湧現現象——愚笨的事物如何聚合成智能體：英語精讀講義

An ant is pretty stupid.

螞蟻相當笨。

It doesn't have much of a brain,

牠沒有發達的大腦，

no will,

沒有意志，

no plan.

也沒有計畫。

And yet, 表達脈絡

然而，

many ants together are smart.

許多螞蟻聚在一起卻很聰明。

An ant colony can construct complex structures.

蟻群可以建造複雜的結構。

Some colonies keep farms of fungi,

有些蟻群種植真菌，

others take care of cattle. 片語動詞

還有一些飼養「家畜」。

They can wage war or defend themselves. 片語搭配

牠們還能發動戰爭或抵禦外敵。

How is this possible?

這怎麼可能呢？

How can a bunch of stupid things do smart things together? 片語搭配

一群笨東西怎麼能一起做出聰明的事？

This phenomenon is called emergence,

這種現象被稱為「湧現」（emergence），

and it's one of the most fascinating and mysterious features of our universe. 文法

它是我們宇宙中最迷人、最神秘的特徵之一。

In a nutshell, 表達脈絡

簡而言之，

it describes small things forming bigger things that have different properties than the sum of their parts. 慣用語

它描述的是小事物組成大事物時，大事物具有了不同於其各部分總和的屬性。

Emergence is complexity arising from simplicity,

湧現是簡單中孕育出的複雜，

and emergence is everywhere.

而湧現無處不在。

Water has vastly different properties to the molecules that make it up, 片語動詞

水的屬性與構成它的分子截然不同，

like the concept of wetness.

比如「濕潤」這個概念。

Take wet fabric.

以濕布為例。

If you zoom in far enough, 片語動詞

如果你放大得足夠多，

there is no wetness,

就根本不存在「濕潤」，

there are just molecules sitting in the spaces between the atoms of the cloth.

只有處於布料原子間隙中的分子。

Wetness is an emerging property of water.

濕潤是水的一種湧現屬性。

Something new

一種新事物

only created by a lot of individual interactions between water molecules.

僅僅由水分子之間大量個體的相互作用而產生。

And this is sort of it. 語氣意圖

基本就是這麼回事。

Many things interact under a certain set of rules, 片語搭配

許多事物在一套特定的規則下相互作用，

creating something above and beyond themselves. 慣用語

創造出超越自身的存在。

It turns out that more is different. 表達脈絡

事實證明，數量多即意味著不同。

This different property is itself a new thing,

這種不同的屬性本身就是一種新事物，

and that new thing can couple with other new things to repeat the process. 用詞

而這種新事物可以與其他新事物結合，重複這個過程。

You can imagine this as layers stacked upon each other, 文法

你可以把它想像成層層疊加的結構，

every layer made from more complex parts. 片語搭配

每一層都由更複雜的部分組成。

Atoms form molecules,

原子形成分子，

molecules form proteins,

分子形成蛋白質，

proteins make up cells,

蛋白質構成細胞，

cells make up organs,

細胞構成器官，

organs form individuals,

器官形成個體，

individuals form societies.

個體形成社會。

But how can something be more than the sum of its parts?

但是，事物如何能大於其各部分的總和呢？

How do ants form the sort of cloudy entity that is a colony?

螞蟻是如何形成蟻群這種雲霧般模糊的實體的呢？

By following a rule set that produces order through chaos. 文法

透過遵循一套能在混沌中產生秩序的規則。

For example,

例如，

let's look at how an ant colony distributes jobs. 表達脈絡

讓我們來看看蟻群是如何分配工作的。

Let's assume that a colony should have 25% workers, 表達脈絡

假設一個蟻群應該有25%的工蟻、

25% caretakers,

25%的保母蟻、

25% soldiers,

25%的兵蟻、

and 25% gatherers.

以及25%的採集蟻。

Ants communicate their current job via chemicals.

螞蟻透過化學物質交流牠們當前的工作。

For example,

例如，

a worker ant constantly secretes chemicals that say,

一隻工蟻不斷分泌化學物質表明：

"I'm a worker."

「我是隻工蟻。」

When ants meet other ants,

當螞蟻遇到其他螞蟻時，

they smell each other to gather information,

牠們會透過氣味相互收集資訊，

telling each other their job and what they're doing.

告訴對方自己的工作和正在做的事。

Both keep track of who they met in the past. 片語搭配

雙方都會記住牠們過去遇到過誰。

Now,

現在，

imagine an anteater kills most of the gatherers.

假設一隻食蟻獸吃掉了大部分的採集蟻。

If this isn't fixed quickly, 文法

如果不能迅速解決這個問題，

the colony will starve.

蟻群就會餓死。

Many worker ants need to switch jobs,

許多工蟻需要更換工作，

but how do you tell this to thousands of them?

但你怎麼告訴成千上萬隻螞蟻呢？

Simple.

很簡單。

You don't.

你不需要告訴牠們。

Our worker ant will still meet and smell other ants,

我們的工蟻依然會遇到並聞到其他螞蟻，

but it will encounter almost no gatherers at all. 文法

但牠幾乎再也遇不到採集蟻了。

It counts too few gatherers until it reaches a critical point,

牠遇到的採集蟻數量太少，直到達到一個臨界點，

and then it changes its job.

然後牠就改變了自己的工作。

The worker becomes a gatherer.

工蟻變成了採集蟻。

Other ants will do the same until after a while,

其他螞蟻也會這麼做，直到過了一段時間，

there are enough gatherers again.

採集蟻的數量再次充足。

The balance is restored all by itself. 片語搭配

平衡就這麼自動恢復了。

The actions and interactions of an individual are random.

個體的行動和互動是隨機的。

You can't plan which ant will encounter which other ant, 文法

你無法計畫哪隻螞蟻會遇到哪隻螞蟻，

but the simple set of rules is so elegant that a colony's many operations emerge as a consequence. 文法

但這套簡單的規則如此優雅，以至於蟻群的許多運作作為結果湧現出來。

On an even more fundamental level, 表達脈絡

在更基礎的層面上，

hundreds of millions of complicated molecules interact to maintain a robust and amazing structure.

數億個複雜的分子相互作用，維持著一個堅固而驚人的結構。

A being with vastly different properties than the sum of its dead parts emerges.

一個具有與死亡成分總和截然不同屬性的存在湧現了。

The smallest unit of life,

生命的最小單位，

a cell.

細胞。

We still don't have a clear definition of what living things are,

我們仍然沒有關於什麼是生物的明確定義，

we just know they emerge from things that are not alive.

我們只知道牠們是從無生命的事物中湧現出來的。

Cells combine and cooperate,

細胞結合並合作，

they specialize and respond to one another,

牠們分化並相互響應，

and over time,

隨著時間的推移，

we develop into complex organisms with remarkable capacities. 片語搭配

我們發育成了具有非凡能力的複雜生物體。

Your arms and legs and heart are an incredibly complex and complicated system made of trillions of individual stupid things. 片語搭配

你的手臂、腿和心臟都是極其複雜龐大的系統，由數兆個獨立的笨東西組成。

And yet we breathe,

然而我們能呼吸、

digest,

消化、

and watch YouTube videos.

還能看YouTube影片。

How do your cells know what to do?

你的細胞怎麼知道該做什麼？

Think of the pacemaker cells in your heart. 片語動詞

想像一下你心臟裡的起搏細胞。

Billions of them need to send out an impulse just at the right moment to collectively create a heartbeat. 片語動詞

數以十億計的起搏細胞需要在恰當的時刻發出脈衝，共同創造出心跳。

Our cells exchange chemical information with their neighbor cells to see what they're up to, 慣用語

我們的細胞與鄰近細胞交換化學資訊，看看它們在做什麼，

and then decide what to do.

然後決定自己該做什麼。

If it's among a lot of cells that are working on the same task,

如果它周圍有很多細胞在做同一個任務，

it will start working on that task as well and sync up with them. 片語動詞

它也會開始做這個任務，並與它們同步。

There is no mastermind giving commands, 文法

並沒有什麼首腦在下達命令，

just single units communicating with their neighbors and acting according to the feedback they get.

只有單個單元與鄰居交流，並根據得到的反饋採取行動。

What about our most important part? 表達脈絡

那我們最重要的部分呢？

What is the thing that asks these kinds of questions?

提出這種問題的東西是什麼呢？

Is our consciousness then an emergent property of the cells in our brain? 用詞

我們的意識也是大腦細胞的湧現屬性嗎？

This question is too big and important.

這個問題太大、太重要了。

It deserves a video of its own. 片語搭配

它值得單獨做一期影片。

Some things that emerge are hard to define.

有些湧現出來的事物很難定義。

You can't touch an ant colony,

你無法觸摸一個蟻群，

only its parts.

只能觸摸它的各個部分。

It has neither brain nor face, 文法

它既沒有大腦，也沒有面孔，

nor body.

更沒有身體。

And yet,

然而，

the colony interacts with the world.

蟻群卻在與世界互動。

Just like colonies emerge from ants, 文法

就像蟻群從螞蟻中湧現一樣，

things emerge from humans,

事物也從人類中湧現，

like nations.

比如國家。

What actually is a nation? 表達脈絡

國家究竟是什麼？

Is it its population?

是它的人口嗎？

Is it its institutions?

是它的機構嗎？

Its symbols like its flag,

是像國旗、

colors,

顏色、

or anthems?

或者國歌這樣的象徵嗎？

The physical things it makes like cities?

是像城市這樣的人造實體嗎？

The territory it occupies?

還是它所佔據的領土？

All of these things are fluid.

所有這些事物都是流動的。

Populations change and are replaced.

人口會變遷和更替。

Institutions come and go. 慣用語

機構起起落落。

Cities can be constructed and abandoned.

城市可以被建造，也可以被廢棄。

Borders have changed all the time for most of history.

在歷史的大部分時間裡，邊界總是在改變。

And symbols get replaced by new symbols. 文法

象徵物也會被新的象徵物取代。

A nation has no face,

一個國家沒有面孔、

no brain,

沒有大腦、

no body.

沒有身體。

Are nations not real then? 語氣意圖

那國家是不真實的嗎？

Of course they are.

它們當然是真實的。

Just like ant colonies,

就像蟻群一樣，

nations interact with the world.

國家與世界互動。

They can change landscapes,

它們可以改變地貌、

wage wars,

發動戰爭、

grow or decline,

崛起或衰落，

and they can stop existing. 文法

它們也可能不復存在。

But they only exist because of a lot of humans interacting with each other.

但它們的存在只是因為大量的人類在彼此互動。

But not just nations. 表達脈絡

而且不只是國家。

All the complex structures that surround us emerge from us.

環繞著我們的所有複雜結構都是從我們中湧現出來的。

Even if we don't intend to, 文法

即使我們並非刻意，

we are constantly creating communities,

我們也在不斷地創造社區、

companies,

公司、

cities,

城市、

societies.

社會。

All of these things are entities that have fundamentally different properties and abilities than the pretty stupid apes they emerged from.

所有這些事物的屬性和能力，都從根本上不同於孕育牠們的那些相當笨的猿類。

We don't know why any of this happens,

我們不知道這一切為什麼會發生，

we just observe it,

我們只是觀察到它，

and it seems to be a fundamental property of our universe. 語氣意圖

而這似乎是我們宇宙的一個基本屬性。

It may be the most beautiful and wondrous property of our universe.

這或許是我們宇宙中最美麗、最奇妙的屬性。