That sounds so far up the chain of abstraction and generality, that it’s easy to dismiss the book. Don’t! The book is impressive partially because it manages to distill useful truths which are applicable at such a general level.
It's written by Ray Dalio, who is undoubtedly extraordinarily intelligent and remarkably determined to self-improve. He is the founder of the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates and consequently the 69th richest person in the world in 2015.
The firm itself is noted for it’s unique company culture. He believes that people can only improve through feedback and that there are strong social conventions and cognitive barriers which prevent people receiving the feedback they need. At Bridgewater, every meeting is recorded and broadcasted to the company. At any level in the company, if someone is being considered for a promotion, they will be invited for a discussion. Senior executives will discuss, in front of the candidate, the merits of whether to promote them or not.
The book contains elegant, simple, yet crucially important truths. They seem obvious at first sight, but he fleshes them out in such a way that you realise you don't really act consistently with those truths, even if you perhaps trick yourself into believing that you do. Through reading the book, you can internalise some of his approaches in understanding the world.
It’s a book which altered my way of thinking about the world in a profound way.
PDF link here: http://www.bwater.com/Uploads/FileManager/Principles/Bridgew...