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Ask HN: What book changed your life?

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471–480 of 539 posts

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#471

Zed Shaw's "Learn C the hard way". Had years of scientific programming before that (R, Matlab). But I used to be afraid of working with "real" code bases. This book (which still has an unfinished feel to it) helped me understand how computers work and how to write programs with that understanding - at a high level. Learning about "Object-oriented programming" with plain C was super fun. Not the most illuminating book…

Thank you! I've been contemplating what I should learn next. I read your comment, bought the course, and have already started the exercises. Excellent recommendation!

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#472
post #155
post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not, thanks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism

No Nordic country describes itself as socialist. The Nordic welfare model is made possible by free markets and private enterprise: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_model This conflation of a welfare state with democratic socialism is Bernie Bro level nonsense: https://www.thelocal.dk/20151101/danish-pm-in-us-denmark-is-...

Despite the PM not wishing to be seen adopting a US-negatively stereotyped moniker, the economy is democratic socialism. See the wiki article for more sources. Also, your wiki article[0] describes the Nordic model transition to socialism.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_model#Sweden

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#473

Nassim Taleb’s books made me throw out everything I learned during my 4 college years in economics: in particular Fooled by Randomness and Antifragile.

I'll get to Taleb, really. I can't say that any book changed my life. The Christian Bible shaped it, as I was forced live with it as a child and young adult (although the thought that I was "forced" did not occur to me til much later in life). I'm no longer religious, but neither do I share the sciento-athiest's belief in something from nothing, or accidental "is". To me they (sciento-athiests and religious teachers) are just warring priesthoods, the ancient and the modern, both pretending to knowledge they do not possess and can never rationally hope to possess. Please do not conflate my coinage of sciento-athiest with scientist -- overlap is possible, but that's not the fault of the honest scientist.

But Taleb, despite what at times seems to me nearly unbearable self-serving pomposity, gets at some real truths in both of the books mentioned. Oddly they are the only two Taleb books I've read. Of the two, I found Antifragile the better. I read it fairly carefully despite my inclination to skim at times. I'm glad I did. A careful reading makes it clear that he carefully qualifies the limits of antifragile strategies. And it took some repeated explication from Taleb to see that the idea he was poking at was subtle, important, and nowhere near as obvious as my initial reaction would have indicated.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#474

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“I suppose for those who consciously or subconsciously know they're guilty of sin, the idea of annihilation is far preferable to facing judgment for their sins in the past, so I can see how atheism would be an attractive option, ultimate meaninglessness notwithstanding.” This kind of quite literally holier-than-thou pretension is a large reason why, despite being raised religious, I want nothing to do with it today.…

> holier-than-thou pretension Could you elaborate? I certainly didn't mean to imply I'm any better than someone in the position I described. I'm as much guilty of sin as anyone else. I don't think it's pretentious either to say that all have sinned in some way or another. As Solzhenitsyn writes, the line between good and evil runs right through every human heart -- all are capable of great good and great evil.

The attractive option of atheism bit.

Plenty of other reasons why someone would turn to atheism. Eg the massive occurrence/support/obfuscation of sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#475
post #416

Not so much a life changer but certainly reshaping the way I look at things, the way I judge things, and the way I let things ruin my day: 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck' by Mark Manson The book is full of examples and while reading, you go "hey, that's a bit like my friend X", or "hey, that sounds like my Uncle Y". And then, when Mark describes certain personality traits, you think, "hole smoke, that's ME!"

I couldn’t get far because I don’t like how he writes. I found The Subtle Magic of Not Giving a Fuck to be a lot better. The sample is enough to get the point: you can apply Marie Kondo’s method to obligations that don’t spark joy.

Can you provide a link or author name? I can’t seem to find that.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> holier-than-thou pretension Could you elaborate? I certainly didn't mean to imply I'm any better than someone in the position I described. I'm as much guilty of sin as anyone else. I don't think it's pretentious either to say that all have sinned in some way or another. As Solzhenitsyn writes, the line between good and evil runs right through every human heart -- all are capable of great good and great evil.

The attractive option of atheism bit. Plenty of other reasons why someone would turn to atheism. Eg the massive occurrence/support/obfuscation of sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

Ah, understood. I didn't mean characterize atheists or conversions to atheism.

It's just that from my own frame of reference, that's the most attractive aspect of atheism.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#477

Alistair McLean's HMS Ulysses was probably the main reason I ended up in nautical school and getting an engineering degree while being trained to be a merchant ship's navigation officer. Although it was a WWII story, his description of life on ships crossing the North Sea in winter for some insane reason made me want to do it. The people I met, the places I went and the things I did during that period set the stage f…

Amazing book. The guy with the hatch. Understated heroism. Amazing.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#478
post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn’t get far because I don’t like how he writes. I found The Subtle Magic of Not Giving a Fuck to be a lot better. The sample is enough to get the point: you can apply Marie Kondo’s method to obligations that don’t spark joy.

Can you provide a link or author name? I can’t seem to find that.

The Life-Changing* Magic of Not Giving a Fuck

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#479

Awareness by Anthony De Mello I've been a follower of Eastern Philosophy for 20+ years and have also read most major religious and philosophical works, but during my reading of this book I experienced Satori, Englightenment, Awakening, Nirvana, 'Receiving The Gospel', whatever you want to call it. Oddly enough, it happened to a friend after their reading it, too. I haven't been the same, in the best way possible, eve…

I started reading it and already have finished 20 or so chapters. I started because I want to get to that place, I know I won’t in the near future and have stopped trying to get there but reading your comment made me curious “maybe there is some angle in the book that will shift something in me and I will be there, awoke”

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#480

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the term for when the pursuit of knowledge is regarded as the highest morality? That's where I mostly get my meaning at least.

In Stoic virtue ethics, practical wisdom (phronesis) is the central virtue. But it doesn’t mean pursuing book knowledge, it means learning how to handle, think about and navigate all aspects of life well. In short, how to live “the kind of life worth living” (eudaimonia).

Ah yes, the Stoic 'considered life', exactly. I recommended Derren Brown's book 'Happiness' if anyone is interested in that.
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