具体描述
From Publishers Weekly
Luck, an unpredictable, uncontrollable force bringing good or ill fortune into our personal lives, has a vast impact on human affairs, declares University of Pittsburgh philosophy professor Rescher. In a wise, sensible inquiry that throws a floodlight on a topic shrouded in misconceptions, he explores the role of luck in accidents, windfalls, lost or gained opportunities, flukish victimizations; in work, love, daily affairs, elections, war, games and science. Citing Spinoza and the Book of Job, he mulls the unmerited misfortunes that befall good people. Using Pascal, Leibniz and game theory, he interprets gambling as a microcosm of life. Rescher believes that astrology and superstitions are a waste of energy. Instead, he argues, people can guard against bad luck through common caution, insurance, keeping the odds on one's side and extending one's knowledge. He further urges alertness, preparedness and thoughtful timing as means to create and seize favorable opportunities.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
From the roll of the dice in a craps game to the questions that show up on the SAT, our lives are constantly affected by luck. But what is the nature of luck? What role has it played in history? These questions and many more are tackled in this unique book, which looks at luck from multiple perspectives, including how language shapes the way we think about luck; the differences between luck, fortune, and fate; the history of the idea of luck in the Western tradition; and the impossibility of shaping or directing luck. Rescher has no use for such superstitions as rabbit's feet or knocking on wood, but he supports the belief that luck favors the prepared. He encourages the reader to take reasonable, carefully calculated risks, assuming that luck will run favorably more frequently than unfavorably. Finally, he contends that, without luck, life as we know it would be unsustainable, that the randomness of good and bad luck gives life the spice that makes it palatable. This is a fascinating look at an underexplored topic. George Needham --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Mr. Rescher is surely on to something: what could be more fascinating—and yet so little understood—than luck? . . . Using the tools of conceptual analysis and explanation, Mr. Rescher clarifies a great deal about the baffling phenomenon, all the while insuring that we do not forget the utter randomness and unpredictability of luck’s superb surprise."
--New York Times Book Review
Product Description
Luck touches us all. "Why me?" we complain when things go wrong—though seldom when things go right. But although luck has a firm hold on all our lives, we seldom reflect on it in a cogent, concerted way.
In Luck, one of our most eminent philosophers offers a realistic view of the nature and operation of luck to help us come to sensible terms with life in a chaotic world. Differentiating luck from fate (inexorable destiny) and fortune (mere chance), Nicholas Rescher weaves a colorful tapestry of historical examples, from the use of lots in the Old and New Testaments to Thomas Gataker’s treatise of 1619 on the great English lottery of 1612, from casino gambling to playing the stock market. Because we are creatures of limited knowledge who do and must make decisions in the light of incomplete information, Rescher argues, we are inevitably at the mercy of luck. It behooves us to learn more about it.
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这本书的整体调性是内敛而深沉的，它不追求爆棚的戏剧冲突或刻意的煽情，而是通过一种持续积累的、低沉的张力来牵引着读者的情绪。整个阅读过程中，我感觉自己始终处在一个略微收紧的弦上，知道某种重要的东西即将发生，但又无法确定具体是何种形式的爆发。这种“知晓但未见”的状态，反而比直接的宣泄更具有震撼力。它更像是一部慢热的、需要耐心品味的艺术电影，而不是通俗娱乐作品。它的力量在于其持久的影响力，读完很久之后，书中的某些场景、某个眼神、某段对话，依然会像幽灵一样在我的脑海中回荡，时不时地跳出来，提醒我思考某些未竟之事。这种“萦绕不散”的效果，是很多追求即时满足的作品所无法企及的。这本书成功地将复杂的心理活动和沉重的生存主题，用一种极度克制和优雅的方式呈现了出来，这是一次非常成熟和令人尊敬的文学实践。
评分这本书的气氛营造得实在太到位了，从一开始翻开扉页，我就感觉自己被一种难以言喻的、略带潮湿的旧时光气息所包裹。作者对细节的捕捉简直是微观级别的，比如老式打字机上那些被反复敲击而略微磨损的键帽的触感，或是壁炉里木柴燃烧时特有的那种噼啪声，甚至连空气中弥漫的那股淡淡的烟草味和陈旧书籍混合的味道，都被描摹得栩栩如生。我尤其欣赏叙事视角在不同人物之间游走的自然流畅感，仿佛不是在阅读，而是像一个隐形的观察者，站在每个角色的肩头，以他们的眼睛去看这个错综复杂的世界。故事的主线虽然引人入胜，但真正让我沉迷的是那些穿插其中的、关于时间和记忆的哲学思考。那些对“错过”和“如果当初”的探讨，不是那种空泛的理论说教，而是通过角色的实际抉择和由此引发的涟漪，潜移默化地渗透到读者的内心深处。那种感觉就像是，你以为你在追逐一个悬念，结果不知不觉间，你已经开始审视自己生命中那些尚未愈合的小伤口。那种细腻入微的笔触，让整个故事的质感变得极其厚重，即便是最微小的场景转换，都带着强烈的宿命感和历史的重量。我花了很长时间才从那种氛围中抽离出来，这本书的后劲实在太大了。
评分从语言学的角度来看，这本书的词汇选择和句式排列简直是一场盛宴。它拒绝使用那种平铺直叙、直白的表达，而是偏爱那些经过精心打磨、富有张力和多重含义的词汇。你会发现很多句子结构非常复杂，充满了从句和复杂的修饰语，但奇妙的是，它们读起来却出奇地顺畅，毫不晦涩，反而像一段精心编排的巴洛克音乐，层层叠叠，韵律感十足。作者对隐喻的运用也达到了炉火纯青的地步，那些意象，比如反复出现的“失重的钟摆”或是“被霜冻的玻璃窗”，它们不再仅仅是描述性的词语，而成了贯穿全书的哲学主题的载体。我甚至会因为某个句子过于精妙而反复默读好几遍，试图去解构它内部的音韵美学。这本书的文字本身就具有一种雕塑感，每一个词语都像是被雕刻家精确地放置在了它应该在的位置上，不多一分，不少一毫。如果你是一位热爱文字、追求语言美感的读者，这本书绝对不容错过，它能让你重新审视语言的边界和可能性。
评分这本书的结构设计简直是天才之作，完全颠覆了我对传统线性叙事的既有印象。作者像是玩弄时间的大师，不断地用非线性的叙事手法将过去、现在和未来碎片化地抛掷出来，然后巧妙地通过某些特定的意象或重复出现的符号，将这些碎片重新拼凑成一个完整却又不断变幻的马赛克图景。我常常需要停下来，回翻前几章，去确认某个看似无关紧要的对话，在后文是如何被赋予了全新的、甚至完全相反的解读。这种阅读过程本身就是一种主动的参与和解谜，而不是被动地接受信息。更妙的是，作者在处理关键转折点时，常常采用“留白”的艺术，将最核心的冲突或揭示留给读者自己去填补想象的空白，而不是大刀阔斧地一笔带过。这使得每个读者的心中都会形成一个独一无二的“真相”。这种高度依赖读者智力投入的写作方式，极大地提升了阅读的智力愉悦感。读完后，我迫不及待地想和人讨论，因为我知道，我们每个人脑海中构建的那个故事的“骨架”，可能都略有不同，但那种对复杂性的共同体验，却无比清晰。
评分这本书的人物塑造简直达到了“令人发指”的真实感。他们不是脸谱化的符号，而是充满了内在矛盾和自我欺骗的活生生的人。你会在他们身上看到自己最不愿承认的那些弱点，那种在压力下选择逃避，或是为了维护虚假尊严而撒下的弥天大谎。我特别喜欢主角A，他那种看似理智清醒，实则内心深处被某种无法摆脱的执念所驱使的状态，让人又爱又恨。作者没有试图去美化或审判这些角色，而是以一种近乎冷酷的客观态度，展现了他们是如何在各自的困境中挣扎、妥协，并最终走向注定的结局。有时候，我甚至会因为角色的某个决定而感到替他们羞耻，但下一秒，我又会理解那种人性深处的脆弱。这种对人性的深入挖掘，使得这本书的主题不再局限于某个特定的故事，而是升华到了对“人之所以为人”这一宏大命题的探讨上。它迫使你去直面那些隐藏在文明外衣下的原始冲动和人性的灰色地带。
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