感悟《治史三书》

所谓“三书”，是指本书集合了严耕望先生的《治史经验谈》、《治史答问》及《钱宾四先生与我》这三本小书。书中总结了先生如何与史学结缘、如何师从几位史学大家、自己如何做研究、如何处世等等。文字朴实，情真意切。

我对学者的认识始于张载：“为天地立心，为生民立命，为往圣继绝学，为万世开太平。”当时我方入中文系，第一次班会，同学们自我介绍。一位有家学渊源的同学以这“四为”做结尾，说到：“我要做这样的学者。”

今天，吟出这句话的同学已赴德国攻读西方哲学。每每提及此事，他只是慨一句“年少轻狂罢了”。孰不知，这句话对我的震撼。生命中，总是有些话，偶尔听到看到，便萦绕耳旁，挥之不去。就好像严耕望先生的人生际遇、治学之道与我的心灵所产生的共鸣。

我家所在地是商都朝歌，诞生了中国最早的商人。我家祖上行医，近几代转作药行生意。虽然我是个女孩，但毕竟是第一个孙子辈，爷爷、外公家里都十分新鲜爱惜。双方老人为我制订了十分周详的培养计划——背诗、写字便成了我从三岁到六岁每天的功课。

学而时习之，不亦乐乎。但是对我来说，背诗是乐事，因为我总是背得又快又准；写字却是一个苦差事：坐在小板凳上，把一个“永”字描上一百遍。如果应付了事，还要罚写更多遍。后来，长辈告诉我，是看出我性格中的浮躁，特意让我“磨一磨”。玉不琢，不成器。古人说，玉有五德：仁、义、智、勇、洁。这便是我名字的来历。不过直到今天，严耕望先生所提到的为学“八决”中的“恒”和“毅”，依旧是我的这块顽石上最大的瑕疵。

上学之后，家人还是希望培养我经商。无奈，我对数学直到十岁才开窍，在此之前，家人的耐性早就被磨光了，已经对我采取了放任政策。对我的期望，也从经商转向了从政。商人怕官，但是又想做官。所以，当我考上有“党校”之称的大学时，其毕业生60%以上的从政率着实让父母欣慰了许久。

我也不负众望，很快就成了各个学生社团里面的活跃人物，因为做学生领袖是从政的捷径。但是，在逶迤逢迎、觥筹交错之间，我却不快乐，就好像老子说的“纯白不备”“神生不定”，有时甚至觉得自己面目可憎。反而，每当我在图书馆，一纸在手，或吟或诵，且歌且咏，任自己思想天马行空，随意随兴，或而抚掌大笑，或而凝眉深思。书中深意，细细玩味，如曲径通幽，无桥无路之所却微现曙光，穷追探视，忽而豁然开朗，如醍醐灌顶，顿悟之时会心一笑。这方才是我的快乐！

然而，世人都晓读书好，但是读好书却不易。一次，教授要检查全班背诵《唐诗三百首》的情况。检查方法是：他翻书到哪一页，被抽到的人就要背出哪一篇，背不出则不及格。轮到我时，我闭上眼睛，冲刺似的将脑中存货脱口而出，终于完成任务，长吁一口气。我之后的一位男生，被抽中背诵李白的某诗，但是他说：“我不会背这首诗，因为我不喜欢。”全班顿时哗然。教授倒是开通，说：“那你就背诵你喜欢的。”“我喜欢李白的《月下独酌》。”于是，缓缓诵来，念出了诗中微醺的气质。听罢，教授感叹道：“此君得法。”这时，再回想我为了完成任务而背诗，不得其法，真是糟蹋了这些好文字！

读书怎样才能得法？例如严耕望先生书中的一句名言“看人人所能看得到的书，说人人所未说过的话”，容易理解，却不容易做到。一方面，“看人人所能看得到的书”也要得法。严耕望先生和胡适先生都曾经提出，读书要既博且专。容易胡适先生曾经把读书比作金字塔，像程颐所说的“譬如为九层之台，须大座脚使得。”做专门的学问，往往容易画地为牢，如此视野就不容易开阔。“说人人所未说过的话”，正如张载所说的“于不疑处有疑，方是进益”。

一本好书需要咀嚼，如老牛反刍般咀嚼，因为它永远新鲜。能读到这样的书，我感到非常庆幸。尽管我们的时代是一个缺乏伟大的时代，我们还是能从像严耕望先生这样的学者身上学到很多。读《治史三书》，我能体会到朴实中的睿智，平淡中的喜乐。后人追忆严耕望先生，曾用“恬淡乃能自守，充实而有光辉”来概括其高风亮节。我这样总结本书的功效：浮躁时可以静心，惶惶时可以定心，意乱时可以净心，孤寂时可以暖心。

Book Review: The Zen of Academic Writing

Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article
By Howard S. Becker. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 1986, 187pp. Paperback

Academic writing is easy. That is a lie, but people do not want to admit. Because, at least, for a desperate graduate student who was staring at the blank page, it could be a stress-reducer. And for a best seller on writing tactics, it is a good slogan to satisfy the consumers.

However, Howard Becker is different. He tells his stories from a cub graduate to a well-established scholar. He tells the truth, although the truth is discouraging sometimes. But the readers can feel that they are having dialogues with a real person, not listening the monologue of a mythical figure.

I strongly recommend readers starting from the last chapter, and then chapter 2 to 9, and finally the chapter 1. Because at the last chapter, Becker declares that he is not the one having cures for writings. He tells the readers do not expect too much from this book. It is readers’ own business. Becker’s warnings sound like a Zen teacher drubs the followers and shouts: “Are you enlightened?” And he also tells the readers they can only get the transcendent wisdom through meditation, and then they can finally get ultimate freedom. Readers should keep his warnings in mind.

Chapter 2 to 9 are composed of many personal experiences. And chapter 1 is revised based on a journal article, in which readers can pick up many useful tips once for all. But I appreciate the personal experiences more. Because readers may find something new every time they revisit these parts, and readers will harvest not only writing tactics, but also reflections about the socialization of academic writing.

Practically, Becker offers many useful tips, such as “start writing early in your research”, “write introductions last”, “ put your last paragraph first”, “write whatever comes into your head, as fast as you can type”, “keep rewriting”, and so on. But these tactics are the fur of Zen (皮毛禅). More importantly, readers should find the logic embedded in the fragments of wit-and-wisdom.

First, being disenchanted. Max Weber rose the term “deenchanted” in his speech “Science as a Vocation”. This is also the gist of Becker’s book. “ I am lazy, don’t like working, and minimize the time I spent on that.” Becker tells readers that he is a scholar, but also an ordinary person. He hammered away at the point that there is no authority and there is no one right way. He tries to de-apotheosize the illusion of intellectual elite in readers’ mind. Because he understands that the readers’ fears are embedded in their imagination towards academic authority and elitism.

Second, realize the socialization of academic writing. Becker admits that academic institutions do exist. The criteria for good writing are ruled by several top journals. Becker queries the legitimacy of the rules and sticks to his own standards. For readers who feel powerless to resist the rules, Becker suggests that, on the one hand, believe there are good writings and read them to improve their academic taste; on the other hand, respect editors’ comments and keep positive attitudes when receiving rejection from journals.

Third, adopt heuristic rules not algorithms. Becker’s style is heuristic. For example, in chapter 2, Becker suggests, “To overcome the academic prose you have first to overcome the academic pose”. This tip is vague rather than precise. It is like the Zen of discourse (话头禅). Readers shall digest it through meditation.

Fourth, multiply identities and dialogues. In his book, Becker presents as a young scholar who get his doctor degree and can not find a job, as a assistant professor who is in a dilemma as whether to show the senior colleagues his writing or not, as a well-established scholar who is entangled with “ get it out” and “wait for a while”, as a chief editor who queries the legitimacy of the rules in academic community. As Everett Hughes told him, Becker tells his readers “ the intellectual life is a dialogue”. That’s why the book can strike a deep chord in readers of all ages.

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