瞬间移动会杀死你：英语精读讲义

In Star Trek,

在《星际迷航》中，

the transporter moves you from one spot to another,

传送机将你从一个地点转移到另一个地点，

saving on shuttle fuel and special effects budgets. 短語動詞

从而节省了穿梭机的燃料和特效预算。

In universe,

在星际宇宙中，

it's the safest way to travel.

这是最安全的旅行方式。

Yes,

是的，

sometimes two guys die horrible mutilated deaths under rare circumstances,

有时候在罕见情况下，会有两个人死状极惨，

but trillions of individuals transport to work every morning without a hiccup. 習語

但数以万亿计的人每天早晨传送去上班，却没出任何岔子。

But what if the transporter isn't as safe as claimed? 語法

但如果传送机并不像声称的那么安全呢？

What if the death rate isn't point almost nothing percent,

如果死亡率不是几乎为零的百分之零点几，

but 100 percent because the transporter is a suicide box?

而是百分之百，因为传送机其实是个自杀箱呢？

First,

首先，

how does the transporter work?

传送机是如何工作的？

There are technical manuals with pages and pages of hilariously over-specific details

有些技术手册上写了满篇滑稽且过于具体的细节，

that yet say so little.

但其实什么实质内容也没说。

Star Trek is nothing if not consistently inconsistent. 習語

《星际迷航》最显著的特点就是它始终如一的前后矛盾。

But taking the most common elements, 表達脈絡

但如果提取最常见的设定，

first the transporter scans you down to the quark,

首先，传送机会将你扫描至夸克级别，

takes apart your atoms 短語動詞

拆解你的原子，

and sends the pieces of you to the destination for reassembly.

然后把你的碎片发送到目的地进行重组。

But is it you on the other end 短語搭配

但在另一端的真的是你吗？

or a copy that thinks it's you?

还是一个自以为是你的复制品？

Well,

那么，

who is you?

到底什么是你？

That's a hell of a big question, 用詞

这是一个极其庞大的问题，

but let's try to be good scientists about it.

但让我们试着用科学家的态度来对待它。

We don't assume there's a magic part of you that can't be measured.

我们不假设你身上有什么无法被测量的神奇部分。

After all, 表達脈絡

毕竟，

if it can't be measured,

如果它无法被测量，

that means by definition it can't affect anything. 短語搭配

这就意味着从定义上讲它无法影响任何事物。

So Occam's razor it away 文化背景

所以我们用奥卡姆剃刀原理把它剔除，

and we take you as you seem to be,

我们就把你看作你表面的样子：

a collection of atoms arranged to think they're you.

一堆原子的排列组合，并且它们认为自己就是你。

And because the arrangement of atoms in post-transport you is exactly the same as pre-transport,

而因为传送后你的原子排列与传送前完全相同，

you must be you.

你一定就是你。

Case closed. 表達脈絡

结案了。

But you might still have this nagging feeling 短語搭配

但你可能仍然会有这种挥之不去的感觉：

that your experience of stepping into the transporter

你踏入传送机的体验

will be a funny sound,

会是一阵奇怪的声音，

a bright light,

一道强光，

then nothingness eternal.

然后是永恒的虚无。

While down on the planet,

与此同时在星球表面上，

a brand new life complete with all your memories up to the moment before your death

一个全新的生命，带着你死前那一刻的所有记忆，

popped into existence and assumed it's you. 短語搭配

凭空出现并自以为是你。

How could it otherwise? 語法

不然还能怎样呢？

It lives a life as short as the mission

它过着和任务一样短暂的一生，

and a new creature with the memories of you both

然后一个带着你们双方记忆的新生物

makes it back to the ship. 短語搭配

回到了船上。

If true, 語法

如果这是真的，

multiply this by all the life forms in all the ships in all the star systems

把这乘以所有星系中所有飞船里的所有生命体，

and this transport technology is a silent holocaust,

那么这项传送技术就是一场无声的大屠杀，

which makes an average episode of Trek rather grim watching.

这让《星际迷航》哪怕是普通的一集看起来都相当阴暗。

And it's a small mercy when a crew member takes the turbolift rather than site-to-site transport.

而当船员选择乘坐涡轮电梯而不是点对点传送时，简直算得上是一种小小的仁慈。

But again,

但再说一次，

the measurements check out. 短語動詞

测量结果没有问题。

So perhaps we're being paranoid

所以也许我们太多疑了，

and we're already late for our holiday on Risa,

我们去瑞萨星（Risa）度假都已经迟到了，

so just step inside already. 語氣意圖

所以赶快走进去吧。

But atom reassembly is the optimistic version

但原子重组已经是乐观的说法了，

and can't be how the transporter really works

传送机的真正工作原理不可能如此，

because sometimes accidents combine two crew into one

因为有时候事故会把两名船员融合为一个，

or split one into two.

或者把一个分裂成两个。

There aren't enough atoms in you to make a second you,

你身上的原子不足以制造出第二个你，

so the transporter has to be turning atoms into energy

所以传送机一定是在把原子转化成能量，

and energy into atoms.

再把能量转化成原子。

You are destroyed,

你被毁灭了，

used to charge a battery,

用来给电池充电，

then recreated anew.

然后重新被创造出来。

This really seems like death,

这看起来确实像死亡，

but the philosophy majors in the room are dying to bring up the Ship of Theseus now, 講解

但房间里的哲学系学生现在一定迫不及待想搬出“忒修斯之船”了，

so fine.

那好吧。

You take this ship on an adventure.

你开着这艘船去冒险。

As parts get worn, 語法

随着零件磨损，

you replace each until eventually no piece is original.

你不断更换它们，直到最后没有一块是原装的。

When you return,

当你回来时，

is the Ship of Theseus still the same Ship of Theseus you left on?

这艘忒修斯之船还是你出发时的那艘忒修斯之船吗？

Seems so.

看起来是的。

And this is what your body does daily via eating,

这也是你的身体每天在做的事：通过进食，

bringing in new atoms,

摄入新的原子，

and excreting,

然后排泄，

losing atoms.

流失原子。

Compare to the Cutty Sark,

相比之下，卡蒂萨克号（Cutty Sark），

a colonial tea ship burned down

一艘被烧毁的殖民时期运茶船，

and restored with new parts.

用新零件进行了修复。

Is it still the same Cutty Sark?

它还是同一艘卡蒂萨克号吗？

The result is the same,

结果是一样的，

all new parts,

全新的零件，

only the time it took is different.

只是花费的时间不同。

If you are happy Ship of Theseusing through life, 用詞

如果你乐于在生活中扮演“忒修斯之船”，

as you already do,

就像你已经在做的那样，

then getting Cutty Sarked by transport

那么被传送机“卡蒂萨克号化”，

shouldn't matter, right? 語氣意圖

应该也没关系，对吧？

However,

然而，

step into a working transporter with a broken disassembler

走进一台拆解器坏掉、但依然运作的传送机，

and death is revealed.

死亡的真相就暴露了。

Pre-transport and post-transport you

传送前的你和传送后的你

can disagree on who is you.

对于“谁才是你”会产生分歧。

And when Scotty tells pre-transport you,

而当斯考特（Scotty）告诉传送前的你：

"Sorry, the disassembler's broken.

"抱歉，拆解器坏了。

Give us a minute to fix it."

给我们一分钟修好它。"

you aren't going to wait around. 短語動詞

你肯定不会在原地等死。

That a copy of you made it to the destination

你的一个复制品已经到达了目的地，

is no consolation. 短語搭配

这并不能成为安慰。

The transporter has to be a suicide box.

传送机必然是个自杀箱。

Okay,

好吧，

so why worry about the metaphysical implications of fictional technology?

那为什么要担心虚构技术的形而上学含义呢？

Because the transporter points us to the problem of consciousness. 短語搭配

因为传送机把我们引向了意识的问题。

We were quick to cut out the idea of the unmeasurable before

我们之前很快就排除了不可测量事物的概念，

because everything we can measure about the copy is identical.

因为关于那个复制品我们能测量到的一切都是相同的。

But there is something unmeasurably different.

但这里有某种无法测量的差异。

The transporter forces confrontation with the possibility

传送机迫使我们面对这样一种可能性：

that there's something about being a conscious creature

作为一个有意识的生物，

that isn't measurable from the outside.

存在某些无法从外部测量的特质。

Did we not contain conscious brains ourselves,

如果我们自己没有具备意识的大脑，

how would we know that other brains are conscious?

我们怎么会知道其他大脑是有意识的呢？

Truth be told,

说实话，

you can really only know that you are conscious

你真的只能确认你自己是有意识的，

and it seems polite to give other people the benefit of the doubt. 習語

而默认其他人也有意识似乎只是一种礼貌。

But were a computer to claim that it was conscious, 語法

但如果一台计算机声称它有意识，

how would you know?

你怎么能知道呢？

Your continuous stream of consciousness is your life 用詞

你那连续不断的意识流就是你的生命，

and you are the only one who can experience it,

而你是唯一能体验它的人，

who can know if it exists

唯一能知道它是否存在、

and if it is continuous.

以及它是否连续的人。

And transporters are scary

传送机之所以可怕，

because they cause breaks in that consciousness,

是因为它们会导致意识的中断，

making a copy that lives the life that you have left

制造出一个复制品，过着你留下的生活，

with no one the wiser, 習語

而没有人会知道真相，

with no one able to be wiser.

也没有人能知道真相。

And while transporters aren't real, 語法

虽然传送机不是真的，

breaks in consciousness are.

但意识的中断却是真实的。

If you go for surgery, 短語搭配

如果你去做手术，

when they put you under, 用詞

当他们给你全身麻醉时，

you can't be sure if it's you that woke up.

你无法确定醒来的那个人是否还是你。

For that matter, 表達脈絡

就此而言，

your bed might be a suicide machine.

你的床可能就是一台自杀机器。

Every night's slip into unconsciousness,

每一个滑入无意识的夜晚，

the warm embrace of the reaper. 習語

都是死神温暖的怀抱。

And every morning,

而每一个早晨，

the first and only day of a new creature's conscious life.

都是一个新生物有意识生命的第一天，也是唯一的一天。

It's impossible to know.

这根本无从知晓。

Sleep well tonight. 語氣意圖

祝你今晚睡个好觉。

Thanks for watching.

感谢观看。

If you enjoyed this episode's artwork,

如果你喜欢本期节目的插画，

there are special wallpapers over at Patreon.

Patreon 上有特别版壁纸。

So click here to get access to the Star Trek wallpapers

所以点击这里获取《星际迷航》壁纸，

and thank you for supporting the channel

并感谢你支持本频道，

to help get this kind of custom artwork made.

帮助我们制作出这样的定制插画。

Still here?

还在看？

You can't stay awake forever. 表達脈絡

你不可能永远保持清醒。