評論
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But the idea that science can cure death
但科學(xué)能夠治愈死亡的觀點
is just one more chapter in the story
只是神奇的靈丹妙藥故事的
of the magical elixir,
又一個章節(jié)，
a story that is as old as civilization.
和古文明一樣古老的故事。
But betting everything on the idea of finding the elixir
但把所有的賭注都壓在尋找靈丹妙藥
and staying alive forever
和長生不老上面
is a risky strategy.
這樣風(fēng)險未免太大。
When we look back through history
當(dāng)我們回顧整個歷史
at all those who have sought an elixir in the past,
所有那些在過去尋找靈丹妙藥的人
the one thing they now have in common
都有個共通點
is that they're all dead.
是他們都難逃一死。
So we need a backup plan, and exactly this kind of plan B
所以我們需要個備用方案，精確講叫B方案
is what the second kind of immortality story offers,
也就是第二類永生的故事，
and that's resurrection.
那就是復(fù)活。
And it stays with the idea that I am this body,
概念是我有這個身軀，
I am this physical organism.
是一個有機(jī)體。
It accepts that I'm going to have to die
我是會死去的
but says, despite that,
但不論這些，
I can rise up and I can live again.
我可以再次活過來的。
In other words, I can do what Jesus did.
換句話說，我能和耶穌一樣。
and then he rose up and lived again.
然后又活過來了。
And the idea that we can all be resurrected to live again
能夠復(fù)活的這個概念
is orthodox believe, not just for Christians
不單源于東正教
but also Jews and Muslims.
也屬于猶太教和穆斯林的。
But our desire to believe this story
但我們渴望去相信這個故事
is so deeply embedded
是深植在我們的內(nèi)心
that we are reinventing it again
而到了科學(xué)時代
for the scientific age,
我們又重新將它提了出來，
for example, with the idea of cryonics.
比如，人體冷凍。
That's the idea that when you die,
意思是當(dāng)你死后，
you can have yourself frozen,
你可以把自己冷凍起來，
and then, at some point when technology
然后，直到有一天，科技
has advanced enough,
高度發(fā)達(dá)的時候，
you can be thawed out and repaired and revived
你可以把自己解凍和修復(fù)
and so resurrected.
然后復(fù)活。
And so some people believe an omnipotent god
并且有些人相信萬能的神
will resurrect them to live again,
會人他們重新活過來，
and other people believe an omnipotent scientist will do it.
還有人則相信萬能的科學(xué)。
But for others, the whole idea of resurrection,
但是對某些人，對復(fù)活的這個看法，
of climbing out of the grave,
從墳?zāi)估锱莱鰜恚?/div>
it's just too much like a bad zombie movie.
太像一部擺爛的僵尸電影。
They find the body too messy, too unreliable
他們發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的身軀腐朽，也不大可能復(fù)活，
to guarantee eternal life,
無法擁有永恒的生命，
and so they set their hopes on the third,
所有他們有第三類型的故事，
more spiritual immortality story,
更偏向于精神上的永生故事，
the idea that we can leave our body behind
就是我們能夠離開我們的身軀
and live on as a soul.
但靈魂永久長存。
Now, the majority of people on Earth
目前，地球上絕大多數(shù)的人
believe they have a soul,
認(rèn)為他們是有靈魂的，
and the idea is central to many religions.
這個觀念是許多宗教的核心，
But even though, in its current form,
即便是這樣，在現(xiàn)有的形式下，
in its traditional form,
在傳統(tǒng)的形式下，
the idea of the soul is still hugely popular,
靈魂的觀念依舊受到了廣泛歡迎，
nonetheless we are again
在當(dāng)今的數(shù)字化時代
reinventing it for the digital age,
再次提起它，
for example with the idea
比如
that you can leave your body behind
你可以離開你的身體
by uploading your mind, your essence,
你的心智，你的本質(zhì)，
the real you, onto a computer,
真正的你，上傳到了電腦中，
and so live on as an avatar in the ether.
以化身活在乙太的世界。
But of course there are skeptics who say
但是當(dāng)然，有人會懷疑說
if we look at the evidence of science,
如果我們察看科學(xué)的依據(jù)，
particularly neuroscience,
特別是神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)科學(xué)，
it suggests that your mind,
提及你的心智，
your essence, the real you,
你的本質(zhì)，真正的你，
is very much dependent on a particular part
非常依賴你身體上一個特別的部分，
of your body, that is, your brain.
也就是，你的大腦。
And such skeptics can find comfort
這樣的懷疑者
in the fourth kind of immortality story,
有著第四類型的永生的故事，
and that is legacy,
那就是遺傳的傳說。
the idea that you can live on
你可以長存在世
through the echo you leave in the world,
透過你遺留在世上的事物,
like the great Greek warrior Achilles,
就像古希臘戰(zhàn)士阿基里斯，
who sacrificed his life fighting at Troy
他在特洛伊的戰(zhàn)斗中犧牲了自己的生命
so that he might win immortal fame.
使他贏得了不朽的名聲。
And the pursuit of fame is as widespread
追求這樣的名聲從古至今
and popular now as it ever was,
都一樣流行，
and in our digital age,
在當(dāng)今的數(shù)字時代，
it's even easier to achieve.
它更容易實現(xiàn)。
You don't need to be a great warrior like Achilles
你不必要成為像阿基里斯這樣的勇士
or a great king or hero.
或者一個偉大的國王或者英雄。
All you need is an Internet connection and a funny cat.
你只要能上網(wǎng)和一只有趣的貓。
But some people prefer to leave a more tangible,
但有些人希望留下后代----
biological legacy -- children, for example.
子孫。
Or they like, they hope, to live on
或是他們想要，希望
as part of some greater whole,
成為整個整體中的一部分活下去，
a nation or a family or a tribe,
一個名族，或者一個家庭或者一個部落，
their gene pool.
他們的基因庫。
But again, there are skeptics
但有人會懷疑
who doubt whether legacy
這些遺產(chǎn)是否
really is immortality.
真的能永久流傳下去。
Woody Allen, for example, who said,
比如，伍迪·艾倫，曾說過，
"I don't want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen.
“我不想活在我同胞的心里。
I want to live on in my apartment."
我想活在我的公寓里。“
So those are the four
所以那些都是四種
basic kinds of immortality stories,
基本的永生的故事，
and I've tried to give just some sense
我試著說明這些故事
of how they're retold by each generation
如何一代一代流傳著
with just slight variations
但也都大同小異
to fit the fashions of the day.
以迎合當(dāng)今時代的潮流。
And the fact that they recur in this way,
事實上這些故事不停的被傳述，
in such a similar form but in such different belief systems,
在不同的信仰中有著相似的形式，
suggests, I think,
我覺得，
that we should be skeptical of the truth
我們應(yīng)該對
of any particular version of these stories.
所有這些故事的真實性要有所懷疑，
