2022年经济学人 动物也有创造力？（1）

Culture

文化板块

Book review: Animal creativity

书评：动物的创造力

Primal¹ instincts

原始本能

The Creative Lives of Animals. By Carol Gigliotti.

《动物的创造性生活》卡罗尔·吉利奥蒂著

In 1960 Jane Goodall, a British primatologist, observed chimpanzees in Gombe National Park in Tanzania.

1960年，英国灵长类动物学家珍妮·古道尔在坦桑尼亚贡贝国家公园观察了黑猩猩。

At that point, it was thought only humans had the capacity to create and use tools, but the chimpanzees were using slim blades of grass to fish termites² from their mounds³.

当时，人们认为只有人类会创造和使用工具，但那里的黑猩猩已经会用细长的草叶从蚁丘中捕捞白蚁了。

Louis Leakey, a palaeontologist and Ms Goodall’s mentor⁴, mused⁵: “Now we must redefine tool, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as human.”

担任古道尔导师的古生物学家路易斯·利基若有所思地说：“现在我们必须重新定义工具，重新定义人类，否则就要承认黑猩猩是人类。”

Since then the distinction between animals and humans has become increasingly nuanced.

从那时起，动物和人类之间的区别变得越来越微妙。

In addition to toolmaking, chimpanzees—and many other animals besides—display emotion and self-awareness.

除了制造工具，黑猩猩-以及许多其他动物-还会表现出情感和自我意识。

Studies show that elephants grieve, rats have empathy and pigs form strong friendships.

研究表明，大象会悲伤，老鼠有同理心，猪会建立牢固的友谊。

In “The Creative Life of Animals” Carol Gigliotti, a professor emerita at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, has compiled research that examines such behaviour through the lens of creativity.

温哥华艾米丽卡尔艺术与设计大学的荣誉退休教授卡罗尔·吉利奥蒂从创造力的角度研究了上述这种行为，并在《动物的创造性生活》中汇编了其研究成果。

This requires a more inclusive, and generous, definition of creativity, for it is not a trait obviously exhibited by a prairie dog or caddis fly.

这就需要对创造力有一个更包容广阔的定义，毕竟这可不是草原土拨鼠或石蛾能够明显表现出的特征。

Creativity, Ms Gigliotti contends, is not the exclusive domain⁶ of Jane Austen or Leonardo da Vinci.

吉利奥蒂认为，创造力并非简·奥斯汀或莱昂纳多·达·芬奇的专利。

Nor is she referring to Pigcasso, the artistic⁷ pig rescued from an industrial pork facility outside Cape⁸ Town whose paintings have sold for thousands of dollars.

她也不是在谈猪卡索，猪卡索是从开普敦郊外的一家工业猪肉厂救出的艺术猪，其画作已卖了数千美元。

Instead, Ms Gigliotti suggests discarding humankind’s “master of the universe” perspective to consider creativity from the animal’s point of view.

相反，吉利奥蒂建议摒弃人类的“造物主”观点，从动物的角度探讨创造力。

“If animals in their own cultures can solve problems or create products of value to them, it seems accurate to consider these as creative,” she writes.

她写道：“如果动物在它们自己的文化中能够解决问题或创造对它们有价值的产品，那么将这些视为创造性似乎并没有错。”

Beaver⁹ lodges¹⁰ and dams are a case in point: there is no single template for their construction.

海狸会搭小屋和水坝就是一个很好的例子：它们没有单一的建造模板。

Each river or lake has its unique features and beavers¹¹ create a custom-made structure to adapt to the given habitat—so, in the author’s intriguing¹² framework, dams deserve to be considered a creative enterprise.

任一河流或湖泊都有其独特的特征，海狸会根据特定的栖息地建造不同的结构-因此，按照作者耐人寻味的准则来看，大坝值得被视为一项创造性的事业。

In the less practical, more aesthetic¹³ realm, consider Julie’s earring¹⁴.

至于不那么实用，但更具美感的创造力领域，不妨以朱莉的耳环为例。

Julie, a chimpanzee studied in the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage¹⁵ Trust in Zambia, stuck a piece of long grass in her ear, adjusted and wore it.

朱莉是一只在赞比亚亚奇方希野生动物保护区接受研究的黑猩猩，它在耳朵里塞了一根长草，调整好后一直戴着。

The behaviour (a fashion trend, perhaps?) was soon sported by eight of the 12 members of the group.

很快，与朱莉同属一个小组的12只黑猩猩中，有8只开始模仿起了这种行为(也许是一种时尚趋势？)。

1 primal   

adj.原始的；最重要的

参考例句：

• Jealousy is a primal emotion.嫉妒是最原始的情感。
• Money was a primal necessity to them.对于他们，钱是主要的需要。

2 termites   

n.白蚁( termite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Termites are principally tropical in distribution. 白蚁主要分布在热带地区。 来自辞典例句
• This spray will exterminate the termites. 这种喷剂能消灭白蚁。 来自辞典例句

3 mounds   

土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆

参考例句：

• We had mounds of tasteless rice. 我们有成堆成堆的淡而无味的米饭。
• Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. 'You see the mounds? 啊，这就是同墓，”——我想他要说的一定是公墓，“看到那些土墩了吗？

4 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

5 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

6 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

7 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

8 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

9 beaver   

n.海狸，河狸

参考例句：

• The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。
• A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。

10 lodges   

v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• But I forget, if I ever heard, where he lodges in Liverpool. 可是我记不得有没有听他说过他在利物浦的住址。 来自辞典例句
• My friend lodges in my uncle's house. 我朋友寄居在我叔叔家。 来自辞典例句

11 beavers   

海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人

参考例句：

• In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. 1928年有人把这些海豚象海狸那样把一床浸泡了水的褥垫推上岸时的情景拍摄了下来。
• Thus do the beavers, thus do the bees, thus do men. 海狸是这样做的，蜜蜂是这样做的，人也是这样做的。

12 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

14 earring   

n.耳环，耳饰

参考例句：

• How long have you worn that earring?你戴那个耳环多久了？
• I have an earring but can't find its companion.我现在只有一只耳环,找不到另一只了。

15 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。