The 4-Hour Workweek - motivated me to start my own business and now I have a lot of flexibility in my life.
Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
31–40 of 101 posts
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#32Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. Previously I was very pro government intervention, but this book is great at explaining basic economic principles while ignoring mathematics. It might be called a little biased by mostly ignoring "market failures" yet basic physics also mostly ignore friction. Also regarding "meaningful": I had tried to get an understanding of how society works for some time and had even tried readin…
Thomas Sowell is very unserious. You can also find persuasively written texts that argue that the earth is flat, that cell phone towers give you cancer, that democracy is a mistake, or that pyramids were built by aliens. And people who read those books tend to end up with false beliefs. Sowell is persuasive only if you haven’t read many other books on economics and society. Always be on your toes when an author is ve…
Any example of a serious economic book for you ? Made by pros
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thomas Sowell is very unserious. You can also find persuasively written texts that argue that the earth is flat, that cell phone towers give you cancer, that democracy is a mistake, or that pyramids were built by aliens. And people who read those books tend to end up with false beliefs. Sowell is persuasive only if you haven’t read many other books on economics and society. Always be on your toes when an author is ve…
What do you mean by serious? The main value of the book I see is rejecting very common misconceptions based on ignoring supply and demand. I've read a microeconomics textbook afterwards and the book still doesn't seem too bad. What would be your suggestion of a book for introducing laypeople to economic thinking?
Read the micro 101 and macro 101 textbooks used by good universities. Principles of Economics by Taylor is one of the common textbooks. Macroeconomics by Mankiw is another one. Intro courses on any subject tend to be very accessible to laypeople.
Sowell is unserious because he misrepresents the other side. He basically argues that when you leave everything for the market to figure out it will automatically turn out alright, and if it doesn’t then clearly it means you need to deregulate more. You can look up what the arguments against complete free market solutions in healthcare, housing, education, and manufacturing are and you’ll see that the “obvious common sense market based” solutions don’t produce good outcomes for society.
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#34The rise and fall of the third reich. Nazi Germany history tends to be looked from a far and trivialized, with phrases like "oh he attacked russia in the winter, what a dumbass", "it was another totalitarian government that got out of hand".
This book gave me a proper example and details on how horrible things begin, continue and end.
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#35As a white CIS male from a middle class family in Western Europe I've found it eye opening reading studies and articles based around global gender studies. For example the journal Gender, Place and Culture https://genderplaceandculture.wordpress.com/. It's an analytical window to a world that would otherwise pass me by and has helped me be more empathetic to the struggles that of those born in different situations.
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#36This is easy...Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged had a profound influence on me, too. It is a treatise on selfishness. A stench of arrogance leaks out from every paragraph. It showed me the worst of the worst. What not to be. I like to think reading it made me a more empathetic, social, caring person. It also awakened my antenna to the vileness in people that may lie just below the skin. That is was excruciatingly badly written was a bonus. It showed…
What did you think about the Fountainhead?
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
What do you mean by serious? The main value of the book I see is rejecting very common misconceptions based on ignoring supply and demand. I've read a microeconomics textbook afterwards and the book still doesn't seem too bad. What would be your suggestion of a book for introducing laypeople to economic thinking?
Read the micro 101 and macro 101 textbooks used by good universities. Principles of Economics by Taylor is one of the common textbooks. Macroeconomics by Mankiw is another one. Intro courses on any subject tend to be very accessible to laypeople. Sowell is unserious because he misrepresents the other side. He basically argues that when you leave everything for the market to figure out it will automatically turn out a…
Good response. Another way to understand these topics is to study practical growth stories:
- Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew
- Mysore State, India, Visveswaraya
You study the biographies/auto biographies of ministers of these states, you see the practical challenges with getting free markets. Especially in the initial years (50-100 years of development), until you have factories, industry-oriented education system, discipline, solid work-habits, inclusion of women in the economy, etc, free-market doesn't work. And it doesn't happen on its own, as well. Early days, consistent commitment and encouragement by powerful forces within society is key.
One could say that free markets is a stage of evolution; one cannot recommend free markets as a blanket recommendation. The contextual reality of a place is more important in what's going to work in reality.
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#38Three Pillars of Zen, read when I was 16, it felt like "This is it. This is how I see it."
Few books by Ken Wilber, gave me a framework, a meta-frame of sorts when I was young.
Introduction to NLP (esp. chapter V on Meta Model, took me two years to process it)
Structure of Magic, vol. II - communication, incongruity
Mind and Nature by Gregory Bateson
And I could go on and on... but the winner is...
"Embracing Our Selves" by Sidra & Hal Stone.
This book and perspective changed my life completely. It was like a grenade bursting inside my mind and I've seen many people reacting to it this way (incl. people closest to my heart). It's a perspective shift, an insight. You've been warned. :)
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#39_Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals_ and _Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!_. I always thought myself as a deeply ambitious person who wanted to do something significant. The mindset did help me grow, but it came at the cost of my mental health. Doubting every second if you're making good use of time isn't a great way to live. Both of those books helped me appreciate having a decent carefree life, where doing things matter without expecting (i.e, following your creative spirit).
Re: Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?
#40Carl Sagan's "Dragons of Eden"
Carl Sagan was an exceptional human being. Through and through. His legacy is much alive.