Liu Yu and her books, especially "The Water Level of Concepts" and "The Details of Democracy", are often recommended by our teachers to acquaintances and friends.
Recent photo of Liu Yu's family. From All Saints Bookstore
This Ms. Liu Yu, born in 1975, graduated from Renmin University, Columbia University, Harvard postdoctoral fellow, Cambridge lecturer, and is now working in the Department of Political Science at Tsinghua University, with an unparalleled academic resume. But she is definitely not the kind of meek woman who wears thick glasses and receives scholarships every year, and has published 5 books so far, almost all of which have caused headaches and even anger to some readers. In the industry, she is indeed precocious and lucky. At the age of 33, the book "The Details of Democracy" was published, and the first test of the new arsenic became a hit, and it was pushed as the "book of the year" by the media such as "Southern Weekend" and "Beijing News", and its people were also praised as "real public intellectuals and opinion leaders", like Internet celebrities in the cultural circles. Political science has always been the field of "old men" who have beaten the world, and she rode a red dust tunic to skim past, leaving her peers stunned.
Since its birth in 2009, there have always been people in the intellectual circles who have arched Liu Yu as the "Goddess of Enlightenment" and the "female version of Wang Xiaobo". Judging only from the characteristics of the article and the reader effect, these evaluations may not be too excessive: her book, the content is originally advanced political science, focusing on enlightenment with heart, but always intelligently both grounded and tone, not stuck to scholarship, not showing its knowledge, always from the details of daily life, digging into the deep conceptual form. Popular and professional, relaxed and profound, simple and complex, simple and petty bourgeois, everywhere funny and full of feelings, this is the book that countless scholars have dreamed of all their lives. People asked what "democracy" was, and she dared to say that "democracy is chai rice oil and salt", such Liu Yu is indeed wang Xiaobo, also very Linda.
The "Linda" couple who have influenced countless Chinese people
In the field of political science, as far as my reading experience is concerned, it is probably difficult to find someone in China who can compete with her. Some people criticize her for being extremely poor and being an Anne baby in academic circles, which is unfair. Obviously, in contemporary society, there is no shortage of high-ranking theorists, and what is urgently needed is an enlightener like her who is "silent and silent". As for whether the effect is good or bad, we will talk about it later.
As an expert in political science, Liu Yu's greatest ability is that she is extremely elite, but she is a very small girl, never revolves around the concept, and can talk about the concept well, and the reader loves it. This Jiangxi man, who had successfully established himself in Cambridge, told us about the "true knowledge" of political science.
The main themes she talks about are very tall and serious public topics, but the way she talks about them is rare for parents to be short. The way of starting from the details of life such as food, clothing, housing, and rice, oil and salt, and to observe the operation of political mechanisms is like a housewife in gossip news, fun and good-looking and enjoyable. Her book is a "primer on political science" in the true sense: telling stories, finding details, looking for data, sincerely communicating with readers, and witty remarks, and constantly saying golden sentences, and gaging jokes, so as to achieve a sensational effect. She has the talent to combine the truth, frankness, ridicule, scrutiny, and introspection of "following the hormonal cycle" into an irreplaceable pleasure of reading. For example, she teased George W. Bush, "There is nothing to catch spiders in the White House and will not read philosophy", compared to Xu Ben's boring author who even has to encrypt hemp annotations to tell a paragraph, Liu Yu's book is much more interesting.
Highly prolific scholar Xu Ben
Liu Yu can make people feel the excitement of reading a book as if they are in dialogue with a wise man; at the same time, we feel that if we have the opportunity, we will definitely become a special friend with the author and go to buy pork head meat together to spit everything together. Some people say that this is a "most classic primer from angry youth to public knowledge", if it is a mockery, it is better to regard it as a great praise for its writing. Douban readers left a message, "It's so good, I want to cry when I see this", I also felt this way when I read this book 10 years ago. We have too much time, wasted fighting common sense, over and over again, as if falling into a cycle, longing for someone so direct and keen to clear the fog. Wang Shuo said that this kind of woman with a sense of humor is a rare treasure.
Liu Yu's husband, the famous scholar Zhou Lian, is currently a professor in the Philosophy Department of the National University
A serious political enlightenment book, written even better than a novel, can be "bent" into a popular bestseller, which is a difficult thing that Neither Wang Xiaobo nor Linda can do. Liu Yu obviously attaches more importance to the way she tells her position than her position, which is her greatest skill. Her book will tell you and me that all the little things have secrets, the changing weather and the seasons, the price of vegetables in the supermarket, the beautiful children on the street, etc., everything has its deep meaning worth exploring, as long as you and I really look at them. How to talk about the success or failure of the White House decision-making, the republican system, the central bank and even the state power arrangement, and even the name of the United States from a Watson's bread is Liu Yu's best trick. This kind of enlightenment is successful in writing and in the form of success, and this is the way to see the truth in the small and the big, and to see the true knowledge in the stinky poor. Not passionate, go to esoteric theory, there is flesh and blood, see people see sex.
Wang Shuo
Many years ago, Liu Yu wrote a famous article entitled "A person should be like a team", and she can say that she has exceeded her ideals. Her husband, Professor Zhou Lian, has worked hard for another 50 years, but I am afraid that I will not have this ability - what I lose is not knowledge, but posture and feelings.
As a "best-selling author", Liu Yu's greatest significance lies in the fact that she has pulled out thousands of dollars, crushed and explained the layers of common sense of citizens, and brutally counterattacked those fake and empty narratives, and the words are still comfortable. We never lack high-end "university professors," but there is too much shortage of Paine-esque civilian authors.
Since May Fourth, countless intellectuals have clamored for common sense and enlightenment, but common sense and enlightenment are not a gesture, they must be truly implemented, "go to the countryside," and they are popular and accepted. Common sense is not steaming in the clouds, enlightenment is not on top, it is anti-common sense, anti-enlightenment. I think that what Liu Yu most wants to hand over to the readers is a joy of feeling the consensus of civilization and social common sense, rather than the sad and compassionate care of "Kochi" or "public knowledge", pretending to save the country and the people, and even telling the concept issue like "intimidation". In terms of posture, Liu Yu is actually anti-public. In this way, an ordinary woman can only rely on her delicate and sensitive unique feelings, as well as the sense of "human nature" and "motherhood" in the public discourse field, and can only say a few words to the point. Common sense and everydayness are the biggest enemies of ugly politics and helping idle literati, and Liu Yu knows this well.
Liu Yu admitted that she had two selves, one was worried about the country and the people, the structure was neat, and the mood was stable, while the other was frivolous, scattered, and mad. In fact, in books such as "The Water Level of Ideas", these two selves are properly neutralized and diluted, both serious and high-end and interesting. In her book, all political ideas are no longer "intellectual slogans", but flesh and blood. Yes, her books are easily addictive, not only in a very fairy-like writing method, with a slightly sensational tone, but also in the sympathy, care, and common sense that penetrate into the capillaries of every word. The theme of Liu Yu's three repetitions is actually: At any time, we must not lose our judgment and common sense.
In terms of genre and content, her books such as "The Water Level of Concepts" are very similar to Liang Wendao's best-selling book "Common Sense", but as a "popular reading of political science", it is obviously superior. In comparison, the reader can even clearly perceive that what Liu Yu is talking about is actually the real "common sense", and the "common sense" of Liang Wendao's style can only be said to be "essay". For example, Liang Wendao also talks about Rawls, but it will make people more confused when talking about it at length, but Liu Yu is not.
She said, "Rawls's Theory of Justice can be summed up in one sentence: you can only figure out what justice is if you don't know who you may be," and the complex concept of the "curtain of ignorance" is instantly revealed. It can be said that for people like me, who want to read Rawls, Sandell, and Tocqueville, and are too obscure to be wrapped up in the front, Liu Yu's book is also an excellent entry transition. This is what Liu Shipei said, "Not to compete for the victory of the former sages, but to learn the ear after the enlightenment", her learning is not the best, but the teaching method is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Political science star scholar Michael Sandel
I myself am very grateful for Liu Yu's enlightenment. When I was in school, the library occasionally read his "Details of Democracy", and there was a sense of surprise that he found his wallet halfway, and he read it in one breath. I think that when a person is young, whether he reads "China Can Say No" or "The Water Level of Concepts" can often determine the direction of his thinking in the next 20 years.
But as a reader, I am not convinced of Liu Yu, but more of a gratitude and appreciation. Especially after the passage of time for many years, looking back at her books, it is not difficult to see that the depth of her thoughts does not exceed the height and depth of the third-rate "public knowledge". Some people praise her as the "goddess of political science enlightenment", but this "human design" is really a dimensionality reduction to attack political science itself.
For example, she bases herself on "everyday common sense," which largely leads to a lack of depth and an oversimplified understanding of complex operating mechanisms. The political science ideas displayed by Liu Yu, although colorful and gratifying, are inevitably too carved and small in the era when masters such as Hayek and Rawls have descended; even in the Chinese "public knowledge" circle, there are Linda, Wang Xiaobo, Xiong Peiyun and other pearls in front, whether it is the seemingly unique way of writing, or the ideological and cognitive insights, there is not necessarily much novelty, basically stopped at the level of "Reader". And many of her misconceptions, such as her view of Tocqueville, talking about the allocation of educational resources, etc., will be questioned about academic ability. Her "Details of Democracy", 200,000 words down, talks about more or "the appearance of democracy." Read more political theories, but I am afraid that I will really agree, "her books are bedtime books or subway books."
More importantly, it may be that Ms. Liu Yu now has to reflect: on many issues, her position is biased, and it is a preset position, and the bias is too serious, not only not profound enough, not only contrary to the concept of "academic neutrality". This position, summed up, is almost "Westernist", and finally falls to the Miao Cha that almost every western must praise, and in the expression of seemingly reasonable people, it is actually "mixed with private goods". Perhaps, because of her educational background in top universities in britain and the United States, her posture, despite her efforts to be low, always has some traces of "more Victorian than Westerners", and seems to always wear a pair of glasses to examine the "mother of the motherland", and always take a simple comparison between China and the West and then draw a biased conclusion, which is uncomfortable.
"Everything is in the details"
For example, she said that she opposed "Mi Rabbit" on the grounds that "girls who are raped should go to the police uncle, not post on the Internet", which is completely isolated from the national situation; for example, she argues with vigor that "after the American occupation of Iraq, the absolute neoliberalism that was implemented one hundred percent" is completely to let the position determine the facts and even common sense judgment. That is to say, she is very low, but her prejudice is heavier, and it is inevitable to map out - although her subjective intentions, when stimulating the people to reflect and improve, the same way of thinking as Lu Xun's people.
It is only said that Ms. Liu Yu has not published a book for nearly 10 years, whether it is "The Water Level of Concepts" or "The Details of Democracy", which can only represent her cognitive level many years ago. Earlier, I heard a teacher who was familiar with her say that she had made all the corrections to the past "Meng Lang", and I was happy to hear such information for the reader.
For various reasons, especially after the birth of her daughter, she has been almost silent for 10 years, and so far no new books have been published, calling herself a "housewife who has retired to the jianghu". Such a good talent, but to hide in the world, is sorry for the reader.
In short, I still insist on my opinion: Ms. Liu Yu's books, although they have the limitations of that era, are still incomparable in the way and effect of telling common sense. She is called "the best successor of Wang Xiaobo and Linda".
With daughter
The appearance of Liu Yu and his works is timely and necessary, from the well-known peasant to the well-versed doctor, it seems necessary to read it and accept a spiritual collision journey with common sense. And, I believe, one day, we will all understand that we are not outsiders to the Western stories that Liu Yu tells. We are not, and cannot, stand safely outside the modern world, like a melon-eating masses, watching a "common sense debate" that has nothing to do with us. Liu Yu's fault, in another time dimension, may also be another kind of right.
Therefore, I am still happy to recommend Liu Yu's masterpiece "The Water Level of Concepts". The platform event price is free shipping, and it is indeed worth having. This is the book I am happy to recommend, and occasionally there is a reward of one or two yuan, and I am not ashamed. The flow of years is unfavorable, the sub-teeth sell gua; in the wind and rain season, the ziping sells melons. Readers are on their way, pushing books and selling texts, or suppressing elegant things! ⬇
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【Dangdang】 The water level of the concept ("The Details of Democracy" by Liu Yu) (new version) ¥32.4 Purchase