The Stuff of Thought：Language as a Window into Human Nature

作者: Steven Pinker 著

出版社: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

出版时间: 2008-08

版次: 1

ISBN: 9780143114246

定价: 134.40

装帧: 平装

开本: 16开

纸张: 胶版纸

页数: 512页

正文语种: 英语

分类: 外文古旧书>英文书>哲学心理学

2人买过

Everytimeweswear,werevealsomethingabouthumanemotions.Whenweuseaninnuendotoconveyabribe,threat,orsexualcome-on(ratherthanjustblurtingitout),wedisclosesomethingabouthumanrelationships.Ouruseofprepositionsandtensestapintopeculiarlyhumanconceptsofspaceandtime,andournounsandverbstapintomentalmodelsofmatterandcausation.Eventhenameswegiveourbabies,astheychangefromdecadetodecade,haveimportantthingstodayaboutourrelationstoourchildrenandtosociety.Bylookingcloselyatoureverydayspeech-ourconversations,ourjokes,ourlegaldisputes-Pinkerpaintsavividpictureofthethoughtsandemotionsthatpopulateourmentallives.

Pinkertakesonbothscientificquestions-likewhetherlanguageaffectsthought,andwhichofourconceptsareinnate-andquestionsfromtheheadlinesandeverydaylife.Whydoesthegovernmentcaresomuchaboutdirtywords?Howdolobbyistsbribepoliticians?Whydoromanticcomediesgetsuchmileageoutoftheambiguitiesofdating?Whydosomanycourtroomdramashingeondisagreementsaboutwhoreallycausedaperson'sdeath?WhyhavethelasttwoAmericanpresidentsgottenintotroublebythesemanticnicetiesoftheirwords?Andwhyisbulkemailcalledspam?

TheStuffofThoughtmarriesthetwotopicsofPinker'searlierbestsellers:language(TheLanguageInstinct,WordsandRules)andhumannature(HowtheMindWorks,TheBlankSlate).Itpresentsentirelynewmaterial,whilewritteninthestylethatmadethosebooksfamous:lucidexplanationsofdeepandpowerfulideas,presentedwithirreverentwit,elegantstyle,andadeftuseofexamplesfrompopularcultureandeverydaylife. StevenPinker
Besideschallengingconventionalwisdomabouthowwethink,cognitivescientistStevenPinkerhasatalentforconveyinghisfindingsaboutthebrain,languageandperceptionwithaclarityandclevernessthathasbroughthimafollowingoutsidehisfield.

Biography
"Whenagiftedscientistandagiftedwriterareallinone,youhaveStevenPinker,"writesfellowcognitivescientistMichaelS.Gazzaniga.Withhiscrispprosestyleandzany,popculture-inflectedsenseofhumor,theMITpsychologyprofessorhasbecomefamedforhisabilitytoturnsomethinglikeadiscussionofregularandirregularverbformsintoarollickinggoodread.AsapsychologystudentatMcGillUniversityinMontreal,Pinkerwasdrawntotheemergentfieldofcognitivescience:"Ifoundalluringthecombinationofpsychology,computerscience,artificialintelligence,thephilosophyofmind,andlinguistics,"hesaidinaScientificAmericaninterview.HeearnedhisPh.D.atHarvard,wherehismentorwasthepsychologyprofessorRogerBrown,whowasapioneerinthestudyoflanguageacquisitionandoneofthefirsttoapplyNoamChomsky'stheoriesoflanguagetofieldresearch.AfteracceptingapostatMITin1982,Pinkerbeganstudyinglanguageacquisitioninchildren,amassingenoughdatatodemonstratethatchildrenhaveaninbornfacilityforlanguage.Pinker'sacademicworksonlanguagedevelopmentwereadmiredbymanyofhispeers,butin1994hesought—andgained—abroaderaudiencewithTheLanguageInstinct,whichsuggeststhathumanlanguageisabiologicaladaptation,likeweb-spinninginspiders,ratherthan(asitissometimesseen)aculturalinvention,likethewheel.Pinker'slivelyandengagingtreatiseheldtremendousappealforapopularaudience.MichaelCoe,writinginTheNewYorkTimes,calledTheLanguageInstinct"Abrilliant,wittyandaltogethersatisfyingbook."Butifhumanshaveaninstinctforlanguage,howwasthatinstinctacquired?ThatquestionledPinkertothefieldofevolutionarypsychology,andtothewritingofhisnextbook,HowtheMindWorks.Ifaparticularbehavioriscommonamonghumans,evolutionarypsychologistsreason,thatbehaviorprobablycontributedtotheabilityofearlierhumanstosurviveandpassalongtheirgenes.HowtheMindWorks,whichusesthisapproachtoexaminebehaviorsfrommusic-makingtomurder,wasafinalistforthe1998PulitzerPrizeandtheNationalBookAward.Followingitsrelease,PinkerpubliclytangledwithStephenJayGouldoverthescientificlegitimacyofevolutionarypsychology.Althoughthetwoscientistsclashedonsomeissues,PinkeradmiredGould'sabilitytowriteentertainingexplicationsofcomplexideas—"profunditywithalighttouch,"asPinkerwroteinhisTimemagazineeulogyforGould.Pinker'snextbook,WordsandRules,returnedtothesubjectoflanguage;specifically,itexploresthedifferentmechanismsinvolvedinlearningregularandirregularverbforms.InarecentbookTheBlankSlate,Pinkertackledtheobjectionssomepeoplehavetoabiologicalviewofhumannature."Therearefearsthatifyouacknowledgethatpeoplearebornwithanything,itimpliesthatsomepeoplehavemoreofitthanothers,andthereforeitwouldopenthedoortopoliticalinequalityoroppression,forexample,"heexplainedinaNewYorkTimesinterview.TheBlankSlateisPinker'sattempttodemonstratethatthere'snoinherentcontradictionbetweenevolutionarypsychologyandtheconceptsoffreewillandmoralbehavior."It'safallacytothinkthathungerandthirstandasexdrivearebiologicalbutthatreasoninganddecisionmakingandlearningaresomethingelse,somethingnon-biological,"hesaid."They'rejustadifferentkindofbiology."

GoodToKnow
JournalistsoftencommentonPinker'srock-starmaneofcurls,andindeedPinkeronceflirtedwiththeideaofbecomingarockmusician:"Ihavetoconfessthatwatchingrock'n'rollconcerts,Ididfantasizeaboutbeinguponstage,"hetoldTheGuardian."Notinthelead.IneverwantedtobeMickJagger.Maybethebass-playerorthedrummer.ButInever,everplayedairguitar."ResearchatPinker'slab,intheDepartmentofBrainandCognitiveSciencesatMIT,focusesonthedifferentmentalprocessesinvolvedinusinggrammaticalrules(e.g.,anEnglishpluralcanbeformedbyadding–stotheendofanoun)andusingexceptionstotherules(e.g.,thepluralofmouseisnotmousesbutmice).Thelabhasundertakenmagnetoencephalographic(MEG)studiestoidentify"thetimecourseoftheprocessingofwordsandrulesinthebrain."PinkerwasnamedamongNewsweek's"100AmericansfortheNextCentury"andincludedinEsquire's"RegisterofOutstandingMenandWomen." Prefacevii
WordsandWorlds1
DowntheRabbitHole25
FiftyThousandInnateConcepts(andOtherRadicalTheoriesofLanguageandThought)89
CleavingtheAir153
TheMetaphorMetaphor235
What'sinaName?279
TheSevenWords
内容简介:
Everytimeweswear,werevealsomethingabouthumanemotions.Whenweuseaninnuendotoconveyabribe,threat,orsexualcome-on(ratherthanjustblurtingitout),wedisclosesomethingabouthumanrelationships.Ouruseofprepositionsandtensestapintopeculiarlyhumanconceptsofspaceandtime,andournounsandverbstapintomentalmodelsofmatterandcausation.Eventhenameswegiveourbabies,astheychangefromdecadetodecade,haveimportantthingstodayaboutourrelationstoourchildrenandtosociety.Bylookingcloselyatoureverydayspeech-ourconversations,ourjokes,ourlegaldisputes-Pinkerpaintsavividpictureofthethoughtsandemotionsthatpopulateourmentallives.

Pinkertakesonbothscientificquestions-likewhetherlanguageaffectsthought,andwhichofourconceptsareinnate-andquestionsfromtheheadlinesandeverydaylife.Whydoesthegovernmentcaresomuchaboutdirtywords?Howdolobbyistsbribepoliticians?Whydoromanticcomediesgetsuchmileageoutoftheambiguitiesofdating?Whydosomanycourtroomdramashingeondisagreementsaboutwhoreallycausedaperson'sdeath?WhyhavethelasttwoAmericanpresidentsgottenintotroublebythesemanticnicetiesoftheirwords?Andwhyisbulkemailcalledspam?

TheStuffofThoughtmarriesthetwotopicsofPinker'searlierbestsellers:language(TheLanguageInstinct,WordsandRules)andhumannature(HowtheMindWorks,TheBlankSlate).Itpresentsentirelynewmaterial,whilewritteninthestylethatmadethosebooksfamous:lucidexplanationsofdeepandpowerfulideas,presentedwithirreverentwit,elegantstyle,andadeftuseofexamplesfrompopularcultureandeverydaylife.
作者简介:
StevenPinker
Besideschallengingconventionalwisdomabouthowwethink,cognitivescientistStevenPinkerhasatalentforconveyinghisfindingsaboutthebrain,languageandperceptionwithaclarityandclevernessthathasbroughthimafollowingoutsidehisfield.

Biography
"Whenagiftedscientistandagiftedwriterareallinone,youhaveStevenPinker,"writesfellowcognitivescientistMichaelS.Gazzaniga.Withhiscrispprosestyleandzany,popculture-inflectedsenseofhumor,theMITpsychologyprofessorhasbecomefamedforhisabilitytoturnsomethinglikeadiscussionofregularandirregularverbformsintoarollickinggoodread.AsapsychologystudentatMcGillUniversityinMontreal,Pinkerwasdrawntotheemergentfieldofcognitivescience:"Ifoundalluringthecombinationofpsychology,computerscience,artificialintelligence,thephilosophyofmind,andlinguistics,"hesaidinaScientificAmericaninterview.HeearnedhisPh.D.atHarvard,wherehismentorwasthepsychologyprofessorRogerBrown,whowasapioneerinthestudyoflanguageacquisitionandoneofthefirsttoapplyNoamChomsky'stheoriesoflanguagetofieldresearch.AfteracceptingapostatMITin1982,Pinkerbeganstudyinglanguageacquisitioninchildren,amassingenoughdatatodemonstratethatchildrenhaveaninbornfacilityforlanguage.Pinker'sacademicworksonlanguagedevelopmentwereadmiredbymanyofhispeers,butin1994hesought—andgained—abroaderaudiencewithTheLanguageInstinct,whichsuggeststhathumanlanguageisabiologicaladaptation,likeweb-spinninginspiders,ratherthan(asitissometimesseen)aculturalinvention,likethewheel.Pinker'slivelyandengagingtreatiseheldtremendousappealforapopularaudience.MichaelCoe,writinginTheNewYorkTimes,calledTheLanguageInstinct"Abrilliant,wittyandaltogethersatisfyingbook."Butifhumanshaveaninstinctforlanguage,howwasthatinstinctacquired?ThatquestionledPinkertothefieldofevolutionarypsychology,andtothewritingofhisnextbook,HowtheMindWorks.Ifaparticularbehavioriscommonamonghumans,evolutionarypsychologistsreason,thatbehaviorprobablycontributedtotheabilityofearlierhumanstosurviveandpassalongtheirgenes.HowtheMindWorks,whichusesthisapproachtoexaminebehaviorsfrommusic-makingtomurder,wasafinalistforthe1998PulitzerPrizeandtheNationalBookAward.Followingitsrelease,PinkerpubliclytangledwithStephenJayGouldoverthescientificlegitimacyofevolutionarypsychology.Althoughthetwoscientistsclashedonsomeissues,PinkeradmiredGould'sabilitytowriteentertainingexplicationsofcomplexideas—"profunditywithalighttouch,"asPinkerwroteinhisTimemagazineeulogyforGould.Pinker'snextbook,WordsandRules,returnedtothesubjectoflanguage;specifically,itexploresthedifferentmechanismsinvolvedinlearningregularandirregularverbforms.InarecentbookTheBlankSlate,Pinkertackledtheobjectionssomepeoplehavetoabiologicalviewofhumannature."Therearefearsthatifyouacknowledgethatpeoplearebornwithanything,itimpliesthatsomepeoplehavemoreofitthanothers,andthereforeitwouldopenthedoortopoliticalinequalityoroppression,forexample,"heexplainedinaNewYorkTimesinterview.TheBlankSlateisPinker'sattempttodemonstratethatthere'snoinherentcontradictionbetweenevolutionarypsychologyandtheconceptsoffreewillandmoralbehavior."It'safallacytothinkthathungerandthirstandasexdrivearebiologicalbutthatreasoninganddecisionmakingandlearningaresomethingelse,somethingnon-biological,"hesaid."They'rejustadifferentkindofbiology."

GoodToKnow
JournalistsoftencommentonPinker'srock-starmaneofcurls,andindeedPinkeronceflirtedwiththeideaofbecomingarockmusician:"Ihavetoconfessthatwatchingrock'n'rollconcerts,Ididfantasizeaboutbeinguponstage,"hetoldTheGuardian."Notinthelead.IneverwantedtobeMickJagger.Maybethebass-playerorthedrummer.ButInever,everplayedairguitar."ResearchatPinker'slab,intheDepartmentofBrainandCognitiveSciencesatMIT,focusesonthedifferentmentalprocessesinvolvedinusinggrammaticalrules(e.g.,anEnglishpluralcanbeformedbyadding–stotheendofanoun)andusingexceptionstotherules(e.g.,thepluralofmouseisnotmousesbutmice).Thelabhasundertakenmagnetoencephalographic(MEG)studiestoidentify"thetimecourseoftheprocessingofwordsandrulesinthebrain."PinkerwasnamedamongNewsweek's"100AmericansfortheNextCentury"andincludedinEsquire's"RegisterofOutstandingMenandWomen."
目录:
Prefacevii
WordsandWorlds1
DowntheRabbitHole25
FiftyThousandInnateConcepts(andOtherRadicalTheoriesofLanguageandThought)89
CleavingtheAir153
TheMetaphorMetaphor235
What'sinaName?279
TheSevenWords