Can you imagine what it'd be like if we couldn't imagine things?

你能想像如果我們沒有想像力，會變成什麼樣子嗎？

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.

人類的腦部實在是太神奇，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和解決問題的能力，才讓我們那麼受到重視。

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

甚至還能透過創作音樂和藝術豐富我們的生活。

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

但地球上沒有其他生物擁有跟人類一樣的想像力，那為什麼我們會那麼特別？

According to Steven Mithen, an anthropologist who specializes in the 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.

Steven Mithen是一位雷汀大學的人類學家，他鑽研心智演化。根據他的說法，在擁有跟利用想像力前，人類經過了七個階段。

The first step, Mithen says, was developed way back, about 3.5 million years ago.

Mithen 表示第一階段要追朔到 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。大約在巴拿馬地區定居時，他們就開始了解「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」是一種能夠了解他生物想法和信仰的能力，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.

儘管上網了五分鐘，但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.

這也是不想畢業的最佳藉口。

Mithen credits homo erectus with developing specialized intelligence about a million years ago.

Mithen 認為直立猿人約在100萬年前發展出專業心智。

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建立明確的想法解決複雜的問題，並與其他人比較想法來激盪出新的點子。

Homo sapiens had finally come onto the scene about 200,000 years ago, and they developed the final four leaps to imagination within the last 10,000 to 100,000 years, depending on who you ask.

智人終於在 20 萬年前出現，在短短的 1 萬到 10 萬年間，他們快速發展出想像力的最後四個階段，確切時間得看你是根據誰的說法。

It starts with language.

一切是從語言開始。

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

現在我們可以把音樂放到具體的事物或抽象的概念上。

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，意思就是我們可以用比喻、象徵來幫助我們了解並詮釋想法。

Those developments segue nicely into step six.

這些發展繼續順利地進到第六階段。

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

現在我們可以清楚地和人溝通想法，他們也同樣可以一起動腦思考。

Mithen calls it the extended mind.

Mithen 稱之為「延伸心智」。

Sharing information and ideas helps them grow and change; it's why, in my opinion, the Internet is the single greatest invention ever.

分享資訊和想法幫助人類成長和改變。對我來說，這就是為什麼網路是有史以來最偉大的發明。

Aside from sliced bread, obviously.

當然是比不上切片麵包啦！

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業，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，為了解決糧食和居住的日常問題煩惱。

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，或是追求藝術創作。

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

思考那些看似不可能的事，刺激我們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.

就像 40 年前，《星際爭霸戰》在手機發明以前，早就已經有了通訊器。

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》的編劇也想像了其他東西，而這些東西後來也成真了。

No reception.

訊號不良。

Thanks, "Star Trek".

謝囉，《星際爭霸戰》。

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

如果你想知道語言是如何讓人類發展更進步的話，可以點這裡看 Tara 更詳盡的解說。

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

那你還想知道什麼有關人際網絡背後的複雜內容？

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。