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Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

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Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

#171

Post by padraigf »

- Mastery by Robert Greene & The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

I had to name both, because it was the combination of the two that influenced me. Essentially reading both of these moved me from the fixed mindset to the growth mindset (to borrow Carol Dweck's terms).

Mastery provides the historical examples (including incidentally, our hero, Paul Graham), and The Talent Code provides the science behind it, what deep practice does to the brain.

These books aren't the only to deal with the growth mindset (others...Carol Dweck's Mindset, Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule, Anders Ericsson's Peak), but where I first encountered the idea. In changing the way I learn, and my motivation for learning, they changed my life.

Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

#172

Post by VA3FXP »

mattnewton wrote: post #118

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Blew my mind out the back of my head in high school. Changed the way I looked at the world. Made evolution make some sense, and to some degree, paired with the extended phenotype, helped society make more sense. So much of altruism, racism, and tribalism have roots in game theory of you accept the hypothesis of the gene as the unit of natural selection. But, perhaps more important…

You might want to check out: Y: The Descent of Men by Steve Jones

It's a humourous and insightful look at evolution and the stupidity that us men sometimes exhibit.

Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

#173

Post by kwhitefoot »

Impossible to pick just one because they are all intertwined.

But consider Primo Levi's Periodic Table even if only for the flash of insight regarding onions.

Ever after reading it I see onions everywhere but most people seem unable to see them even after I point them out.

There is an HN comment on the subject: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9746723

Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

#174

Post by notsrg »

Nekorosu wrote: post #51
kabdib wrote: post #37

"Gödel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter, which I read when I was 17. I was just getting into serious programming (I would learn C later that year). I had only an inkling about things like recursion, had little appreciation for music outside of Pink Floyd, and lacked any kind of spiritual philosophy that didn't end in simple atheism or nonsense that I stole from science fiction paperbacks. GEB got me wondering abo…

I tried to read it in my middle thirties and felt like I wasn't prepared enough to understand it. Should I just go through it without trying to get everything?

I think the greatest part about GEB is he'll talk about a topic (that sometimes went over my head) for a chapter and then revisit that same topic in a more approachable way using a dialog between Achilles and a tortoise. Some of those dialogs were some of my most entertaining reads ever.

Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

#175

Post by williamle8300 »

cjf4 wrote: post #88
epaga wrote: post #18

The Gospel of John. A palpable sense of mystery is maintained from start to finish, but it arguably does better than any other book in the Bible at giving a deep look into the person of Jesus as he was seen and believed in by the early church. Additionally, there is a subtle sense of humor as the gospel author clearly enjoyed language and word plays and describes multiple misunderstandings that occur because of the a…

It's also notable for Jesus's consistent affirmation of his own divinity. Not that the synoptics don't, but John is much more explicit about it. For me, that does much to validate CS Lewis's liar, lunatic, or Lord argument.

Yep John 17: The high priestly prayer.

Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

#176

Post by XaspR8d »

randcraw wrote: post #21

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig. While it's also a tale of travel and self-exploration (the rediscovery of identity after a nervous breakdown and shock therapy), mostly the book is about thinking. I was a different person after identifying with the narrator who also lived in the mind, and asked questions about basic concepts like 'quality', or qualia of events, objects, roles, and the sub…

Interesting suggestion! I really cannot stand this book, but I appreciate all of the things you've gleaned from it and I'm glad it's had a positive impact on people.

I actually really like Pirsig's ideas about quality and balancing analytical and emotional worldviews, but the writing style drives me nuts and feels like I'm grading a weak Philosophy 101 essay.

Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

#178

Post by notsrg »

neduma wrote: post #134
kabdib wrote: post #37

"Gödel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter, which I read when I was 17. I was just getting into serious programming (I would learn C later that year). I had only an inkling about things like recursion, had little appreciation for music outside of Pink Floyd, and lacked any kind of spiritual philosophy that didn't end in simple atheism or nonsense that I stole from science fiction paperbacks. GEB got me wondering abo…

I heard good things about this. Just bought it and plan to read it on coming this week.

I read this book every single day on my way to my shitty sales job while getting my CS degree. Enjoy the journey.

Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?

#179

Post by danielbarla »

neduma wrote: post #134
kabdib wrote: post #37

"Gödel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter, which I read when I was 17. I was just getting into serious programming (I would learn C later that year). I had only an inkling about things like recursion, had little appreciation for music outside of Pink Floyd, and lacked any kind of spiritual philosophy that didn't end in simple atheism or nonsense that I stole from science fiction paperbacks. GEB got me wondering abo…

I heard good things about this. Just bought it and plan to read it on coming this week.

I'm a bit envious; I wish I could read it for the first time again. For me, it was one of only a handful of books that made me wonder: how did a mere human mind come up with this?! The build up and self-references are just magical.
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