比尔·盖茨给毕业生推荐的读物

慈善家、微软的前首席执行官比尔•盖茨在Twitter上为刚毕业的大学生提供了许多有用的建议，其中一条表示，如果他能“给（他们）每人一件毕业礼物”，就会选择史蒂文•平克的这本《人性中的善良天使：暴力与人性的历史》（The Better Angels of Our Nature: A History of Violence and Humanity）。

本书被认为是暴力与人性的历史，曾经入围2012年塞缪尔•约翰逊奖（Samuel Johnson Prize），这个一年一度的英国奖项评选的是最优秀的英语非小说作品。平克的出版方企鹅图书（Penguin）在网站上表示，本书“与普遍观点相反，认为人类在数千年乃至数十年里，暴力倾向都在降低” 。

@melindagates @WarrenBuffett 9 如果我能给你们每人一件毕业礼物，那应该就是这个了——我读过的最受启发的著作。

——比尔•盖茨 2017年5月15日

自从盖茨发表了这一系列推文后，本书的人气就开始飙升，进入了亚马逊的Movers & Shakers榜单。该榜单是记录了过去24小时之内销量增加最多的产品。本书的人气增加了3,301%。在撰写本文时，它的销量排行已经从第4,116名猛涨到第121名。盖茨写道：“（史蒂文•平克）展现了世界是怎么变得更好的。听起来很疯狂，不过确实如此。如今是人类历史上最和平的时期。”

盖茨除了推荐毕业生阅读平克的畅销书以外，还建议他们：“与给你挑战、教你成长、让你成为最好的自己的人在一起。”（他补充道：“就像梅琳达•盖茨对我做的一样。”）他还表示如果他从今天开始白手起家，会选择人工智能、能源或生物科学领域，他认为这些都是“你可以造成巨大影响的前景广阔的行业” 。（财富中文网）

译者：严匡正

As part of a string of tweets packed with useful advice for new college graduates, the philanthropist and former chief executive of Microsoft told his Twitter followers that if he could "give each of [them] a graduation present" he would give them copies of The Better Angels of Our Nature: A History of Violence and Humanity by Steven Pinker.

The book, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize in 2012, an annual British prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language, is described as a history of violence and humanity. Pinker's publisher, Penguin, states on its website that the book "argues that, contrary to popular belief, humankind has become progressively less violent, over millennia and decades."

.@melindagates @WarrenBuffett 9/ If I could give each of you a graduation present, it would be this--the most inspiring book I've ever read. pic.twitter.com/P67BuvpELJ

- Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017

Since Gates posted his series of tweets yesterday, the book has surged in popularity, moving into Amazon's Movers & Shakers chart—a collection of the company's biggest gainers in sales rank over the past 24 hours. The book has increased in popularity by 3,301%, moving from position 4,116 in the sales chart to number 121 at the time of writing. "[Steven Pinker] shows how the world is getting better. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. This is the most peaceful time in human history," Gates wrote.

As well as recommending college graduates to read Pinker's bestseller, Gates advised them: "Surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you, and push you to be your best self." ("As Melinda Gates does for me," he added.) He also revealed that if he was starting out today, he would work in artificial intelligence, energy, or biosciences, which he described as "promising fields where you can make a huge impact."