內容簡介
“Charming and erudite . . . The wit and insight and clarity he brings . . . is what makes this book such a gem.” —Time.com?
Why is so much writing so bad, and how can we make it better? Is the English language being corrupted by texting and social media? Do the kids today even care about good writing—and why should we care?
In this entertaining and eminently practical book, the cognitive scientist, dictionary consultant, and
New York Times–bestselling author Steven Pinker rethinks the usage guide for the twenty-first century. Using examples of great and gruesome modern prose while avoiding the scolding tone and Spartan tastes of the classic manuals, he shows how the art of writing can be a form of pleasurable mastery and a fascinating intellectual topic in its own right.
The Sense of Style is for writers of all kinds, and for readers who are interested in letters and literature and are curious about the ways in which the sciences of mind can illuminate how language works at its best.
作者簡介
Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He has been listed among Foreign Policy magazine’s “Top 100 Public Intellectuals” and Time’s “The 100 Most Influential People in the World.” He is currently chair of the Usage Panel of The American Heritage Dictionary.,,
精彩書評
Praise for
The Sense of Style?“[
The Sense of Style] is more contemporary and comprehensive than “The Elements of Style,” illustrated with comic strips and cartoons and lots of examples of comically bad writing. [Pinker’s] voice is calm, reasonable, benign, and you can easily see why he’s one of Harvard’s most popular lecturers.”
—
The New York Times?
“Pinker's linguistical learning…is considerable. His knowledge of grammar is extensive and runs deep. He also takes a scarcely hidden delight in exploding tradition. He describes his own temperament as "both logical and rebellious." Few things give him more pleasure than popping the buttons off what he takes to be stuffed shirts.”
—
The Wall Street Journal?
“[W]hile?
The Sense of Style?is very much a practical guide to clear and compelling writing, it’s also far more…. In the end, Pinker’s formula for good writing is pretty basic: write clearly, try to follow the rules most of the time—but only the when they make sense. It’s neither rocket science nor brain surgery. But the wit and insight and clarity he brings to that simple formula is what makes this book such a gem.”
—
Time.com?
“Erudite and witty… With its wealth of helpful information and its accessible approach,
The Sense of Style is a worthy addition to even the most overburdened shelf of style manuals.”
—
Shelf Awareness?
“Forget Strunk and White’s rules—cognitive science is a surer basis for clear and cogent writing, according to this iconoclastic guide from bestselling Harvard psycholinguist Pinker... Every writer can profit from—and every writer can enjoy—Pinker’s analysis of the ways in which skillfully chosen words engage the mind.”
—
Publishers Weekly (starred)?
“Yet another how-to book on writing? Indeed, but this is one of the best to come along in many years, a model of intelligent signposting and syntactical comportment…Pinker's vade mecum is a worthy addition to any writer’s library.”
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Kirkus Reviews?
“In this witty and practical book on the art of writing, Pinker applies insights from the sciences of language and mind to the crafting of clear, elegant prose: #requiredreading.”
—
Publishers Weekly, PW pick Fall 2014 Announcements
?
“Who better than a best-selling linguist and cognitive scientist to craft a style guide showing us how to use language more effectively?”
—
Library Journal?
“[A] dense, fascinating analysis of the many ways communication can be stymied by word choice, placement, stress, and the like. [Pinker’s] explanations run rich and deep, complemented by lists, cartoons, charts on diagramming sentences, and more.”
—
Booklist ?
“This book is a graceful and clear smackdown to the notion that English is going to the proverbial dogs. Pinker has written the Strunk & White for a new century while continuing to discourage baseless notions such as that the old slogan should have been ‘Winston tastes good AS a cigarette should.’”
—John McWhorter, author of
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue and
The Power of Babel?
“Great stuff! Only Steven Pinker could have written this marvelous book, and thank heaven he has. ‘Good writing can flip the way the world is perceived,’ he writes, and
The Sense of Style will flip the way you think about good writing. Pinker’s curiosity and delight illuminate every page, and when he says style can make the world a better place, we believe him.”
?—Patricia T. O’Conner
, author of
Woe Is I and, with Stewart Kellerman
, Origins of the Specious?
前言/序言
《高效能人士的七個習慣》:一部重塑個人與組織效能的經典之作 作者:史蒂芬·R·柯維 (Stephen R. Covey) 卓越人生的藍圖:從內部到外部的徹底轉型 史蒂芬·R·柯維的《高效能人士的七個習慣》不僅僅是一本管理指南或自我提升手冊,它是一部深刻洞察人性、組織行為與長期成功的哲學宣言。本書的核心在於,真正的效能——無論是個人生活、職業發展還是組織管理——源於內在的品格塑造和原則的內化,而非僅僅依賴於外在的技巧或速成的策略。柯維挑戰瞭現代社會對“成功”的膚淺定義,將其從側重於“形象(Personality Ethic)”轉嚮瞭對“品格(Character Ethic)”的迴歸。 本書提供瞭一套係統化、循序漸進的成長模型,引導讀者從“依賴期”過渡到“獨立期”,最終邁嚮“互賴期”——這是最高效能的人際關係狀態。這七個習慣構成瞭從內在到外在、從個人到人際的完整生態係統,確保瞭長期、可持續的成功與滿足感。 --- 第一部分:從依賴到獨立——個人領域的革命(私下勝利) 在贏得與他人的關係之前,我們必須先贏得自己。柯維將前三個習慣定義為“私下勝利”(Private Victories),它們是建立個人信譽、自律和主動性的基石。 習慣一:積極主動 (Be Proactive) 這是七個習慣的基石。積極主動意味著認識到我們對自己的選擇和反應負有責任。柯維強調,人與人之間最根本的區彆在於我們如何應對刺激——我們擁有選擇的自由,能夠根據自己的價值觀和原則來迴應環境,而非僅僅被環境所驅動。 本書深入探討瞭“關注圈”(Circle of Concern)與“關注區”(Circle of Influence)的概念。高效能人士將精力集中在他們能夠影響的領域,通過積極的語言和行動,逐步擴大他們的關注區,從而增強對生活的掌控力。這是一種從“被動”到“創造”的心態轉變。 習慣二:以終為始 (Begin with the End in Mind) 習慣二要求我們在開始任何行動之前,都清晰地描繪齣我們人生的最終願景和目標。柯維提齣,所有的事物都存在兩次創造:一次是心智上的構思(第一創造),一次是實際行動(第二創造)。如果心智上的構思是模糊或錯誤的,那麼所有的努力都可能導嚮錯誤的方嚮。 本書引導讀者去撰寫個人使命宣言(Personal Mission Statement)。這個宣言是個人價值觀和人生目標的憲章,它提供瞭一個內在的指南針,確保日常的決策和行動都與我們最珍視的原則保持一緻。它強調瞭“願景”在驅動“行動”中的決定性作用。 習慣三:要事第一 (Put First Things First) 如果說習慣一是關於選擇的自由,習慣二是關於願景的確立,那麼習慣三就是關於如何將願景付諸行動。這是個人管理的核心實踐。柯維引入瞭著名的“時間管理矩陣”(Time Management Matrix),將活動按“重要性”和“緊急性”劃分。 高效能人士的標誌是他們將絕大部分精力投入到“第二象限”——重要但不緊急的活動中(如關係建立、預防性維護、規劃和學習)。本書詳細闡述瞭如何運用“第四代時間管理”工具,對抗“緊急性陷阱”,實現以原則為中心,而非以危機為中心的管理方式。習慣三的精髓在於“說不”的藝術,即拒絕次要的事務,專注於對實現人生使命至關重要的事情。 --- 第二部分:從獨立到互賴——人際關係的升華(公關勝利) 在個人領域取得穩定和自信後,個體纔能有效地進入人際交往領域,實現“公關勝利”(Public Victories)。這三個習慣專注於建立和維護高效的閤作關係。 習慣四:雙贏思維 (Think Win/Win) 雙贏思維是一種哲學,它主張在所有互動中尋求互惠互利的解決方案。它不是“你輸我贏”(Win/Lose)或妥協(Lose/Win),而是一種相信充足的資源和成功的機會是無限的,可以為所有參與者帶來積極成果的信念。 柯維闡述瞭六種思維範式,並強調瞭雙贏協議的五個要素:期望結果、指導原則、可用資源、問責製和評估機製。本書強調,要實現雙贏,首先必須擁有“豐盛心態”(Abundance Mentality),即相信自己和他人的價值都不是有限的、相互競爭的資源。 習慣五:知彼解己 (Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood) 這是人際溝通的黃金法則。在嘗試影響他人之前,必須首先深刻理解他人。柯維指齣,大多數人在溝通時都在“模仿式傾聽”——即帶著自己的經驗、評判或建議的框架去聽,而非真正去理解對方的觀點和感受。 本書詳細介紹瞭“同理心傾聽”(Empathic Listening)的技術,這要求溝通者完全投入到對方的參照係中去理解信息、感受和意義。隻有當對方感到被真正理解時,他們纔會開放心扉,願意傾聽你的觀點。這是一種建立信任和理解的深刻方式。 習慣六:綜閤統閤 (Synergize) 綜閤統閤(或稱協同增效)是七個習慣的巔峰,它意味著整體大於部分之和(1+1>2)。這是習慣四和習慣五的自然結果。當人們以開放的心態、基於雙贏的原則,並深刻理解彼此的觀點時,他們就能共同創造齣比任何個體都更優越的解決方案。 綜閤統閤強調瞭“珍視差異”的重要性。差異不是障礙,而是創新的燃料。本書鼓勵讀者積極尋求不同觀點之間的化學反應,通過創造性的閤作,發現新的、更好的可能性。 --- 第三部分:持續改進——不斷更新自我(自我更新) 最後一個習慣是保持和增強前六個習慣的引擎,確保個人持續成長和進步。 習慣七:不斷更新 (Sharpen the Saw) 習慣七要求我們投入時間來維持和提升自己的“生産能力”。柯維將人的生命力歸納為四個維度,即“鋸子的四個方麵”: 1. 身體維度: 關注營養、鍛煉和壓力管理。 2. 心智維度: 關注學習、閱讀、寫作和規劃。 3. 社交/情感維度: 關注服務他人、建立人際關係和實現雙贏。 4. 精神維度: 關注價值觀的澄清、冥想或與更高原則的連接。 習慣七是一種自我投資,它確保瞭前六個習慣能夠持續有效。它強調瞭“平衡的自我更新”的重要性,防止因為過度專注於工作或傢庭的某一方麵而導緻整體效能的下降。 --- 核心理念:從“形象”到“品格”的範式轉換 《高效能人士的七個習慣》的持久魅力在於其對“由內而外”的深刻堅持。它揭示瞭:真正的成功和影響力不是來自於外在的技巧、快速緻富的秘訣或公關手腕,而是建立在永恒不變的、可靠的原則之上。隻有當我們首先在品格上做到正直、主動、有遠見時,我們纔能在人際關係中實現持久的、相互尊重的成功。這是一部指導人們如何從優秀走嚮卓越的“原則導嚮型”生活地圖。