大学英语精读：第六册UNIT10

Doanimalsthink?Howcouldtheearthshowsomanysignsofdesignandpurposeandyetberandom?Ourbestscientistsareheatedlydebatingbothsidesoftheseandotherscientificquestions.Inthefollowingessay,theauthortakesalookatscienceeducationandarguesthataswellasstellingstudentsthefactsandtheoriesthathavealreadybeenprovedandaccepted,scienceteachershouldspendmoretimeintroducingtheirstudentstothemanymysteriesthatremainunsolvedandtheargumentstakingplacebetweenscientists.Whatbetterway,heargues,tostimulatetheirinterestinthingscientific?DEBATINGTHEUNKNOWABLELewisThomasThegreatestofalltheaccomplishmentoftwentieth-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./p>pbdsfid="111">00Onemorecurrentbattleinvolvingtheunknownisbetweensociobiologistsandantisociobiologists,anditisamarvelforstudentstobehold.Toobserve,inopen-mouthedastonishment,onegroupofhighlyintelligent,beautifullytrained,knowledgeable,andimaginativescientists