人類群星閃耀時 (Decisive Moments in History)

斯蒂芬.茨威格 (Stefan Zweig) 著
online access from SuperStar Digital Library
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涌動着匪徒、探險家、叛亂者兼英雄血液的巴爾沃亞成為第一個看到太平洋的歐洲人；僅僅一秒鍾的優柔寡斷，格魯希元帥就決定了拿破侖在滑鐵盧之戰中失敗的命運；七十多歲的歌德像情竇初開的男孩愛上了十幾歲的少女，求婚未遂之後，老人在蕭蕭秋色中一氣呵成地創作了《瑪麗恩巴德悲歌》；流亡國外的列寧不顧自己的榮辱毀譽，乘坐一列鉛封的火車取道德國返回俄國，十月革命就這樣開啟了歷史的火車頭……

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)

沒有一個藝術家會在他一天的二十四小時之內始終處於不停的藝術創作之中；所有那些最具特色、最有生命力的成功之筆往往只產生在難得而又短暫的靈感勃發的時刻。歷史——我們把它讚頌為一切時代最偉大的詩人和演員——亦是如此，它不可能持續不斷地進行新的創造。儘管歌德曾懷著敬意把歷史稱為“上帝的神秘作坊”，但在這作坊裡發生的，卻是許多數不勝數無關緊要和習以為常的事。在這裡也像在藝術和在生活中到處遇到的情況一樣，那些難忘的非常時刻並不多見。這個作坊通常只是作為編年史家，冷漠而又持之以恆地把一件一件的事實當作一個又一個的環節連成一條長達數千年的鏈條，因為所有那些最重要的歷史性時刻都需要有醞釀的時間，每一樁真正的事件都需要有一個發展過程。在一個民族內，為了產生一個天才，總是需要有幾百萬人。一個真正具有世界一時意義的時刻——一個人類的群星閃耀時刻出現以前，必然會有漫長的歲月無謂地流逝而去．

不過，誠如在藝術上一旦有一個天才產生就會流芳百世一樣，這種具有世界歷史意義的時刻一旦發生，就會決定幾十年和幾百年的歷史進程。就象避雷針的尖端集中了整個大氣層的電流一樣，集中在極短的時間內發生。那些平時慢慢悠悠順序發生和並列發生的事，都壓縮在這樣一個決定一切的短暫時刻表現出來。這一時刻對世世代代作出不可改變的決定，它決定著一個人的生死，一個民族的存亡甚至整個人類的命運。

這種充滿戲劇性和命運攸關的時刻在個人的一生中和歷史的進程中都十分難得；這種時刻往往只發生在某一天、某一小時、甚至常常只發生在某一分鐘，但它們的決定性影響卻超越時間。我想在這裡從極其不同的時代和地區回顧這樣一些群星閃耀的時刻——我之所以如此稱呼它們，是因為它們宛若星辰一般永遠散射著光輝，普照著終將消逝的黑夜。但我絲毫不想通過自己的虛構來增加或者沖淡所發生的一切的內外真實性，因為歷史本身在那些非常時刻已表現得十分完全，無需任何後來的幫手。歷史是真正的詩人和戲劇家，任何一個作家都別想超過它。

(摘錄自書中序言)

Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights

Gary Klein
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Insights—like Darwin’s understanding of the way evolution actually works, and Watson and Crick’s breakthrough discoveries about the structure of DNA—can change the world. We also need insights into the everyday things that frustrate and confuse us so that we can more effectively solve problems and get things done. Yet we know very little about when, why, or how insights are formed—or what blocks them. In Seeing What Others Don’t, renowned cognitive psychologist Gary Klein unravels the mystery.

Klein is a keen observer of people in their natural settings—scientists, businesspeople, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, family members, friends, himself—and uses a marvelous variety of stories to illuminate his research into what insights are and how they happen. What, for example, enabled Harry Markopolos to put the finger on Bernie Madoff? How did Dr. Michael Gottlieb make the connections between different patients that allowed him to publish the first announcement of the AIDS epidemic? What did Admiral Yamamoto see (and what did the Americans miss) in a 1940 British attack on the Italian fleet that enabled him to develop the strategy of attack at Pearl Harbor? How did a “smokejumper” see that setting another fire would save his life, while those who ignored his insight perished? How did Martin Chalfie come up with a million-dollar idea (and a Nobel Prize) for a natural flashlight that enabled researchers to look inside living organisms to watch biological processes in action?

Klein also dissects impediments to insight, such as when organizations claim to value employee creativity and to encourage breakthroughs but in reality block disruptive ideas and prioritize avoidance of mistakes. Or when information technology systems are “dumb by design” and block potential discoveries.

Both scientifically sophisticated and fun to read, Seeing What Others Don’t shows that insight is not just a “eureka!” moment but a whole new way of understanding.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

大地, 非石油: 氣候危機時代下的環境正義 (Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis)

范達娜·席娃 (Vandana Shiva) 著
online access from iRead eBook
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所有關注地球未來的人，《大地，非石油》是必讀的著作；它讓我們勇於想像人民比利益更優先的世界。

書中席娃詳述了糧食危機、石油危機、氣候變遷的諸多關聯環節，假若我們只見一端未涉其餘，人類仍將走向末路。 席娃指責生質能源和農業成了生態和經濟浩劫的主因，也提出小型農場是最佳的替代之道。受害於飢荒的幾億人和瀕死的地球，唯有傾賴永續、生物多樣性的農場，方得以抵抗疾病、乾旱、洪水，餵養並保衛我們的後代子孫。《大地，非石油》見解果敢、具前瞻性，籲求回歸健全農業的原則，並奠基於自治、社區和環境正義的世界。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)

A Practical Guide to Critical Thinking: Deciding What to Do and Believe

David A. Hunter 
online access from Wiley Online Library eBooks
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A thoroughly updated introduction to the concepts, methods, and standards of critical thinking, A Practical Guide to Critical Thinking: Deciding What to Do and Believe, Second Edition is a unique presentation of the formal strategies used when thinking through reasons and arguments in many areas of expertise. Pursuing an interdisciplinary approach to critical thinking, the book offers a broad conception of critical thinking and explores the practical relevance to conducting research across fields such as, business, education, and the biological sciences.

Applying rigor when necessary, the Second Edition maintains an informal approach to the fundamental core concepts of critical thinking. With practical strategies for defining, analyzing, and evaluating reasons and arguments, the book illustrates how the concept of an argument extends beyond philosophical roots into experimentation, testing, measurement, and policy development and assessment. Featuring plenty of updated exercises for a wide range of subject areas, A Practical Guide to Critical Thinking Deciding What to Do and Believe, Second Edition also includes:

• Numerous real-world examples from many fields of research, which reflect the applicability of critical thinking in everyday life
• New topical coverage, including the nature of reasons, assertion and supposing, narrow and broad definitions, circumstantial reasons, and reasoning about causal claims
• Selected answers to various exercises to provide readers with instantaneous feedback to support and extend the lessons

A Practical Guide to Critical Thinking Deciding What to Do and Believe, Second Edition is an excellent textbook for courses on critical thinking and logic at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as an appropriate reference for anyone with a general interest in critical thinking skills.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

批判性思维教程

谷振詣, 劉壯虎 著
online access from Apabi
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該書是國家級"十五"規劃教材,書中融教學實踐與理論研究為一體,作者借鑒了國外批判性思維課程的不同風格,結合北京大學和中國青年政治學院的教學實踐,系統地介紹了一套具有邏輯風格的批判性思維教程,內容涉及對論証的理解,評估各種論証的技術與方法,以及批判性思維在寫作與生活實踐中的應用,既可以作為高校相關課程的教材,又可以成為應用邏輯學的普及讀物。全書內容充實,結構嚴謹,語言通俗朴實。

Cool Infographics: Effective Communication with Data Visualization and Design

Randy Krum
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Make information memorable with creative visual design techniques

Research shows that visual information is more quickly and easily understood, and much more likely to be remembered. This innovative book presents the design process and the best software tools for creating infographics that communicate. Including a special section on how to construct the increasingly popular infographic resume, the book offers graphic designers, marketers, and business professionals vital information on the most effective ways to present data.

•Explains why infographics and data visualizations work
•Shares the tools and techniques for creating great infographics
•Covers online infographics used for marketing, including social media and search engine optimization (SEO)
•Shows how to market your skills with a visual, infographic resume
•Explores the many internal business uses of infographics, including board meeting presentations, annual reports, consumer research statistics, marketing strategies, business plans, and visual explanations of products and services to your customers

With Cool Infographics, you'll learn to create infographics to successfully reach your target audience and tell clear stories with your data.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)