial point here is simply
故事因此而产生 that we can imagine this story happening,
别去想实际上是否可能发生 not even that we think it's empirically possible,
只需要一点想象 just it's conceivable,
这是个虚构的故事 it's an imaginable story.
好的 All right.
假定我早上醒来 So suppose that I woke up this morning,
也就是说 that is to say,
我在某个位置上 环顾房间四周 at a certain point I look around my room
看到了昏暗的卧室里熟悉的场景 and I see the familiar sights of my darkened bedroom.
我听到 I hear, perhaps,
轿车的声音从室外传来 the sounds of the cars outside my house,
或是闹钟的铃响 随你想象 my alarm clock ringing, what have you.
我离开卧室走向浴室 I move out of the room toward the bathroom,
要去刷牙 当我走进浴室时 planning to brush my teeth. As I enter the bathroom,
光线明亮了些 我看着镜子 it's much more light, I look in the mirror and--
从这里情节就诡异了 我什么也没看到 here's where things get really weird--I don't see anything.
正常情况下 Normally, of course,
当我照镜子的时候 我会看到自己的脸 when I look in the mirror I see my face.
看到自己的头 I see my head;
看到我躯体的影像 I see the reflection of my torso.
但现在 我在镜子中 But now, as I'm looking into the mirror,
什么也没看到 I don't see anything at all.
却看到了身后的淋浴喷头 Instead, I see the shower reflected behind me.
正常情况下 它应该是被我的身体挡住了 Normally, that's blocked of course by me, by my body.
但我看不到我的身体 But I don't see my body.
略微惊吓之余 Slightly freaked out,
我用手去触碰头部 I reach for my head,
也许我们应该说 把手放到 or perhaps we should say I reach for
预想中我头部所在的位置 where I would expect my head to be,
但那里什么也没有 but I don't feel anything there.
朝双臂看去 Glancing down at my arms,
却是空空如也 I don't see any arms.
现在 我终于惊慌失措了 Now, I'm really panicking.
我又试图触碰我的身体 As I begin trying to touch my body,
没有任何感觉 I don't feel anything.
我不但无法用手指感触任何事物 I don't--not only can't I feel anything with my fingers,
也无法感知躯体的位置 I don't have any sensations where my body should be.
接着 Now, we could continue this story,
你们想必已经猜到 but I've probably said enough for you to grant that
我想要干什么了 what I've just started doing--
一位小说家可能比我更擅长讲故事 a novelist could do a better job of telling the story than I just did--
但我刚才所做的 仅仅只是想象 but what I've just done was basically imagine--
我想象着我发现 I've imagined a story in which I discover
自己的躯体不在了 that my body doesn't exist.
或者说 我想象着 Or I've imagined a story in which
我的躯体消亡了 my body has perhaps ceased to exist,
也可以说 or I've imagined a story in which
我存在 或至少我的心灵还存在 I exist, or at least my mind exists.
我在想 You know, I'm thinking thoughts like,
为什么我在镜子中看不到自己的身体呢 "Why can't I see my body in the mirror?
为什么我感觉不到头部呢 到底怎么回事 Why can't I feel my head? What's going on?"
我很恐慌 对吧 I'm panicking, right?
在故事里 我正思考着 We've got a story in which I'm thinking all sorts of thoughts;
我的心灵显然是存在着的 my mind clearly exists, and yet,
但是 我的躯体却不存在了 for all that, my body does not exist.
我们当然能想象到那种情形 We could--certainly it seems-- imagine that possibility.
这个论证最精彩的地方在于 Now, the brilliant thing about this argument is
其就此得出结论 it goes from that to a conclusion about there
心灵和身体之间存在着差异 being a difference between my mind and my body.
我们刚才所作的 What we've just done,
就是想象我的心灵存在 after all, is imagine that my mind exists
而身体不存在 but my body does not.
那它到底表明了什么呢 Now, what does that show?
笛卡尔说 那表明心灵 Descartes says what it shows is the mind
和身体在逻辑上是截然不同的 and the body must be two logically distinct things.
不能把两者混为一谈 The mind and the body cannot be the same thing.
因为 Because, after all,
我刚才所做的是想象心灵脱离身体而存在 what I just did was imagine my mind existing without my body.
但即使仅仅是想象 我怎么就做到了呢 How could I even do that, even in imagination?
怎能想象自己的心灵独立于身体存在呢 How could it even be possible to imagine my mind without my body,
如果心灵只不过是身体的另一种说法 if talking about my mind is just a way of talking about my body?
如果从形而上学的角度说 If they're really, bottom line,
它们终归是一体的 metaphysically speaking, the same thing,
那你根本不可能将两者分离开来 then you couldn't have one without the other after all.
这是一个讲台 So here's a podium.
试着给我讲一个关于这讲台既存在 Try to tell a story in which this podium exists
但又不存在的故事 but this podium does not exist.
你们没法做到 对吧 You can't do it, right?
讲台只是一个物体 The podium is just one thing, the podium.
所以 如果它只是一个物体 And if it is just one thing,
你只能说它存在 you could tell a story in which it exists;
或是不存在 you could tell a story in which it doesn't exist.
但你不能说 它既存在又不存在 But you can't tell a story in which it exists and doesn't exist.
如果我跟你说A存在但B不存在 If I can tell a story in which A exists and B doesn't exist,
就可以得出结论A和B不是一个东西 it's got to follow that A and B are not the same thing.
因为如果B只是 Because if B was just another word for,
A的另一种表达方式 another way of talking about, A,
那么认为A存在而 then to imagine A existing but
B不存在就是认为A存在但 B not existing would be imagining A existing but--
B 也就是A 却不存在 well, B is just A--A not existing.
显然 But of course,
你无法想象一个A既存在又不存在的世界 you can't imagine a world in which A exists but A doesn't exist.
把这点推而广之 Put the same point the other way around:
如果我可以想象A在没有B的情况下存在 If I can imagine A without B,
那么A和B在逻辑上是相互独立的 then A and B have to be logically distinct things.
它们不可能是一体的 They cannot be identical.
由于我能够想象我的心灵独立于身体存在 But since I can imagine my mind existing without my body,
可以推出 我的心灵 it follows that my mind
和身体在逻辑上是相互独立的 and my body have to be logically distinct things.
它们不可能等同 They cannot be identical.
我的心灵不是身体的另一种说法 My mind cannot just be a way of talking.
谈论心灵 Talking about my mind
不可能只是谈论身体的另一种表述 cannot just be a way of talking about my body.
这是个了不起的论证 Now, it's a very cool argument.
哲学家们都很喜欢这个观点 You know, philosophers love this argument.
我已经告诉过你们 And I've got to tell you,
现今哲学界依旧在争论 to this day there's a debate in the philosophical community
到底这个论证是否正确 about whether or not this argument works.
但有一点是需要说明 It's one thing to be clear--
有一些东西需要说明 a couple of things to be clear about.
这个论证没有说明什么呢 What exactly is this argument not doing?
这个论证并不是在说 如果某件事是可能的 The argument is not saying, "If something is possible,
如果我能想象它 那它就是真实的 if I can imagine it, it's true."
我可以想象到独角兽 No. I can imagine unicorns.
但这并不意味着独角兽就存在 It doesn't mean unicorns exist.
这个论证不是要说这一点 That's not what the argument is saying.
它只是提出了一个更明确的主张 The argument is only making a much more specific claim.
如果我能想象某物独立于另一物存在 If I can imagine one thing without the other,
那它们就是彼此独立的 they must be separate things.
现在 Now, of course,
还是可以说 it could still be
在真实世界里 that in the real world the
某物不能脱离于另一物而独立存在 one thing cannot exist without the other.
因为一些形而上学的定律 There may be some sort of metaphysical laws
将两者紧密联系在一起 that tie the two things so tightly together
使你无法把其分离开来 that you'll never actually get one without the other.
但这不是我们讨论的内容 That's not the question.
我们要讨论的是 至少如果我可以想象 The point is just if I can at least imagine
某物独立于另一物存在 the one thing without the other,
那么它们就肯定彼此不同 they must in fact be two separate things.
因为如果它们的确是同一个东西 Because if there was really just one thing there,
你是无法脱离它而想象到它的 you couldn't imagine it without it.
正是因为我可以脱离于身体想象心灵 Since I can imagine my mind without my body,
所以就可以说 it must be the case
我的心灵独立于身体 that my mind is something separate and distinct from my body.
要不然 我怎么能独立于身体想象心灵呢 Otherwise, how could I imagine it existing without the body?
如果两者一体 If they were the same thing,
我是无法独立于身体想象心灵的 I couldn't--I can't imagine the body existing without the body.
如果心灵只不过是身体的另一种说法 If the mind is just a way of talking about the body,
我怎么能独立于身体想象心灵呢 how could I imagine the mind without the body?
由于我可以独立于身体而想象心灵 Since I can imagine the mind without the body,
才由此推出 二者是独立的 it follows that they're separate.
所以说心灵不是身体 So the mind is not the body after all.
它是某种不同的东西 是灵魂 It's something different. It's the soul.
这个论证好不好呢 Is that a good argument or not?
我们下节课就从这里开始 That's where we'll start next time.