Can you imagine what it would be like if we couldn't imagine things? Whoaaaaaa.

想像一下，如果我們沒有想像力，會變成什麼樣子？哇！

Hello out there in imagination land, I'm Julian and this is DNews.

哈囉幻想樂園的大夥們，我是 Julian，這裡是 DNews。

The human brain is so amazing that we often take for granted just how special it is.

人類的腦部實在太神奇，但我們卻時常把那麼特別的大腦視為理所當然。

Our ability to think creatively and solve problems makes us a force to be reckoned with.

因為人類有創新思考進而解決問題的能力，才讓我們那麼特別。

It's also enriched our lives by giving us music and art.

甚至透過創作音樂和藝術豐富了我們的生活。

But it's something we can do at a level almost no other creature on earth can, so why are we so special?

但想像力是人類特有的，所以，我們為何會那麼特別？

According to Steven Mithen, an anthropologist who specializes in evolution of the mind at the University of Reading, we went through 7 steps on the way to being human that let us have and harness our imagination.

雷汀大學的人類學家 Steven Mithen，他鑽研心智演化，根據他的說法，在擁有想像力前，人類經過了七個步驟。

The first step, Mithen says, was developed way back, about 3 and a half million years ago.

Mithen 表示，第一步要追朔到 350 萬年前。

Technically there weren't people yet but australopithecus, and they started understanding the theory of Mind right around the same time Panama was settling into place.

技術上來說，當時沒有人類，只有南方古猿，大約在開始在巴拿馬地區定居時，他們開始了解「心智理論」。

Theory of Mind is the ability to understand that other creatures have thoughts and beliefs that may be different to our own.

「心智理論」是一種能夠了解他人想法和信仰的能力，而這些可能跟自己的想法大不相同。

Though after spending 5 minutes on the internet, I'm not so sure everyone has this ability.

儘管花了五分鐘在網路上，我不確定是否每個人都有這種能力。

The next big development came thanks to Homo habilis' long path to adulthood.

下一個重大發展歸功於巧人漫長的青少年時期。

Researchers think a lengthy childhood and adolescence means they, and by extension we, have a long time to learn and play without adult responsibilities getting in the way.

學者認為，漫長的幼年時期和青春期，讓他們，也就是我們，在玩樂和學習之餘不用負擔大人所該負的責任。

It's called Human Life History.

這稱做人類生活理論。

It's also the best excuse ever for not leaving college.

這也一直都是不想畢業的最佳藉口。

Mithen credits Homo erectus with developing Specialized Intelligence about a million years ago.

Mithen 接著把一百萬年前發展出的專業心智歸功給直立猿人。

Now our ancestors could build specific thoughts into more complex ideas and start to compare them to each other to form new ideas.

目前為止，我們的祖先已經可以思考複雜的問題，並比較其他想法，激盪出新的火花。

Homo sapiens had finally come onto the scene about 200 thousand years ago, and they developed the final four leaps to imagination within the last 10 thousand to a hundred thousand, depending on who you ask.

智人終於在 20 萬年前出現，他們發展出最後四個快速發展智力的階段，這發生在短短的一萬到一萬兩千年前，確切時間看你根據誰的說法。

It starts with language.

一切從語言開始。

Now we can assign sounds to concrete objects and abstract ideas.

現在我們可以把音對應到確切的事物，或是抽象的概念。

This leads to Cognitive Fluidity, where we can use metaphors and symbols to help us understand and explain an idea.

這產生了知識流動性，意思是我們可以用比喻、象徵，幫助我們了解並完整詮釋任何想法。

Those developments segue nicely into step 6.

這些發展順利地來到第六個步驟。

Now we can clearly communicate an idea to someone else, and they can add their brain power to equation.

現在我們可以清楚地和他人交換想法，別人同樣的也可以一起動腦發想。

Mithen calls it the extended mind.

Mithen 稱之為延伸心智。

Sharing information and ideas helps them grow and change.

分享資訊和想法幫助人類成長和改變。

It's why, in my opinion, the internet is the single greatest invention ever.

在我看來，這就是為何網路是有史以來最偉大的發明。

Aside from sliced bread, obviously.

當然是比不上吐司麵包啦！

Finally modern humans could put all this to use when they developed farming and produced a surplus of food.

最後，現代人可以完全應用這些來發展農耕，產出更多的糧食。

Now that we weren't moving around all the time and trying to solve our daily problems of finding food and shelter,

現在，我們不用整天東奔西跑，為了糧食和居住問題煩惱。

we could turn our collective imaginations towards thinking of new inventions or creative pursuits like art.

我們可以把我們共同的想像力，運用在發明新事物，或者藝術創作。

And being able to imagine things that seem impossible challenged us to find ways to make it real.

思考那些似乎不可能的事，讓我們能找出方法讓這些事成真。

Like how in Star Trek 40 years ago they had communicators long before the cell phone was invented.

像是 40 年前，手機問世之前，星際爭霸戰早已經有了通訊器。

Of course, because they had to keep the plot going, Star Trek writers also imagined something else that ended up happening.

當然，為了讓故事走下去，星際爭霸戰編劇也發明了其他東西，這些東西後來也成真了。

No reception. Thanks, Star Trek.

訊號不良。 謝囉，星際爭霸戰。

If you want to learn more ways language advanced the human race, Tara looks into that for you here.

如果你想知道語言如何讓大腦更進步，點這裡看看 Tara 更詳盡的解說。

And what's an idea you want to get the collective might of the human network behind?

而你還想知道什麼有關人際網絡背後複雜龐大的內容？

Let us know in the comments, and thanks for watching DNews.

留言讓我們知道，感謝你們收看 DNews。