《未来简史》--人类晋级的速度快吗？

So far we have competed with the gods of old by creating better and better tools.

因此我们可以通过创造越来越好的工具来与旧的诸神竞争。

In the not too distant future, we might create super humans who will outstrip the ancient gods not in their tools, but in their bodily and mental faculties.

在不久的将来，我们可以制造出不是凭借工具，而是从生理到心理特征都超越古代神灵的超人。

If and when we get there, however, divinity will become as mundane as cyberspace – a wonder of wonders that we just take for granted.

如果到了那个时候，神性将变得和通信一样平常，一群奇人中的一个奇人，我们会习以为常。

We can be quite certain that humans will make a bid for divinity, because humans have many reasons to desire such an upgrade, and many ways to achieve it.

可以非常肯定，人类力图拥有神性，因为人们有许多理由渴望这种升级并且有很多途径可以得到它。

Even if one promising path turns out to be a dead end, alternative routes will remain open.

尽管一条有希望的途径最终的结果是失败的，其它可替代的路线还是敞开的。

For example, we may discover that the human genome is far too complicated for serious manipulation, but this will not prevent the development of brain-computer interfaces, nano-robots or artificial intelligence.

例如，我们发现人类的基因太复杂了，以致于不能严格的进行操控，但这不能阻止脑-机界面、纳米机器人和人工智能的发展。

No need to panic, though. At least not immediately.

人们不需要恐慌，至少不必立即恐慌。

Upgrading Sapiens will be a gradual historical process rather than a Hollywood apocalypse.

升级成智人是一个渐进的历史过程，而非象好莱坞的灾难片。

Homo sapiens is not going to be exterminated by a robot revolt.

智人不会因为机器人而消亡。

Rather, Homo sapiens is likely to upgrade itself step by step, merging with robots and computers in the process, until our descendants will look back and realize that they are no longer the kind of animal that wrote the Bible, built the Great Wall of China and laughed at Charlie Chaplin’s antics.

智人会一步一步升级自己，在这个过程中整合机器人和电脑，直到有一天我们的后代回望并认识到，他们已不再是那些写了圣经、修建了长城、看查理.卓别林式的滑稽大笑的人类。

This will not happen in a day, or a year.

这不会发生在一天或一年。

Indeed, it is already happening right now, through innumerable mundane actions.

事实上，它现在就在发生，通过无数平常的行为。

Everyday millions of people decide to grant their smartphone a bit more control over their lives or try a new and more effective antidepressant drug.

每天数以百万计的人们决定允许他们的手机控制他们的生活更多一点或者尝试新的或更有效的抗抑郁药物。

In pursuit of health, happiness and power, humans will gradually change first one of their features and then another, and another, until they will no longer be human.

为了追求健康、快乐和权利，人类会逐渐改变他们的某一特征，然后改变一个又一个，直到已经不再是人类。