人生難免有又好氣又好笑的經驗,「莫非定律」正是關於事情如何出錯的幽默規則,簡練地揭露了「人生總難事事順遂」這條顛撲不破的真理。一切從「莫非原始定律」開始:「會出錯的事,一定出錯。」(If something can go wrong, it will.)
莫非定律誕生於1949年,以Edward A. Murphy(生於1917年)命名,他是愛德華空軍基地的工程師,專門研究人類對加速度承受的能力。他發現同仁總會把加速計的固定器裝反,因而脫口說出他的觀察。有受試者在記者會上引述這句名言,於是很快在航太工程研究者之間散播開來,並陸續有人加上新的法則。
1958年,「莫非定律」正式被列入韋氏字典(Webster’s Dictionary)。但是莫非本人從未發表過莫非定律,這點倒是蠻符合莫非定律的。莫非定律至今已經發展出各種類別,從莫非通則到電腦、家庭、工作、政府等等,各種領域都有人找出屬於他們自己的莫非定律。
本書收集了各式各樣廣受歡迎、令人捧腹的幽默定律,令人驚嘆又無可反駁的觀察,包括人生百態、辦公室哲學、官僚學、階級學……等。可以在演說、書信、聚會等各種場合,隨手捻來妙趣橫生的短句,讓您在笑聲中重新體會人生的真意及語言的奧妙。
作者簡介:
Arthur Bloch
身兼作家、電視節目製作及網頁設計師等多重角色,他所出版關於莫非定律的書籍及相關商品,在全球已經熱賣超過百萬。
章節試閱
你曾不曾才坐上馬桶電話就來?才點菸你的公車就到?才洗車就下雨,才買傘雨就停?也許當時你明白,冥冥之中有個無所不在的原理在運轉,非人力所能左右,教人恨不能有個名堂加以稱呼。也許你已經聽過莫非定律、某某原則、選擇性重力等說法,想引述時才發現自己忘了確切的遣詞用字。
本書破天荒完整蒐羅了瘋癲成趣的科技人員、政府官員、人文學家、社會觀察家的機智與智慧,編纂方式力求人人都能樂在其中,條列方式則盡可能明確。蒐尋這些跨學科的原則時,我們發現有許多是一說再說的(這也證明這些心得不假),也常遇到出處有爭議的,還有不少佚名撰稿人。我們不得不承認無法模仿的 Zymurgy 先生所投的那則:
「蟲罐子一旦打開,只有用更大的罐子才裝得回去。」
把這則莫非小品應用到本書,我們便明白,編纂工作一旦展開,厚度與廣度會一再增加,因為真理之光照出了更多有新有舊的原則。
Have you ever received a phone call the minute you sat down on the toilet? Has the bus you were waiting for ever appeared the instant you lit up a cigarette? Has it ever rained the day you washed your car, or stopped raining just after you bought an umbrella? Perhaps you realized at the time that something was afoot, that some universal principle was just out of your grasp, itching to be called by name. Or perhaps, having heard of Murphy’s Law, the Peter Principle, or the Law of Selective Gravity, you have wanted to invoke one of these, only to find that you have forgotten its exact wording.
Here, then, is the first complete reference book of the wit and wisdom of our most delightfully demented technologists, bureaucrats, humanists, and antisocial observers, prepared and presented with the purpose of providing us all with a little Karmic Relief. The listing has been made as definitive as possible. In researching these interdisciplinary tenets, we found numerous redundancies (which verify the validity of the observations), frequent conflicting claims to authorship, and scores of anonymous donations. We are forced to acknowledge the contribution of the inimitable Zymurgy who said, “ Once you open a can of worms, the only way to recan them is to use a larger can.” By applying this Murphic morsel to the present volume, we come to realize that this project, once undertaken, has grown in size and scope as further principles, new and old, have been revealed by our beacon of truth.
你曾不曾才坐上馬桶電話就來?才點菸你的公車就到?才洗車就下雨,才買傘雨就停?也許當時你明白,冥冥之中有個無所不在的原理在運轉,非人力所能左右,教人恨不能有個名堂加以稱呼。也許你已經聽過莫非定律、某某原則、選擇性重力等說法,想引述時才發現自己忘了確切的遣詞用字。
本書破天荒完整蒐羅了瘋癲成趣的科技人員、政府官員、人文學家、社會觀察家的機智與智慧,編纂方式力求人人都能樂在其中,條列方式則盡可能明確。蒐尋這些跨學科的原則時,我們發現有許多是一說再說的(這也證明這些心得不假),也常遇到出處有爭議的,還有...
目錄
Introduction 前言 5
Murphology 莫非學 11
Applied Murphology 應用莫非學 29
Advaced Murphology 進階莫非學 41
Problematics 問題學 57
Bureaucratics 官僚學 65
Hierarchiology 階級學 75
Committeeology 委員會學 93
Statesmanship And Economurphology
政壇與經濟專家莫非學 103
Expertsmanship 專家經 117
Advanced Expertsmanship 進階專家經 131
Accountsmanship 精打細算篇 137
Designsmanship 設計經 147
Machinesmanship 機械經 161
Researchmanship 研究篇 171
Computer Murphology 電腦莫非學 195
Academiology 學院篇 203
Work And Office Murphology
工作與辦公室莫非學 215
Systemantics 系統學 229
Situational Murphology 運氣莫非學 235
Sociomurphology (Humanship)
交際莫非學 251
Medical Murphology 醫療莫非學 271
Sportsmanship-Manship 運動與娛樂篇 277
Roadsmanship 出外篇 289
Household Murphology 家庭莫非學 301
Consumerology And Salesmanship
消費與推銷篇 321
Cosmo-Murphology 莫非通則篇 329
Metalaws 超定律 335
Acknowledgments And Permissions
誌謝與授權 344
Introduction 前言 5
Murphology 莫非學 11
Applied Murphology 應用莫非學 29
Advaced Murphology 進階莫非學 41
Problematics 問題學 57
Bureaucratics 官僚學 65
Hierarchiology 階級學 75
Committeeology 委員會學 93
Statesmanship And Economurphology
政壇與經濟專家莫非學 103
Expertsmanship 專家經 117
Advanced Expertsmanship 進階專家經 131
Accountsmanship 精打細算篇 137
Designsmanship 設計經 147
Machinesmanship 機械經 161
...