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无知：一部全球史

基本信息

Peter Burke, Ignorance: A Global History, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2023.

本书与作者简介

About this book

Throughout history, every age has thought of itself as more knowledgeable than the last. Renaissance humanists viewed the Middle Ages as an era of darkness, Enlightenment thinkers tried to sweep superstition away with reason, the modern welfare state sought to slay the “giant” of ignorance, and in today’s hyperconnected world seemingly limitless information is available on demand. But what about the knowledge lost over the centuries? Are we really any less ignorant than our ancestors?

In this highly original account, Peter Burke examines the long history of humanity’s ignorance across religion and science, war and politics, business and catastrophes. Burke reveals remarkable stories of the many forms of ignorance—genuine or feigned, conscious and unconscious—from the willful politicians who redrew Europe’s borders in 1919 to the politics of whistleblowing and climate change denial. The result is a lively exploration of human knowledge across the ages, and the importance of recognizing its limits.

关于本书

纵观历史，每个时代都认为自己比前一个时代更具知识性。文艺复兴时期的人文主义者将中世纪视为黑暗时期，启蒙思想家试图用理性扫除迷信，现代福利国家致力于战胜"无知"这个巨人，而在当今这个高度互联的世界中，似乎可以随时获取无限的信息。 但是，那些在几个世纪中失落的知识呢？我们真的比我们的祖先更少无知吗？

在这部极具独创性的著作中， 彼得·伯克考察了人类在宗教、科学、战争、政治、商业和灾难等领域中的无知的漫长历史。伯克揭示了关于各种形式的无知——真实的或伪装的，有意识的和无意识的——的引人注目的故事，从1919年重划欧洲边界的固执政治家，到有关举报和气候变化否认的政治。 这本书生动地探讨了人类跨越时代的知识，以及认识其局限性的重要性。

About the author

Peter Burke is emeritus professor of cultural history at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of many distinguished books that have been translated into more than thirty languages, including The Polymath and What Is the History of Knowledge?

关于作者

彼得·伯克是剑桥大学文化史荣休教授。他著有多部重要著作，已被翻译成三十多种语言，包括《博学者》和《什么是知识史？》。