艾萨克·牛顿：最后的魔术师（2013）

He is exactly saying that body and light are interchangeable
用相同的方式质量和能量
in the same way that mass and energy
是可以互相转换的或是互相改变的
are interconvertible or interchangeable.
所以牛顿才说，你知道吗？这世上所有的东西
So Newton is saying, you know, all the things in the world
都可以被转变成其他的万事万物
can be transformed into everything else.
牛顿追求的转变
Newton’s quest for transformations
就是现代物理和化学的核心
is now at the heart of modern physics and chemistry.
炼金术就是今天把魔法确实呈现出来的根源
Alchemy is at the root of today’s practical magic.
藉由打开古老的智慧，
By being open to ancient wisdom,
牛顿能够超越他自己那个时代
Newton was able to go beyond the thinking of his own time
进到未来
and into the future.
箱子里的文件
The documents in the trunk
最后终于接合了牛顿两端的天才
finally reunited the two sides of Newton’s genius.
几百年前…
It was… centuries
在有科学之前
before history of science
可以容忍♥同时进行炼金术和天文的牛顿这样的人
could tolerate a Newton who did both alchemy and astronomy.
这就是为什麽牛顿看起来是那麽衝突的形象集于一身
That’s why it looks as if he’s a fractured figure.
这也是基于实际的考虑…
It is actually that…
…炼金术的作品要埋藏起来，实际上是从视野中隐去
..the alchemical works were buried, literally hidden from view.
我们可以想像一条清楚的界线画在
We imagine that there’s a clear line to draw
科学家和理性主义者的牛顿和
between Newton the scientist and rationalist,
神秘神学家的牛顿之间
and Newton the mystical theologian,
但从头到尾他只是孤军奋战
but he was only one man.
1684年，
In 1684,
牛顿只是个没没无闻的学者，
Newton was just an obscure academic,
隐藏在芸芸众生之中
hiding from the world.
牛顿最离群索居的年代，
Newton’s wilderness years,
在他研究了炼金术十二年后，
his 12 years of studying alchemy,
突然嘎然而止
come to a sudden stop
因为从伦敦来的天文学家
with a chance visit from Edmund Halley,
爱德蒙·哈雷的偶然造访
the astronomer from London.
1684年，我来剑桥看他
In 1684, I came to visit him in Cambridge
我请教他行星运行的轨道
and I asked him what he thought the curve would be –
会是什麽曲线
described by the planets –
假设力量是指向太阳的吸引力
supposing the force of attraction toward the sun
和它的距离平方成反比
to be reciprocal to the square of the distance from it.
艾萨克爵士毫不考虑就回答，「是椭圆。」
Sir Isaac replied immediately, “It would be an ellipse.”
我被喜悦和惊奇吓得不能自己
I was struck with joy and amazement!
我请教他怎麽知道的，「喔！为什麽…」他说，「…我计算过呀！」
I asked him how he knew. “Oh why…” said he, “..I’ve calculated it.”
我毫不犹豫要求看他的计算过程
I asked him for his calculations without any further delay
他承诺可以重作一份再送给我！
and he promised to re-do it and send it to me!
是呀！哈雷对此非常激动
Well, Halley was agog by this.
他实际的说法是如果你可以瞭解行星运行的原因，
He had actually said that if you could understand why the planets moved,
你就是个优秀的天文学家
you would have perfected astronomy.
就是这样，主题结束，全部完成，回家
That would be it. Subject finished, full stop, go home.
那个时代里的所有伟大心灵
All the great minds of the day
都是在设法解释行星运动的轨迹，
were trying to explain the movements of the planets,
从克里斯多佛·雷恩到牛顿的天敌
from Christopher Wren to Newton’s old adversary
罗伯特·虎克
Robert Hooke.
牛顿对这件事非常有兴趣
He was particularly intrigued to do this
因为他知道罗伯特·虎克做不出来
because Robert Hooke couldn’t.
所以现在有个现成的机会来证明谁才是
So here was an opportunity to prove once and for all
有始以来最好的数学家
who was the best mathematician.
他，嗯，有时候去花♥园♥里绕个两圈，
He, er, sometimes would take a turn or two around his garden,
突然会站定不动，
suddenly stood still,
转身回去，爬上楼梯时就像阿基米德大喊「我想到了！」
turned about and back up the stairs like Archimedes with a “Eureka!”
站在桌边就开始写下他想到的内容，
and began writing at his desk while standing,
连椅子都没有拉出来坐下！
without drawing a chair to sit down!
现在我正要完成这个主题，
Now I was upon this subject,
我会很高兴在我付印之前可以看到全部的原貌
I would gladly know the bottom of it before I publish my papers.
牛顿勤劳不懈努力了两年，
Newton worked relentlessly for over two years,
亲手写下他所发现的点点滴滴
drawing on everything he had ever discovered.
他不再满足于
He’s not so much content
想出一个可能的解释说明，
with coming up with possible explanations,
他要的是完整的解释
he wants THE explanation.
我让问题不断呈现在我面前，
I kept the subject constantly before me,
直到第一条线索慢慢展开，
until the first dawnings opened slowly,
一点一滴，汇聚成完满而清晰的灵光
little by little, into the full and clear light.
成果是利用数学形式来预测力怎麽影响移♥动♥－
The result was a mathematical way to predict how forces affect movement –
称为牛顿三大运动定律
Newton’s Three Laws of Motion.
物体会维持原来的静止状态，
Every body continues in its state of rest,
或在直线上维持原来的运动状态，
or in uniform motion in its right line,
除非它被外力所影响
unless it is affected by an external force.
运动的变化量是和外力大小成正比，
This change in motion is in proportion to the external force,
而且就在外力作用的相同方向上
and is made in the direction of the straight line in which that force is impressed.
作用力一定产生大小相同的反向反作用力，
To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction,
分别作用在两物体上，此两力一定大小相等，
the mutual action of two bodies upon each other are always equal,
方向相反作用在不同物体上
and directed to contrary parts.
这三条定律用来解释力学怎麽作用在
These three laws managed to explain the mechanics
物体的实际移♥动♥上
of how virtually everything moves.
但牛顿发觉还有另一种看不见的因素牵涉到
But Newton realised there was another invisible element involved
让行星保持在绕著太阳运行轨道上
that kept the planets orbiting the sun.
从他的炼金术里，
From his alchemy,
他对于弥漫于整个空间的精气，
he was quite comfortable with the idea
这种想法是相当自在的
of spirits pervading space,
不需要接触就可以产生影响
influencing things without contact.
他把那些想法转化为力的其中一种
And he transmuted those ideas into one of forces.
牛顿推论这些力可以隔了一段距离还能作用
Newton deduced that these forces acted at a distance,
跨越空间，在万事万物之间
across space, between all things.
太阳吸引木星和其他的行星
The sun attracts Jupiter and the other planets.
木星吸引它的卫星
Jupiter attracts its satellites
都是相同的原因1，
and, for the same reason,
所有行星互相作用，彼此相互影响
all planets act mutually, one upon the other.
牛顿的杰作
Newton’s masterstroke
就是发现行星彼此相互吸引的力是相同的
was realising that the same force that attracted the planets to one another
这种力也存在于地球上
also existed on earth.
这种力现在证明
It is now established
就是重力
that this force is gravity.
牛顿寻找的精力的介质
Newton’s search for a vital agent,
就是一种存在于整个宇宙的超距力
a single magical force that runs through the universe,
最后终于被实现了
had finally been fulfilled.
牛顿把玄学和数学结合起来
Newton had combined mysticism and mathematics
证明了一种独特的力
to prove that a single power
在宇宙之中影响著所有的物体
affects every object in the universe.
雨滴会掉落地面
It pulls a raindrop to earth
河流会流向大海，
and a river to the sea,
流动时雕琢著大地
carving the earth as it flows.
重力让大海保持在地上，
Gravity holds the sea to the earth,
而且月球和太阳
and the moon and the sun
影响著地球上的潮汐
pulls the earth into tides.
重力让月球绕著地球运转
Gravity makes the moon go round the earth
也让地球绕著太阳运转
and the earth go around the sun.
太阳只是银河系里数以千亿计的恆星之一
Just one of the hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy,
银河…
the Milky Way…
…只是众多星系中的一个绕著
..just one more galaxy going round
百万兆恆星的处♥女♥座超星系运行，
with the 200 trillion stars of the Virgo Supercluster,
全都因为重力
all of it held together
而在一起
by gravity.
为什麽我要称他是位魔法师？
Why do I call him a magician?
因为他把宇宙和在其中的所有事物都看作是
Because he looked on the universe and all that is in it
一个谜题
as a riddle,
可以被解读的秘密
as a secret which could be read
针对上帝呈现在世上的神秘线索，
by applying pure thought to mystic clues
运用纯粹理性的思考
which God had laid about the world
就像是一种追求哲学家的珍宝的过程
like a sort of philosopher’s treasure hunt.
有两种天才
There are two kinds of geniuses.
一种是普通的天才，另一种是魔法师
There are ordinary geniuses and there are magicians.
普通的天才是那种一旦你瞭解他们怎麽做
An ordinary genius is someone who, once you understand what they’ve done,
你就会说，「喔，好吧！只要我再聪明一点点」
you say, “Oh, OK! If I were just a lot smarter,
「我也能做得到」
“I could’ve done that.”
但魔法师是那种即使你看过他们怎麽做的，