Common Knowledge
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Summary
Why, when something sudden happens in public, do many people simply stand by and watch? Contemporary thinker Steven Pinker, a world-leading linguist and cognitive psychologist, unlocks the invisible code of how human society works—common knowledge.
Common knowledge is not simply "everyone knows"; it is the infinite recursive cognition of "I know that you know that I know…" It is the cornerstone of social coordination, capable of uniting groups and enabling cooperation, but also of triggering panic and unraveling order.
From the collective resonance of Super Bowl ads to the silent dilemma of the bystander effect, from the delicate balance of workplace etiquette to the undercurrents of political maneuvering, Pinker uses game-theory cases plus rigorous logic to reveal how common knowledge shapes our language, behavior, and decisions.
This book will help you read the deeper logic behind everyday behavior: How can shared expectations resolve coordination problems? How can euphemism maintain relationships? How can we see through the cognitive traps of bubble economies?
Follow Pinker's pen and you will gain a new lens for interpreting social phenomena, and be better able to gauge the right measure in interpersonal and workplace collaboration—becoming a more rational decision-maker.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in social psychology and the mechanisms of group behavior
- Professionals who want to understand the logic of public expression and euphemistic communication
- Readers concerned with information spread, consensus formation, and decision biases
- Those who enjoy understanding everyday phenomena through cases and game logic
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting purely academic formal modeling or a game-theory textbook
- Readers who want only light stories and no conceptual analysis
- Readers impatient with social-science case discussion
Reading tips
- Read the chapter defining common knowledge first, and restate "infinite recursive cognition" in your own words before moving to cases
- For each case, try to find a recent public event or workplace scenario to compare and analyze
- Read the bystander-effect and euphemism chapters side by side, observing how common knowledge works differently in silence and in implication
- After finishing, draw a diagram mapping the logical chain of common knowledge—coordination—panic
About the publisher
Zhejiang Education Publishing House is a professional publisher focusing on educational publishing while also serving general readers and academic accumulation, with publications covering textbooks, educational readers, popular science, and academic works. Judging from the more than 1,000 titles in the database, the press places considerable emphasis on classics and traditional culture for general readers: modern literature includes Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering and Wild Grass, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, and Zhu Ziqing's Back View; classical poetry includes Three Hundred Tang Poems and selections from the "Good Chinese Poetry" series, such as the Chu Ci and Qing ci anthologies. Related authors include modern writers such as Lao She, Lu Xun, Xiao Hong, and Zhu Ziqing, as well as classical literature selectors and annotators such as Hengtang Tuishi, Jin Xingyao, Jin Kaicheng, and Qian Zhonglian. Common categories in the database also include social novels, classic works, prose and miscellaneous writings, popular science, and inspirational growth, reflecting a publishing orientation that balances educational service with the popularization of public culture.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 重磅赞誉
- 译者序 规则与文化中的“心有灵犀一点通”
- 前言 共同知识，确立和瓦解社会关系的基石
- 01 皇帝的新装与房间里的大象 什么是共同知识，为什么如此重要
- 语言，最早、最无所不在的共同知识
- 共同知识能够创造非物质形态的现实
- 谢丽尔的生日是哪一天
- 为什么加密货币会在“超级碗”比赛中打广告
- 为什么要逮捕一个手持空白标语牌的人
- 每个人既是观察者，也是被观察者
- 我们赖以生存的隐喻
- 02 共同知识与常识 为什么告别总是很难，为什么无法求同存异
- 三个逻辑学家去酒吧，牙缝里的菠菜谜题
- 通过揣摩他人心思来洞察世界
- 预订好酒店的游客在出发前总会再次确认
- 为什么说再见总是很难
- 为什么无法求同存异
- 待验证的假设，而非需守护的珍宝
- 03 博弈论与社会契约，解决无法解决的问题 猎鹿博弈、性别战博弈和鹰鸽博弈
- 找到聚点，沟通中真正的关键
- 性别战博弈，次优选择总好过没有选择
- 猎鹿博弈，我们需要共同的保证
- 鹰鸽博弈，避免碰撞，达成均衡
- 04 思考关于思考的思考 我们是如何洞察彼此内心的
- 避免陷入无止境的思维旋涡
- 四层嵌套，理解句子的极限
- 最简单的交流也需要反复的心理推理
- 我们无法思考一个具有无限层次的思想
- 自明性，共同知识最合理的心智表征
- 公共事件为旁观者提供了相信各种潜在想法的理由
- 调整自己的猜测，并预期他人会做出同样的调整
- 为什么一有紧急情况就会囤积卫生纸
- 凯恩斯式选美竞赛，我的行为取决于对他人行为的预测
- 旁观者效应，挺身而出还是选择逃避
- 05 社会关系是一场协调博弈 为无意义的符号赋予有意义的角色
- 共同知识如何在友谊中发挥作用
- 脆弱的共同体关系
- 权威的等级关系
- 公平的平等匹配模式
- 违反社会规范的尴尬
- 理性的市场定价关系
- 群体的共同利益，协调集体的行动
- 生活中许多奇特的现象都是为了协调博弈
- 06 笑、哭、脸红、凝视、怒视 显著的情感表达是共同知识生成器
- 公开的笑声
- 不由自主地哭泣
- 无法被隐藏的脸红
- 凝视，达成共识的终极方式
- 显而易见的怒视
- 07 含糊其辞的话 为什么我们不能直截了当地表达本意
- 委婉的表达方式是理性的抉择
- 恰到好处地把握模糊
- 即使没有必要，人们也会选择间接的表达
- 面对含糊不清的提议，人们往往更容易说“是”
- 委婉用语的阴暗面
- 08 取消的本能 即便在知识界，也存在阻止思想成为共同知识的冲动
- 为什么学术自由如此重要
- 学术领域的电车难题
- 沉默的螺旋
- 对无关紧要的事情保持“无知”
- 对共同知识的恐惧
- 09 彻底的诚实，理性的虚伪 为什么并非所有事情都应该成为共同知识
- 所有知识都应该成为共同知识吗
- 强求绝对的诚实反而显得虚伪
- 虚伪自有逻辑
- 不仅有思想，还有关于思想的思想，以及关于思想的思想的思想
- 注释及参考文献
FAQ
What is the difference between "common knowledge" and "everyone knows"?
Can I understand this book without a social-science background?
Can this book help improve workplace communication?
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About the author
Steven Pinker is a scholar-author known for his work on language and the human mind, whose books are shelved in Chinese reading circles under social psychology, applied psychology, social science, and language and writing. The collection holds 14 of his works, spanning the language instinct, the evolution of mind, human nature, and rationalist enlightenment; representative titles include The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate, The Stuff of Thought, Common Knowledge, and Enlightenment Now. He is adept at using clear conceptual analysis and abundant everyday examples to make questions in linguistics, cognitive science, and moral philosophy readable and argumentative, combining academic rigor with an accessible style for general readers. As public information on his birth and death dates and nationality is limited, no speculation is offered here; readers may enter discussions of language, mind, and enlightenment through his works.
Ye Xing is an author about whom limited public information is currently available, and a complete account of his identity and background has yet to be disclosed. Judging from the two works held in the collection, his writing interests span two areas: applied psychology and social science research. On the one hand, he attends to the application of individual psychological mechanisms in daily life; on the other, he engages with military and cybersecurity issues. His representative works, Common Knowledge and An Analysis of the U.S. Military's Cyberspace Operations Concepts and Strategic Legal and Regulatory Framework, reflect his attention to knowledge sharing and cognitive psychology as well as to cyberspace strategy and regulations. The marked difference in subject matter suggests an ability to draw on and integrate materials across fields, with writing that emphasizes conceptual clarification and systematic analysis and addresses both general readers and specialists seeking to understand these topics. As his output remains small, his writing style and scholarly stance await further material.
Li Jingkui is a Chinese-language book author about whom public information is limited; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly documented. Four of his works are currently held in the library, spanning applied psychology, management, and finance, which suggests a broad range of writing interests. Representative titles include Common Knowledge, Nudge 2.0, Money and Capital in the 21st Century: The Return of Inflation, and Seeing America from Harvard: An Economist's Observations and Reflections. Judging from the titles and categories, he attends to the social formation of knowledge, behavioral decision-making and external influences, the workings of money and capital in the contemporary economy, and observations of American society from an economist's perspective. His writing tends toward accessible explanation for general readers, bringing economic analysis to everyday issues and policy phenomena and helping readers understand the institutional and psychological mechanisms behind individual choices. The books suit ordinary readers interested in economic, psychological, and social topics.
