Monday, January 31, 2011

為什麼過節 : 中國節日文化之精神

孫秉山 编著
online access from SuperStar Digital Library
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……與西方的節日相比,中國的傳統節日有兩大特色:一是它發端於中華民族的農耕生活;二是它本身就是中華大文化的具體“展現”。也就是說,中國人過節本身就是“人文化成”的過程。不明白這兩大特色,就難懂中國傳統節日的精神價值與意義……
中國傳統的所有節日,有著一個共同的主旨。也就是說中國傳統的節日,共同追尋著一個深層的終極目的,那就是,這所有的節日都各自在適當的時間、適宜的場合,運用節日中的各項活動,來適時地調節和協調人與人、人與天地萬物的關係;也就是協調著 “天、地、人三才”的關係,以期達到人人和諧的社會與“天人合一”的境界。
……當代的一位儒學大家,唐君毅先生在其所撰《中國之祠廟與節日及其教育意義》一書中,就有這樣的一些分析,他把人生分為三類不同的時間段:
工作日:是人們為了生計,必須努力地去從事某項工作,這項工作必定是有著生活實用的目的和實用的價值。
休息日:是為了恢復體力和精力,以便再繼續從事工作。別無任何目的與價值,這休息日是工作日中不可缺少的一環。
節日:既不是為了生計而從事的具有實用價值的工作,也不是為了恢復體力和精力的休息,那麼這節日中的一切活動又有什麼意義呢?
唐先生說:此種活動或生活,大都是具有藝術性、宗教性、道德性,而有社會教育之意義的,因而都是純精神性的……
(摘錄自書中的“序”)

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Edited by Elizabeth Knowles
online access from Oxford Quick Reference
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“When a thing has been said and well said, have no scruple: take it and copy it” – Anatole France
A major new edition [Seventh Edition] of the most authoritative dictionary of quotations available brings you the wit and wisdom of past and present--from the ancients of East and West to the global village of the 21st century. Find that half-remembered line in a browser’s paradise of over 20,000 quotations for all occasions, comprehensively indexed for ready reference. Whether you lean towards the words of Jane Austen: ‘Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure’, or the advice of Paris Hilton: ‘Dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in’, the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations provides the ultimate answer to the questions ‘Who said that? (and when, and why)’.
Drawing on Oxford's unrivalled dictionary research program and unique language monitoring, almost 1,000 new quotations have been added to this seventh edition from over 500 authors, from Mary Wollstonecraft and Sarah Palin to Herman Hesse and William Hazlitt. These include classic quotations from established names for which new evidence of current usage has been found, such as ‘The worth of a soul cannot be told’ (the African writer and former slave Olaudah Equiano) and ‘Work first—love next’ (American writer and feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman), as well as earlier quotations used by well-known literary authors from around the English-speaking world, e.g. the maxim of Confucius for a ruler, ‘If you desire what is good, the people will be good’ (quoted by Thoreau), and the view of the Phrygian Stoic philosopher Epictetus that ‘Not things, but opinions about things, trouble men’ (cited by Laurence Sterne).
(Description from the publisher)

你可以更了不起 : 解構你的心智魔力 (Mind Magic)

約翰羅倫斯・米勒 (John Laurence Miller)
online access from McGraw-Hill Education
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
online access from EBSCOhost Ebooks
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是什麼讓人變聰明?你能提升你的智能嗎?二十世紀最偉大的思想家之一,瑞士心理學家皮亞傑讓我們對心智運作方式及人類學習方式的理解有了徹底的改變。在早期針對孩童時期認知發展的實證研究中,皮亞傑有了革命性發現,亦即智能和創造力並非天生既定無法改變,和一般符合科學規律的看法正好相反。他發現,人類心智的成長潛能無限,實際上,要培養智能與思考的能力,就像學習其他技能一樣,可以透過良好的訓練和練習,使心智能力更強勁、精練。
想知道你有什麼了不起嗎?本書以大師皮亞傑的心智發展理論為基礎,解構你的心智魔力,幫助你了解自己,以更協調的情緒與智能,開發、儲備在知識經濟時代必備的四大智能類型:適應力、創造力、資訊管理,以及問題解決能力,建立更健康、更聰明、更富足的人生。
(摘錄自商務網上書店)

Monday, January 17, 2011

Developing More Curious Minds

By John Barell
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
online access from EBSCOhost Ebooks
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… He believes many students have become too passive in their learning, accepting information and "facts" as presented in textbooks, classes, and the media. Drawing on anecdotes from educators and his own life, Barell describes practical strategies to spur students' ability and willingness to pose and answer their own questions. Antarctica expeditions, outer space discoveries, dinosaur fossils, literature, and more help define the importance of developing an inquisitive mind, using such practices as
* Maintaining journals on field trips,
* Using questioning frames and models when reading texts,
* Engaging in critical thinking and problem-based learning, and
* Integrating inquiry into curriculum development and the classroom culture. To become habits of mind, students' daily curiosities must be nurtured and supported. Barell draws a vivid map to guide readers to "an intelligent revolution" in which schools can become places where educators and students imagine and work together to become active citizens in their society.
(Excerpt from amazon.com)



人生之體驗

唐君毅
online access from SuperStar Digital Library
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作者不從尋常的學理角度出發,不以邏輯的推理攻城略地般的解說人生問題,而是結合自己人生外在經歷和內在的靈魂煎熬,率性而思而訴諸亦文亦白的文字。因此,本書可謂直指人心,直逼世道,有很強的震撼力。本書亦可謂作者的精神自傳,寫得千回百轉,蛛絲馬跡,須讀者用心一一尋覓。
(摘錄自中國圖書網.台灣)

Monday, January 10, 2011

Climate Change: In Context

Edited by Brenda Wilmoth Lerner & K. Lee Lerner
online access from Gale Virtual Reference Library
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The book received a prestigious American Library Association RUSA award as one of ten outstanding reference sources for 2009.

Offers coverage of the history, politics, and ethical debates related to climate change, including the impact of climate change on daily life, trade and commerce, travel, and the future of both industrialized and impoverished nations. Provides insights on leading social issues and spurs critical thinking about the impact of environmental issues on daily life and globalization.
(Description from the publisher)