TED2019
David Deutsch: After billions of years of monotony, the universe is waking up
大卫·德伊奇: 宇宙历经几十亿年的单调之后正在苏醒
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理论物理学家大卫·德伊奇（David Deutsch）对“大单调”进行了令人乍舌的解释——这种思想认为，数十亿年以来，在宇宙中什么创新都没有出现过——并表明了人类创造解释性知识的能力可能是突破这个趋势的特例。 “人类不是宇宙力量的玩物。” 他说道，“我们是宇宙力量的使用者。”
David Deutsch - Quantum physicist
David Deutsch's 1997 book "The Fabric of Reality" laid the groundwork for an all-encompassing Theory of Everything, and galvanized interest in the idea of a quantum computer, which could solve problems of hitherto unimaginable complexity. Full bio
David Deutsch's 1997 book "The Fabric of Reality" laid the groundwork for an all-encompassing Theory of Everything, and galvanized interest in the idea of a quantum computer, which could solve problems of hitherto unimaginable complexity. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I'm thrilled to be talking to you
by this high-tech method.
by this high-tech method.
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我很激动能通过这种
高科技的方法与大家交谈，
高科技的方法与大家交谈，
00:18
Of all humans who have ever lived,
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大多数曾生活在世上的人们
00:20
the overwhelming majority
would have found what we are doing here
would have found what we are doing here
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可能会觉得我们现在正在做的
00:24
incomprehensible, unbelievable.
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是不可思议，且难以置信的。
00:27
Because, for thousands of centuries,
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因为，几千个世纪以来，
00:30
in the dark time
before the scientific revolution
before the scientific revolution
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在科技革命和启蒙运动到来之前
00:33
and the Enlightenment,
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的黑暗时期，
00:35
people had low expectations.
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人们的期望值很低，
00:38
For their lives,
for their descendants' lives.
for their descendants' lives.
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不仅对他们自己，
对他们后代的生活也是如此。
对他们后代的生活也是如此。
00:41
Typically, they expected
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通常，他们从未指望
00:43
nothing significantly new
or better to be achieved, ever.
or better to be achieved, ever.
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实现任何新的或更好的成就。
00:48
This pessimism
famously appears in the Bible,
famously appears in the Bible,
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这种悲观主义在《圣经》中很有名，
00:53
in one of the few biblical passages
with a named author.
with a named author.
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是圣经中为数不多
的标注了作者的章节之一。
的标注了作者的章节之一。
00:58
He's called Qohelet,
he's an enigmatic chap.
he's an enigmatic chap.
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这位神秘的家伙
叫库赫莱特 (Qohelet)。
叫库赫莱特 (Qohelet)。
01:02
He wrote, "What has been is what will be,
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他写道，“过去的一切，便是将来，
01:07
and what has been done
is what will be done;
is what will be done;
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已行的事，后必再行；
01:10
there is nothing new under the sun."
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日光之下并无新事。
01:14
Is there of which it is said,
"Look, this is new."
"Look, this is new."
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有没有什么东西可以称之为
‘看！这是新的’吗？
‘看！这是新的’吗？
01:18
No, that thing was already done
in the ages that came before us.
in the ages that came before us.
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没有，那事在我们之前的
时代就已经发生了。”
时代就已经发生了。”
01:23
Qohelet was describing a world
without novelty.
without novelty.
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库赫莱特形容的是
一个没有新奇的时代。
一个没有新奇的时代。
01:29
By novelty I mean something new
in Qohelet's sense,
in Qohelet's sense,
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创新在库赫莱特看来是新事物，
01:32
not merely something that's changed,
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不仅仅是改变了的东西，
01:35
but a significant change
with lasting effects,
with lasting effects,
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而是一个有长远影响的重大改变，
01:38
where people really would say,
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对此人们会真心感叹，
01:40
"Look, this is new,"
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“看啊，这是新的，”，
01:42
and, preferably, "good."
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且更倾向于认为这是“好”的。
01:46
So, purely random changes aren't novelty.
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纯粹的随机改变并不新奇。
01:50
OK, Heraclitus did say
a man can't step in the same river twice,
a man can't step in the same river twice,
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赫拉克利特 (Herclitus) 曾说，
一个人不能两次踏进同一条河,
一个人不能两次踏进同一条河,
01:56
because it's not the same river,
he's not the same man.
he's not the same man.
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因为那不再是同一条河，
他也不是同一个人了。
他也不是同一个人了。
01:59
But if the river is changing randomly,
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但如果河流是随机变化的，
02:03
it really is the same river.
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它依然是同一条河。
02:06
In contrast,
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相反，
02:07
if an idea in a mind
spreads to other minds,
spreads to other minds,
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如果一个人的想法
传播到很多人的心中，
传播到很多人的心中，
02:12
and changes lives for generations,
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改变了几代人的生活，
02:15
that is novelty.
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那就叫做新鲜感。
02:17
Human life without novelty
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人类的生活若没了新鲜感，
02:20
is life without creativity,
without progress.
without progress.
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就像生活没了创新，不再进步，
02:24
It's a static society, a zero-sum game.
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成为了一成不变的社会，零和的游戏。
02:28
That was the living hell
in which Qohelet lived.
in which Qohelet lived.
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那就是库赫莱特生活的地狱，
02:32
Like everyone, until a few centuries ago.
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和每个人一样，直到几个世纪前。
02:36
It was hell, because for humans,
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这就是地狱，因为对于人类，
02:40
suffering is intimately
related to staticity.
related to staticity.
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受难和不变的社会是密切相关的。
02:44
Because staticity isn't just frustrating.
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固化不止令人沮丧，
02:48
All sources of suffering --
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所以受难的根源——
02:50
famine, pandemics, incoming asteroids,
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饥荒，流行病，即将到来的小行星，
02:54
and things like war and slavery,
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以及像战争和奴隶制度这样的事，
02:58
hurt people only until we have created
the knowledge to prevent them.
the knowledge to prevent them.
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只会伤害他人，直到我们
创造了阻止他们的办法。
创造了阻止他们的办法。
03:04
There's a story in Somerset Maugham's
novel "Of Human Bondage"
novel "Of Human Bondage"
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毛姆的书《人性的枷锁》中的一个故事，
03:08
about an ancient sage
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讲述了一位古时的圣人，
03:10
who summarizes the entire
history of mankind as,
history of mankind as,
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他将人类的整个历史总结为，
03:16
"He was born,
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“他出生了，
03:18
he suffered and he died."
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“他受难了，和他死去了。”
03:21
And it goes on:
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他继续写道，
03:23
"Life was insignificant
and death without consequence."
and death without consequence."
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“生无意义，死无后果。”
03:28
And indeed, the overwhelming majority
of humans who have ever lived
of humans who have ever lived
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没错，绝大多数曾经
在这世上生活过的人类
在这世上生活过的人类
03:33
had lives of suffering and grueling labor,
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都在痛苦和劳动中挣扎，
03:37
before dying young and in agony.
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直到在痛苦中英年早逝。
03:41
And yes, in most generations
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没错，大部分世代的人们，
03:45
nothing had any novel consequence
for subsequent generations.
for subsequent generations.
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都未为后代带来什么新奇的影响。
03:50
Nevertheless, when ancient people
tried to explain their condition,
tried to explain their condition,
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可是，当古人试图解释他们的状况时，
03:58
they typically did so
in grandiose cosmic terms.
in grandiose cosmic terms.
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他们通常用宏大的宇宙作为术语，
04:02
Which was the right thing to do,
as it turns out.
as it turns out.
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没想到他们的做法竟是正确的，
04:05
Even though their actual
explanations, their myths,
explanations, their myths,
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虽然他们实际的解释，
他们的神话
他们的神话
04:09
were largely false.
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大多都是虚构的。
04:11
Some tried to explain
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有些人曾试图
04:13
the grimness and monotony of their world
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用善恶之间无休止的宇宙战争
04:17
in terms of an endless cosmic war
between good and evil,
between good and evil,
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来解释他们世界的冷酷和单调，
04:22
in which humans were the battleground.
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而人类就是战场。
04:25
Which neatly explained why their own
experience was full of suffering,
experience was full of suffering,
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这也很好的说明了为什么
他们的经历充满了煎熬，
他们的经历充满了煎熬，
04:29
and why progress never happened.
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为什么社会一直没有进步。
04:32
But it wasn't true.
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但这不是真的。
04:36
Amazingly enough,
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令人惊奇的是，
04:38
all their conflict and suffering
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他们所有的冲突和煎熬
04:41
were just due to the way
they processed ideas.
they processed ideas.
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都是由于他们处理思想的方式。
04:47
Being satisfied with dogma,
and just-so stories,
and just-so stories,
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满足于教义和编织的故事，
04:51
rather than criticizing them
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而非去质疑它们，
04:53
and trying to guess better explanations
of the world and of their own condition.
of the world and of their own condition.
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然后试图对世界和他们
自己的状况做出更好的解释。
自己的状况做出更好的解释。
05:00
Twentieth-century physics
did create better explanations,
did create better explanations,
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二十世纪的物理学家
的确创造了更好的解释，
的确创造了更好的解释，
05:05
but still in terms of a cosmic war.
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可依然是把宇宙战争作为依据。
05:07
This time, the combatants
were order and chaos, or entropy.
were order and chaos, or entropy.
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这一次，对阵双方是
秩序和混乱，或无序。
秩序和混乱，或无序。
05:12
That story does allow
for hope for the future.
for hope for the future.
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这个故事的确给予了
人们对未来的希望。
人们对未来的希望。
05:18
But in another way,
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但从另一方面来说，
05:20
it's even bleaker than the ancient myths,
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它也比古代神话还要凄凉，
05:23
because the villain, entropy,
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因为当伴随着所谓的宇宙热死亡，
05:26
is preordained to have the final victory,
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热力学不可抗拒的定律
05:30
when the inexorable laws of thermodynamics
shut down all novelty
shut down all novelty
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阻挡了一切新奇事物的发生时，
05:35
with the so-called
heat death of the universe.
heat death of the universe.
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反派，无序就注定
要取得最后的胜利。
要取得最后的胜利。
05:38
Currently, there's a story
of a local battle in that war,
of a local battle in that war,
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目前，在那场战争中
有一个在可持续性，也就是秩序，
有一个在可持续性，也就是秩序，
05:43
between sustainability, which is order,
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与浪费，也就是混乱之间
05:47
and wastefulness, which is chaos --
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的当地斗争的故事——
05:50
that's the contemporary take
on good and evil,
on good and evil,
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这是当代人们对善与恶的理解，
05:53
often with the added twist
that humans are the evil,
that humans are the evil,
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通常伴随着人类是邪恶的念头，
05:56
so we shouldn't even try to win.
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所以我们根本不应该尝试去战胜。
05:59
And recently,
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而最近，
06:00
there have been tales
of another cosmic war,
of another cosmic war,
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又出现了另一个宇宙战争的传说，
06:02
between gravity,
which collapses the universe,
which collapses the universe,
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使宇宙瓦解的重力，
06:07
and dark energy, which finally shreds it.
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与最终能把其撕裂
的暗能量之间的抗衡。
的暗能量之间的抗衡。
06:10
So this time,
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所以，这次，
06:11
whichever of those cosmic forces wins,
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无论哪一个宇宙势力胜出
06:15
we lose.
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我们都会输。
06:17
All those pessimistic accounts
of the human condition
of the human condition
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所有那些对人类状况的悲观描述
06:22
contain some truth,
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都带着一丝真谛，
06:24
but as prophecies,
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但就像预言，
06:26
they're all misleading,
and all for the same reason.
and all for the same reason.
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它们都是因为同一个
原因在误导人们。
原因在误导人们。
06:29
None of them portrays humans
as what we really are.
as what we really are.
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没有任何一条真正
展现了人类的本质。
展现了人类的本质。
06:34
As Jacob Bronowski said,
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就像布鲁诺维奇
（Jacob Bronowski）所说，
（Jacob Bronowski）所说，
06:37
"Man is not a figure in the landscape --
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“人类不是风景的一部分——
06:41
he is the shaper of the landscape."
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而是它的创造者。”
06:43
In other words,
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换而言之，
06:45
humans are not playthings
of cosmic forces,
of cosmic forces,
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人类不是宇宙势力的奴隶，
06:49
we are users of cosmic forces.
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而是它的使用者。
06:53
I'll say more about that in a moment,
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稍后我会深入讨论，
06:54
but first, what sorts
of thing create novelty?
of thing create novelty?
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但首先，什么样的东西
创造了新事物？
创造了新事物？
07:00
Well, the beginning
of the universe surely did.
of the universe surely did.
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当然，宇宙的诞生功不可没，
07:03
The big bang, nearly 14 billion years ago,
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大约 140 亿年前的大爆炸
07:06
created space, time and energy,
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创造了时空，时间和能量，
07:09
everything physical.
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所有的物体。
07:11
And then, immediately,
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紧接着，
07:13
what I call the first era of novelty,
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在我称之为第一个新世纪的时期，
07:17
with the first atom, the first star,
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诞生了第一颗原子，第一颗行星，
07:20
the first black hole,
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第一个黑洞，
07:21
the first galaxy.
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第一片星系。
07:23
But then, at some point,
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可是，在某个瞬间，
07:27
novelty vanished from the universe.
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宇宙中的创新之力消失了，
07:30
Perhaps from as early
as 12 or 13 billion years ago,
as 12 or 13 billion years ago,
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也许是早在120 或 130 亿年以前，
07:34
right up to the present day,
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直到今天，
07:36
there's never been any new kind
of astronomical object.
of astronomical object.
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一直没有什么新的天体诞生。
07:41
There's only been what I call
the great monotony.
the great monotony.
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我称之为“大单调”。
07:46
So, Qohelet was accidentally
even more right
even more right
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所以，库赫莱特对太阳之外
的宇宙的认识，
的宇宙的认识，
07:51
about the universe beyond the Sun
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碰巧比他对太阳之下
07:54
than he was about under the Sun.
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的认识更正确。
07:57
So long as the great monotony lasts,
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只要大单调还存在，
08:00
what has been out there
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那些存在的，
08:03
really is what will be.
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将会一直在。
08:05
And there is nothing out there
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也不会有别的新事物
08:07
of which it can truly be said,
"Look, this is new."
"Look, this is new."
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可以被真正形容为
“看啊，这是新的”。
“看啊，这是新的”。
08:11
Nevertheless,
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然而，
08:13
at some point during the great monotony,
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在大单调的某一刻，
08:17
there was an event --
inconsequential at the time,
inconsequential at the time,
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有一个事件——
当时没有什么意义，
当时没有什么意义，
08:21
and even billions of years later,
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而且甚至几十亿年之后，
08:23
it had affected nothing
beyond its home planet --
beyond its home planet --
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除了它的母星之外，
它什么也没有影响——
它什么也没有影响——
08:27
yet eventually, it could cause
cosmically momentous novelty.
cosmically momentous novelty.
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可是最终，它可能会
引起大规模的创新。
引起大规模的创新。
08:33
That event was the origin of life:
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那事件就是生命的起源：
08:37
creating the first genetic knowledge,
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创造了第一个基因上的知识，
08:40
coding for biological adaptations,
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让生物开始学会适应，
08:43
coding for novelty.
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学会创新。
08:46
On Earth, it utterly
transformed the surface.
transformed the surface.
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在地球上，它彻底地改变了地球面貌，
08:50
Genes in the DNA
of single-celled organisms
of single-celled organisms
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在单细胞生物 DNA 中的基因
08:53
put oxygen in the air,
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将氧气释放到空中，
08:55
extracted CO2,
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吸取二氧化碳，
08:57
put chalk and iron ore into the ground,
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将垩和铁矿融到地里，
09:00
hardly a cubic inch of the surface
to some depth has remained unaffected
to some depth has remained unaffected
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几乎每一寸土地
在某种程度上都被
在某种程度上都被
09:06
by those genes.
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那些基因影响了，
09:08
The Earth became,
if not a novel place on the cosmic scale,
if not a novel place on the cosmic scale,
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就算地球没在宇宙层面上
变成了一个新颖的地方，
变成了一个新颖的地方，
09:14
certainly a weird one.
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也至少是令人诧异的一个。
09:16
Just as an example, beyond Earth,
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比如，在地球之外，
09:19
only a few hundred different
chemical substances have been detected.
chemical substances have been detected.
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只有几百种不同的化学物质被发现，
09:24
Presumably, there are some more
in lifeless locations,
in lifeless locations,
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据猜测，大概在没有
生命的地方还有更多，
生命的地方还有更多，
09:27
but on Earth,
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但在地球上，
09:29
evolution created billions
of different chemicals.
of different chemicals.
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进化过程就造就了
几亿种化学物质。
几亿种化学物质。
09:33
And then the first plants, animals,
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随之出现了
第一棵植物，第一只动物，
第一棵植物，第一只动物，
09:36
and then, in some ancestor
species of ours,
species of ours,
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然后，在我们的一些祖先物种中，
09:41
explanatory knowledge.
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出现了解释性知识的概念。
09:43
For the first time in the universe,
for all we know.
for all we know.
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据我们所知，这是宇宙中的首次。
09:47
Explanatory knowledge
is the defining adaptation of our species.
is the defining adaptation of our species.
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解释性知识可以用来
定义我们物种的适应性，
定义我们物种的适应性，
09:53
It differs from
the nonexplanatory knowledge
the nonexplanatory knowledge
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它不同于DNA中无法解释的知识，
09:56
in DNA, for instance,
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例如，
09:58
by being universal.
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它是普遍存在的。
10:00
That is to say,
whatever can be understood,
whatever can be understood,
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也就是说，任何可以理解的东西，
10:04
can be understood
through explanatory knowledge.
through explanatory knowledge.
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都可以通过解释性知识理解。
10:07
And more, any physical process
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此外，任何物理的过程，
10:10
can be controlled by such knowledge,
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都可以由这些知识控制，
10:13
limited only by the laws of physics.
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只受物理法则的限制。
10:17
And so, explanatory knowledge, too,
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所以说，解释性知识同样也
10:21
has begun to transform
the Earth's surface.
the Earth's surface.
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开始改变了地球的面貌。
10:24
And soon, the Earth will become
the only known object in the universe
the only known object in the universe
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不久之后，地球成为了
宇宙中我们唯一所知
宇宙中我们唯一所知
10:30
that turns aside incoming asteroids
instead of attracting them.
instead of attracting them.
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能把小行星拒之门外，
而非吸引它们碰撞的星球。
而非吸引它们碰撞的星球。
10:36
Qohelet was understandably misled
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可以理解，库赫莱特被
10:39
by the painful slowness
of progress in his day.
of progress in his day.
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他所在时代艰难而迟缓
的发展所误导了。
的发展所误导了。
10:44
Novelty in human life
was still too rare, too gradual,
was still too rare, too gradual,
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人类生活中的新奇事物仍然太罕见，
发展太缓慢，
发展太缓慢，
10:48
to be noticed in one generation.
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不可能在一代人的时间里被发掘。
10:51
And in the biosphere,
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而在生物圈，
10:53
the evolution of novel species
was even slower.
was even slower.
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新物种的进化需要更长时间，
10:57
But both things were happening.
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但两件事情同时都发生了。
11:00
Now, why is there a great monotony
in the universe at large,
in the universe at large,
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为什么宇宙中会有
如此大规模的单调？
如此大规模的单调？
11:06
and what makes our planet buck that trend?
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是什么让我们的星球顺从那个趋势？
11:10
Well, the universe at large
is relatively simple.
is relatively simple.
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宇宙之大，其实很简单。
11:16
Stars are so simple
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行星也很简单，
11:18
that we can predict their behavior
billions of years into the future,
billions of years into the future,
188
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3396
我们可以推测未来数亿年以后的样子，
11:21
and retrodict how they formed
billions of years ago.
billions of years ago.
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3555
也可以预测它们亿年前如何形成。
11:26
So why is the universe simple?
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所以为什么宇宙如此简单呢？
11:28
Basically, it's because big,
massive, powerful things
massive, powerful things
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基本上，这是因为巨大的、
强有力的事物强烈地影响着
强有力的事物强烈地影响着
11:34
strongly affect lesser things,
and not vice versa.
and not vice versa.
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较小的事物，反之则不然。
11:39
I call that the hierarchy rule.
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我称之为“等级制度”。
11:42
For example, when a comet hits the Sun,
194
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比如，一个彗星撞上了太阳，
11:45
the Sun carries on just as before,
195
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太阳仍然会正常运转，
11:47
but the comet is vaporized.
196
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2198
而那颗彗星却会蒸发殆尽。
11:50
For the same reason,
197
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1857
同理，
11:52
big things are not much affected
by small parts of themselves,
by small parts of themselves,
198
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6571
大的物体不会那么
容易受到小物体的影响，
容易受到小物体的影响，
11:59
i.e., by details.
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1777
不容易受到细节影响。
12:01
Which means that their overall behavior
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也就是说，它的整体行为
12:04
is simple.
201
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很简单。
12:06
And since nothing very new
can happen to things
can happen to things
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3396
既然没有什么新鲜事会发生，
12:09
that remain simple,
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1738
它会一直很简单，
12:11
the hierarchy rule,
by causing large-scale simplicity,
by causing large-scale simplicity,
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5305
等级制度导致了大规模的简单化，
12:16
has caused the great monotony.
205
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也导致了大单调。
12:20
But, the saving grace is
206
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但是，令人耳目一新的是，
12:23
the hierarchy rule is not a law of nature.
207
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等级制度并不是大自然的规律，
12:27
It just happens to have held
so far in the universe,
so far in the universe,
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是巧合让它延续至今，
12:30
except here.
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除了这里。
12:32
In our biosphere,
molecule-sized objects, genes,
molecule-sized objects, genes,
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4952
在我们的生物圈，
分子大小的物质，也就是基因，
分子大小的物质，也就是基因，
12:37
control vastly disproportionate resources.
211
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控制着大量不平行的资源，
12:40
The first genes for photosynthesis,
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2896
最早出现的掌管光合作用的基因
12:43
by causing their own proliferation,
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通过引起自身的增殖，
12:46
and then transforming
the surface of the planet,
the surface of the planet,
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然后改变地球表面，
12:49
have violated or reversed
the hierarchy rule
the hierarchy rule
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以令人吃惊的
10 的 40 次方的规模，
10 的 40 次方的规模，
12:54
by the mind-blowing factor
of 10 to the power 40.
of 10 to the power 40.
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已经违背或扭转了等级制度。
12:59
Explanatory knowledge
is potentially far more powerful
is potentially far more powerful
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4282
解释性知识由于其广泛性和更迅速
13:03
because of universality,
218
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1635
的创造过程而具有更大的潜力。
13:05
and more rapidly created.
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和创造得更快。
13:08
When human knowledge
has achieved a factor 10 to the 40,
has achieved a factor 10 to the 40,
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当人的智慧增加到 10 的 40 次方，
13:12
it will pretty much control
the entire galaxy,
the entire galaxy,
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基本就有能力掌握整个星系，
13:15
and will be looking beyond.
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1928
而且会进一步探索。
13:17
So humans,
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所以，人类
13:20
and any other explanation creators
who may exist out there,
who may exist out there,
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和其他可能存在的解释性创造者
13:24
are the ultimate agents
of novelty for the universe.
of novelty for the universe.
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是宇宙创新的最终代理人。
13:30
We are the reason and the means
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我们是新事物产生的原因和方法，
13:33
by which novelty and creativity,
knowledge, progress,
knowledge, progress,
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因为我们，
新事物，创造力，知识，发展
新事物，创造力，知识，发展
13:39
can have objective,
large-scale physical effects.
large-scale physical effects.
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得以对现实有客观、大规模的影响。
13:45
From the human perspective,
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从人类的角度来说，
13:48
the only alternative
to that living hell of static societies
to that living hell of static societies
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去改变永恒不变的
地狱社会的唯一方法
地狱社会的唯一方法
13:52
is continual creation of new ideas,
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便是不断地创造新的思想，
13:57
behaviors, new kinds of objects.
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新的行为，新的事物。
14:00
This robot will soon be obsolete,
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这个机器人很快就会过时，
14:02
because of new explanatory
knowledge, progress.
knowledge, progress.
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因为新的解释性知识和我们的发展。
14:08
But from the cosmic perspective,
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从宇宙的角度来说，
14:11
explanatory knowledge
is the nemesis of the hierarchy rule.
is the nemesis of the hierarchy rule.
236
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解释性知识
是等级制度建设的克星，
是等级制度建设的克星，
14:16
It's the destroyer of the great monotony.
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它是大单调的终结者。
14:20
So it's the creator
of the next cosmological era,
of the next cosmological era,
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因而它将是下一个
宇宙时代的创造者，
宇宙时代的创造者，
14:25
the Anthropocene.
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人类世（Anthropocene）。
14:27
If one can speak of a cosmic war,
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如果有人可以为宇宙大战说话的话，
14:31
it's not the one portrayed
in those pessimistic stories.
in those pessimistic stories.
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它不会是那些悲观主义
故事中描绘的救世主，
故事中描绘的救世主，
14:34
It's a war between monotony and novelty,
242
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它是一场单调对抗创新的战争，
14:39
between stasis and creativity.
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一场停滞不前对抗创新改变的战争。
14:43
And in this war,
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在这场战争中，
14:45
our side is not destined to lose.
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我们注定不会是失败者，
14:50
If we choose to apply our unique
capacity to create explanatory knowledge,
capacity to create explanatory knowledge,
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如果我们能选择运用我们
独特的能力来创造解释性知识，
独特的能力来创造解释性知识，
14:57
we could win.
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我们就可以获得胜利。
15:00
Thanks.
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谢谢。
15:02
(Applause)
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（鼓掌）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Deutsch - Quantum physicistDavid Deutsch's 1997 book "The Fabric of Reality" laid the groundwork for an all-encompassing Theory of Everything, and galvanized interest in the idea of a quantum computer, which could solve problems of hitherto unimaginable complexity.
Why you should listen
David Deutsch will force you to reconsider your place in the world. This legendary Oxford physicist is the leading proponent of the multiverse (or "many worlds") interpretation of quantum theory -- the idea that our universe is constantly spawning countless numbers of parallel worlds.
In his own words: "Everything in our universe -- including you and me, every atom and every galaxy -- has counterparts in these other universes." If that doesn't alter your consciousness, then the other implications he's derived from his study of subatomic physics -- including the possibility of time travel -- just might.
In The Fabric of Reality, Deutsch tied together quantum mechanics, evolution, a rationalist approach to knowledge, and a theory of computation based on the work of Alan Turing. "Our best theories are not only truer than common sense, they make more sense than common sense,"Deutsch wrote, and he continues to explore the most mind-bending aspects of particle physics.
In 2008, he became a member of the Royal Society of London.
David Deutsch | Speaker | TED.com