我们栖居在大地之上,目光驻足于地平线以上的林林总总,眼前与远方,宏观与微观,焦点与边缘。即便人类的视野终究充满局限,即便完全认识自己和世界是一种过于乐观的假想,我们在理性认知上持之以恒的努力,仍旧不啻为一种可贵的英雄主义。
We are all residents of this great land, of mother earth. Stop and take a moment to fixate your eyes upon the vastness that lies on your side of the horizon: the near and the far, the micro and the macro, the central and the peripheral. Even though our field of vision will always be subjected to limitations, even though completely comprehending ourselves and the world around us is but a mere pipe dream, we still persevere in our pursuit of understanding, of rational cognition—a valuable and valiant, if not heroic, effort in its own right.
然而很遗憾,历史在一次次验证,所有认识一切的企图,生来笼罩着知其不可而为之的悲壮基因。地上与地下,细节与整体,我们瞻前顾后,却始终在认知上猝不及防。其背后的理由在于,我们依赖媒介认识世界,而所有的媒介在打开认识世界的窗口的同时,也框定了探索的可能性。当我们用眼睛来观察世界时,视线范围之外的暗潮涌动,便注定鲜为人知。当我们以媒体作为掌握时代脉搏的工具时,所有不构成公共话题的个体化表达,或尚未形成大众共识的认知,便很难以一种坦率的方式抵达受众。
However, as history has so unfortunately proven, all previous attempts at understanding the “all” have long been shrouded in mists of utter futility. We view the implicit and the explicit; we see the details and the whole; we look ahead and reflect back; but in the end, in our efforts to gain a grasp on what it is to truly know, we are invariably blindsided. The underlying reason for this stems not only from our reliance on media to help us understand our world but also from the cap that said media impose on our ability to discover what lies around us. When we use our own eyes to observe the world, the undercurrent of the times surges beyond our field of vision, fating us to ignorance. When we use media as tools for keeping abreast of the times, all individual expression not part of the public thought process—all cognition not yet part of the public understanding—is received with difficulty or with a certain resistance.
吊诡的是,存在本身有着不可阻挡的野蛮力量,从来不因认知者或媒介的局限,而停止生长。最终,当一些事物在地底下以势如破竹的姿态呈现在眼前时,我们惊诧万分。原来它们存在过,原来它们始终在生长,原来它们的力量如此强大,以至于最终突破了地平线,走入了公众视野,成为一种议题、问题、难题。在地下扎根的事物,终于得以在地上发芽,进而浓密丰盛起来,路过的人们仍在惊叹他们的枝叶,它们却悄悄积蓄着力量。不论你相信与否,其中的一些新生事物所带来的冲击必然不会止步于观念本身,而是对现代生活的重构,对固有认知体系的瓦解,甚至是对传统生存伦理的挑战。
Almost paradoxically, existence in and of itself represents a brutally unstoppable force, one whose growth is never stifled by the limitations of media or of the rational thinkers who employ them. And when something buried beneath the surface finally presents itself, cutting into our field of vision like a hot knife through butter, our natural reaction is one of shock. But that thing had always existed. It had always been developing. It had always held great force—enough to, ultimately, transcend the surface, enough to breach the public sightline, enough to become a topic, a question, a problem. After taking root below the surface and then sprouting thereabove, that thing began to gain prominence, quietly accumulating force while we remained preoccupied with other, trivial matters. But whether we believe it or not, the full impact that thing will inevitably have need not be limited to mere ideas or concepts. Rather, that thing can redefine modern living; it can tear down our current ways of thinking; it can even challenge our long-held ethics and principles.
对于大众而言,AlphaGo的胜利引发了一种思考,即,人工智能将如何改变未来的生活。它是自然科学发展的必然,是无法阻挡的历史的车轮,抑或是一种被夸大的可控技术?在此之前,即便人工智能技术始终在前进,却并未引起如此广泛的探讨。LGBT的话题也在带动诸多讨论,我们见证着它在大城市的宣传材料、小型沙龙、网络论坛上成为时髦的话题,但事实上,人类感情和取向的多样自古有之,回归到人类情感的本质,或许每一个体的感情都可以构成一种值得尊重的类别,只是在民主和自由进入主流话语体系后,人们才郑重其事地反思起多数派对少数派的压迫。在地下生根许久的它们,因为时代潮流的推动,不知不觉就在地上博取了眼球。
For most people, the celebrated victory of AlphaGo raised a number of questions, such as that of how artificial intelligence will change our lives in the coming years. But does Google’s AI win represent the natural, inevitable development of science—a cog in the non-braking wheel of history—or is it simply a controllable technology overblown by sensationalism? Artificial intelligence had been progressing as a technology long before AlphaGo made headlines; but it hadn’t attracted nearly as much attention as it receives today. LGBT as an issue has also spurred a great deal of discussion. In fact, we can already see how small-scale events, reading-material circulation, and online forums have made it a hot-button topic in big cities. But in fact, people’s preferences and orientation have always been highly varied; and so if ever we are to achieve respect for all people, regardless of their personal tastes, perhaps each individual ought to be in a category of his or her own. It is only once democracy and freedom become part of the mainstream discourse that people begin to seriously rethink the oppression that those in the minority often face at the hands of those who aren’t.
还有一些事物,从时代的创造中汲取养分,虽然并非根基深厚,但也顺理成章地在地上站稳了脚跟。譬如,文化产业和信息技术发展为不少类型音乐或地下创作提供了崛起的契机,这些从前的小众、非主流创作者依赖互联网累计起自己的粉丝群体、粉丝社团,并逐步吸引更大的受众。通讯和信息技术的便捷作为一种前提,在推动一种全新的文化生态。如果说小众代表一种个性化的文化选择,那么未来,每个人都可以是某种意义上的小众,小众或许就是未来的主流。
So too are there certain things that feed off of the creations of the current era—things that despite lacking a strong foundation or deep roots, establish a strong enough foothold to be of significance. For example, cultural industries and the development of information technology have provided an opportunity for various niches of music and underground art to gain followings and flourish. Such formerly small clubs and non-mainstream artists would rely on the internet to build up a following of enthusiasts, gradually attracting a greater audience. The modern-day convenience of communication and information technology has become a prerequisite for promoting and growing from scratch a completely new culture. If such niche groups represent a certain individual freedom of choice, then in the future, each individual may ultimately represent his or her own small group; and such small groups could very well end up constituting the mainstream of tomorrow.
这种从地下到地上,从无到有,从弱到强的变化,在当下频繁上演着,在舞台中央,也在不为人知的角落。诚然,万事万物都处在不舍昼夜的变化中,但总有一些具象的事件、技术、领域、个体、观念,能够以一种挑战本质的姿态,激发人们的惊诧和困惑,它们冲入公共的视野,并继续酝酿着下一个惊艳的时刻。
This type of change—from unseen to apparent, from nonexistent to existent, from weak to strong—plays on a constant loop, both centre stage and behind the scenes. And while it is true that many in number are there things in a constant state of change, there will always be a certain few—certain technologies, spheres, individuals, concepts—capable of shocking and mystifying us all by challenging the very essence of what we accept as the status quo. They eclipse our field of vision, opening our eyes to a new era even more stirring than the last.
我们或许无法给这些惊奇的变化一个答案,但发现问题本身,无疑是启蒙的开始。而在地上地下的游走间重新定义时代的坐标,进而启蒙思想,是每一个时代不变的使命,包括我们正生活于其中的当下。人类永远在传统和经验中寻找一种确定性和安全感,但时代的发展总是再一次将我们放逐到丛林之中。构建理论体系和知识框架,发现其中的漏洞并不断解构,继而在碎片化的价值丛林里,重构自己的精神家园,这似乎是一个不断延续的循环。然而,所有的建构与解构并非无事生非,其本身勾勒出每一代人的发展史,并留下璀璨的痕迹。
While perhaps there is no way for us to meet these wondrous changes with adequate response, they nevertheless serve not just as a beacon shining light upon the real issues around us but also as a sure source of enlightenment. As facets of a particular time period transition from hidden to bare, the coordinates of that era are redrawn, ideology re-examined—such is the fated responsibility of every epoch, including that in which we currently live. People, through their own traditions and experiences, are always in search of a sense of security, a sense of definitude. However, the developments of the times, rather than providing us with such oases, always seem instead to banish us to the heart of the desert. We are constantly constructing our own system and framework for both theory and knowledge, constantly noting the shortcomings and problems therewith, and constantly deconstructing them in turn; and from our broken, fragmented desert of values, we rebuild from the ground up a new home for who we are, for who we have become. And this cycle repeats, without end. But make no mistake: All of said construction and deconstruction are not without merit. They form the sketch of every generation’s developmental history, leaving behind a glimmering, important mark in their wake.
一方面,该死去的尚在苟延残喘,并被包装成欣欣向荣的面貌;另一方面,该醒来的还不够孔武有力,甚至尚未进入公众的视野,而这,正是时代的矛盾和症结所在。地上地下,看似隔绝,实则自由流动,蕴含着汹涌变革的浪潮,伴随着一代人难以回避的问题,裹狭着所有始料未及的惊喜和必须承受的代价。
Many things in this world of ours are on their last legs, ready give way to something newer and better, yet still disguise themselves as key unfrayed threads of our social fabric. By the same token, there too exist many things still in their nascent, slumbering stages, not yet prepared to take full form or even to enter the sightlines of the public eye. This is both the crux and the great dilemma of the times. The visible and the hidden appear to be in distinct separation when, in reality, they flow freely amid sweeping tides of change, carrying with them their fair share of difficult problems, pleasant surprises, and prices to be paid.
活在当下,我们感到一种生长的力量,沉默的开始发声,沉睡的正在醒来,他们破土而出的瞬间释放出刺眼的光芒,带着振聋发聩的力量,或许,这个世界需要一些颠覆和改变,去回应他们的成长。见微知著,以小见大,TEDxTHU大会,将努力呈现这个时代里,在地上地下间游走的新生力量。
In this very moment, we can feel certain forces brewing, taking shape. From complete silence, they emit their first sounds, waking from their slumber—until the moment they finally break through and stun us all with their eminence and sheer power. Maybe this world needs a few changes, a few breakthroughs, to respond to them. Will you see the next straw in the wind? Will you notice the next telltale sign of sweeping change? The TEDxTHU Spring Conference will strive to uncover the brewing forces of the current age. Come discover the newly born, untapped power lurking just beyond your own l.
Weilun Auditorium, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Beijing, Beijing, 100084
China
- Event type:
- University (What is this?)
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.