本文作者：Bolton Chen

Physics&Chemisty

帝国理工 硕士

星海融合课程中心班主任及理科教师

在理科教师Bolton看来，除了学科素养和知识的提升，理科还有个更长远的目的：从科学的角度不断地追寻整个宇宙的真实，满足人类内生的对永恒存在的追求。

人为什么要学理科-Bolton

我们要求自己永远追逐着宇宙的真实 

我们要追求的东西，

并非是不可战胜，

并非是无法突破。

以下文字整编自教师Bolton分享

人的一生很长，

长到可以有近900个月，每个月又有三十天。

每天都可以见证朝菌不知晦朔，蟪蛄不知春秋。

人的一生也很短，

短到哀吾生之须臾，羡长江之无穷，

短到我们出生时从地球出发的光直到今天都没能走到室女座。

Human life is both long and short. It's long enough to have almost 900 months, with 30 days each, and every day witnesses the cycles of nature. It's also short enough that we lament its brevity and envy the infinite length of the Yangtze River.

面对这既短又长的一生，

所有人都会思考也应该思考的问题就是：

什么是重要的？我们要做什么？我们活着的目的与意义是什么？

对于这个深刻的哲学问题，

常见的答案有生存、幸福、理想、爱与情感、贡献。

然而作为一名理工科出身的人来说，

这些难以定义、难以量化的指标让我感觉不够清晰。

When faced with this conundrum, we all ask ourselves the same philosophical questions: what's important, what should we do, and what is the purpose and meaning of our existence? The answers to these profound questions are often survival, happiness, ideals, love and emotions, and contributions. However, as someone with a scientific background, I find these vague and difficult-to-quantify metrics insufficiently clear.

于是我先试图在生物学上找到答案：繁殖，

但人又为什么而繁殖呢？

生物学上给出的进一步答案却陷入了循环论证：

因为基因指引我们以繁殖为目的，否则这段基因将难以复制。

那么我们可以认为，

基因从根本上是一种追求永恒存在的物质，

而我们的躯体是基因的载体。

正是基因的这种特性驱使我们要好好存活，将基因延续下去。

而如果基因没有这种特性，若干子代过后基因便会不复存在。

因即是果，果即是因。

So I tried to find the answer in biology: reproduction. But why do humans reproduce? Biology's answer falls into a circular argument: genes guide us to reproduce, or else they will have difficulty replicating. Therefore, genes are essentially a material pursuit of eternal existence, and our bodies are the vehicles for genes. This characteristic of genes drives us to live and to pass on our genes. If genes did not have this characteristic, they would cease to exist after several generations. Cause is effect, and effect is cause.

然而试图永存的基因却是脆弱不堪的，

孱弱的静电吸引力将原子捆绑为分子，分子折叠成为结构复杂的蛋白质，

酸碱性的些许变化便会破坏掉基因，更遑论暴烈直接的物理碰撞。

所以追求个体的永存是不可能的，

但基因硬是采用繁殖这一低效的复制方式走出了另一条路，

以忒修斯之船的方式漂泊于时间之河上至今。

However, the pursuit of eternal existence through genes is fragile. Weak electrostatic forces bind atoms into molecules, and molecules fold into complex protein structures. Even minor changes in acidity or alkalinity can destroy genes, not to mention violent physical collisions. Therefore, pursuing individual eternal existence is impossible. But genes still use reproduction, a relatively inefficient copying method, to chart a different course and to drift on the river of time like Theseus's ship.

所以，对永恒的追求是刻在我们基因上的。

Therefore, the pursuit of eternity is ingrained in our genes.

想想生活中的种种例子，

作为超新星的尘埃，我们是何等迫切地追求永恒啊。

在各个文明中，黄金都是作为一般等价物的贵金属，

其原因正是黄金的产生需要太阳死亡后的超新星爆炸，

穿越几十亿年的时光依然以不变的单质呈现在我们面前，

是人类认知中最接近永恒这个概念的物质。

同样的，对太阳的神化和崇拜遍布世界各地，

这也是因为其亘古不变的能源产出让人类产生了永恒的错觉。

Think of all the examples in life where we, as stardust, desperately seek eternity. Gold is a precious metal in every civilization because it takes the death of stars and billions of years to form it. Yet, even after all that time, it remains unchanged in its elemental state, making it the material closest to the concept of eternity in human cognition. Similarly, sun worship is ubiquitous because its timeless energy output creates a false sense of eternity.

面对一团乱麻，人们总想去找到线头；

面对销售员的喋喋不休，我们总是不耐其烦地转而翻看协议；

面对人生困境，我们总是想沿用老方法。

我们总是相信变化的事物背后有着永恒不变的底层逻辑与本质原理。

而追求事物的本质，

即马斯克所说的第一性原则，

也正是我们人类对永恒存在的信仰。

When faced with a tangled mess, we always try to find the thread. When faced with a verbose salesperson, we always get annoyed and look to read the agreement. When faced with life's difficulties, we always try to use old methods. We always believe that there are underlying logic and essential principles that remain eternal behind everything that changes. And pursuing the essence of things, the first principle that Musk mentioned, is precisely the faith that humanity has in eternal existence.

学习理科，正是满足人类对永恒追求的最佳方式。

数学是一种永恒的语言，

它的规律和定理是不会随时间和空间的变化而改变的，

“径自相乘，三之，四而一”，

不管用哪种语言，哪种表达方式，

远古还是未来，这句话对应的规律不会改变。

物理学的定律和规律也是近乎永恒不变的，

宏观低速条件下，力与动量的变化率成正比，

数百年来这句话也没有变过。

这些定律描述了自然界中的各种现象和规律，是我们理解世界的基础。

化学和生物则是层层递进的，由物理规律在数学语言下演绎的种种结果。

Studying science is the best way to satisfy humanity's eternal pursuit. Mathematics is an eternal language, and its laws and theorems do not change with time and space. "multiply the diameter by itself, then multiply by Π and divide by 4" which gives the area of a circle: regardless of the language or expression used, this rule remains unchanged from ancient times to the future. The laws and rules of physics are also almost eternal and unchanging. Under macroscopic and low-speed conditions, force is proportional to the rate of change of momentum, and this statement has not changed for hundreds of years. These laws describe various phenomena and patterns in nature and are the basis for our understanding of the world. Chemistry and biology are hierarchical and are derived from the physical laws in the language of mathematics.

所以我们追求的，也正是自然的定律，永恒的真理。

Therefore, what we pursue is also the laws of nature and eternal truth.

我们要追求的东西并非是不可战胜，并非是无法突破。

只是在于我们的精神层次和信仰层次，在于对自然规律的认识，

这是一种高尚而伟大的追求。

我曾经看到过一篇文章，这篇文章的名字叫做《人类对自然的探索》，

文章中的内容也包括了人类的生命是一种奇妙的存在，

它们有可能在某一个瞬间消失，又有可能永远存在。

这是一种永不停止的追寻，

追寻永远的存在，这才是人类存在的意义。

在这篇文章里面，我们认知世界的范围越来越广泛，

我们看到了宇宙的另一头，看到了人类无限扩张的疆域；

看到了世界之外的世界，我们看到了宇宙中一切的一切。

What we pursue is not something that cannot be defeated or cannot be broken through, but it is based on our spiritual and faith level, and our understanding of natural laws. This is a noble and great pursuit. I once read an article called "Human Exploration of Nature," which also includes the wonderful existence of human life that can disappear in a moment or may exist forever. This is an endless pursuit, a pursuit of eternal existence, which is the meaning of human existence. In this article, the scope of our understanding of the world is getting broader and we see the other side of the universe, the infinite expansion of human territory, and the world beyond the world. We see everything in the universe. 

但是，这一切，

仍旧不能让我们真正意义上的明确的看清楚宇宙本身的真实性；

我们也无法真正看清楚我们身边的这些物种，以及我们的身体。

在宇宙的另一端，我们渺小得仿佛蝼蚁一般。

这样的生活是痛苦的。

我们要求自己永远追逐着宇宙的真实，追求着宇宙的终焉永恒的真理，

但我们却无法预测自己是否能够真正地得到真理。

However, all of these still cannot truly and clearly see the reality of the universe itself, nor can we truly see the species around us and our bodies. At the other end of the universe, we are tiny and insignificant like ants. This kind of life is painful. We demand ourselves to always pursue the truth of the universe, to pursue the eternal truth of the end of the universe, but we cannot predict whether we can truly obtain the truth.

但是，我们必须坚持。

因为，在已知世界之外还有我们不能触及的地方，

还有我们无法想像的事物存在。

那些事物，是我们不能触及，也无法理解的。

但我们却必须坚强地活着，坚决地去探索，去研究。

However, we must persevere. Because beyond the known world, there are places we cannot reach and things we cannot imagine. Those things are beyond our reach and understanding. But we must live strong and resolutely explore.

我们追寻永恒，永远的追寻。

We pursue eternity, an eternal pursuit.

本文图片来源：Pixabay

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