And the bias I'm talking about
我這里說的偏誤
works like this:
是這么回事:
Confront someone with the fact
某些人面對(duì)
that they are going to die
他們終將會(huì)死去的現(xiàn)實(shí)
and they will believe just about any story
他們只會(huì)相信
that tells them it isn't true
告訴他們的任何故事都不會(huì)是真的
and they can, instead, live forever,
他們可以永久的活著,
even if it means taking the existential elevator.
即便乘坐可能存在的升降電梯。
Now we can see this as the biggest bias of all.
現(xiàn)在我們可以將這個(gè)視為最大的偏誤。
It has been demonstrated in over 400
它已經(jīng)被400多項(xiàng)
empirical studies.
實(shí)證研究證明。
Now these studies are ingenious, but they're simple.
這些研究設(shè)計(jì)的很精巧,但非常簡(jiǎn)單。
They work like this.
它們像這樣工作。
You take two groups of people
你找兩組
who are similar in all relevant respects,
各個(gè)方面都很相似的人,
and you remind one group that they're going to die
并且提醒一組人他們即將死去
but not the other, then you compare their behavior.
而不告訴另一群人,然后比較他們的行為。
So you're observing how it biases behavior
你會(huì)觀察到
when people become aware of their mortality.
當(dāng)人們開始意識(shí)到他們大限將至,偏誤行為是如何產(chǎn)生的。
And every time, you get the same result:
并且你每次都能得到相同的結(jié)論:
People who are made aware of their mortality
意識(shí)到會(huì)死亡的人
are more willing to believe stories
更愿意相信那些
that tell them they can escape death
告訴他們能夠擺脫死亡
and live forever.
并能長(zhǎng)生不老的故事。
So here's an example: One recent study
因此有下面這個(gè)例子:
took two groups of agnostics,
找兩組不可知論者,
that is people who are undecided
這些人沒有固定
in their religious beliefs.
的宗教信仰。
Now, one group was asked to think about being dead.
現(xiàn)在,其中一組被要求思考死亡。
The other group was asked to think about
而另一種則被要求思考
being lonely.
孤獨(dú)。
They were then asked again about their religious beliefs.
他們?cè)俅伪粏柕剿麄兊淖诮绦叛觥?/div>
Those who had been asked to think about being dead
那些被要求死亡的那組人
were afterwards twice as likely to express faith
有兩倍的可能性來表達(dá)
in God and Jesus.
對(duì)上帝和耶穌的信仰。
Twice as likely.
兩倍的可能性。
Even though the before they were all equally agnostic.
即使他們之前是同樣的不可知論者。
But put the fear of death in them,
但對(duì)死亡的恐懼?jǐn)[在他們面前,
and they run to Jesus.
他們會(huì)向耶穌靠攏。
Now, this shows that reminding people of death
這表明向人們提醒死亡
biases them to believe, regardless of the evidence,
會(huì)讓他們忽視證據(jù),使他們對(duì)所相信的事物產(chǎn)生偏誤,
and it works not just for religion,
他不僅僅影響到宗教,
but for any kind of belief system
如果沒有所有以
that promises immortality in some form,
許諾在某種形式下永生的任何信仰制度,
whether it's becoming famous
無論是否有名
or having children
或有孩子
or even nationalism,
甚至帶民族主義形式,
which promises you can live on as part of a greater whole.
承諾你能成為偉大的整體中的一員生活下去。
This is a bias that has shaped
這樣的偏誤塑造了
the course of human history.
人類的歷史。
Now, the theory behind this bias
目前,在這偏誤背后
in the over 400 studies
有超過400多項(xiàng)研究
is called terror management theory,
被稱之為恐懼管理理論,
and the idea is simple. It's just this.
這個(gè)理論很簡(jiǎn)單,
We develop our worldviews,
我們發(fā)展出我們的世界觀。
that is, the stories we tell ourselves
即我們告訴自己一個(gè)
about the world and our place in it,
關(guān)于時(shí)間和我們所在地方的故事,
in order to help us manage
以便幫助我們管理
the terror of death.
對(duì)死亡的恐懼。
And these immortality stories
而這些永生的故事
have thousands of different manifestations,
有上千種不同的表現(xiàn)形式,
but I believe that behind the apparent diversity
但我相信在這些多樣化的面目下
there are actually just four basic forms
實(shí)際只有四種基本形式
that these immortality stories can take.
是這些永生故事都有的。
And we can see them repeating themselves
并且我們能發(fā)現(xiàn)他們
throughout history, just with slight variations
在歷史中不斷重復(fù),僅僅只有細(xì)微的差異
to reflect the vocabulary of the day.
用來反應(yīng)當(dāng)時(shí)的語言。
Now I'm going to briefly introduce these four
下面我會(huì)簡(jiǎn)要介紹這四種
basic forms of immortality story,
永生故事的基本形式,
and I want to try to give you some sense
并且我希望讓你們知道
of the way in which they're retold by each culture
在各個(gè)文化
or generation
或在不同時(shí)代中
using the vocabulary of their day.
使用當(dāng)時(shí)的語言傳播的方式。
Now, the first story is the simplest.
第一個(gè)故事是最簡(jiǎn)單的。
We want to avoid death,
我們想要逃避死亡,
and the dream of doing that in this body
并且夢(mèng)想著這身軀
in this world forever
能永久留存在世上
is the first and simplest kind of immortality story,
是第一個(gè)最簡(jiǎn)單的永生故事,
and it might at first sound implausible,
一開始聽起來有些難以置信,
but actually, almost every culture in human history
但事實(shí)上,在人類歷史上的每一種文化
has had some myth or legend
都流傳著一些神話或傳說
of an elixir of life or a fountain of youth
關(guān)于長(zhǎng)生藥或者不老泉
or something that promises to keep us going
或者能讓我們一直
forever.
活下去的東西。
Ancient Egypt had such myths,
古埃及有這種傳說,
ancient Babylon, ancient India.
古巴比倫,古印度。
Throughout European history, we find them in the work of the alchemists,
縱觀這個(gè)歐洲歷史,在煉金術(shù)師的工作中可以發(fā)現(xiàn)它,
and of course we still believe this today,
直到今天我們依舊相信它,
only we tell this story using the vocabulary
只不過我們使用科學(xué)的語言
of science.
來講這個(gè)故事。
So 100 years ago,
所以100年前,
hormones had just been discovered,
荷爾蒙被發(fā)現(xiàn)了,
and people hoped that hormone treatments
人們希望荷爾蒙治療
were going to cure aging and disease,
能使我們永葆青春和治愈疾病,
and now instead we set our hopes on stem cells,
現(xiàn)在我們則是希望干細(xì)胞,
genetic engineering, and nanotechnology.
基因工程,和納米技術(shù)。