太空作家阿瑟·克拉克_新浪教育

太空作家阿瑟·克拉克

http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/03/16 12:37 英语文摘

　　When the US TV station CBS needed someone to copresent coverage of the Apollo 1112 and 15 lunar missionsthey didn’t approach a scientist or a news commentator. They chose a sciencefiction writer. An awardwinning author of more than 80 books. A man who accurately predicted the future so regularly that he had won the respect of both the scientific community and the general public.

　　Early life Arthur C. Clarke was born in MineheadSomerset in 1917. He attended Huish’s Grammar School in Taunton whereat the age of 11he bought his first science fiction magazineAmazing Stories—a purchase that was to change his life. It set him off on a journey that saw him become one of the world’s most celebrated science fiction writers.

　　Before he was to attain literary fame howeverhe spent time in the real world. While working as a radar instructor and technician with the RAFhe suggested that such technology could be used to enable instant worldwide communications. He published his theory in the magazine Wireless Worldunder the title ExtraTerrestrial Relays. That was in 1945and todayover half a century laterthe communication satellites that Clarke envisioned are central to the global communication network.

　　His satellite theory is considered to have been so important that the original paper is housed in the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. It has won Clarke many prestigious awards over the yearssuch as the Marconi1 International Fellowship Award for scientific achievement and the Lindbergh2 Award for technological advancement. The International Astronomical Union even calls the 42000kilometer satellite orbit position“Clarke Orbit”in his honor—he was the first to recognize the potential usefulness of this position for orbiting satellites.

　　The accolades3 came thick and fast. Perhaps most impressively he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his paper ExtraTerrestrial Relays. He was also awarded a Commander of the Order of the British EmpireCBE　from Queen Elizabeth II in 1998.

　　Space odyssey In 1964Clarke started to work with Stanley Kubrick in a science fiction movie script. After 4 yearshe shared an Oscar Academy Award nomination with him for the film version of 2001A Space Odyssey.

　　In 2001A Space OdysseyClarke foresaw space stationslaptops and email and a sentient supercomputercalled HAL 9000　. And while this last creation is not yet a realityClarke has been proven correct more than once and with the continuing advances in artificial intelligence his vision may yet come true.

　　The Three Laws Writer and critic George Zebrowskia good friend of Clarke and a recognized expert on his workhas stated that Clarke’s Three Laws are central to appreciating the man’s work. Not only are these aphorisms4 fundamental elements of Clarke’s literary legacybut some would argue that they comprise a valuable contribution to 20thCentury popular thought. They are

　　1　When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possiblehe is almost certainly right. CorollaryWhen he states that something is impossiblehe is very probably wrong.

　　2　The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to venture beyond them into the impossible.

　　3　Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

　　The global village Clarke has so relentlessly promoted the exploration of spacewhile celebrating cultural and geographic differences here on Earththat he has been called“our solar system’s first regionalist.”

　　TodayClarke’s outspoken criticism of individual countries’tendency to nationalize the exploration of space shows that he still feels that the leap to other worlds is far too important—if not too vast—an undertaking to be constrained by concepts so transient as“nationstates.”

　　He often seems disappointed with usbut his fiction shows that he never wavers in his belief that the future will be a time of wondersand that humanitygiven time and common sensewill inevitably transcend the limits of gravity.

　　当美国哥伦比亚广播公司电视部需要找一个人共同主持阿波罗11､12和15号的登月报道时,他们并没有找科学家或新闻评论员,而是选择了一位科幻小说作家——一个拥有80余部作品的获奖作家,一个由于经常对未来有精准的预测而赢得了科学界和大众的一致尊重的人｡

　　早期生涯阿瑟·克拉克1917年生于英国萨默塞特郡的迈恩黑德｡后来进入位于汤顿的休伊什文法学校读书,11岁时,他在这里买到了生平第一本科幻杂志《惊异故事》｡这本杂志改变了他的生活｡它使克拉克踏上了成为世界上最有名的科幻作家之一的道路｡

　　不过,在获得文学盛誉之前,他是在现实世界度日的｡当他在英国皇家空军当雷达指导员和技术人员时,曾提出建议说,这种技术可以被用于实现全球即时通信｡他在《无线电世界》杂志上发表了一篇题为《地球外的中继》的论文,阐述了自己的理论｡这篇论文发表在1945年,而在半个多世纪后的今天,克拉克预见的通信卫星已经成为全球通信网络核心｡

　　他的卫星理论受到高度重视,其原本被收藏在位于华盛顿史密森纳研究院的美国宇宙航空博物馆中｡多年来,这篇论文为他赢得了众多荣誉,如马可尼国际协会科学成就奖和林德伯格科技进步奖｡为了表示对他的尊敬,国际天文学协会甚至把42000公里的卫星轨道位置称为“克拉克轨道”,因为他第一个认识到这一位置对绕轨道运行卫星的潜在价值｡

　　赞誉嘉奖纷至沓来,也许其中最值得一提的就是他的论文《地球外的中继》获得了1994年诺贝尔和平奖提名｡1998年,他还被伊丽莎白女王二世授予英帝国司令勋章｡

　　太空奥德赛1964年,克拉克与斯坦利·库布里克一起开始了一部科幻电影剧本的创作｡4年后,二人因电影版《2001:太空奥德赛》共同获得了奥斯卡奖提名｡

　　在《2001:太空奥德赛》中,克拉克预见了太空站､膝上电脑､电子邮件以及一种有感知能力的超级计算机(名叫HAL9000)｡虽然最后这项构想还没有实现,但克拉克的预想被一次又一次地证实了,随着人工智能的不断发展,他的想象可能在某一天就会成为现实｡

　　三条定律作家和评论家乔治·泽布罗斯基是克拉克的好友,也是公认的克拉克作品专家｡他曾说过,克拉克的三条定律是欣赏他作品的关键｡这些格言不只是克拉克文学遗产中重要的组成部分,一些人甚至认为,它们为20世纪流行思想作出了颇有价值的贡献｡他的三条定律是:

　　1　如果一名卓著但年迈的科学家声称某些事是有可能的,那么他几乎完全是正确的｡以此推论的结果是:如果他声称某些事是不可能的,那么他很有可能是错的｡

　　2　找到可能性限度的惟一方法,就是大胆探寻到不可能性中去｡

　　3　任何卓越的先进技术都和魔法相差无几｡

　　地球村克拉克为促进探索太空而不懈努力,同时也赞美了地球文化和地理上的差异,因此他被誉为“我们太阳系中第一个地方主义者”｡

　　如今,克拉克对个别国家意图将太空探索国有化进行了坦率的批评｡这表明,他始终认为人类向其他世界的飞跃即便不是一项过于宏大的事业,也是有重要意义的事业,它不能被“民族-国家”这样短暂的概念所限制｡

　　他看来经常对我们感到失望,但他的小说表明他对自己的信念从未动摇过,那就是:未来将是非凡的时代,人类只要有时间和判断力,必将超越地球引力的束缚｡(赵巍摘译)

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