got things a bit wrong:for example, how old the earth was it claimed 4,000 years old,

把事情弄得有點不對:比如說，地球有多大，它聲稱有4000歲。

or how many suns there were in the universe, it claimed (one).

或宇宙中有多少個太陽，它聲稱（一）。

But in reality, religion was never really interested in doing the sort of things science

但實際上，宗教從來沒有真正有興趣去做那些科學的事情。

does. It might have thrown off the odd theory but at heart it cared about a mission altogether

確實如此。它可能會拋出一些奇奇怪怪的理論，但內心卻完全在乎一個任務。

different: it wanted to tell us stories to make life feel more bearable. It was interested

不同的是：它想給我們講故事，讓我們覺得生活更愜意。它感興趣的是

in giving us something to hold on to that could help us to make it through to the next

在給我們提供一些可以幫助我們度過下一個階段的東西的時候

day.

一天。

At the same time, science - properly viewed - has never been the enemy of spiritual enrichment.

同時，科學--正確看待--從來就不是豐富精神的敵人。

It can yield ideas every bit as consoling and inspiring, as those found in religion.

它可以產生每一個安慰和鼓舞人心的想法，就像那些在宗教中發現的想法一樣。

*bubble transfers between pastor and scientist*. We can usefully look to science for the sort

*牧師和科學家之間的氣泡轉移*。我們可以有效地從科學中尋找到這樣的機會。

of ideas we used to seek in religion. Here are four big consoling ideas that can be found

的思想，我們曾經在宗教中尋找。這裡有四個大的安慰思想，可以找到。

in science:

在科學上。

I: Perspective - The Scale of the Universe

一：透視--宇宙的尺度

We are at permanent risk - in the conditions of modern life - of losing perspective, that

在現代生活的條件下，我們長期面臨著失去視角的風險，即

is of making more of our troubles and fears than is good for us. One of the great benefits

是讓我們的煩惱和恐懼多於對我們的好處。其中一個最大的好處是

of science is that it helps us to feel small! Science teaches us that our galaxy, the Milky

科學讓我們感覺到自己的渺小!科學告訴我們，我們的銀河系，銀河系... ...

Way, has approximately 100 billion stars in it, that there are 10 billion galaxies in

途徑，有大約1000億顆恆星在其中，有100億個星系在其中。

the observable universe, each of which contains an average of 100 billion stars, which means

可觀測的宇宙，每個宇宙平均包含1000億顆恆星，這意味著

that there are around 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (a billion trillion) stars out there. *do

大約有1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000(十億兆)顆恆星在那裡。*做

math 10 billion + 10 billion* When we lose perspective, as we invariably

數學100億+100億* 當我們失去了視角，因為我們總是這樣。

do in the course of pretty much every day in the frenetic city, we should spend a few

在這個浮躁的城市裡，我們幾乎每天都要做的事情，我們應該花一些時間去做。

moments with a photograph from the Hubble telescope and remember that we are - in a

用哈勃望遠鏡中的一張張照片，記住我們是--------------------------------。

glorious and redemptive way - what we always feared: nothing.

II: All is Vanity - The Second Law of Thermodynamics

二：一切都是虛榮--熱力學第二定律。

Many of our efforts are designed to perpetuate ourselves in time. We strive to live on through

我們的許多努力都是為了讓自己在時間中延續。我們努力通過

our work - and to make something more enduring than our biological selves. To release us

我們的工作--並創造出比我們的生物自我更持久的東西。釋放我們

from this exhausting and vainglorious folly, religions used to kindly remind us, in the

從這種令人疲憊和虛榮的愚蠢中，宗教曾經善意地提醒我們，在

words of Ecclesiastes, that all is vanity. Science offers us a yet more powerful expression

傳道書》中的一句話："一切皆為虛妄。"科學為我們提供了更有力的表達。科學為我們提供了一個更有力的表達

of this Biblical concept: the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This states that the tendency

這個聖經的概念：熱力學第二定律。該定律指出

of all systems - of which the universe is one - is to dissipate energy over time until

宇宙是所有系統中的一個系統，隨著時間的推移，能量的耗散直到

it reaches a state of complete rest. Given a sufficient span, our universe and its superclusters

它達到完全靜止的狀態。給予足夠的跨度，我們的宇宙及其超星團

of galaxies will all collapse and we will enter what scientists call a Dark Era, in

銀河系將全部崩潰 我們將進入科學家所說的黑暗時代

which - after so much excitement, individual and cosmic - nothing will remain except for

在經歷了這麼多的興奮之後，個人和宇宙，除了... ...

a dilute quite gas of photons and leptons. The situation is no better closer to home.

稀薄的相當氣體的光子和輕子。情況並沒有好到離家更近。

In about 4 billion years, when the sun runs out of hydrogen, it will become a 'red giant'

大約40億年後，當太陽的氫氣耗盡時，它將成為一個 "紅巨星

star, possibly expanding as far as Mars, at which point it will absorb and destroy Earth.

恆星，可能會膨脹到火星，屆時它將吸收並摧毀地球。

To repeat the point with NASA's help: "all truly is vanity."

在美國宇航局的幫助下，重複一下這一點。"所有的東西都是虛榮的"

III. Forgiveness - Evolution

三、寬恕--演變寬恕----演變

It's often deeply tempting to lose our temper with ourselves and our fellow humans: why

我們常常深深地想對自己和同伴發脾氣：為什麼？

can't we be more reasonable? Why are we so prejudiced? Why are we so prone to anxiety?

我們就不能理智一點嗎？為什麼我們這麼有偏見？為什麼我們這麼容易焦慮？

Why do we eat so much? Why are we so interested in pornography?

為什麼我們吃的那麼多？為什麼我們對色情製品如此感興趣？

It's equally tempting to search for explanations that emphasise our villainous natures and

同樣，我們也很想尋找強調我們的反派本性的解釋，並。

then to harshly condemn our lack of self-command. We end up disgusted with ourselves and judgemental

然後嚴厲地譴責我們缺乏自制力。我們最終會對自己感到厭惡，並對自己進行評判。

towards others. But science - arguably more effectively than

對他人。但科學--可以說比

religion - can teach us the art of forgiveness, and liberate us from our urge to criticise.

宗教--可以教會我們寬恕的藝術，把我們從責備的衝動中解放出來。

Of course, we are less than ideally adapted to the civilised and complex lives we aspire

當然，我們與我們所向往的文明而複雜的生活還不太適應

to lead. We have had very little time to do anything else.

來上司。我們幾乎沒有時間去做其他事情。

Science tells us that we appeared in more or less our current form in Africa 200,000

科學告訴我們，我們以現在的形態出現在非洲20萬年後的今天

years ago. For most of this time, we lived in small groups, we foraged, we grunted, we

幾年前在這期間的大部分時間裡，我們都住在小團體裡，我們覓食，我們呼嚕，我們。

didn't wait for others to stop talking, we fought constantly, and we were terrified

不等別人不說話，我們就不停地打架，我們很害怕。

of everything. The time since the birth of Jesus comprises

的一切。自耶穌誕生以來的時間包括

1% of our history; the last 250 years, the period since we became urbanised and began

我們歷史的1%；過去的250年，是我們實現城市化後，開始

living with technology, encompasses a mere 0.1%. Naturally, therefore, most of our impulses

與科技生活在一起的人，僅包含0.1%。是以，自然而然地，我們的大部分衝動。

are going to be better suited to more basic conditions. It's a miracle we ever manage

是會更適合更基本的條件。這是一個奇蹟，我們曾經管理

to be polite, to explain our feelings, or to see it from another's point of view.

禮貌地解釋我們的感受，或者從別人的角度看問題。

We are - from the vantage point of science - doing extremely well indeed. Evolutionary

從科學的角度來看，我們確實做得非常好。進化

history teaches us that humans should be a lot worse than they are. The wonder isn't

歷史告訴我們，人類應該比現在差很多。神奇的是

in the end that we're so uncivilised but that we ever even manage, now and then, to

到頭來，我們如此不文明，但我們甚至還能，時不時地，設法...

have a few moments of civilisation.

有幾分文明。

IV: Our Existence - Cosmic Gratitude

四：我們的存在----------------------------------------------------宇宙感恩

Science is supremely capable of nurturing feelings of gratitude because of a basic truth

科學之所以能夠極力培養人們的感恩之情，是因為一個基本的道理

about the way gratitude works: it stems from an awareness of how much more awful things

感恩的方式：它源於對更多可怕的事情的認識。

might have been. And here, when it comes to our life on the

可能是。而在這裡，當涉及到我們的生活上的

planet, science tells us that we have so much to be grateful for. For example, we can be

地球上，科學告訴我們，我們有太多的感激。例如，我們可以是

grateful: - that 13.8 billion years ago, something smaller

感謝。- 在138億年前，一些更小的東西...

than an electron chose to swell within a fraction of a second like an expanding balloon into

比電子選擇在幾分之一秒的時間內膨脹，像一個膨脹的氣球一樣，變成了。

a zone permeated with energy 93 billion light years in size that we now clumsily call the

一個瀰漫著930億光年大小的能量的區域，我們現在笨拙地稱之為 "天體"。

universe - That some of the energy from this swift

宇宙中的一些能量來自於這種迅速的...

expansion was able to coagulate into particles, which grouped together to form the light atoms

膨脹能夠凝結成粒子，這些粒子聚集在一起形成光原子。

of hydrogen, lithium and helium - which then assembled into galaxies, which gave birth

氫、鋰和氦--然後聚集成星系，從而誕生了

to stars, inside whose molten burning cores all the elements necessary for the nucleic

恆星，在其熔融燃燒的核心中，所有的元素都是核酸所必需的。

acids essential to life were forged. - That gravity drew the stars together to

生命所必需的酸被鍛造出來- 引力將恆星吸引到一起

create galaxies (a hundred billion of them), including - fortuitously - the Milky Way,

創造星系（千億個），包括--偶然的--銀河系。

a small corner of the universe containing just 400 billion stars, in which our sun was

宇宙的一個小角落，裡面只有四千億顆恆星，我們的太陽就是在這個小角落裡長大的。

born out of a giant, spinning cloud of dust and gas 4.5 billion years ago.

誕生於45億年前一個巨大的、旋轉的塵埃和氣體雲中。

- That around the same time, swarms of debris collided to form our Earth - a lava-washed,

- 大約在同一時間，成群的碎片碰撞形成了我們的地球--一個被熔岩沖刷的地球。

uninhabitable rock, that gravity happened to throw into orbit as the third planet from

碰巧被引力扔進軌道的第三顆行星

the Sun - the exact right distance for life to develop.

太陽--生命發展的正確距離。

- That another planet, Theia, collided with Earth, gifting us our Moon, which slowed the

- 另一顆行星忒伊亞與地球相撞 給我們帶來了月球，減緩了地球的速度

Earth's rotation, stabilised atmospheric conditions and created the 24-hour day and

地球的自轉，穩定了大氣環境，創造了24小時制的白天和。

caused the Earth to tilt, forming the seasons. - That ice particles left over from the collisions

導致地球傾斜，形成了四季。- 碰撞後留下的冰粒

of hundreds of comets melted, water vapour condensed and oceans were formed.

的數百顆彗星融化，水蒸氣凝結，形成了海洋。

- That comet collisions delivered anot her chance cosmic gift, the essential components

- 彗星碰撞給她送來了一個偶然的宇宙禮物，基本的組成部分。

of life and DNA like ribose, carbon dioxide, ethanol, amino acids and phosphorus.

生命和DNA的核糖、二氧化碳、乙醇、氨基酸和磷等。

- That underwater hot springs released the right amount of energy and the right mix of

- 水下溫泉釋放出的能量恰到好處，混合的能量也恰到好處。

chemicals to allow the first single-cell organisms to form four billion years ago.

化學品，讓40億年前的第一個單細胞生物形成。

- That Earth's toxic atmosphere of methane and carbon dioxide slowly became sweetened

- 地球上有毒的甲烷和二氧化碳大氣慢慢變甜

by the release of oxygen from cyanobacteria- the first creatures to photosynthesise - and

由藍藻--最早進行光合作用的生物--釋放出的氧氣所引起的。

gradually oxygenated 85% of the atmosphere. - That an asteroid 15 kilometres wide happened

逐漸使85%的大氣含氧。- 一顆15公里寬的小行星碰巧發生了

to hit Earth 65.5 million years ago and destroyed most terrestrial organisms including all non-avian

在6550萬年前撞擊地球，摧毀了大多數陸地生物，包括所有非鳥類生物。

dinosaurs, but created ideal conditions in which some small, furry mammals, our close

但卻創造了理想的條件，讓一些小型的毛茸茸的哺乳動物，我們的近親------------。

ancestors, were able to thrive with less competition. - That your genes managed to pass safely through

祖先，能夠茁壯成長 少了競爭。- 你的基因能夠安全地通過

an unbroken 10,000 generation chain, despite the best efforts of cyclones, predators and

儘管氣旋、掠食者和人類的努力，但這是一條完整的萬代鏈。

a constant barrage of viruses. - That an average, fertile woman will have

持續不斷的病毒攻擊。- 一個普通的、有生育能力的婦女將有

100,000 eggs, and a man will produce a trillion sperm, each of these very different, but that

10萬個卵子，一個人就會產生一萬億個精子，每一個精子都有很大的不同，但是，這

- nevertheless - you have managed to emerge from the options as you are.

- 不過--你已經成功地從選擇中脫穎而出，因為你是。

And to all this, as they used to say in the churches, one might cry (or whisper): Hallelujah!

對這一切，正如他們在教堂裡常說的那樣，人們可能會喊（或低聲）：哈利路亞!

There is enough in science to give birth to twenty religions - so much to worship, to

be awed by and to be consoled through, things like dark matter, string theory or quantum

暗物質、弦理論、量子論這些東西，讓人驚歎，讓人欣慰

wavefunctions. The curse of the modern world is not to have invented science; it's not

波函數。現代世界的詛咒不是發明了科學，而是不

yet to have understood all the amazing things one might still do with it.

卻還沒有了解到人們還可以用它來做的所有神奇的事情。

At the School of Life we run regular virtual classes for adults. These mini life courses cover such topics as: making relationships work,

在生活學院，我們定期為成年人開設虛擬課程。 這些迷你生活課程涵蓋的主題包括：讓關係發揮作用。

overcoming anger and anxiety, career guidance, finding meaning and purpose in life and using culture as a therapeutic tool. Click the link on screen now to learn more.

克服憤怒和焦慮，職業指導，尋找生活的意義和目標，以及利用文化作為治療工具。 點擊螢幕上的鏈接，瞭解更多資訊。