什麼是意識？：英語精讀講義

Hey, Vsauce. Michael here.

嗨，Vsauce，我是 Michael。

And a hemispherectomy is a surgical procedure in which half of a person's brain is removed. 文化背景

大腦半球切除術，是一種切除患者一半大腦的外科手術。

It's usually only ever done on very, very young patients 文法

這種手術通常只會對年紀非常、非常小的患者施行，

because their brains are still plastic enough 文法

因為他們的大腦仍具有足夠強的可塑性，

that the remaining half will take on the functions of the half that was removed. 片語動詞

剩下的那一半能接手被切除部分的功能。

And it's usually done because a young child or a baby is having seizures

通常，做這種手術是因為幼兒或嬰兒癲癇發作，

and removing the part where the seizures occur is the only solution.

而切除引發癲癇的腦區是唯一的解決辦法。

But here's my question. 表達脈絡

但我的問題是：

If you can live with half a brain,

如果人只剩半個大腦也能活，

what if I were to take two empty skulls 文法

那假如我拿來兩顆空頭顱，

and take one half of your brain and plop it into one body 用詞

把你的一半大腦啪地放進一具身體，

and the other half and put it in another body?

再把另一半放進另一具身體呢？

Which person would be you?

哪一個人會是你？

I mean, you are you.

我的意思是，你就是你。

You are conscious.

你有意識。

You are aware of what is happening to you

你知道自己身上正在發生什麼，

from the perspective of yourself. 片語搭配

而且是從你自身的視角感知這一切。

Like think of it this way. 表達脈絡

可以這樣想。

If you just stare at something

如果你只是盯著某樣東西，

and kind of feel what it feels like to be you. 文法

體會一下「身為你自己」是什麼感覺，

It feels a little bit like you're a thing

你會覺得自己有點像一個東西，

inside a body looking out through the eyeballs.

待在身體裡，透過眼球向外看。

And nobody else on Earth

而地球上不會有其他任何人

will ever see the world from that position.

能從這個位置看世界。

This awareness of your own experiences,

這種對自身經歷的覺察，

the awareness that you are having them,

對「這些經歷正發生在你身上」的覺察，

the awareness that you are having your own thoughts,

對「你正擁有自己的想法」的覺察，

makes up what we call consciousness. 講解

共同構成了我們所說的「意識」。

But if I were to take your brain and split it into two

但如果我把你的大腦分成兩半，

and put it into two different people,

分別放進兩個不同的人體內，

would both of them be new people who were conscious?

他們會不會都成為有意識的新個體？

Well, one of the best places to start 片語搭配

那麼，最好的起點之一，

when defining consciousness and understanding it

是在定義和理解意識時，

is to begin with things that we agree are not conscious.

先從大家公認沒有意識的東西入手。

For instance, Cleverbot.

比如 Cleverbot。

cleverbot.com is an amazing website where a computer program

cleverbot.com 是一個很神奇的網站，裡面的電腦程式

will respond to your questions really cleverly,

會非常機智地回答你的問題，

but only because it is programmed to do so. 文法

但那只是因為程式被設定成這樣。

We wouldn't consider it conscious

我們不會認為它有意識，

because it doesn't have a sense of itself. 片語搭配

因為它沒有自我感。

It doesn't feel anything.

它沒有任何感受。

It doesn't have its own inner life. 用詞

它沒有自己的內心世界。

It's just a program that responds automatically to my inputs.

它只是個程式，會自動回應我的輸入。

Now, I know that I am not like Cleverbot.

我知道，我和 Cleverbot 不一樣。

I know that I feel things

我知道自己會有感受，

and that I have a sense of myself.

也有自我感。

I have intentions.

我有意圖。

But how do I know that you do?

可是我怎麼知道你也有呢？

For that matter, how do I know 表達脈絡

說到底，我怎麼知道

that everybody else that I meet is like me?

我遇到的其他每個人都和我一樣？

How do I know that they're not just little smart versions

我怎麼知道他們不只是一個個小巧聰明版的

of Cleverbot who know exactly what to automatically say?

Cleverbot，恰好知道該自動說些什麼？

Now, what I'm asking is incredibly philosophical,

我現在問的這個問題極具哲學意味，

but it is a very famous and important question.

但它也是一個非常著名且重要的問題。

I'm basically asking if it's possible for something to exist

我其實是在問：某種東西是否可能

as a philosophical zombie. 文化背景

以「哲學殭屍」的形式存在。

That's right.

沒錯。

A thing that reacts and responds and acts just like a normal human,

有一種東西，它的反應、回應和行為都和正常人一模一樣，

but yet doesn't actually feel anything.

卻完全沒有任何真實感受。

It doesn't know that it's having its own thoughts.

它並不知道自己正在產生想法。

It just automatically responds like a robot in the appropriate way.

它只會像機器人一樣，以恰當的方式自動回應。

Now, what's amazing and heavy about this question 講解

這個問題既驚人又沉重的地方

is that science doesn't have an answer.

在於，科學沒有答案。

And it's not even clear that science will ever have an answer, 文法

我們甚至不確定科學將來是否會找到答案，

let alone an approach to finding that answer. 片語搭配

更別說找到答案的途徑了。

About all we have is the psychology of disorders of consciousness. 文法

我們手上差不多只有關於意識障礙的心理學研究。

Let's begin with anosognosia. 表達脈絡

先從病識感缺失症說起。

A common example of anosognosia in psychology classes 文化背景

心理學課上常舉的病識感缺失症案例

is a patient who has, say, lost the ability to move their left hand.

是這樣一位患者：比方說，他失去了活動左手的能力。

When asked to raise their right hand, 文法

當別人要他舉起右手時，

they'll say, "Uh, yeah, no problem.

他會說：「呃，好啊，沒問題。

Here you go." 語氣意圖

你看。」

But then when asked to raise their left hand,

可是當別人要他舉起左手時，

they'll say, "Okay, yeah, sure, no problem."

他會說：「好啊，當然，沒問題。」

But not move it.

卻一動也不動。

And when asked why they didn't move their left hand,

當別人問他為什麼沒有動左手時，

instead of reporting that they can't, 文法

他不會說自己動不了，

they'll confabulate some excuse. 用詞

而是會編造一個藉口。

For instance,

比如：

"Oh, I didn't feel like it." 片語搭配

「喔，我只是不想動。」

Anton Babinski syndrome is even more dramatic. 文化背景

安東－巴賓斯基症候群的表現更加誇張。

Patients with this syndrome are cortically blind. 用詞

這種症候群患者患有皮質盲。

They cannot see anything,

他們什麼都看不見，

but they deny being blind. 文法

卻否認自己失明。

If you ask them a question, for instance,

比如，如果你問他們：

"How many fingers am I holding up?" 片語動詞

「我舉起了幾根手指？」

they will make a guess,

他們會猜一個答案，

but if they're wrong,

但如果猜錯了，

they'll explain their inaccuracy with an excuse.

他們會找個藉口解釋為什麼沒說準。

For instance,

比如：

"Oh, well, I don't have my glasses."

「喔，是因為我沒戴眼鏡。」

People who exhibit anosognosia tend to be the victims of stroke.

出現病識感缺失症的人往往是中風患者。

And there's some disconnect between what they're really experiencing 片語搭配

他們的實際體驗

and their conscious awareness of it.

和他們在意識層面對這種體驗的認知之間，存在某種脫節。

They don't know that they can't see

他們不知道自己看不見，

because the part of their brain that monitors visual input

因為大腦中負責監測視覺輸入的部分

isn't telling the brain anything.

沒有向大腦傳達任何資訊。

It's not even telling the brain that there is no visual input,

它甚至沒有告訴大腦「沒有視覺輸入」，

which means that the parts of their brain responsible for answering questions or creating speech

這表示，大腦中負責回答問題或組織語言的部分

has to completely create a confabulated response.

只好憑空編造出一個完整的回答。

Despite the fact that we've been able to study patients with anosognosia, 文法

儘管我們已經能夠研究病識感缺失症患者，

we still have no idea how to solve our original problem. 片語搭配

卻仍然完全不知道該如何解決最初的問題。

In fact,

事實上，

all we've managed to come up with are more impossible questions about identity. 講解

我們得到的只有更多關於身分認同的無解難題。

Questions that are so befuddling,

這些問題令人困惑至極，

the best you can do with them is to answer them yourself according to what you believe.

你最多只能依照自己的信念給出答案。

Here's another one.

再來看一個。

It's called the Swampman. 文化背景

它叫「沼澤人」。

Imagine that I'm walking around in a swamp and then all of a sudden I get struck by a bolt of lightning 片語搭配

想像一下，我正在沼澤裡走著，突然被一道閃電擊中，

and my entire body is burned to a crisp, 慣用語

整個身體被燒得焦透，

dissolved into smithereens.

徹底化為齏粉。

But at the very same moment, 片語搭配

可是就在同一時刻，

a second bolt of lightning strikes nearby

附近又落下第二道閃電，

and it causes a bunch of atoms and molecules to all arrange themselves 文法

讓一大群原子和分子自行排列，

into the exact same configuration that my body used to have, 文法

組成與我原來身體完全相同的構造，

making a second Michael.

從而造出第二個 Michael。

Is that me?

那是我嗎？

Would that be me?

那會是我嗎？

And here's an even better one. 表達脈絡

還有一個更絕的問題。

Imagine that a surgeon came in

想像一位外科醫師走了進來，

and he started removing cells from me and from you,

開始從我和你身上取出細胞，

replacing them exactly one at a time, 片語搭配

每次取一個，再一一精準替換，

replacing my cells into your body and your cells into my body.

把我的細胞放進你的身體，把你的細胞放進我的身體。

At what point would I officially have become you? 文法

到哪一步，我才算正式變成了你？

No one on Earth has the definitive answers to these questions, 片語搭配

地球上沒有人能對這些問題給出定論，

but You know what we do have? 文法

但你知道我們有什麼嗎？

A lean back.

那就是：往後一靠。

That's right.

沒錯。

I've made a playlist of some of my favorite clips from all over YouTube

我從 YouTube 各處挑出一些最喜歡的片段，做成了播放清單，

of psychology experiments and illusions and all sorts of fun stuff

裡面有心理學實驗、錯覺和各種好玩的內容，

that deal with consciousness. 片語動詞

都與意識有關。

All you have to do is click the link at the top of this video's description 文法

你只要點擊本影片說明欄頂端的連結，

and then lean back and let the automatic playlist do the work for you. 文法

然後往後一靠，讓播放清單自動替你完成一切。

I'll see you over there.

我們那邊見。

And as always,

和往常一樣，

thanks for watching.

感謝觀看。

Hey, Kevin.

嘿，Kevin。

Any new YouTube messages?

YouTube 有新訊息嗎？

Actually, yes.

還真有。

I just got this message over at Vsauce 2 用詞

我剛在 Vsauce 2 收到這則訊息，

from a user who doesn't create videos,

是一位不製作影片的使用者傳來的，

but he organizes them in his own playlists.

但他會把影片整理進自己的播放清單。

Yeah.

對。

Yeah, that's excellent cuz there's so many videos on YouTube. 用詞

是啊，這太棒了，因為 YouTube 上的影片實在太多了。

We need people to help organize them,

我們需要有人幫忙整理，

especially by type.

尤其是按類型分類。

Imagine a channel of playlists

想像一下，一個全是播放清單的頻道，

ranging from cool songs to listen to when it rains

內容從適合下雨天聽的酷歌，

or best explosions ever.

到史上最精彩的爆炸場面。

Exactly.

沒錯。

If you make a playlist that you think is really cool and full of stuff that we should know about,

如果你做了一份自己覺得特別棒、裡面全是我們該知道的內容的播放清單，

send it to [email protected] and we'll feature the ones we really like 用詞

就把它寄到 [email protected]；我們會介紹其中最喜歡的那些，

because you have made YouTube a better, more organized place. 文法

因為你讓 YouTube 變成一個更好、更有條理的地方。

And after all, 表達脈絡

畢竟，

Vsauce is kind of like a carpool lane. 慣用語

Vsauce 有點像共乘車道。

We're all going to get to the cool stuff faster

我們所有人都能更快抵達那些精彩內容，

because we're traveling together.

因為我們正結伴同行。

Where did you get that?

你從哪裡弄來這東西的？