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Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

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Re: Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

#181

Post by timtas »

mrrobot900 wrote: post #105

Escape from Freedom[1]! the meat of Fromm's thesis is that modern societies have attained a lot of "negative freedom" (i.e. freedom from necessities and/or authorities), but the corresponding growth in "positive freedom" (freedom to express oneself authentically and genuinely) has been lackluster. the result is that we become "burdened" by the responsibilities of freedom, unable to handle it without feeling overwhelm…

Positive rights don’t exist because they are simply claims on other people’s labor.

Re: Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

#182

Post by mrozbarry »

greenhearth wrote: post #162
mrozbarry wrote: post #124

The Bible. Even if you don't care for it's spiritual implications, there is a rich history that is used by archaeologists, and many face-value lessons of cause and effect, and even recommendations on how to manage a business and employees. The beautiful non-spiritual message is that humans don't change, but we can still learn from histories mistakes.

It says "nonfiction"

You can tell that to all the ancient human history archaeologists that use the Bible to find ancient cities.

Re: Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

#183

Post by greenhearth »

mrozbarry wrote: post #182
greenhearth wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It says "nonfiction"

You can tell that to all the ancient human history archaeologists that use the Bible to find ancient cities.

Yes, I'm sure those archeological findings can confirm all those virgin births and guys living in whales.

Re: Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

#184

Post by [deleted] »

_yb2s wrote: post #47
kibae wrote: post #25

Atomic Habits. It's a simple book that can be summarized in an essay, but listening to it repeatedly while driving helps me keep my life on track.

Seems like a great idea/book, but I've never managed to make any of the advice work, despite trying pretty hard. I suspect this has something to do with having ADHD. In general there are a ton of productivity books out there that seem to be great advice, but are missing some steps that make it possible to implement for some people with ADHD. In the same category, I also love the book "Deep Work" by Cal Newport, but a…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

#185

Post by le-hu »

runjake wrote: post #54
kibae wrote: post #25

Atomic Habits. It's a simple book that can be summarized in an essay, but listening to it repeatedly while driving helps me keep my life on track.

Has someone properly summarized Atomic Habits in an essay or perhaps a podcast episode? I'd rather just read an essay or listen to an episode repeatedly.

complete summary here - great stuff: https://www.chrisbehan.ca/posts/atomic-habits

Re: Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

#186

Post by mrozbarry »

greenhearth wrote: post #183
mrozbarry wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can tell that to all the ancient human history archaeologists that use the Bible to find ancient cities.

Yes, I'm sure those archeological findings can confirm all those virgin births and guys living in whales.

The single most significant fact supported by the Bible is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. History agrees that Jesus was a real man. History agrees that He was significant in the region. The eye witness testimonies support (but don't prove) the resurrection, but consider this - many men and women were executed in the first century because they would not recant that they were eye witnesses to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. If it were a lie, why would so many take that to the point of their own death?

Re: Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

#187

Post by lofenfew »

mrozbarry wrote: post #186
greenhearth wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I'm sure those archeological findings can confirm all those virgin births and guys living in whales.

The single most significant fact supported by the Bible is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. History agrees that Jesus was a real man. History agrees that He was significant in the region. The eye witness testimonies support (but don't prove) the resurrection, but consider this - many men and women were executed in the first century because they would not recant that they were eye witnesses to Jesus'…

> If it were a lie, why would so many take that to the point of their own death?

Consider a weaker question: if it weren't a lie, why would so many take that to the point of their own death? While most people are usually opposed to lying, if they felt their reason for lying was important enough - and if they're willing to die for it then it must be - they could easily overcome that.

Re: Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?

#188

Post by mrozbarry »

lofenfew wrote: post #187
mrozbarry wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The single most significant fact supported by the Bible is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. History agrees that Jesus was a real man. History agrees that He was significant in the region. The eye witness testimonies support (but don't prove) the resurrection, but consider this - many men and women were executed in the first century because they would not recant that they were eye witnesses to Jesus'…

> If it were a lie, why would so many take that to the point of their own death? Consider a weaker question: if it weren't a lie, why would so many take that to the point of their own death? While most people are usually opposed to lying, if they felt their reason for lying was important enough - and if they're willing to die for it then it must be - they could easily overcome that.

I would argue that the average person would lie to preserve their life. Not all, of course, that's a pretty wide stroke to paint many people with.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a dividing point to all humanity, and there are many willing to die on either side of the fence. While it has been contested many times, there is no definitive proof that Jesus was not resurrected, and there is pretty solid evidence that Jesus did die on the cross (as opposed to old age or some other natural cause). We also know that the Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus were furious at Christianity, and had a serious campaign to destroy and discredit it, yet it survived. You'd think that with their financial and people resources, they could have recovered a body or exposed Jesus as a fraud.

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