内容简介
“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.
作者简介
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.,,
精彩书评
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
《高效能人士的七个习惯》:一部重塑个人与组织效能的经典之作 作者:史蒂芬·R·柯维 (Stephen R. Covey) 卓越人生的蓝图:从内部到外部的彻底转型 史蒂芬·R·柯维的《高效能人士的七个习惯》不仅仅是一本管理指南或自我提升手册,它是一部深刻洞察人性、组织行为与长期成功的哲学宣言。本书的核心在于,真正的效能——无论是个人生活、职业发展还是组织管理——源于内在的品格塑造和原则的内化,而非仅仅依赖于外在的技巧或速成的策略。柯维挑战了现代社会对“成功”的肤浅定义,将其从侧重于“形象(Personality Ethic)”转向了对“品格(Character Ethic)”的回归。 本书提供了一套系统化、循序渐进的成长模型,引导读者从“依赖期”过渡到“独立期”,最终迈向“互赖期”——这是最高效能的人际关系状态。这七个习惯构成了从内在到外在、从个人到人际的完整生态系统,确保了长期、可持续的成功与满足感。 --- 第一部分:从依赖到独立——个人领域的革命(私下胜利) 在赢得与他人的关系之前,我们必须先赢得自己。柯维将前三个习惯定义为“私下胜利”(Private Victories),它们是建立个人信誉、自律和主动性的基石。 习惯一:积极主动 (Be Proactive) 这是七个习惯的基石。积极主动意味着认识到我们对自己的选择和反应负有责任。柯维强调,人与人之间最根本的区别在于我们如何应对刺激——我们拥有选择的自由,能够根据自己的价值观和原则来回应环境,而非仅仅被环境所驱动。 本书深入探讨了“关注圈”(Circle of Concern)与“关注区”(Circle of Influence)的概念。高效能人士将精力集中在他们能够影响的领域,通过积极的语言和行动,逐步扩大他们的关注区,从而增强对生活的掌控力。这是一种从“被动”到“创造”的心态转变。 习惯二:以终为始 (Begin with the End in Mind) 习惯二要求我们在开始任何行动之前,都清晰地描绘出我们人生的最终愿景和目标。柯维提出,所有的事物都存在两次创造:一次是心智上的构思(第一创造),一次是实际行动(第二创造)。如果心智上的构思是模糊或错误的,那么所有的努力都可能导向错误的方向。 本书引导读者去撰写个人使命宣言(Personal Mission Statement)。这个宣言是个人价值观和人生目标的宪章,它提供了一个内在的指南针,确保日常的决策和行动都与我们最珍视的原则保持一致。它强调了“愿景”在驱动“行动”中的决定性作用。 习惯三:要事第一 (Put First Things First) 如果说习惯一是关于选择的自由,习惯二是关于愿景的确立,那么习惯三就是关于如何将愿景付诸行动。这是个人管理的核心实践。柯维引入了著名的“时间管理矩阵”(Time Management Matrix),将活动按“重要性”和“紧急性”划分。 高效能人士的标志是他们将绝大部分精力投入到“第二象限”——重要但不紧急的活动中(如关系建立、预防性维护、规划和学习)。本书详细阐述了如何运用“第四代时间管理”工具,对抗“紧急性陷阱”,实现以原则为中心,而非以危机为中心的管理方式。习惯三的精髓在于“说不”的艺术,即拒绝次要的事务,专注于对实现人生使命至关重要的事情。 --- 第二部分:从独立到互赖——人际关系的升华(公关胜利) 在个人领域取得稳定和自信后,个体才能有效地进入人际交往领域,实现“公关胜利”(Public Victories)。这三个习惯专注于建立和维护高效的合作关系。 习惯四:双赢思维 (Think Win/Win) 双赢思维是一种哲学,它主张在所有互动中寻求互惠互利的解决方案。它不是“你输我赢”(Win/Lose)或妥协(Lose/Win),而是一种相信充足的资源和成功的机会是无限的,可以为所有参与者带来积极成果的信念。 柯维阐述了六种思维范式,并强调了双赢协议的五个要素:期望结果、指导原则、可用资源、问责制和评估机制。本书强调,要实现双赢,首先必须拥有“丰盛心态”(Abundance Mentality),即相信自己和他人的价值都不是有限的、相互竞争的资源。 习惯五:知彼解己 (Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood) 这是人际沟通的黄金法则。在尝试影响他人之前,必须首先深刻理解他人。柯维指出,大多数人在沟通时都在“模仿式倾听”——即带着自己的经验、评判或建议的框架去听,而非真正去理解对方的观点和感受。 本书详细介绍了“同理心倾听”(Empathic Listening)的技术,这要求沟通者完全投入到对方的参照系中去理解信息、感受和意义。只有当对方感到被真正理解时,他们才会开放心扉,愿意倾听你的观点。这是一种建立信任和理解的深刻方式。 习惯六:综合统合 (Synergize) 综合统合(或称协同增效)是七个习惯的巅峰,它意味着整体大于部分之和(1+1>2)。这是习惯四和习惯五的自然结果。当人们以开放的心态、基于双赢的原则,并深刻理解彼此的观点时,他们就能共同创造出比任何个体都更优越的解决方案。 综合统合强调了“珍视差异”的重要性。差异不是障碍,而是创新的燃料。本书鼓励读者积极寻求不同观点之间的化学反应,通过创造性的合作,发现新的、更好的可能性。 --- 第三部分:持续改进——不断更新自我(自我更新) 最后一个习惯是保持和增强前六个习惯的引擎,确保个人持续成长和进步。 习惯七:不断更新 (Sharpen the Saw) 习惯七要求我们投入时间来维持和提升自己的“生产能力”。柯维将人的生命力归纳为四个维度,即“锯子的四个方面”: 1. 身体维度: 关注营养、锻炼和压力管理。 2. 心智维度: 关注学习、阅读、写作和规划。 3. 社交/情感维度: 关注服务他人、建立人际关系和实现双赢。 4. 精神维度: 关注价值观的澄清、冥想或与更高原则的连接。 习惯七是一种自我投资,它确保了前六个习惯能够持续有效。它强调了“平衡的自我更新”的重要性,防止因为过度专注于工作或家庭的某一方面而导致整体效能的下降。 --- 核心理念:从“形象”到“品格”的范式转换 《高效能人士的七个习惯》的持久魅力在于其对“由内而外”的深刻坚持。它揭示了:真正的成功和影响力不是来自于外在的技巧、快速致富的秘诀或公关手腕,而是建立在永恒不变的、可靠的原则之上。只有当我们首先在品格上做到正直、主动、有远见时,我们才能在人际关系中实现持久的、相互尊重的成功。这是一部指导人们如何从优秀走向卓越的“原则导向型”生活地图。