May we welcome you to the Tenth World Congress of the Center for Inquiry-Transnational and its affiliated organizations. We are dedicated to “science, reason, and free inquiry” in every area field of human endeavor.
欢迎大家参加国际探索中心及其所属组织的第十次世界大会。我们潜心于在人类努力的各个领域提倡“科学、理性和自由探索”。
This Congress is co-sponsored by the Council for Secular Humanism (celebrating its 25th anniversary) and the International Academy of Humanism (made of 80 leading Laureates from throughout the world). It has included in its membership Sir Isaiah Berlin, Francis Crick, and John Watson (co-discovers of DNA), Lady Barbara Wooten, Sir Peter Ustinov, Andre Sahkarov, Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, and some 15 Nobel Prize winners. We are especially disturbed by the growth of anti-scientific attitudes in the world, and particularly in the United States.
本次世界大会由世俗人道主义委员会（25周年纪念）和国际人道主义学院（有全世界80位杰出人士组成）共同发起的。历届会议参加的成员中，有Sir Isaiah Berlin, Francis Crick, and John Watson（DNA的共同发现者），Lady Barbara Wooten, Sir Peter Ustinov, Andre Sahkarov, Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould，以及大约15位诺贝尔奖获得者。现在，我们正受到世界反科学态度的不断增长的干扰，在美国尤其如此。因此，召开这次会议就特别有意义。
We are concerned with the resurgence of fundamentalist religion everywhere and their alliance with political-moral-ideological movements to block science. We are troubled by the continuous persistence of paranormal and occult beliefs, and the denial of the findings of scientific research. This is reinforced by the emergence in universities of “post-modernism,” which undermines the objectivity of science.
我们关注到，基督教原教旨主义在各地的复兴和它们的与政治-道德-意识形态运动的联盟以封锁科学，我们被一些持续的异常现象和小宗教团体的信仰所困扰，他们否定科学研究中的一些发现。这些现象受到“后现代主义”宇宙观的支持，这种宇宙观正破坏着科学的客观性。
In the United States, the sudden appearance of Intelligent Design (a new name for creationism) and the insistence that it be taught along with evolution, is unfortunate. Some 20 states are considering legislation to mandate this. This is puzzling since the hypotheses and theories of evolution are central to modern science.
在美国，出现智能设计（创世论的新名称）和坚持与进化论一起在学校中开课的意外现象，大约有20个州正在考虑立法要求这样做，这是非常不幸的。这是自进化论假说和理论作为现代科学的核心以来最令人困惑的事情。
A case in point:
证据有：
If evolutionary processes were rejected, then the development of new vaccines―such as a new bird flu virus―would make no sense, since it postulates the capacity of these viruses to survive, mutate, and reproduce by natural selection.
如果抛弃进化的过程理论，那么，新疫苗――如新的禽流感疫苗――的开发就变得毫无意义。因为，这些病毒要求通过自然选择获得生存、变异和繁殖的能力。
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center revealed that 64% of Americans favor the teaching of intelligent design or creationism in public schools.
教堂研究中心最近的一项民意调查显示，64%的美国人赞成在公共学校中教智能设计或创世论。
Some 42% totally reject evolution or believe that present forms of life existed since the beginning of time.
大约24%的人完全拒绝进化论或相信现在的生命形态从时间开始的时代就存在。
38% would teach only creationism instead of evolutionary theory.
38%的人赞成只教创世论，而不是进化论
Only 26% agree with the predominant scientific view that life evolved by processes of natural selection without the need for divine intervention.
只有26%的人同意主要的科学观点，即生命通过自然选择而不需要神的干预就能进化而来。
It is our conviction that science can only continue if it is free of censorship, yet the effort by ideological-theological forces to limit science appears in field after field, such as:
我们坚信，科学只有在免于审查的情况下才能继续发展，然而，意识形态的神学力量仍然在一个又一个的领域中限制科学的出现，如
Opposition to therapeutic stem-cell research on “moral” grounds because of the postulation of the “soul” in the first division of cells in a petri dish (blastocyst)
在“道德”的基础上反对用于治疗的干细胞研究，因为他们假定在胎盘上细胞的第一次分裂中就注入了“灵魂”。
Economic-political opposition to global warming―in spite of scientific evidence in support of it―because of its emphasis on energy conservation, or the need for car manufacturers to make smaller vehicles.
来自经济政治上的对全球变暖的反对――尽管有科学证据支持――却只强调节能，或要求汽车制造厂生产小型车。
Opposition to the use of condoms on ethical-moral grounds, which interferes with preventing AIDS or programs to contain population growth.
基于道德伦理上的反对避孕套的使用，这样做阻碍了防止爱滋病或放纵了人口的增长。
Science must be uncontaminated by religious intrusion in the classrooms.
科学不能由宗教闯入课堂而受到玷污。
Recent polls have illustrated other instances of scientific illiteracy:
最近的民意测验同样说明了科学素养的其他一些事例：
20% of Americans think that the Sun revolves about the Earth
only 10% know what radiation is
less than one-third can identify DNA as a key to heredity
20%的美国人认为太阳绕着地球转
只有10%的人知道什么是放射物质
不到1/3的人能够认同DNA是遗传的关键
Also disturbing to American scientists is the fact that 59% of Chinese undergraduates receive degrees in science and engineering, 66% in Japan, whereas only 32% do so in the United States.
同样令美国科学家不安的是，59%的中国人在工程和科学领域获得学位，这个比例在日本是66%，而在美国只有32%。
Graduate programs in science in the U.S. are often dominated by foreign PhDs; many graduate programs are filled with Korean, Chinese, Indian, and other fine foreign students, while American students shy away from such subjects.
In the U.S., 12th grade students scored lower than the average of 21 other countries in science and math.
在美国，科学领域的毕业生经常是外国人博士生占主导地位，许多毕业项目充满了韩国人、中国人、印度人和其他国家的优秀学生，而美国人则含羞地远离了这些学科。
在美国，12年级的学生数学和科学课程的成绩低于21个其他国家的平均分数。
We think that this portends a clear and present danger to the role of science in the U.S. In our view it is not enough to teach specific technical subjects―important as that is―but to convey to the public a general understanding of how science works.
我们认为，这预示着并表明，在美国科学的地位处于危险状况。在我们看来，仅仅教特殊的技术课程是远远不够的，同样重要的是，要向公众传递“对科学如何发生作用的一般性的理解”。
This means some comprehension of the methods of scientific inquiry. The cultivation of critical thinking is essential not only for science but for an educated citizenry―especially if democracy is to flourish.
（1）这意味着对科学探索方法的理解、领悟，批判思维不仅对科学是必要的，而且对市民也是十分必要的，特别是在民主繁荣的国家。
In addition, the public needs to understand the scientific outlook, that is, what the frontiers of scientific research tell us about the cosmos. Unfortunately, too many well-meaning people base their conceptions of the universe on ancient books―such as the Koran and the Bible―rather than going directly to the book of nature. Many prefer a literary―poetic rather than the scientific conception of nature. It is vital that the public be exposed to the perspective of physics and astronomy, of the biological sciences, and the social and behavioral sciences.
（2）此外，公民需要理解科学发展的图景，也就是说，科学研究的前沿告诉我们有关宇宙的什么知识。不幸的很，太多的人把他们关于宇宙的概念建立在古代书籍的基础上，比如《可兰经》、《圣经》，而不直接去看自然科学书籍。许多人喜欢文学，喜欢诗而不是关于自然的科学概念。公众接受一些物理、天文学、生物学、和社会行为科学的观念将是很有生命力的，
We think that this is vital given the great promises of biogenetic research and other technologies in the future. We say that we need a New Enlightenment. Science and reason can provide a bridge between cultures. We need to do what we can to transcend the ancient religious and political differences of the past and to find some common ground for the global community.
The New Enlightenment that we are calling for depends on reforms in education. But it also depends on the mass media, which panders to sensationalism. We appeal to the media to help develop the public appreciation and understanding of the sciences, by scheduling on a regular basis programs that are pro not anti-science.
我们认为，这样做将给生物遗传学研究和其它技术一个光辉的前景。所以，我们说，我们需要一次新的启蒙。科学和理性可以在不同的文化之间假设起一座桥梁，我们需要做我们能够做的，以超越古代的宗教和过去的政治差异，以发现全球社会的共同基础。
我们所呼吁的新的启蒙依赖与教育改革，但是，也依赖于大众传媒，传媒更具影响力。我们呼吁传媒帮助公众欣赏和理解科学，安排一些固定的支持而不是反对科学的常规节目