"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 subjective/objective values they embody or we impart on them. A watershed book for me.
Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
21–30 of 341 posts
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#22Psychology: Themes and Variations (textbook for my Psych 101 class in college). That class and book completely changed the way I think because it made me so much more aware of things happening around me everyday.
There were a lot of things but learning about Diffusion of Responsibility was huge. Knowing about it has made me feel almost like it's my responsibility to take action in a crowd.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#23There are many, but one is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I read it as a child, and it was the first time I thought about logical thinking.
Here is the section:
“Logic!" said the Professor half to himself. "Why don't they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn't tell lies and it is obvious that she is not mad. For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth. ”
What I didn't realize at the time was that Lewis was pushing his theistic argument: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis%27s_trilemma
I don't think that detracts from it, however.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#24"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…
Good call! I was literally thinking about rereading that book this morning on the way to work.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#25Is sci-fi "technology"?
I've taken much from Dune (see the name) but also Clark's books. Comics and the bible have also helped me understand much of US pop culture in a way that i wouldn't without. Realizing the religious overtones in the marvel movies, or the STD metaphor in HarryPotter, is great fun.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#26Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein There were many other books that influenced me, but the concept of a "Fair Witness" stuck with me - specifically, the idea that one should be aware of what is known versus what is inferred. > Fair Witnesses are prohibited from drawing conclusions about what they observe. As a demonstration, Harshaw asks Anne to describe the color of a house in the distance. She responds, "I…
But why not go further with some radical solpsism: 1. Why assume it is a house at all and not a facade? 2. Why assume that your eyes are not defective as to color? 3. Why assume your memory of the word "color" and "white" are correct? 4. Why assume that you heard the question properly? 5. How do you know the meanings of words haven't changed since you learned them many years ago?
Why assume Anne is a Fair Witness?
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#27You've Only Got Three Seconds by Camille Lavington
The book taught me the importance of making a good impression, how to improve my situation, to focus on being effective, and not hang on to things that are holding me back.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#28The Autobiography of Malcolm X
It's a deep dive in understanding and empathizing with another human being, and reflecting and finding the things one is grateful for in their own life.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#29How to win friends and influence people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influen... I have to keep reminded myself to apply the rules, but very sound advice.
I occasionally revisit this book every few years as a refresher. Every time I do, I end up making close, life-long friends by applying the techniques in this book.
I'd say this is a must read for just about anyone.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#301984. I read this when I was around 13. It profoundly changed how I view the government and technology. It gave me a strong respect for what a government can do, and how our reality is not just our naked perception, but it is what others want us to perceive.