大学英语6 第10课.docx
- 文档编号:29517718
- 上传时间:2023-07-24
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:14
- 大小:21.29KB
大学英语6 第10课.docx
《大学英语6 第10课.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《大学英语6 第10课.docx(14页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
大学英语6第10课
大学英语精读第六册10
大耳朵英语 2005-09-3000:
42:
43 【打印】
UnitTen
Text
Doanimalsthink?
Howcouldtheearthshowsomanysignsofdesignandpurposeandyetberandom?
Ourbestscientistsareheatedlydebatingbothsidesoftheseandotherscientificquestions.Inthefollowingessay,theauthortakesalookatscienceeducationandarguesthataswellasstellingstudentsthefactsandtheoriesthathavealreadybeenprovedandaccepted,scienceteachershouldspendmoretimeintroducingtheirstudentstothemanymysteriesthatremainunsolvedandtheargumentstakingplacebetweenscientists.Whatbetterway,heargues,tostimulatetheirinterestinthingscientific?
DEBATINGTHEUNKNOWABLE
LewisThomas
Thegreatestofalltheaccomplishmentoftwentieth-centurysciencehasbeenthediscoveryofhumanignorance.Welive,asneverbefore,inpuzzlementaboutnature,theuniverse,andourselvesmostofall.Itisanewexperienceforthespecies.Acenturyago,aftertheturbulencecausedbyDarwinandWallacehadsubsidedandthecentralideaofnaturalselectionhadbeengraspedandaccepted,wethoughtwekneweverythingessentialaboutevolution.Intheeighteenthcenturytherewerenohugepuzzles;humanreasonwasallyouneededinordertofigureouttheuniverse.Andformostoftheearliercenturies,theChurchprovidedboththequestionsandtheanswers,neatlypackaged.Now,forthefirsttimeinhumanhistory,wearecatchingglimpsesofourincomprehension.Wecanstillmakeupstoriestoexplaintheworld,aswealwayshave,butnowthestorieshavetobeconfirmedandreconfirmedbyexperiment.Thisisthescientificmethod,andoncestartedonthislinewecannotturnback.Weareobligedtogrowupinskepticism,requiringproofsforeveryassertionaboutnature,andthereisnowayoutexcepttomoveaheadandplugaway,hopingforcomprehensioninthefuturebutlivinginaconditionofintellectualinstabilityforthelongtime.
Itistheadmissionofignorancethatleadstoprogress,notsomuchbecausethesolvingofaparticularpuzzleleadsdirectlytoanewpieceofunderstandingbutbecausethepuzzle--ifitinterestsenoughscientists--leadstowork.Thereisasimilarphenomenoninentomologyknowasstigmergy,aterminventedbyGrasse,whichmeans"toincitetowork."Whenthreeorfourtermitesarecollectedtogetherinachambertheywanderaboutaimlessly,butwhenmoretermitesareadded,theybegintobuild.Itisthepresenceofothertermites,insufficientnumbersatclosequarters,thatproducesthework:
theypickupeachother'sfecalpelletsandstacktheminneatcolumns,andwhenthecolumnsarepreciselytherightheight,thetermitesreachacrossandturntheperfectarchesthatformthefoundationofthetermitarium.Nosingletermiteknowshowtodoanyofthis,butassoonasthereareenoughtermitesgatheredtogethertheybecomeflawlessarchitects,sensingtheirdistancesfromeachotheralthoughblind,buildinganimmenselycomplicatedstructurewithitsownair-conditioningandhumiditycontrol.Theyworktheirlivesawayinthisecosystembuiltbythemselves.ThenearestthingtoatermitariumthatIcanthinkofinhumanbehavioristhemakingoflanguage,whichwedobykeepingateachotherallourlives,generationaftergeneration,changingthestructurebysomesortofinstinct.
Verylittleisunderstoodaboutthiskindofcollectivebehavior.Itisoutoffashionthesedaystotalkof"superorganisms",buttheresimplyaren'tenoughreductionistdetailsinhandtoexplainawaythephenomenonoftermitesandothersocialinsects:
someverygoodguessescanbemadeabouttheirchemicalsignalingsystems,buttheplainfactthattheyexhibitsomethinglikeacollectiveintelligenceisamystery,oranywayanunsolvedproblem,thatmightcontainimportantimplicationsforsociallifeingeneral.ThismysteryisthebestintroductionIcanthinkoftobiologicalscienceincollege.Itshouldbetaughtforitsstrangeness,andfortheambiguityofitsmeaning.Itshouldbetaughttopremedicalstudents,whoneedlessonsearlyntheircareersabouttheuncertaintiesinscience.
Collegestudents,andforthatmatterhighschoolstudents,shouldbeexposedveryearly,perhapsattheoutset,tothebigargumentscurrentlygoingonamongscientists.Bigargumentsstimulatetheirinterest,andwithluckengagetheirabsorbedattention.Fewthingsinlifeareasengrossingasagoodfightbetweenhighlytrainedandskilledadversaries.Buttheyoungstudentsaretoldverylittleaboutthemajordisagreementsoftheday;theymaybetaughtsomethingabouttheargumentsbetweenDarwiniansandtheiropponentsacenturyago,buttheydonotrealizethatsimilardisputesaboutothermatters,manyofthemtouchingprofoundissuesforourunderstandingofnature,arestillgoingonand,indeed,areanessentialfeatureofthescientificprocess.Thereis,Ifear,areluctanceonthepartofscienceteacherstotalkaboutsuchthings,basedonthebeliefthatbeforestudentscanappreciatewhattheargumentsareabouttheymustlearnandmasterthe"fundamentals".Iwouldbewillingtoseesomeexperimentsalongthisline,andIhaveinmindseveralexamplesofcontemporarydoctrinaldisputeinwhichthedriftoftheargumentcanbereadilyperceivedwithoutdeeporelaborateknowledgeofthesubject.
Thereis,forone,theproblemofanimalawareness.Oneschoolofethologistsdevotedtothestudyofanimalbehaviorhasitthathumanbeingsareuniqueinthepossessionofconsciousness,differingfromalothercreaturesinbeingabletothinkthingsover,capitalizeonpastexperience,andhazardinformedguessesatthefuture.Other,"lower",animals(withpossibleexceptionsmadeforchimpanzees,whales,anddolphins)cannotdosuchthingswiththeirminds;theylivefrommomenttomomentwithbrainsthatareprogrammedtorespond,automaticallyorbyconditioning,tocontingenciesintheenvironment,Behavioralpsychologistsbelievethatthisautomaticorconditionedresponseaccountsforhumanmentalactivityaswell,althoughtheydislikethatword"mental".Ontheothersidearesomeethologistswhoseemstobemoregenerous-minded,whoseenocompellingreasonstodoubtthatanimalsingeneralarequitecapableofrealthinkinganddoquitealotofit——thinkingthatisn'tasdenseashumanthinking,thatissparserbecauseofthelackoflanguageandtheresultantlackofmetaphorstohelpthethoughtalong,butthinkingnonetheless.
Thepointaboutthisargumentisnotthatonesideortheotherisinpossessionofamorepowerfularrayofconvincingfacts;quitetheopposite.Therearenotenoughfactstosustainagenuinedebateofanylength;thequestionofanimalawarenessisanunsettledone.
Anotherdebatablequestionariseswhenonecontemplatesthewholebiosphere,theconjoinedlifeoftheearth.Howcouldithaveturnedouttopossesssuchstabilityandcoherence,resemblingasitdoesasortofenormousdevelopingembryo,withnothingbutchanceeventstodetermineitsemergence?
LovelockandMargulis,facingthisproblem,haveproposedtheGaiaHypothesis,whichis,inbrief,thattheearthisitselfaformoflife,"acomplexentityinvolvingtheEarth'sbiosphere,atmosphere,oceansandsoil;thetotalityconstitutingafeedbackorcyberneticsystemwhichseeksanoptimalphysicalandchemicalenvironmentforlifeonthisplanet."Lovelockpostulates,inaddition,that"thephysicalandchemicalconditionofthesurfaceoftheEarth,oftheatmosphere,andoftheoceanshasbeenanisactivelymadefitandcomfortablebythepresenceoflifeitself."
Thisnotionisbeginningtostirupafewsignsofstorm,andifitcatcheson,asIthinkitwill,wewillsoonfindthebiologicalcommunitysplitintofumingfactions,onesidesayingthattheevolvedbiospheredisplaysevidencesofdesignandpurpose,theotherdecryingsuchheresy.Ibelievethatstudentsshouldlearnasmuchastheycanabouttheargument.
Onemorecurrentbattleinvolvingtheunknownisbetweensociobiologistsandantisociobiologists,anditisamarvelforstudentstobehold.Toobserve,inopen-mouthedastonishment,onegroupofhighlyintelligent,beautifullytrained,knowledgeable,andimaginativescientistsmaintainingthatallbehavior,animalandhuman,isgovernedexclusivelybygenes,andanothergroupofequallytalentedscientistsassertingthatallbehaviorsissetanddeterminedbytheenvironmentorbyculture,isaneducationalexperiencethatnocollegestudentshouldbeallowedtomiss.Theessentiallessontobelearnedhasnothingtodowiththerelativevalidityofthefactsunderlyingtheargument.Itistheargumentitselfthatistheeducation:
wedonotyetknowenoughtosettlesuchquestions.
NewWords
debate
vt.argueabout(sth.)withsb.,discuss
n.adiscussionaboutasubjectonwhichpeoplehavedifferentviews
unknowable
a.beyondcomprehension,esp.beyondhumancomprehension
puzzlement
n.bewilderment,perplexity
turbulence
n.agitation;greatdisturbance骚动,纷乱
turbulenta.
subside
vi.sinktoalowerormorenormallevel;becomeless
package
vt.wraporsealinacontainer,wrappings,etc.toattractpurchasers
glimpse
n.aquickvieworlook
incomprehension
n.lackofcomprehension;inabilitytounderstand
reconfirm
vt.confirmanew
skepticism
n.adoubtingstateorhabitofmind;doubt
assertion
n.apositivestatement;firmdeclaration
assert
vt.statepositively;declarefirmly
instability
n.lackoffirmness;beingunstable
admission
n.(an)actofacceptingthetruth(ofsth.)
entomology
n.thebranchofzoologythatdealswithinsects昆虫学
incite
vt.causeorencouragesb.toastrongfeelingoraction;pro
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- 大学英语6 第10课 大学 英语 10
![提示](https://static.bdocx.com/images/bang_tan.gif)