阅读生物学经典会让你对人性失望吗？

今天我们要讨论一个稍微有点沉重的话题。

Today we are going to discuss a slightly heavy topic.

那就是，如果你阅读经典的进化生物学著作，你可能会感到悲观。

That is, if you read classic works of evolutionary biology, you might feel pessimistic.

很多人认为，科学证明了人性是自私的。

Many people believe that science has proved human nature is selfish.

但事实真的只有这一面吗？

But is this really the only side of the story?

让我们一起来看看科学家们怎么说。

Let's take a look at what scientists have to say.

首先，我们来看看达尔文的观点。

First, let's look at Darwin's point of view.

早在十九世纪，达尔文就提出了进化的理论。

As early as the 19th century, Darwin proposed the theory of evolution.

很多生物学家认为，生物进化的目的是为了自己。

Many biologists believe that the purpose of biological evolution is for the self.

不管是动物还是人类，都想最大化自己的利益。

Whether animals or humans, all want to maximize their own interests.

我们关心家人，也是为了让自己的基因传下去。

We care about our families in order to pass on our genes.

在这种观点下，道德和善良可能只是一种错觉。

Under this view, morality and kindness might just be an illusion.

这让我们不得不面对一个冷酷的现实。

This forces us to confront a cold reality.

然而，最近几十年，情况发生了变化。

However, in recent decades, the situation has changed.

心理学家和人类学家开始反对这种悲观的看法。

Psychologists and anthropologists have started to oppose this pessimistic view.

他们写了很多书，强调人类其实非常擅长合作。

They have written many books emphasizing that humans are actually very good at cooperation.

我们利用语言和智慧，一起解决了很多难题。

We use language and intelligence to solve many difficult problems together.

如果没有合作，人类不可能建立这么复杂的社会。

Without cooperation, humans could not have built such complex societies.

这就像克鲁泡特金在一百年前提出的“互助论”。

This is just like the "Mutual Aid" theory proposed by Kropotkin a hundred years ago.

他认为，只有互相帮助，物种才能在危险的环境中生存。

He believed that only through mutual help can species survive in dangerous environments.

但是，这种乐观的看法也只有一半是对的。

But, this optimistic view is also only half true.

最新的研究发现，人类既能合作，也会竞争。

Latest research finds that humans can both cooperate and compete.

这完全取决于我们所处的环境和机会。

This depends entirely on the environment and opportunities we are in.

如果作弊不会被发现，很多人就会选择为了利益而撒谎。

If cheating will not be discovered, many people will choose to lie for profit.

就像在某些实验中，如果没人看着，人们就会拿走更多的钱。

Just like in certain experiments, if no one is watching, people will take more money.

所以说，合作往往是因为我们害怕被惩罚。

So, cooperation is often because we are afraid of being punished.

我们虽然会合作，但这不代表我们天生就是“好人”。

Although we cooperate, this doesn't represent that we are born "good people".

最后，我们要问，既然人性这么复杂，我们该怎么办？

Finally, we must ask, since human nature is so complex, what should we do?

我们不能天真地相信每个人都会自觉遵守道德。

We cannot naively believe that everyone will consciously observe morality.

我们需要建立良好的社会规则和法律制度。

We need to establish good social rules and legal systems.

这些规则的作用，是让作弊变得更加困难。

The function of these rules is to make cheating become more difficult.

同时，我们要创造一个奖励公平、惩罚自私的环境。

At the same time, we want to create an environment that rewards fairness and punishes selfishness.

教育也很重要，它能帮我们要看清自己的弱点。

Education is also important, as it helps us see our own weaknesses clearly.

只有承认我们有自私的一面，才能更好地去控制它。

Only by admitting we have a selfish side can we better control it.

总的来说，生物学确实揭示了人性黑暗的一面。

In conclusion, biology does indeed reveal the dark side of human nature.

但这并不意味着我们的世界没有希望。

But this does not mean our world is without hope.

我们要做的，是建立更好的制度来引导人性。

What we need to do is build better systems to guide human nature.

认清现实，是我们迈向美好未来的第一步。

Recognizing reality is our first step toward a beautiful future.

感谢大家的收听，我们下期节目再见。

Thank you everyone for listening, see you in the next episode.