The Elephant in the Room

伊维塔•泽鲁巴维尔（Eviatar Zerubavel），宾夕法尼亚大学社会学博士，曾任教于哥伦比亚大学和纽约州立大学石溪分校，现为罗格斯大学社会学教授，在认知社会学领域声望卓著，著有《七日周期》（The Seven-Day Circle，1985）、《完美界线》（The Fine Line,1991）、《时间地图》（Time Maps，2003）等。胡缠，毕业于中央戏剧学院导演系，后赴美国纽约哥伦比亚大学学习电影导演专业。回国后和罗永浩共同创办老罗英语培训，担任英语应用能力部门主管和托福雅思的主讲教师。

出版者:Oxford University Press, USA

作者:Eviatar Zerubavel

页数:173

出版时间:2007-10-31

价格:USD 14.95

装帧:Paperback

isbn号码:9780195332605

图书标签:心理学psychologyEviatarZerubavel英文版沉默种花事业社会学大学后

The fable of the Emperor's New Clothes is a classic example of a conspiracy of silence, a situation where everyone refuses to acknowledge an obvious truth. But the denial of social realities--whether incest, alcoholism, corruption, or even genocide--is no fairy tale. In The Elephant in the Room, Eviatar Zerubavel sheds new light on the social and political underpinnings of silence and denial--the keeping of "open secrets." The author shows that conspiracies of silence exist at every level of society, ranging from small groups to large corporations, from personal friendships to politics. Drawing on examples from newspapers and comedy shows to novels, children's stories, and film, the book travels back and forth across different levels of social life, and from everyday moments to large-scale historical events. At its core, The Elephant in the Room helps us understand why we ignore truths that are known to all of us. Zerubavel shows how such conspiracies evolve, illuminating the social pressures that cause people to deny what is right before their eyes. We see how each conspirator's denial is symbiotically complemented by the others', and we learn that silence is usually more intense when there are more people conspiring--and especially when there are significant power differences among them. He concludes by showing that the longer we ignore "elephants," the larger they loom in our minds, as each avoidance triggers an even greater spiral of denial. Social life in families, organizations, communities and even entire nations is full of situations where the emperor has no clothes. The Elephant in the Room illuminates the dynamics behind these situations, revealing why we ignore obvious and alarming realities.

读后感

社会学及大众心理学入门书 整本书篇幅虽短小，却异常的尖锐，本人没有国外生活经历，不知道其他国家或种族是否“集体性冷漠”以成为生活的一钟常态，它针对于此作了深入浅出的批解。 个人觉得这本书虽然比不上1984，但“合谋的沉默”——准确且刺痛，推荐给全体国人，

英语谚语“房间里的大象”并不为中国读者所熟悉，其中大象指某种巨大而无可回避的真相，而房间里的大象，则具有尽管无法回避，但人们又可以和它相安无事共处的意味。以此为书名，是因为作者注意到在私人生活和公共生活中，人们对于某些显而易见的事实，会集体保持沉默的现象（...  

英语谚语“房间里的大象”并不为中国读者所熟悉，其中大象指某种巨大而无可回避的真相，而房间里的大象，则具有尽管无法回避，但人们又可以和它相安无事共处的意味。以此为书名，是因为作者注意到在私人生活和公共生活中，人们对于某些显而易见的事实，会集体保持沉默的现象（...  

大一的时候辅导员找我谈话，闲聊中他举了个例子说，像鲁迅韩寒这样的人，他们成天写文章鞭挞社会的丑恶黑暗，但实际上他们也只会说，从来不会做什么，也做不了什么。其用意无非是告诉我要少说话多做事。恕我心高气傲，我当时就觉得辅导员虽然研究生毕业，实际上肚里的货也顶多...  

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现象堆积了一大堆，却完全忽略了因果关系。那么多concurrent的东西确实都是relevant的吗？

现象堆积了一大堆，却完全忽略了因果关系。那么多concurrent的东西确实都是relevant的吗？

现象堆积了一大堆，却完全忽略了因果关系。那么多concurrent的东西确实都是relevant的吗？