内容简介
A new series of beautiful hardcover nonfiction classics, with covers designed by Coralie Bickford-SmithWorld-changing ideas meet eye-catching design: the best titles of the extraordinarily successful Great Ideas series are now packaged in Coralie Bickford-Smith’s distinctive, award-winning covers. Whether on a well-curated shelf or in your back pocket, these timeless works of philosophical, political, and psychological thought are absolute must-haves for book collectors as well as design enthusiasts.
Written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius? offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and the values of leadership. But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation, in developing his beliefs Marcus also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a series of wise and practical aphorisms that have been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and ordinary readers for almost two thousand years.
To provide a full understanding of Aurelius's seminal work, this edition includes?explanatory notes, a general index, an index of quotations, an index of names, and?an introduction by Diskin Clay putting the work in its biographical, historical, and literary context,?a chronology of Marcus Aurelius's life and career.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500?titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the?series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date?translations by award-winning translators.
作者简介
Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus?(121-180 CE) was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161, (as joint emperor with adoptive brother Lucius Verus). The last of the so-called Five Good Emperors, he ruled alone from 169.? Presiding over a changing Rome, he spent much of his reign in putting down variou rebellions. Today, he is best-know for his Meditations, a series of reflections, strongly influenced by Epictetus, which cemented his place as one of the greatest Stoic Philosophers. He died in 180 and was succeed by his natural son, thus ending the period of the adoptive emperors.
Diskin Clay?is Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies at Duke University and has published widely in the area of Ancient Greek Philosophy.
Martin Hammond?was Head Master of Tonbridge School and has translated many works of classic literature, including Homer's Iliad for Penguin Classics.,,,,,,
精彩书评
“Here, for our age, is [Marcus’s] great work presented in its entirety, strongly introduced and freshly, elegantly translated.” —Robert Fagles
前言/序言
好的,这是一本名为《The Art of War》的图书简介,内容详实,不含《Meditations》的任何信息: --- 《孙子兵法》(The Art of War) 穿越时空的战略智慧:一部永恒的军事与人生指南 作者: 孙武 (Sun Tzu) 版本: 精装典藏版 简介: 《孙子兵法》,这部成书于两千多年前的中国古代军事著作,是人类历史上最伟大的战略思想经典之一。它并非仅仅是一本关于战术和兵种部署的指南,而是一部深刻洞察人性、冲突本质以及决策艺术的哲学巨著。这部精装典藏版,通过严谨的现代翻译和详尽的注释,带领读者重返那个群雄逐鹿、智慧闪耀的时代,探索孙武那超越时空的洞察力。 核心思想:不战而屈人之兵 孙子的核心理念在于“知彼知己,百战不殆”,以及“上兵伐谋,其次伐交,其次伐兵,其下攻城”。他推崇的是通过智慧、情报和对局势的精准判断,以最小的代价达成最终目标。战争被视为一种必要的、但必须谨慎处理的“非常之道”。因此,真正的胜利并非在于血腥的厮杀,而在于通过战略规划和心理博弈,使敌人不战而降服。 本书的精髓在于其对“道”的理解——即影响战争胜负的根本性因素,包括政治环境、气候、地形、将领的素质以及军队的纪律。孙子教导的不仅仅是将军如何打仗,更是领导者如何在充满变数的环境中做出最优化决策。 结构与内容深度解析: 《孙子兵法》共分十三篇,每一篇都系统地阐述了军事战略的不同侧面,其深度和广度令人叹服: 第一篇:始计 (Laying Plans) 开篇即确立了战争的严肃性,强调在开战之前,必须对“五事七计”(道、天、地、将、法,以及政治、气候、地形、将帅、法制)进行全面、冷静的评估。孙子指出,那些在战前已经预测到胜负的指挥官,才是真正的胜利者。这篇是战略规划的基石。 第二篇:作战 (Waging War) 本篇聚焦于后勤与成本控制。孙子严厉批评了旷日持久的战争,认为拖延战术是对国家资源的巨大消耗。他强调速度与效率,主张速战速决,将战争的经济成本控制在最低水平。 第三篇:谋攻 (Attack by Stratagem) 这是全书中最富哲学意味的篇章之一。孙子明确指出,最佳的策略是瓦解敌人的联盟(伐交),其次是挫败其战略意图(伐谋)。他以极高的清晰度论证了“攻城为下,攻心为上”的原则,强调战略层面上的威慑与布局远胜于实际的武力接触。 第四篇:形 (Tactical Dispositions) 本篇探讨如何确保自身立于不败之地。孙子认为,防守是胜利的前提。只有当自己构筑了坚不可摧的防御态势(形),才具备了主动出击(势)的基础。他教导我们如何隐藏实力,让对手无法找到攻击的破绽。 第五篇:势 (Energy/Momentum) 如果说“形”是静态的防御部署,那么“势”就是动态的力量运用。孙子阐述了如何积蓄和释放“势能”,如同圆石自高山滚落,具有不可阻挡的力量。这涉及到对军队士气、时机的把握,以及如何通过组织结构来放大指挥官的意志。 第六篇:虚实 (Weak Points and Strong) 这是关于战场机动性和信息战的精髓。孙子教导指挥官如何引导敌人暴露弱点,并在敌人最不防备时发起攻击。关键在于掌握主动权,迫使敌人根据你的部署进行反应,从而始终处于有利的“实”地,而让敌人疲于奔命于“虚”处。 第七篇:军争 (Maneuvering) 本篇着重论述战场上的机动与速度。如何争夺有利地形,如何以“奇正”配合(正面部署与侧翼突袭)来迷惑对手,以及如何利用地形和时间差来建立优势。 第八篇:九变 (Variation in Tactics) 孙子强调,军事规则并非一成不变的教条,而是需要根据具体环境进行灵活调整的工具。指挥官必须了解哪些命令可以严格遵守,哪些必须根据实际情况变通,这是领导者智慧的体现。 第九篇:行军 (Movement) 这一篇是实用的野外指南,详细说明了在不同地形(山地、河流、沼泽、开阔地)行军时的注意事项和潜在的危险。它强调了对环境细节的敏感性。 第十篇:地形 (Terrain) 详细分类和分析了六种基本地形,以及指挥官在不同地形上应采取的战略姿态和判断标准。对地形的深刻理解是避免兵败如山倒的关键。 第十一篇:九地 (Nine Situations) 这是一部关于心理战的杰作。孙子将战场划分为九种不同的战略区域(如散地、轻地、重地、围地、死地等),并为每一种区域制定了不同的作战原则。尤其在“死地”(无路可退的境地),他主张激发士兵的求生本能,以取得惊人的战斗力。 第十二篇:火攻 (Attack by Fire) 论述了利用火攻的五种方式以及必须注意的时机和天气条件。这不仅是物理攻击,也包含了对破坏性力量使用的审慎态度。 第十三篇:用间 (Use of Spies) 孙子认为,情报的价值高于一切军事行动。他系统地阐述了五种间谍的类型(本地间、内部间、反间、可杀间、生间),并强调了对间谍的保密和重用,认为这是决定战争成败的“重要因素”。 超越军事的当代价值: 《孙子兵法》的价值早已超越了军事领域。它被广泛应用于商业竞争、法律辩论、政治谈判、体育竞技乃至个人职业规划中。 企业管理: 强调市场分析(知彼知己)、竞争定位(虚实)、资源整合(势)和供应链管理(作战)。 谈判策略: 教授如何在对话中占据信息优势,避免不必要的正面冲突(伐谋),以及如何通过布局赢得长期利益。 个人发展: 鼓励人们在行动前深思熟虑,积累资本,避免鲁莽行事,并学会利用环境和时机。 精装典藏版特色: 本精装版不仅保留了原文的古朴典雅,更配备了权威的注释和详尽的背景资料。高质量的装帧设计,使其成为书架上永恒的珍藏。它不仅是了解古代战略思想的必备之作,更是指导现代人应对复杂挑战的智慧宝典。阅读《孙子兵法》,就是与历史上最伟大的战略家进行跨越时空的对话。 ---