ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Antonio Damasio - Neuroscientist
Antonio Damasio's research in neuroscience has shown that emotions play a central role in social cognition and decision-making. His work has had a major influence on current understanding of the neural systems, which underlie memory, language, consciousness.

Why you should listen

Antonio Damasio is a leader in understanding the biological origin of consciousness. He also argues that emotions, far from being barriers to it, are a crucial component of decision-making. He is founder and director of the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, which draws on partners across academic disciplines to use the explosion of new neuroscience results to tackle issues from mental health to societal and global change.

Damasio is the author of Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, which was adapted into a musical composition performed by Yo-Yo Ma at the American Museum of Natural History.

More profile about the speaker
Antonio Damasio | Speaker | TED.com
TED2011

Antonio Damasio: The quest to understand consciousness

Antonio Damasio: Na busca de entender a consciencia

Filmed:
2,124,061 views

Cada mañá cando despertamos notamos a volta da nosa conciencia -un feito marabilloso-, pero que é exactamente o que recobramos? O neurocientífico Antonio Damasio emprega esta simple dúbida para darnos unha idea de como os nosos cerebros crean esa sensación de identidade.
- Neuroscientist
Antonio Damasio's research in neuroscience has shown that emotions play a central role in social cognition and decision-making. His work has had a major influence on current understanding of the neural systems, which underlie memory, language, consciousness. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
I'm here to talk about
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Estou hoxe aquí para falar
00:17
the wonder and the mystery
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sobre a marabilla e o misterio
00:20
of conscious minds.
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da mente consciente.
00:23
The wonder is about the fact
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O marabilloso é o feito
00:25
that we all woke up this morning
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de que todos nós espertamos esta mañá
00:27
and we had with it
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téndoa connosco,
00:29
the amazing return of our conscious mind.
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a asombrosa volta
da nosa mente consciente.
00:32
We recovered minds with a complete sense of self
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Recobramos mentes conscientes de si mesmas
00:35
and a complete sense of our own existence,
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e da súa propia existencia,
00:38
yet we hardly ever pause to consider this wonder.
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pero nunca pensamos
nesta marabilla,
00:40
We should, in fact,
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e, de feito, deberíamos,
00:42
because without having this possibility of conscious minds,
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porque se as nosas mentes
non fixeran isto posible,
00:46
we would have no knowledge whatsoever
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non teríamos coñecemento ningún
00:48
about our humanity;
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sobre a nosa humanidade.
00:50
we would have no knowledge whatsoever about the world.
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Non teríamos coñecemento ningún do mundo
00:53
We would have no pains, but also no joys.
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non teríamos dor pero tampouco alegría
00:55
We would have no access to love
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Non teríamos acceso ó amor
00:58
or to the ability to create.
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ou á capacidade de crear.
01:01
And of course, Scott Fitzgerald said famously
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Como Scott Fitzgerald dixo
01:04
that "he who invented consciousness
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"o que inventou a consciencia
01:07
would have a lot to be blamed for."
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ten moito polo que pagar"
01:10
But he also forgot
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pero tamén esqueceu
01:12
that without consciousness,
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que sen consciencia
01:14
he would have no access to true happiness
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non teríamos acceso
á verdadeira felicidade
01:17
and even the possibility of transcendence.
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ou á posibilidade de transcender.
01:19
So much for the wonder, now for the mystery.
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Basta xa de teorías, imos co misterio.
01:22
This is a mystery
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Este é un misterio
01:24
that has really been extremely hard to elucidate.
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extremadamente difícil de descubrir.
01:27
All the way back into early philosophy
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De volta ás filosofías primixenias,
01:30
and certainly throughout the history of neuroscience,
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e certamente, a través
da historia da neurociencia,
01:33
this has been one mystery
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isto foi un misterio
01:36
that has always resisted elucidation,
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que sempre se resistiu a ser solucionado,
01:38
has got major controversies.
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e que suscitou grandes controversias.
01:40
And there are actually many people
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E, aínda hoxe hai moita xente
01:42
that think we should not even touch it;
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que pensa que non deberíamos tocalo
01:44
we should just leave it alone, it's not to be solved.
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deberíamos deixalo aí, sen solución.
01:46
I don't believe that,
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Pero eu non o creo,
01:48
and I think the situation is changing.
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penso que a situación está cambiando.
01:50
It would be ridiculous to claim
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Sería ridículo proclamar
01:52
that we know how we make consciousness
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que sabemos como se crea a consciencia
nos nosos cerebros.
01:55
in our brains,
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01:57
but we certainly can begin
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Certamente podemos empezar
01:59
to approach the question,
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por achegar a cuestión,
02:01
and we can begin to see the shape of a solution.
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e empezar a albiscar unha solución.
02:04
And one more wonder to celebrate
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Outra marabilla máis para celebrar
02:07
is the fact that we have imaging technologies
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é o feito de que imaxinamos tecnoloxías
02:11
that now allow us to go inside the human brain
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que nos permiten afondar no cerebro humano
02:15
and be able to do, for example,
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e ser capaces de facer, por exemplo
02:17
what you're seeing right now.
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o que están vendo agora mesmo.
02:19
These are images that come from Hanna Damasio's lab,
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Estas son imaxes procedentes
do laboratorio de Hannah Damasio
02:22
and which show you, in a living brain,
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e mostran, nun cerebro vivo
02:25
the reconstruction of that brain.
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a reconstrución del.
02:27
And this is a person who is alive.
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Trátase dunha persoa viva.
02:29
This is not a person
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Non unha persoa
02:31
that is being studied at autopsy.
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que está a ser estudada nunha autopsia.
02:34
And even more --
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E incluso máis
02:36
and this is something that one can be really amazed about --
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--algo do que un pode estar sorprendido --
02:39
is what I'm going to show you next,
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é o que vou ensinar a continuación,
02:41
which is going underneath the surface of the brain
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o que está a acontecer
baixo a superficie do cerebro
02:44
and actually looking in the living brain
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e, actualmente, o que buscamos
no cerebro vivo
02:47
at real connections, real pathways.
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os sendeiros e conexións verdadeiras.
02:50
So all of those colored lines
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Así que todas estas liñas de cores
02:53
correspond to bunches of axons,
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correspóndense con grupos de axóns,
02:56
the fibers that join cell bodies
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fibras que xuntan os corpos de células
02:58
to synapses.
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para a sinapse.
03:01
And I'm sorry to disappoint you, they don't come in color.
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E síntoo moito, pero non teñen cor.
03:03
But at any rate, they are there.
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En calquera caso, están aí
03:06
The colors are codes for the direction,
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Esas cores son códigos
que marcan dirección,
03:08
from whether it is back to front
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dende atrás cara a diante
03:10
or vice versa.
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ou viceversa.
03:12
At any rate, what is consciousness?
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Pero, en todo caso que é a consciencia?
03:15
What is a conscious mind?
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Que é unha mente consciente?
03:17
And we could take a very simple view
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De forma sinxela,
03:19
and say, well, it is that which we lose
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poderíamos dicir que é o que perdemos
03:23
when we fall into deep sleep without dreams,
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cando entramos nun sono profundo
03:28
or when we go under anesthesia,
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ou baixo os efectos da anestesia,
03:30
and it is what we regain
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e é o que adquirimos de novo
03:32
when we recover from sleep
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cando espertamos do sono
03:34
or from anesthesia.
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ou da anestesia.
03:36
But what is exactly that stuff that we lose under anesthesia,
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Pero que é exactamente
o que se perde baixo anestesia
03:40
or when we are in deep, dreamless sleep?
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ou baixo un profundo sono?
03:42
Well first of all,
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En primeiro lugar,
03:44
it is a mind,
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unha mente é
03:46
which is a flow of mental images.
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unha corrente de imaxes mentais,
03:48
And of course consider images
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E consideren esas imaxes
03:50
that can be sensory patterns,
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como patróns sensoriais,
03:52
visual, such as you're having right now
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visuais, como o que están a ter agora,
03:54
in relation to the stage and me,
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comigo e co escenario,
03:56
or auditory images,
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ou imaxes auditivas,
03:58
as you are having now in relation to my words.
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que están a ter ante as miñas palabras.
04:00
That flow of mental images
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Este fluxo de imaxes mentais
04:02
is mind.
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é a mente.
04:04
But there is something else
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Pero hai algo máis
04:06
that we are all experiencing in this room.
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que todos nós experimentamos.
04:08
We are not passive exhibitors
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Non somos espectadores pasivos
04:10
of visual or auditory
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das imaxes visuais, auditivas
04:13
or tactile images.
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ou táctiles.
04:15
We have selves.
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Temos un "eu mesmo" interno.
04:17
We have a Me
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Temos un "eu"
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that is automatically present
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que está sempre presente
04:21
in our minds right now.
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nas nosas mentes.
04:23
We own our minds.
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Todos posuímos mentes,
04:25
And we have a sense that it's everyone of us
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E temos a certeza de que todos nós
estamos a experimentar iso --
04:28
that is experiencing this --
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04:30
not the person who is sitting next to you.
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e non só a persoa do lado.
04:33
So in order to have a conscious mind,
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Así que, para dispoñer dunha consciencia
04:36
you have a self within the conscious mind.
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precísase un eu mesmo dentro da mente.
04:40
So a conscious mind is a mind with a self in it.
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A consciencia é un "eu mesmo"
dentro da propia mente.
04:43
The self introduces the subjective perspective in the mind,
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Un eu que introduce un enfoque subxectivo,
04:46
and we are only fully conscious
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e soamente somos
plenamente conscientes
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when self comes to mind.
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cando mentalizamos ese eu.
04:50
So what we need to know to even address this mystery
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Para resolver o misterio
precisamos coñecer
04:53
is, number one, how are minds are put together in the brain,
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primeiro, como esas mentes
se fusionan no cerebro
04:56
and, number two, how selves are constructed.
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e, segundo, como construímos o noso eu.
05:00
Now the first part, the first problem,
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A primeira parte, o primeiro problema
05:03
is relatively easy -- it's not easy at all --
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é relativamente doado
--non é doado en absoluto--
05:06
but it is something that has been approached gradually in neuroscience.
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é algo que foi aproximándose
pouco a pouco na neurociencia
05:10
And it's quite clear that, in order to make minds,
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e queda claro, que para elaborar mentes
05:13
we need to construct neural maps.
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é necesario construír mapas neuronais.
05:16
So imagine a grid, like the one I'm showing you right now,
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Imaxinen unha rede
como a que estou ensinando agora
05:19
and now imagine, within that grid,
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e agora pensen que dentro desa rede,
05:21
that two-dimensional sheet,
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nesa cuadrícula bidimensional,
05:23
imagine neurons.
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existen neuronas.
05:25
And picture, if you will,
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Unha imaxe se prefiren,
05:27
a billboard, a digital billboard,
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un cartel, un cartel dixital,
05:29
where you have elements
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onde hai elementos
05:31
that can be either lit or not.
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que poden iluminarse ou non.
05:33
And depending on how you create the pattern
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Dependendo de como elaboren
ese patrón,
05:36
of lighting or not lighting,
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iluminándoo ou non,
05:39
the digital elements,
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os elementos dixitais,
05:41
or, for that matter, the neurons in the sheet,
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ou mellor dito, as neuronas da rede,
05:43
you're going to be able to construct a map.
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serán capaces de construír un mapa.
05:45
This, of course, is a visual map that I'm showing you,
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Por suposto, o que estou a mostrar
é un mapa visual
05:48
but this applies to any kind of map --
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pero pódese aplicar a calquera mapa
05:50
auditory, for example, in relation to sound frequencies,
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--auditivo, en relación ás
frecuencias de sons
05:53
or to the maps that we construct with our skin
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ou mapas que construímos coa nosa pel
05:56
in relation to an object that we palpate.
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en relación cos obxectos que palpamos.
05:59
Now to bring home the point
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Volvendo á cuestión inicial,
06:01
of how close it is --
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de como de cerca está
06:03
the relationship between the grid of neurons
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--a relación entre as redes neuronais
06:06
and the topographical arrangement
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e a disposición topográfica
06:08
of the activity of the neurons
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da actividade neuronal
06:10
and our mental experience --
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e da nosa experiencia mental--
06:12
I'm going to tell you a personal story.
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vou contar unha historia persoal.
06:14
So if I cover my left eye --
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Se tapo o meu ollo esquerdo
06:17
I'm talking about me personally, not all of you --
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--falo de min, non de vostedes--
06:19
if I cover my left eye,
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se tapo o meu ollo esquerdo,
06:21
I look at the grid -- pretty much like the one I'm showing you.
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e miro unha rede --como
a que lle mostro agora.
06:24
Everything is nice and fine and perpendicular.
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Todo é normal e perpendicular.
06:27
But sometime ago, I discovered
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Pero hai un tempo descubrín
06:29
that if I cover my left eye,
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que se tapo o meu ollo esquerdo,
06:32
instead what I get is this.
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Obteño isto.
06:34
I look at the grid and I see a warping
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Miro a rede e vexo unha alteración
06:37
at the edge of my central-left field.
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no linde do meu campo
esquerdo central.
06:40
Very odd -- I've analyzed this for a while.
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Algo moi particular que estiven
analizando hai un tempo.
06:42
But sometime ago,
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Pero non hai moito,
06:45
through the help of an opthamologist colleague of mine,
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grazas a miña compañeira oftalmóloga,
06:48
Carmen Puliafito,
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Carmen Puliafito,
06:50
who developed a laser scanner of the retina,
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quen desenvolveu
un escáner láser de retina,
06:53
I found out the the following.
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encontrei o seguinte.
06:55
If I scan my retina
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Se escaneo a miña retina
06:57
through the horizontal plane that you see there in the little corner,
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polo plano horizontal que ven
na esquina
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what I get is the following.
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O que obteño é o seguinte.
07:02
On the right side, my retina is perfectly symmetrical.
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Na dereita, a miña retina
é simétrica.
07:05
You see the going down towards the fovea
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Poden velo na baixada cara á fóvea
07:08
where the optic nerve begins.
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onde comeza o nervio óptico.
07:10
But on my left retina there is a bump,
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Pero na retina esquerda, hai un vulto,
07:12
which is marked there by the red arrow.
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marcado alí cunha frecha vermella,
07:14
And it corresponds to a little cyst
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que se corresponde cun pequeno quiste
07:16
that is located below.
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que está localizado debaixo.
07:18
And that is exactly what causes
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É exactamente iso o que
07:21
the warping of my visual image.
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causa a deformación da
miña imaxe mental.
07:24
So just think of this:
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Así que pensen nisto:
07:26
you have a grid of neurons,
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Teñen unha rede neuronal,
e agora, se o plano cambia
de forma mecánica
07:28
and now you have a plane mechanical change
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07:32
in the position of the grid,
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na mesma posición da rede,
07:34
and you get a warping of your mental experience.
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obteñen unha experiencia mental deformada.
07:36
So this is how close
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Así de cerca está
07:38
your mental experience
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a súa experiencia mental
07:40
and the activity of the neurons in the retina,
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e a actividade neuronal na retina,
07:43
which is a part of the brain located in the eyeball,
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que é unha parte do cerebro
situada no globo ocular,
07:46
or, for that matter, a sheet of visual cortex.
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ou dito doutra forma,
unha lámina no córtex visual.
07:49
So from the retina
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Así que, dende a retina
07:51
you go onto visual cortex.
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viaxa cara ao córtex visual,
07:53
And of course, the brain adds on
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e por suposto, o cerebro engade
07:55
a lot of information
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unha gran cantidade de información
07:57
to what is going on
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sobre o que está a acontecer
07:59
in the signals that come from the retina.
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nos sinais que veñen da retina.
08:01
And in that image there,
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e nesa imaxe de aí,
ven unha variedade de illas
08:03
you see a variety of islands
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08:05
of what I call image-making regions in the brain.
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do que eu chamo
rexións do cerebro crea-imaxes.
08:08
You have the green for example,
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Colla o verde como exemplo,
08:10
that corresponds to tactile information,
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que se corresponde coa información táctil,
08:12
or the blue that corresponds to auditory information.
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ou o azul, baseado
na información auditiva.
08:15
And something else that happens
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Pero o que está a acontecer é
08:17
is that those image-making regions
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que esas rexións crea-imaxes
08:20
where you have the plotting
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onde ten lugar a acción
08:22
of all these neural maps,
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de todos estes mapas neuronais,
08:24
can then provide signals
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poden prover de sinais
08:26
to this ocean of purple that you see around,
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a este océano morado que ven ó redor,
08:29
which is the association cortex,
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que é o córtex asociativo,
08:31
where you can make records of what went on
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onde se leva un rexistro do acontecido
08:34
in those islands of image-making.
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nesas illas crea-imaxes.
08:36
And the great beauty
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O máis fermoso
08:38
is that you can then go from memory,
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é que podes viaxar dende a memoria
08:41
out of those association cortices,
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cara a ese córtex asociativo,
08:43
and produce back images
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e producir de volta esas imaxes
08:46
in the very same regions that have perception.
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nas mesmas rexións
onde se encontra a percepción.
08:49
So think about how wonderfully convenient and lazy
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Así que pensen
o marabillosamente vago
08:52
the brain is.
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que é o cerebro,
08:54
So it provides certain areas
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ó proporcionar certas áreas
08:56
for perception and image-making.
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para a percepción e creación de imaxes,
08:58
And those are exactly the same
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que son exactamente as mesmas
09:00
that are going to be used for image-making
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que van ser empregadas para crear imaxes
09:03
when we recall information.
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cando recollamos información.
09:06
So far the mystery of the conscious mind
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Ata agora o misterio da mente consciente
09:09
is diminishing a little bit
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foi diminuíndo un pouco
09:11
because we have a general sense
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porque temos un coñecemento xeral
09:13
of how we make these images.
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de como se crean esas imaxes.
09:15
But what about the self?
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Pero que acontece co "eu"?
09:17
The self is really the elusive problem.
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O eu mesmo é o realmente escorregadizo,
e durante moito tempo,
09:20
And for a long time,
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09:22
people did not even want to touch it,
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a xente non quería nin tocalo,
09:24
because they'd say,
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xa que dicían,
09:26
"How can you have this reference point, this stability,
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"Como podemos ter a referencia,
a estabilidade
09:29
that is required to maintain
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requirida para soster
09:31
the continuity of selves day after day?"
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a continuidade de nós mesmos
día tras día?"
09:34
And I thought about a solution to this problem.
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E pensei unha solución ó problema.
09:37
It's the following.
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É a seguinte.
09:39
We generate brain maps
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Creamos mapas mentais
09:41
of the body's interior
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do interior do noso corpo
09:43
and use them as the reference for all other maps.
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e empregámolos como referencia
para outros mapas.
09:46
So let me tell you just a little bit about how I came to this.
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Permítanme explicar como cheguei a isto.
09:49
I came to this because,
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Cheguei a isto porque,
09:51
if you're going to have a reference that we know as self --
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se temos unha referencia do que coñecemos
09:55
the Me, the I
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como o "eu mesmo", o "eu"
09:57
in our own processing --
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no noso proceso interno --
10:00
we need to have something that is stable,
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temos que ter algo estable,
10:02
something that does not deviate much
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algo que non se desvíe moito
10:05
from day to day.
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do día a día.
10:07
Well it so happens that we have a singular body.
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Resulta que temos un corpo moi singular.
10:09
We have one body, not two, not three.
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Un só, nin dous nin tres.
10:12
And so that is a beginning.
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E isto xa é un comezo.
10:14
There is just one reference point, which is the body.
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O corpo só é un punto de referencia,
10:16
But then, of course, the body has many parts,
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dividido en máis partes.
10:19
and things grow at different rates,
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As cousas medran a ritmos e tamaños
10:21
and they have different sizes and different people;
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diferentes para cada tipo de persoa;
10:23
however, not so with the interior.
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Pero como sexa, no interior é diferente.
10:26
The things that have to do
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As cousas que teñen que ver
10:28
with what is known as our internal milieu --
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co noso estado interno
10:30
for example, the whole management
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,por exemplo, a completa xestión
10:32
of the chemistries within our body
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de substancias químicas no corpo,
10:34
are, in fact, extremely maintained
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mantéñense estritamente
10:36
day after day
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día tras día
10:38
for one very good reason.
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por unha boa razón.
10:40
If you deviate too much
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Se se desvían demasiado
10:42
in the parameters
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dos parámetros
10:44
that are close to the midline
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que están preto da liña media
10:46
of that life-permitting survival range,
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que permite a supervivencia da vida,
10:49
you go into disease or death.
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caerán enfermos ou mesmo falecerán.
10:51
So we have an in-built system
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Así que desenvolvemos
un sistema incorporado
10:54
within our own lives
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dentro das nosas vidas
10:56
that ensures some kind of continuity.
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que asegura unha certa continuidade.
10:59
I like to call it an almost infinite sameness from day to day.
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dunha 'case infinita cotianeidade', como
me gusta chamalo
11:02
Because if you don't have that sameness, physiologically,
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Porque de non tela, fisicamente
11:06
you're going to be sick or you're going to die.
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enfermaríamos ou mesmo morreríamos.
11:08
So that's one more element for this continuity.
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Aquí tedes un elemento máis
desa continuidade.
11:11
And the final thing
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E finalmente,
11:13
is that there is a very tight coupling
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existe unha conexión moi estreita
11:15
between the regulation of our body within the brain
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entre a regulación corporal
dentro do cerebro
11:19
and the body itself,
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e o propio corpo,
11:21
unlike any other coupling.
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moi diferente doutras unións.
11:24
So for example, I'm making images of you,
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Por exemplo, estou a facer
imaxes de vostedes
11:26
but there's no physiological bond
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pero non hai conexión física
11:29
between the images I have of you as an audience
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entre as imaxes de vostedes como audiencia
11:32
and my brain.
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e o meu cerebro.
11:34
However, there is a close, permanently maintained bond
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Sen dúbida existe
un vínculo permanente
11:38
between the body regulating parts of my brain
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entre as partes reguladoras do meu cerebro
11:41
and my own body.
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e o meu corpo.
11:43
So here's how it looks. Look at the region there.
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E así é como se ve.
Fíxense nesta rexión.
11:46
There is the brain stem in between the cerebral cortex
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Aí está o tronco encefálico,
entre o córtex
11:49
and the spinal cord.
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e a espiña dorsal.
11:51
And it is within that region
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E é precisamente nesa rexión
11:53
that I'm going to highlight now
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que vou destacar agora
11:55
that we have this housing
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onde temos estes núcleos
11:58
of all the life-regulation devices
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que regulan toda a vida
12:01
of the body.
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do corpo.
12:03
This is so specific that, for example,
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Isto é tan específico que, por exemplo,
12:06
if you look at the part that is covered in red
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se miran a parte vermella,
12:09
in the upper part of the brain stem,
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na parte superior do tronco cerebral,
12:11
if you damage that as a result of a stroke, for example,
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se esta parte resulta danada
por exemplo, por un golpe
12:14
what you get is coma
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éntrase nun coma
12:16
or vegetative state,
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ou nun estado vexetativo,
12:18
which is a state, of course,
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que, por suposto, é un estado
12:20
in which your mind disappears,
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no que a mente desaparece,
12:22
your consciousness disappears.
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a consciencia desaparece.
12:25
What happens then actually
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O que ocorre actualmente
12:27
is that you lose the grounding of the self,
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é que se perde a base do "eu" mesmo,
12:30
you have no longer access to any feeling of your own existence,
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Non se ten acceso ós propios sentimentos,
12:33
and, in fact, there can be images going on,
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De feito, as imaxes poden
12:36
being formed in the cerebral cortex,
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estar sendo formadas no córtex cerebral,
12:38
except you don't know they're there.
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pero vostedes non saben que están aí.
12:40
You have, in effect, lost consciousness
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Pérdese a consciencia cando
12:43
when you have damage to that red section of the brain stem.
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esta rexión do tronco encefálico
sofre un dano.
12:47
But if you consider the green part of the brain stem,
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Pero se pensan
nesta rexión verde do tronco
12:50
nothing like that happens.
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non ocorre nada parecido a isto.
12:52
It is that specific.
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É así de particular.
12:54
So in that green component of the brain stem,
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Así, se a rexión verde
do tronco encefálico,
12:57
if you damage it, and often it happens,
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sofre un dano,
o que acontece con facilidade,
13:00
what you get is complete paralysis,
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o resultado é unha parálise completa,
13:02
but your conscious mind is maintained.
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pero a mente consciente queda intacta.
13:05
You feel, you know, you have a fully conscious mind
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Podes saber, sentir e ter
plena consciencia
13:08
that you can report very indirectly.
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do que recolles de forma indirecta.
13:11
This is a horrific condition. You don't want to see it.
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É unha doenza horrible.
Non lles gustaría vela.
13:14
And people are, in fact, imprisoned
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E as persoas atópanse prisioneiras
13:16
within their own bodies,
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dentro dos seus propios corpos,
13:18
but they do have a mind.
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pero conservan a mente.
13:20
There was a very interesting film,
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Hai un filme moi interesante,
13:22
one of the rare good films done
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un deses que realmente están ben feitos
13:24
about a situation like this,
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sobre unha situación así,
13:26
by Julian Schnabel some years ago
320
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dirixido por Julian Schnabel,
hai uns anos xa
13:28
about a patient that was in that condition.
321
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sobre un paciente con esta doenza.
13:31
So now I'm going to show you a picture.
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E agora vou mostrarlles unha fotografía.
13:33
I promise not to say anything about this,
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Prometo non dicir nada sobre isto,
13:35
except this is to frighten you.
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salvo que é para asustalos.
13:37
It's just to tell you
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Só direi que
13:39
that in that red section of the brain stem,
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nesa rexión vermella do tronco encefálico,
13:42
there are, to make it simple,
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existen, por simplificar,
13:44
all those little squares that correspond to modules
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estes cadrados correspondentes
cos módulos
13:47
that actually make brain maps
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que actualmente crean os mapas mentais
13:50
of different aspects of our interior,
330
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3000
dos diferentes aspectos do noso interior,
13:53
different aspects of our body.
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distintos aspectos do noso corpo,
13:55
They are exquisitely topographic
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exquisitamente topográficos
13:58
and they are exquisitely interconnected
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e, de igual maneira, interconectados
14:00
in a recursive pattern.
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nun sistema recursivo.
14:02
And it is out of this and out of this tight coupling
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E é grazas a isto e a esta estrita unión
14:05
between the brain stem and the body
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entre o tronco encefálico e o corpo
14:07
that I believe -- and I could be wrong,
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polo que creo --podería equivocarme
14:09
but I don't think I am --
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pero non creo que sexa o caso--
14:11
that you generate this mapping of the body
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que se xeran eses mapas corporais
14:14
that provides the grounding for the self
340
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que proporcionan o sustento do eu
14:17
and that comes in the form of feelings --
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e que veñen en forma de sentimentos --
14:19
primordial feelings, by the way.
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sentimentos primarios, por certo.
14:21
So what is the picture that we get here?
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Que imaxe é a que temos aquí?
14:23
Look at "cerebral cortex," look at "brain stem,"
344
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Miren o córtex cerebral
e o tronco encefálico,
14:25
look at "body,"
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miren o "corpo",
14:27
and you get the picture of the interconnectivity
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e obterán a imaxe dunha interconexión
14:30
in which you have the brain stem providing the grounding for the self
347
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na cal o tronco encefálico prové
a base do eu
14:34
in a very tight interconnection with the body.
348
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3000
nunha estreita interconexión
co corpo.
14:37
And you have the cerebral cortex
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Por outro lado, o córtex cerebral é
14:39
providing the great spectacle of our minds
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o encargado do espectáculo
das nosas mentes
14:42
with the profusion of images
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grazas á unha sucesión de imaxes
14:44
that are, in fact, the contents of our minds
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que son, de feito, o contido
das nosas mentes
14:47
and that we normally pay most attention to,
353
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e ás que deberíamos prestar máis atención
14:50
as we should, because that's really
354
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porque, realmente
14:52
the film that is rolling in our minds.
355
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ese é o filme que se está a rodar
nas nosas mentes.
14:54
But look at the arrows.
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Miren as frechas.
14:56
They're not there for looks.
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Non están aí para adornar,
14:58
They're there because there's this very close interaction.
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senón por unha interconexión
moi estreita.
15:01
You cannot have a conscious mind
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Non se pode ter unha mente consciente
15:03
if you don't have the interaction
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sen esta interacción
15:05
between cerebral cortex and brain stem.
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entre córtex cerebral e tronco encefálico.
15:07
You cannot have a conscious mind
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E tampouco se pode ter consciencia
15:09
if you don't have the interaction
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sen a mesma interacción
15:11
between the brain stem and the body.
364
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entre o tronco encefálico e o corpo.
15:13
Another thing that is interesting
365
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Outra cousa interesante
15:15
is that the brain stem that we have
366
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é que o tronco encefálico que posuímos
15:17
is shared with a variety of other species.
367
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compartímolo cunha variedade
de especies.
15:19
So throughout vertebrates,
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Nos vertebrados, por exemplo,
15:21
the design of the brain stem is very similar to ours,
369
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o tronco encefálico
é moi parecido ao noso,
15:24
which is one of the reasons why I think
370
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e este é un dos motivos polos que penso
15:26
those other species have conscious minds like we do.
371
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3000
que esas outras especies tamén teñen
unha mente consciente,
15:29
Except that they're not as rich as ours,
372
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3000
pero non tan rica como a nosa,
15:32
because they don't have a cerebral cortex like we do.
373
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2000
porque non dispoñen dun córtex
cerebral como o noso.
15:34
That's where the difference is.
374
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Aí radica a principal diferenza.
15:36
And I strongly disagree with the idea
375
921000
3000
e opóñome firmemente á idea
15:39
that consciousness should be considered
376
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3000
de que a mente consciente
debería considerarse
15:42
as the great product of the cerebral cortex.
377
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2000
como o mellor produto do córtex cerebral.
15:44
Only the wealth of our minds is,
378
929000
2000
É só a riqueza das nosas mentes,
15:46
not the very fact that we have a self
379
931000
3000
non o feito de termos un "eu"
15:49
that we can refer
380
934000
2000
que poidamos usar como referencia
15:51
to our own existence,
381
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2000
da nosa propia existencia,
15:53
and that we have any sense of person.
382
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4000
e da percepción das persoas.
15:57
Now there are three levels of self to consider --
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3000
Existen tres niveis do "eu"
que ter en conta:
16:00
the proto, the core and the autobiographical.
384
945000
3000
o proto, o núcleo e o autobiográfico.
16:03
The first two are shared
385
948000
2000
Os dous primeiros son compartidos
16:05
with many, many other species,
386
950000
2000
por moitas especies,
16:07
and they are really coming out
387
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2000
e están a emerxer
16:09
largely of the brain stem
388
954000
2000
en gran parte do tronco encefálico
16:11
and whatever there is of cortex in those species.
389
956000
3000
e de onde queira que estea
o seu córtex.
16:14
It's the autobiographical self
390
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2000
Ese é o eu autobiográfico que
16:16
which some species have, I think.
391
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2000
creo que posúen algunhas especies.
16:18
Cetaceans and primates have also
392
963000
3000
Os cetáceos e os primates posúen tamén
16:21
an autobiographical self to a certain degree.
393
966000
2000
un eu autobiográfico en certa medida.
16:23
And everybody's dogs at home
394
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2000
Tamén os cans que moitos de vostedes
teñen na casa
16:25
have an autobiographical self to a certain degree.
395
970000
3000
posúen en certa medida este eu.
16:28
But the novelty is here.
396
973000
2000
Pero hai agora unha novidade.
16:30
The autobiographical self is built
397
975000
2000
O eu autobiográfico constrúese
16:32
on the basis of past memories
398
977000
2000
con base en recordos pasados,
16:34
and memories of the plans that we have made;
399
979000
3000
e recordos de plans xa feitos;
16:37
it's the lived past and the anticipated future.
400
982000
3000
é a vida pasada e o futuro previsto.
16:40
And the autobiographical self
401
985000
2000
E o eu autobiográfico
16:42
has prompted extended memory, reasoning,
402
987000
3000
promoveu a memoria estendida,
o razoamento,
16:45
imagination, creativity and language.
403
990000
2000
a imaxinación, a creatividade
e a lingua.
16:47
And out of that came the instruments of culture --
404
992000
3000
E de aí saíron as ferramentas culturais:
16:50
religions, justice,
405
995000
2000
relixións, xustiza,
16:52
trade, the arts, science, technology.
406
997000
2000
comercio, artes, ciencia, tecnoloxía.
16:54
And it is within that culture
407
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2000
E é dentro desa cultura
16:56
that we really can get --
408
1001000
2000
onde podemos obter
16:58
and this is the novelty --
409
1003000
2000
--e aí radica a novidade--
17:00
something that is not entirely set by our biology.
410
1005000
4000
algo non plenamente fixado
na nosa bioloxía,
17:04
It is developed in the cultures.
411
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2000
desenvolvido nas culturas,
17:06
It developed in collectives of human beings.
412
1011000
4000
e nos colectivos de seres humanos.
17:10
And this is, of course, the culture
413
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2000
Isto é, por suposto, a cultura
17:12
where we have developed something that I like to call
414
1017000
3000
onde desenvolvemos algo
ao que me gusta chamar
17:15
socio-cultural regulation.
415
1020000
2000
regulación sociocultural.
17:17
And finally, you could rightly ask,
416
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2000
Para rematar, poden preguntar
moi habilmente,
17:19
why care about this?
417
1024000
2000
por que preocuparnos por isto?
17:21
Why care if it is the brain stem or the cerebral cortex
418
1026000
3000
Polo tronco encefálico
ou o córtex
17:24
and how this is made?
419
1029000
2000
e pola súa composición?
17:26
Three reasons. First, curiosity.
420
1031000
2000
Por tres razóns.
A primeira, por curiosidade.
17:28
Primates are extremely curious --
421
1033000
2000
Os primates son
extremadamente curiosos
17:30
and humans most of all.
422
1035000
2000
--e os humanos os que máis.
17:32
And if we are interested, for example,
423
1037000
3000
E se temos interese, por exemplo,
17:35
in the fact that anti-gravity
424
1040000
2000
no feito de que a forza
antigravitacional
17:37
is pulling galaxies away from the Earth,
425
1042000
2000
está a afastar as galaxias da Terra,
17:39
why should we not be interested in what is going on
426
1044000
2000
por que non debería interesarnos
o que acontece
17:41
inside of human beings?
427
1046000
3000
dentro dos seres humanos?
17:44
Second, understanding society and culture.
428
1049000
2000
Segundo, entender a cultura e a sociedade.
17:46
We should look
429
1051000
2000
Deberíamos fixarnos en
17:48
at how society and culture
430
1053000
2000
como a cultura e a sociedade
17:50
in this socio-cultural regulation
431
1055000
2000
dentro desta regulación sociocultural
17:52
are a work in progress.
432
1057000
2000
está desenvolvéndose.
17:54
And finally, medicine.
433
1059000
2000
E, finalmente, a medicina.
17:56
Let's not forget that some of the worst diseases
434
1061000
2000
Non debemos esquecer que algunhas
das peores enfermidades
17:58
of humankind
435
1063000
2000
da humanidade
18:00
are diseases such as depression,
436
1065000
2000
son, por exemplo, a depresión,
18:02
Alzheimer's disease, drug addiction.
437
1067000
3000
o alzhéimer, a adicción ás drogas.
18:05
Think of strokes that can devastate your mind
438
1070000
3000
Pensen nos golpes que poden
asolar a mente
18:08
or render you unconscious.
439
1073000
2000
ou deixarnos inconscientes.
18:10
You have no prayer
440
1075000
3000
Non existe pregaria suficiente
para tratar este tipo de enfermidades
18:13
of treating those diseases effectively
441
1078000
3000
18:16
and in a non-serendipitous way
442
1081000
2000
dunha forma non-accidental
18:18
if you do not know how this works.
443
1083000
2000
se non se coñece o seu funcionamento.
18:20
So that's a very good reason
444
1085000
2000
Así que esa é unha boa razón,
18:22
beyond curiosity
445
1087000
2000
alén da curiosidade,
18:24
to justify what we're doing,
446
1089000
2000
para xustificar o que estamos facendo
18:26
and to justify having some interest in what is going on in our brains.
447
1091000
3000
e o interese polo que pasa
nos nosos cerebros.
18:29
Thank you for your attention.
448
1094000
2000
Grazas pola súa atención.
18:31
(Applause)
449
1096000
5000
(Aplausos)
Translated by Sara Pardo
Reviewed by Servizo de Normalización Lingüística

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Antonio Damasio - Neuroscientist
Antonio Damasio's research in neuroscience has shown that emotions play a central role in social cognition and decision-making. His work has had a major influence on current understanding of the neural systems, which underlie memory, language, consciousness.

Why you should listen

Antonio Damasio is a leader in understanding the biological origin of consciousness. He also argues that emotions, far from being barriers to it, are a crucial component of decision-making. He is founder and director of the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, which draws on partners across academic disciplines to use the explosion of new neuroscience results to tackle issues from mental health to societal and global change.

Damasio is the author of Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, which was adapted into a musical composition performed by Yo-Yo Ma at the American Museum of Natural History.

More profile about the speaker
Antonio Damasio | Speaker | TED.com
THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM