Name: 你正在慢慢失去的技能！ (The Skill You're Slowly Losing)
Uploaded: 2025-11-30T08:44:36.000Z
Duration: 10 min

This video is sponsored by Brilliant, and

現在進行式

the first 200 people to sign up with the link in the description down below are going to get 20% off their annual premium Brilliant subscription.

前 200 位使用下方說明欄連結註冊的朋友，可以享有 Brilliant 年度進階方案 8 折優惠。

The Internet is an instant answer machine.

網際網路就像一臺隨時能給答案的機器。

Whenever you have a question, all you need to do to get an answer is to bring up Google on your computer or to pull out your phone.

只要你有任何問題，想在電腦上找到答案，就打開 Google；想在手機上找，就拿出你的手機。

Or if you're feeling particularly lazy, ask one of the many voice assistants that are.

如果你覺得特別懶，也可以問問那些語音助理。

Have you tried not being literally the laziest piece of crap in the world, but

你有沒有試過不要當世界上最懶惰的廢物，但

out here on this frozen lake, there is no service.

在這冰封的湖面上，沒有訊號。

Which means that if I run into a problem or if I come across something that I don't know, the only thing I have to rely on is the bundle of neurons up in my cranium, which, to be honest, contains a vastly more limited set of answers and knowledge than I'll find on the Internet.

這表示如果我遇到問題，或是遇到我不懂的事情，我唯一能依賴的就是我腦袋裡的那些神經元，說實話，裡麵包含的答案和知識，比我在網路上找到的還要有限得多。

See, when I was taking calculus in the 10th grade, I developed a bad habit of sorts.

你知道嗎，我讀十年級學微積分的時候，養成了一個不太好的習慣。

So I would often go to the commons area of the math department to get help from the professors in the mornings.

所以我常常早上會去數學系的公共休息區，找教授們幫忙。

And at some point I realized that they left the instructor's edition of the textbook, which had all the answers in the back, just out on the table in that commons area.

有一天我突然發現，他們把有所有答案在後面的教科書教師版，就放在公共休息區的桌子上。

So naturally, I started going to the commons area at 6am to do all of my homework, and

所以，我自然而然地開始早上六點就去公共休息區做我所有的功課，然後

a pattern started to develop where I would get stuck on a calculus problem, get stuck on some part of a derivative or something, and

開始出現一個模式，就是我會卡在一個微積分問題上，卡在某個導數的部分，然後

then I would eventually go to the back of the book to get the answer, I had this threshold where I became mentally lazy and went for those answers.

我就會跑去翻書的後面找答案，我到了一個門檻，我變得在腦袋上很懶惰，直接去拿那些答案。

And because the book was right in front of me and I had access to those answers all the time, over time, my threshold for giving up lowered and lowered and lowered.

而且因為那本書就在我面前，我隨時都能拿到答案，久而久之，我放棄的門檻就越來越低。

And in recent years, I've seen this pattern emerge on a larger scale and a more general scale with regards to that magical answer machine that you're using to watch this video right now.

而且近年來，我看到這個模式以更大、更普遍的規模出現，這跟我們現在看這個影片時，正在使用的那個神奇的答案機器有關。

For all its benefits, the Internet can encourage the formation of habits that make us mentally lazy.

網際網路雖然有很多好處，但它也會鼓勵我們養成讓大腦變得懶惰的習慣。

And this isn't just an anecdotal observation either.

For example, a study done at Harvard in 2011 found that when people are faced with difficult questions, they're now more primed to think about computers.

舉例來說，哈佛大學在2011年的一項研究發現，當人們面對困難問題時，他們現在更傾向於想到電腦。

And it also found that when they expect to have future access to information, they have Lower rates of recall for the information itself and recall for where they can access it.

研究還發現，當他們預期未來能取得資訊時，他們對資訊本身以及獲取資訊的地點的記憶率都會降低。

Essentially, we start to perceive the Internet as a true extension to our brain's memory banks.

基本上，我們開始將網路視為我們大腦記憶庫的真正延伸。

And more recent research has found that the more we use the Internet to answer questions, the more quickly we turn to it in the future.

而近期的研究發現，我們越常使用網路來尋找答案，未來我們就越快地轉向它。

Cognitive offloading begets more cognitive offloading.

認知卸載會帶來更多的認知卸載。

And this is congruent with the habits we form around other effort saving technologies like washing machines and cars.

這跟我們使用其他節省力氣的科技，像是洗衣機和汽車時養成的習慣很一致。

And some people would say that's okay, that it's no different than how we moved away from specializing in oral memorization when the printing press was invented.

有些人會說這樣沒關係，跟印刷術發明後，我們不再專精於口述記憶一樣。

And well, we didn't really lose much in that transition.

而且，我們在那樣的轉變中並沒有失去太多。

The problem with the Internet is that we don't seem to limit our mental outsourcing to simple facts.

網路的問題是，我們似乎沒有把心智外包的範圍限制在簡單的事實上。

Our critical thinking abilities are affected as well.

我們的批判性思考能力也受到了影響。

Take the case of Terry Hike, who was an English teacher who asked students the question, how do modern novels represent the characteristics of.

以 Terry Hike 為例，他是一位英文老師，他問學生一個問題：現代小說如何呈現人類的特徵？

And don't worry, I'm not going to quiz you on this question later on.

而且別擔心，我之後不會考你們這個問題。

But the question was meant to challenge the student's critical thinking skills.

但這個問題的用意是想挑戰學生的批判性思考能力。

And instead of thinking independently about the question like he wanted them to, Haik found that they immediately started to Google it.

Haik 發現，他的學生沒有像他期望的那樣獨立思考問題，而是立刻開始 Google 搜尋。

The effort saving technology was so close at hand that it had become the default problem solving method for his students.

這種省力技術太方便了，對他的學生來說，它已經成了預設的解決問題方法。

And this example is typical of our behavior as a whole.

而這個例子，其實也反映了我們整體行為的縮影。

Unless we consciously work against it, our brains naturally want to take the path of least resistance.

除非我們有意識地去對抗，否則我們的大腦天生就想走最省力的路徑。

When I was in college, the closest I could park my car was about half a mile from my dorm, which meant that I basically never used it.

我讀大學的時候，停車的地方離宿舍大概有半英里遠，這意味著我幾乎從來沒開過車。

Instead, I just walked everywhere or sometimes grabbed my skateboard or rode my bike.

取而代之的是，我都是走路，或是偶爾騎滑板車或腳踏車。

But now that it sits here in my garage, well, I have to make a conscious, disciplined effort not to use it.

但現在它就停在我車庫裡，嗯，我必須有意識地、紀律地努力才不會去開它。

And make no mistake, it's worth making that effort.

而且別懷疑，做出這樣的努力是值得的。

Every time I choose not to drive, I get exercise.

每次我選擇不開車，我就有運動到。

I spend more time truly connected with my surroundings, and I don't contribute to traffic and pollution.

我有更多時間真正地與周遭環境連結，而且我也沒有增加交通和汙染。

But at the same time, without my car, I wouldn't be able to get to many of the places that I really want to go.

但同時，沒有我的車，我就無法去到許多我真正想去的地方。

The Internet presents us with the exact same dilemma.

網際網路也給了我們完全相同的困境。

While there are very real benefits to curbing the amount of cognitive offloading we unconsciously do, the access to knowledge and the ability to get instant answers are both incredibly useful.

雖然減少我們無意識進行的認知卸載有實際的好處，但獲取知識和即時獲得答案的能力都非常有用。

How do you allow yourself to use this tool while also retaining your critical thinking skills?

要如何讓自己使用這個工具，同時又能保留批判性思考的能力？

This is incredibly important to consider given the fact that sometimes we're going to encounter problems where the Internet simply can't help us, and

考量到有時候我們會遇到網路幫不上忙的問題，這點非常重要，

other times we're going to be in places where we don't have access to the Internet.

還有其他時候我們會處在沒有網路的地方。

So here's a simple solution to this problem.

所以這裡有個簡單的解決辦法。

When you're confronted with a question that you don't know the answer to, or you're stuck on a problem, ask yourself, do I have even a shred of confidence that I could solve this on my own?

當你遇到一個不知道答案的問題，或是卡住的時候，問問自己，我對自己能解決這個問題有一點點信心嗎？

If the answer to that question is yes, then challenge yourself to work on the problem for a few minutes on your own before running to Google.

如果答案是肯定的，那就挑戰自己先花幾分鐘自己解決問題，再去 Google。

A friend of mine works at a company where they've actually codified a very similar idea into something they call the 15 minute rule.

我有個朋友在一家公司工作，他們把一個很類似的想法編成了他們稱之為「15 分鐘規則」的東西。

When anyone at the company finds themselves stuck on a problem to the point where they feel like they need help, or the first thing they have to do is spend 15 more minutes trying to solve it, while also documenting the things they try.

公司裡任何人遇到問題卡住，覺得需要幫忙的時候，他們第一件要做的事就是再花 15 分鐘試著解決，同時記錄下他們嘗試過的方法。

And this documentation process is actually quite helpful as it causes them to think about the problem from a different perspective, which often helps them solve the problem on their own.

而這個記錄過程其實很有幫助，因為這會讓他們從不同角度思考問題，通常能幫助他們自己解決問題。

But if they're still stuck after 15 minutes, that's when they must ask for help.

但如果 15 分鐘後他們還是卡住，那時候就必須尋求協助。

And this rule helps everyone to strike a balance.

而這個規則能幫助大家取得平衡。

They stay in the habit of thinking independently, but

他們會保持獨立思考的習慣，但

no one wastes too much time banging their heads against problems they're truly stuck on.

沒有人會在真正卡住的問題上浪費太多時間。

And I think that this is a great way to achieve balance in the way that you use the Internet, because you don't want to lose the capabilities that it gives you.

我覺得這是平衡使用網路的絕佳方式，因為你不想失去它帶給你的能力。

But you also want to retain your own ability and your instinct to solve problems on your own, to use your brain and to be able to put it to work.

但你同時也想保留自己獨立解決問題的能力和直覺，運用你的大腦並讓它發揮作用。

And the only way you're going to do that is if you frequently put it to work.

而你唯一能做到這一點的方法，就是經常讓它動起來。

In his book Atomic Habits, the author James Clear talks about how our habits are basically how we embody our identities.

在他的著作《原子習慣》中，作者 James Clear 談到我們的習慣基本上就是我們如何體現我們的身份。

One example he gives is that if you make your bed every day, you are embodying the identity of a person who is cleanly and organized.

他舉的一個例子是，如果你每天都整理床鋪，你就體現了一位乾淨、有條理的人的身份。

And the decisions that we make, the behavior that we exhibit on a daily basis, stems largely from our identities.

而我們每天所做的決定、表現出的行為，很大程度上都源於我們的身份。

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

你採取的每一個行動，都是在為你想成為的那種人投票。

No single instance will transform your beliefs.

But as the votes build up, so too does the evidence of your new identity.

但隨著投票數累積，你新身份的證據也會隨之增加。

So what identity do you want to build Are you okay with being the mentally lazy person who outsources everything to the machines?

那麼，你想建立什麼樣的身份呢？ 你甘願成為一個將所有事情都外包給機器的、腦袋懶惰的人嗎？

Or will you be the independent problem solver for whom the Internet is simply one useful tool?

還是你會成為一個獨立解決問題的人，而網路對你來說只是一個有用的工具？

All right, I am back into civilization and, well now back dealing with all the problems that come along with civilization.

好了，我回到文明世界了，嗯，現在又得處理文明世界帶來的所有問題了。

Now, if you want to become a truly creative problem solver, you do need to spend time trying to independently solve problems like we just talked about.

現在，如果你想成為一個真正有創意的問題解決者，你確實需要花時間像我們剛才談到的那樣，獨立解決問題。

But you also need good problems to sink your teeth into.

但你也需要好的問題來讓你大展身手。

And if you're looking for a resource that will give you those great problems, along with the ability to expand your knowledge base in the areas of math, science and computer science, then you should check out Brilliant.

如果你正在尋找一個能給你那些很棒的問題，同時又能擴展你在數學、科學和電腦科學領域知識庫的資源，那你應該看看 Brilliant。

Because in their library of more than 60 in depth courses, you are going to find tons of material that helps you to actively become a better problem solver and actively learn things like calculus, like number theory, like gravitational physics, Python programming, and

因為在他們超過 60 個深入課程的圖書館裡，你會找到大量的內容，幫助你積極成為一個更好的問題解決者，並積極學習像是微積分、數論、重力物理、Python 程式設計等知識，還有

They even have a course on how search engines work.

他們甚至還有一個關於搜尋引擎如何運作的課程。

So if you've ever been curious about how Google instantaneously serves you search results, then that is a great course to take.

所以，如果你曾經好奇 Google 是如何瞬間為你提供搜尋結果的，那麼這門課就很適合你。

The best thing about Brilliant though, is that every single one of their courses is built with the principle of active learning in mind.

不過，Brilliant 最棒的地方在於，他們的每一門課程都秉持著主動學習的原則來設計。

So you're not just going to be sitting there and taking videos or reading text.

所以你不會只是坐著看影片或讀文字。

There are code writing challenges, story writing challenges, quizzes.

有寫程式的挑戰、寫故事的挑戰、還有測驗。

You get to really interact with the information and that helps you learn more efficiently and stay more interested for longer while you're learning.

你可以真正地與資訊互動，這樣能幫助你更有效率地學習，並且在學習過程中保持更長的興趣。

And in addition to that library of courses, Brilliant also has a feature called Daily Challenges, where every single day you can log in and get a brand new challenge to number one, one, make learning and problem solving a daily habit.

除了這個課程庫之外，Brilliant 還有一個叫做「每日挑戰」的功能，每天你都可以登入並獲得一個全新的挑戰，第一，養成學習和解決問題的日常習慣。

Maybe sink your teeth into something that you haven't really considered before.

也許可以深入研究一些你以前從未真正考慮過的東西。

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你正在慢慢失去的技能！ (The Skill You're Slowly Losing)

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