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But the idea that science can cure death
但科学能够治愈死亡的观点
is just one more chapter in the story
只是神奇的灵丹妙药故事的
of the magical elixir,
又一个章节，
a story that is as old as civilization.
和古文明一样古老的故事。
But betting everything on the idea of finding the elixir
但把所有的赌注都压在寻找灵丹妙药
and staying alive forever
和长生不老上面
is a risky strategy.
这样风险未免太大。
When we look back through history
当我们回顾整个历史
at all those who have sought an elixir in the past,
所有那些在过去寻找灵丹妙药的人
the one thing they now have in common
都有个共通点
is that they're all dead.
是他们都难逃一死。
So we need a backup plan, and exactly this kind of plan B
所以我们需要个备用方案，精确讲叫B方案
is what the second kind of immortality story offers,
也就是第二类永生的故事，
and that's resurrection.
那就是复活。
And it stays with the idea that I am this body,
概念是我有这个身躯，
I am this physical organism.
是一个有机体。
It accepts that I'm going to have to die
我是会死去的
but says, despite that,
但不论这些，
I can rise up and I can live again.
我可以再次活过来的。
In other words, I can do what Jesus did.
换句话说，我能和耶稣一样。
and then he rose up and lived again.
然后又活过来了。
And the idea that we can all be resurrected to live again
能够复活的这个概念
is orthodox believe, not just for Christians
不单源于东正教
but also Jews and Muslims.
也属于犹太教和穆斯林的。
But our desire to believe this story
但我们渴望去相信这个故事
is so deeply embedded
是深植在我们的内心
that we are reinventing it again
而到了科学时代
for the scientific age,
我们又重新将它提了出来，
for example, with the idea of cryonics.
比如，人体冷冻。
That's the idea that when you die,
意思是当你死后，
you can have yourself frozen,
你可以把自己冷冻起来，
and then, at some point when technology
然后，直到有一天，科技
has advanced enough,
高度发达的时候，
you can be thawed out and repaired and revived
你可以把自己解冻和修复
and so resurrected.
然后复活。
And so some people believe an omnipotent god
并且有些人相信万能的神
will resurrect them to live again,
会人他们重新活过来，
and other people believe an omnipotent scientist will do it.
还有人则相信万能的科学。
But for others, the whole idea of resurrection,
但是对某些人，对复活的这个看法，
of climbing out of the grave,
从坟墓里爬出来，
it's just too much like a bad zombie movie.
太像一部摆烂的僵尸电影。
They find the body too messy, too unreliable
他们发现自己的身躯腐朽，也不大可能复活，
to guarantee eternal life,
无法拥有永恒的生命，
and so they set their hopes on the third,
所有他们有第三类型的故事，
more spiritual immortality story,
更偏向于精神上的永生故事，
the idea that we can leave our body behind
就是我们能够离开我们的身躯
and live on as a soul.
但灵魂永久长存。
Now, the majority of people on Earth
目前，地球上绝大多数的人
believe they have a soul,
认为他们是有灵魂的，
and the idea is central to many religions.
这个观念是许多宗教的核心，
But even though, in its current form,
即便是这样，在现有的形式下，
in its traditional form,
在传统的形式下，
the idea of the soul is still hugely popular,
灵魂的观念依旧受到了广泛欢迎，
nonetheless we are again
在当今的数字化时代
reinventing it for the digital age,
再次提起它，
for example with the idea
比如
that you can leave your body behind
你可以离开你的身体
by uploading your mind, your essence,
你的心智，你的本质，
the real you, onto a computer,
真正的你，上传到了电脑中，
and so live on as an avatar in the ether.
以化身活在乙太的世界。
But of course there are skeptics who say
但是当然，有人会怀疑说
if we look at the evidence of science,
如果我们察看科学的依据，
particularly neuroscience,
特别是神经系统科学，
it suggests that your mind,
提及你的心智，
your essence, the real you,
你的本质，真正的你，
is very much dependent on a particular part
非常依赖你身体上一个特别的部分，
of your body, that is, your brain.
也就是，你的大脑。
And such skeptics can find comfort
这样的怀疑者
in the fourth kind of immortality story,
有着第四类型的永生的故事，
and that is legacy,
那就是遗传的传说。
the idea that you can live on
你可以长存在世
through the echo you leave in the world,
透过你遗留在世上的事物,
like the great Greek warrior Achilles,
就像古希腊战士阿基里斯，
who sacrificed his life fighting at Troy
他在特洛伊的战斗中牺牲了自己的生命
so that he might win immortal fame.
使他赢得了不朽的名声。
And the pursuit of fame is as widespread
追求这样的名声从古至今
and popular now as it ever was,
都一样流行，
and in our digital age,
在当今的数字时代，
it's even easier to achieve.
它更容易实现。
You don't need to be a great warrior like Achilles
你不必要成为像阿基里斯这样的勇士
or a great king or hero.
或者一个伟大的国王或者英雄。
All you need is an Internet connection and a funny cat.
你只要能上网和一只有趣的猫。
But some people prefer to leave a more tangible,
但有些人希望留下后代----
biological legacy -- children, for example.
子孙。
Or they like, they hope, to live on
或是他们想要，希望
as part of some greater whole,
成为整个整体中的一部分活下去，
a nation or a family or a tribe,
一个名族，或者一个家庭或者一个部落，
their gene pool.
他们的基因库。
But again, there are skeptics
但有人会怀疑
who doubt whether legacy
这些遗产是否
really is immortality.
真的能永久流传下去。
Woody Allen, for example, who said,
比如，伍迪·艾伦，曾说过，
"I don't want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen.
“我不想活在我同胞的心里。
I want to live on in my apartment."
我想活在我的公寓里。“
So those are the four
所以那些都是四种
basic kinds of immortality stories,
基本的永生的故事，
and I've tried to give just some sense
我试着说明这些故事
of how they're retold by each generation
如何一代一代流传着
with just slight variations
但也都大同小异
to fit the fashions of the day.
以迎合当今时代的潮流。
And the fact that they recur in this way,
事实上这些故事不停的被传述，
in such a similar form but in such different belief systems,
在不同的信仰中有着相似的形式，
suggests, I think,
我觉得，
that we should be skeptical of the truth
我们应该对
of any particular version of these stories.
所有这些故事的真实性要有所怀疑，
