PBS高端访谈:缅怀另类的天才:约翰·纳什

 　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Returning now to the death of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician¹ John Nash.

　　I'm joined by Nash's colleague and friend Robbert Dijkgraaf, director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey².

　　So, first off, my condolences to you.

　　What are you going to miss most about your colleague and friend?

　　ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF, Director, Institute for Advanced Study: Well, John Nash was such a presence here in Princeton. It is a relatively³ small community.

　　And he was a genius of a different kind, somebody who totally transformed mathematics, but perhaps, most important, he was such a gentle and modest man, a great inspiration, I think, for all mathematicians⁴, scientists and human beings.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: What was it about his genius that inspired generations of mathematicians? What made him him?

　　ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF: Well, I think many scientists and mathematicians, they try to kind of climb a mountain that is somewhere out there, and there is a path, although it might be very difficult.

　　John Nash was a mathematician who just picked his own mountains, and produced results that nobody expected, that actually many people thought were impossible. And, in that sense, he opened up entirely⁵ new worlds.

　　It could have been in economics. It could have been in very abstract mathematics and geometry. He really kind of touched so many different fields.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: So, help somebody in the television audience understand kind of the long-term impact of John Nash's work on game theory or how we live our lives today.

　　ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF: So, John Nash basically proved that, if you have a complicated game, as complicated as it can be, with many players with very different strategies, there is always kind of an optimal⁶ form, where, basically, everybody gets the result as best as they can get.

　　And, actually, this is very interesting mathematically that it exists, but it is used everywhere.

　　It is used when there are large auctions⁷, whether it is selling goods or it's selling bandwidth. It is basically underlying⁸ all of mathematical, economical theory at this moment.

　　And it is kind of amazing that somebody who had a pure mathematical mind was able to solve this problem that had such an enormous impacts on our lives.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Now, people who have seen “A Beautiful Mind” or ever even haggled⁹ for a price understand his impact on game theory, kind of mathematizing our decision-making, right?

　　But he was actually on his way back during this accident from an even bigger mathematical prize. So, he was still accomplishing feats¹⁰ that most of us have never heard about.

　　ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF: Yes.

　　As it's said, he was the only mathematician to win the Nobel Prize. He just won the Abel Prize, which is really an award that recognizes full oeuvre.

　　And I think it is very important to realize that he was a very broad mathematician, who had this kind of unique ability to touch both our ordinary lives through his work in game theory.

　　But, also, address very, very deep mathematical problems, thinking about spaces in arbitrary number of dimensions, thinking about the equations, very difficult differential equations that also govern a large part of our world.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Mm-hmm.

　　ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF: He had — in that sense, I think that the recognition of his almost universal mathematical talent came at this moment is — however unfortunate his passing is, I am very happy that he got his recognition as one of the greatest mathematicians of our time.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: And there's also, near the end of his life, his advocacy on behalf of mental illness, which I think will be part of his legacy¹¹.

　　ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF: Yes. And it's such an uplifting story.

　　We here in Princeton, we have seen him, of course, through many decades and also in his difficult periods. And he was always around.

　　And the fact that somebody who kind of pushes his own intellect so far, perhaps further than anybody could possibly go, and then kind of climbs back and recovers, and it is really kind of a Greek drama, but it is also a very uplifting story.

　　And I think, actually, their work for mental health will be recognized and will be remembered and is a great inspiration to many of us.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: All right, Robbert Dijkgraaf from the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, thanks so much for joining us.

　　ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF: Thank you.

1 mathematician   

n.数学家

参考例句：

• The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
• The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 mathematicians   

数学家( mathematician的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? 你以为我们的数学家做不到这一点吗？ 来自英汉文学
• Mathematicians can solve problems with two variables. 数学家们可以用两个变数来解决问题。 来自哲学部分

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 optimal   

adj.最适宜的；最理想的；最令人满意的

参考例句：

• What is the optimal mix of private and public property rights in natural resources?私人和国家的自然资源产权的最适宜的组合是什么？
• Optimal path planning is a key link for the sailing contest.帆船最优行驶路径规划是帆船比赛取胜的关键环节。

7 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

8 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

9 haggled   

v.讨价还价( haggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cook and the grocer haggled over the price of eggs. 厨师和杂货商为蛋价计较个没完。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After they had haggled for some time, the two men decided to close the bargain. 那两个人经过一番讨价还价以后，决定成交。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。

11 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。