Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#11

Post by kvee » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky - introduced me to the rationalist movement

The First Immortal by James Halperin - introduced me as a sixth grader to things like cryonics, nanotech, etc. Got me thinking about a realistic ambitious nearer term future for humanity, rather than a more fantasy-like one in the other sci-fi I'd read at that point, like Asimov and Heinlein

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen - gave me much greater agency in life. Made me realize “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#12

Post by ar1n » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

Brief Answers To The Big Questions by Stephen Hawking, both inspiring and terrifiying at the same time!

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#13

Post by pmoriarty » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson

https://www.amazon.com/Illuminatus-Trilogy-Pyramid-Golden-Le...

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#14

Post by FiveSquared » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:51 PM UTC

anthony_franco wrote: post #2

“How to Win Friends and Influence People” is a good one. It’s a nice reminder on how to treat people.

For me, it’s How to Lie With Statitics. It opened my eyes to how much lies are in numbers. Also, another good one is 1984. It really made me think about my online life depending so much on Google.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#15

Post by borski » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:52 PM UTC

“The Design of Everyday Things” changed the way I see literally everything. You’ll never look at doors the same way again, and prepare to forever be frustrated by poorly designed objects, and delighted by incredibly well designed ones.

There is no better book on the philosophy of UX, imho.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#16

Post by shadykiller » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:52 PM UTC

Mine would be "Why we get fat and what to do about it" by Gary Taubes. Not only it changed my life (overweight to my healthiest ever), it also led me to challenge everything about our dietary dogmas. I further read "Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living", watched a lot of lectures and saw studies which question our current notions. Overall I am more skeptical of studies which have links to those benefiting from it commercially.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#17

Post by hackernews2 » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:53 PM UTC

Reading Ender's Game as a child instilled a sense of agency at a young age.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#18

Post by erd0s » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:54 PM UTC

Thinking fast and slow had the biggest impact in changing how I think about a lot of things, epic study of how you’re predisposed to think and make decisions in a particular way. Coincidentally I read it at about the same time as freakonomics!

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#19

Post by MediumD » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:54 PM UTC

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#20

Post by wooly_bully » Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 5:55 PM UTC

elpakal wrote: post #3

Guns, Germs and Steel by Diamond. Also Foundation Trilogy by Asimov because of the incredible creativity needed to tell that story

Strongly disagree. The geographic determinism theory of GG&S is frustrating and ignores significant factors in the rise of the West.

This review is something I generally send out to people after they've read GG&S, and strongly recommend Eric Wolf as an author. He puts many of the points I would make significantly more eloquently:

https://www.livinganthropologically.com/eric-wolf-europe-peo...