不需要任何人的理解或引導，自然選擇的試錯過程就能實現改進。我們進行的學習也是這個道理。至少有3 種學習能促進進化：以記憶為基礎的學習（有意識地儲存不斷出現的資訊，以便以後可以記起來）；潛意識的學習（從未進入意識的、我們從經驗中習得的知識，但也會影響我們的決策）；與人類思考無關的“學習”，例如記錄物種適應程序的基因的進化。
我曾以為以記憶為基礎的有意識的學習是最有力的，但我後來明白，試驗和適應能帶來更快的進步。要想明白自然是如何不依靠思考而改進的，只需看看（能思考的）人類與（連大腦都沒有的）病毒鬥智鬥勇的過程。病毒就像是聰明的國際象棋對手。病毒飛快地進化（透過將不同種類病毒的遺傳物質結合在一起），讓全球衛生共同體裡最聰明的人忙得不可開交，不斷思索對付病毒的新辦法。在當今這個時代，理解這一點尤為有用，因為今天的計算機可以執行大量展現進化過程的模擬程式，幫助我們看到哪些進化成功，哪些不成功。
我將在下一條講述一種一直在幫助我快速進化的流程，我相信也能幫到你們。但我想先強調，在確定什麼對你重要、你要追求什麼時，你的視角是多麼重要。
Natural selection’s trial-and-error process allows improvement without anyone understanding or guiding it. The same can apply to how welearn. There are at least three kinds of learning that foster evolution: memory-based learning (storing the information that comes in through one’s conscious mind so that we can recall it later); subconscious learning (the knowledge we take away from our experiences that never enters our conscious minds, though it affects our decision making); and “learning” that occurs without thinking at all, such as the changes in DNA that encode a species’ adaptations.
I used to think that memory-based, conscious learning was the most powerful, but I’ve since come to understand that it produces less rapid progress than experimentation and adaptation. To give you an example of how nature improves without thinking, just look at the struggle that mankind (with all its thinking) has experienced in trying to outsmart viruses (which don’t even have brains). Viruses are like brilliant chess opponents. By evolving quickly (combining different genetic material across different strains), they keep the smartest minds in the global health community busy thinking up countermoves to hold them off. Understanding that is especially helpful in an era when computers can run large numbers of simulations replicating the evolutionary process to help us see what works and what doesn’t.
In the next chapter I will describe a process that has helped me, and I believe can help you, evolve quickly. But first I want to emphasize how important your perspective is in trying to decide what is important to you and what to go after.
瑞·達利歐官方微信公眾號: raydalio_
《每日原則》為瑞·達利歐(Ray Dalio) 原創，
《原則》團隊翻譯，歡迎分享，轉載請註明出處。