時差N小時:移動的拇指 The Moving Thumb

Philosophers spend a lot of time pointing out that wedon't really see the world and that what we really seeis what our brains make of the world.

哲學(xué)家花大把時間所進行的研究指出我們并未真正看到這個世界，我們真正看到的是我們的大腦制造的世界。

Too much of this kind of thing can make you wantchange your major to Business Administration.

有太多這種事使你想轉(zhuǎn)投專業(yè)學(xué)工商管理的懷抱。

But science has shown that those philosophy typesactually have a point.

但科學(xué)已顯示這些哲學(xué)類型事實上有要點。

Here's a simple demonstration you can do to show that your brain doesn't just take ininformation, but always interprets that information.

下面的一個簡單實驗就可以證實你的大腦不止攝入信息，而且也總是解釋信息。

Hold your arm out and stick your thumb up in the air.

伸出你的胳膊，豎起拇指。

While looking at your thumb, slowly move your hand back and forth.

當(dāng)你看拇指的時候，慢慢前后移動手掌。

Next, hold your hand still and slowly move your eyes back and forth.

接下來，保持手掌靜止，慢慢前后移動你的眼睛。

Why did your thumb seem to be moving in the first instance and not in the second?

為什么你的拇指在第一個例子里看起來移動了而在第二個實驗里沒有?

The same image was sent to your retina, but in one instance you felt your hand was moving andin anotheryou felt your hand was still.

這是因為同樣的圖像被投入視網(wǎng)膜，但一個例子里你覺得手移動了，另一個例子你覺得手是靜止的。

This shows that our brains aren't just open windows through which the world pours.

這解釋了我們的大腦不僅是世界洶涌時打開窗戶。

They are always interpreting the information they receive.

它們還總是詮釋獲得的信息。

In this case, your brain knew your eyes were moving, and it interpreted the change invisualimages as coming from inside your head.

在此例中，你的大腦知道眼睛在移動，它將視覺圖像的變化解釋為來自大腦內(nèi)部的變化。

When it isn't told your eyes are moving, your brainreads the same image as motion taking placeoutside your head.

當(dāng)大腦沒有發(fā)覺眼睛在移動時，大腦會將同樣的視覺圖像理解為是在大腦外部發(fā)生的變化。

This is the same reason lying down on the bed doesn't make you immediately panic when yousee the room turn on its side.

這與躺在床上看房間傾斜不會立刻感到恐慌是一個道理。

In fact, your brain is always seeing the world move and deciding whether that motion is in hereor out there.

事實上，你的大腦總是看世界轉(zhuǎn)動并且在思考這運動是在內(nèi)部還是在外部。