TED演讲:飞向海洋(1)

 I think the future of this planet depends on humans, not technology, and we already have the knowledge we're kind of at the endgame with knowledge. 我想地球的未来取决于人类自身，而非技术，而且我们已经意识到这一点，我们有点儿快到达知识终点的感觉，

But we're nowhere near the endgame when it comes to our perception. 但要是说到对感知的认识我们离这个终点却还很遥远。

We still have one foot in the dark ages.  我们的一只脚还在中世纪的黑暗时代中。

And when you listen to some of the presentations here and the extraordinary range of human capability¹, our understandings and then you contrast it with the fact. 当你们在这里听到有些演讲，谈及人类非凡的才能和认知，然后你们把它跟事实对比一下。

we still call this planet, Earth: it's pretty extraordinary we have one foot in the dark ages.  我们仍然叫这个行星地球，真是相当的不可思议。我们的一只脚在黑暗时代里。

Just quickly: Aristotle, his thing was, It's not flat, stupid, it's round.  这里只快速点一下，亚里斯多德，他声称，它不是平的，它是圆的。

Galileo,he had the Inquisition, so he had to be a little bit more polite  伽利略，受宗教裁判所的压力，他必须稍微礼貌一些。

his was, It's not in the middle, you know.  他说，你们要知道它不在中心。

And Hawkes: it's not earth, stupid, it's ocean.  而霍克斯说，它不是地球，笨蛋，它是海洋。

This is an ocean planet. 这是一个海洋行星。

T.S. Eliot really said it for me and this should give you goose bumps:  艾略特已经替我说得很好了，这段话会让你起鸡皮疙瘩：

we shall not cease from exploration and the end of our exploring shall be to return where we started and know the place for the first time.  我们不应当停止探险，而到达探险终点时，我们应该回到出发的地方，并第一次真正了解它。

And the next lines are, Through the unknown remembered gate,where the last of earth discovered is that which is the beginning. 接下来的一句是，穿过未知的门，地球最后被发现的角落即是我们开始了解它的地方。

So I have one message.  于是我便得到一个信息，

It seems to me that we're all pointed² in the wrong direction.  我觉得我们似乎都在朝错误的方向走。

For the rocketeers in the audience:  在座的火箭专家们，

I love what you're doing, I admire the guts³, I admire the courage-but your rockets are pointed in the wrong goddamn direction. 我喜欢你们所做的一切，我敬佩你们的胆识，我敬佩你们的勇气，但你们的火箭正在朝超级错误的方向飞。

And it's all a question of perspective.  这完全是看问题的角度问题

Let me try and tell you I don't mean to insult you, but look, if I，and I'm not doing this for real because it would be an insult. 让我试着来跟你们说说。我不想冒犯你们，但是，如果我不会真的这么做，因为这会是个侮辱，

so I'm going to pretend, and it softens⁴ the blow. 所以我会假装，舒缓一下语气。

I'm going to tell you what you're thinking.  我来说说你们正在想的东西。

If I held up a square that was one foot square and the color of earth,and I held up another square that was the root two square 如果我拿起一块1平方英尺的方块，颜色代表地球，再拿起一块根号2平方英尺的方块。

so it's 1.5 times bigger -- and was the color of the oceans; and I said, what is the relative value of these two things?  即比第一个大了1.5倍，颜色代表海洋，请问，这两者间有什么相关关系？

1 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 softens   

（使）变软( soften的第三人称单数 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• Iron softens with heat. 铁受热就软化。
• Moonlight softens our faults; all shabbiness dissolves into shadow. 月光淡化了我们的各种缺点，所有的卑微都化解为依稀朦胧的阴影。 来自名作英译部分