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Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

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Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#511

Post by darkerside »

dbingham wrote: post #205
citilife wrote: post #193

I always viewed reading a book as collecting a soul. If you fully grok a book, you grok the authors thoughts. Being able to put yourself in another persons mindset is crucial. Speaking of "groking", Stranger in a Strange Land , Time Enough for Love and The Fountain Head have probably had the most impact on my mindset. Each book is rather different, but in general the idea of all three is > You have to be in life for…

Welp. And this is why I think Ann Rand was deeply evil and The Fountain Head was a horrible work of propaganda. It's not okay to be greedy, nor is it okay to be selfish. And these ideas are responsible for much of the harm in the world. It is okay to know what you need and advocate for your needs, to take care of yourself. But that is not being greedy or selfish. And to do it effectively means you have to be able to…

There are many people, like a younger version of myself, who think it wrong to advocate for your own needs and wants. And who are smart enough to realize that every "need" truly is a want when you take a large enough perspective. And that holds them back from expressing themselves. The Fountainhead is essential reading for anyone who thinks in that way.

On the other hand, for well-adjusted folks, taking the book literally, is a recipe for overcompensating.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#514

Post by gnulinux »

juddlyon wrote: post #503

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (I don't know which translation I read). Imagine the plot of three or four excellent movies woven together. It struck me how little human nature changes over time and across cultures. It also features some fascinating Russian history as a backdrop. As a person who almost exclusively reads non-fiction, it changed my view of how powerful fiction can be. I can't fathom what must've been in T…

19th c Russian literature is awesome. It might be personal, but Russian literature has a very special place in my heart. I recommend reading other works of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. I also strongly recommend Gogol and Chekhov.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#515

Post by cloverich »

3minus1 wrote: post #298

* The Selfish Gene - our bodies are vessels for DNA as they travel through time. Also colony insects and birds are fascinating. * Thinking Fast and Slow - study after study shows that we exhibit so, so many cognitive biases, as our minds take shortcuts. there are some things you can do to recognize and mitigate these biases. * Imagined Communities - the notion of a "nation" is only 300 years old and has no objective…

Love your list, but wanted second Imagined Communities. I don't see it as much as the other's (frequent HN recommendations). Drags a bit, but is short and impactful. I especially thought its exploration of how _language_ influenced nation's was particularly enlightening. If you find the Selfish Gene to have powerful explanatory effect, I bet you will feel similarly about Imagined Communities.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#516

Post by late_groomer »

robotron wrote: post #25

Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance This helped me understand the duality of the logical/mechanical and the creative/artistic. Then merging the two.

My inspiration when it came to me learning/building/programming computers and most everything else I undertook in my 20's. It made me strive to be a know-er of things, not just a user.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#517

Post by dekhn »

The Ophiuchi Hotline, by John Varley (and all the books that followed in the Eight Worlds Saga). Cloning, brain transfers, photosynthetic humans floating for millenia around saturn. I dedicated a significant fraction of my work career to implementing this (unsuccessfully, as you might imagine).

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#518

Post by cr0sh »

MikeCapone wrote: post #211

So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value: -Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter) -The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life) -Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive…

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Hofstadter's other two works in the same mould (it's kinda a series) as GEB:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mind%27s_I

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_Strange_Loop

Also - you might enjoy Kevin Kelly's book, "Out of Control":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_Control_(Kevin_Kelly_bo...

Oh - and in a similar vein, Marvin Minsky's book "Society of Mind":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Mind

The problem with so many of these books is that there's been a lot of criticism and praise for all of them, tear downs, rebuttals, critiques, etc; not to mention various kinds of "evidence" both in support and against the various theories involved. The history of the ideas is long and convoluted, and is almost impossible to sort out today without a long and concerted effort on the part of the reader.

I prefer to take the information as more a "tour de force" - information to inspire my thinking, and where it seems to be relevant (or has supporting evidence of efficacy), application of it to problems at hand.

I hope that makes sense...

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#519

Post by Tomte »

saberience wrote: post #288
nikivi wrote: post #7

One book that changed me was reading Master and Margarita in Russian for the first time. It was the first book I started reading I could not put down until the end. Gained a lot of appreciation for literature at that time. The other book that I enjoyed and changed me was ‘The Wisdom of Insecurity’ by Alan Watts. I was a fan of Alan Watts works through his lectures already and it was wonderful to hear his ideas in wri…

Thanks for mentioning an amazing book of literature. The Master and Margarita is my favorite fiction book! I've read it in two translations and I prefer the Burgin & O'Connor to the Glenny, but both are great. Everytime I read it I gain more insights. I absolutely recommend reading this book alongside a readers guide which gives more background and depth, there are many biblical, historical, and author-related refere…

My experience with secondary literature about MaM is negative. I went to the University Library and checked out a massive commentary on it and a book about its interpretation.

The latter argued that, contrary to a common notion, Woland is emphatically not the Devil. I did not get far in trying to understand it, but this and the similarly non-understandable commentary really took away some fun out of reading the book, because I constantly felt I was too stupid to get it.

Reading commentary is good, but maybe on a way lower level than literature professors trying to make a name.

Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?

#520

Post by germinalphrase »

toastercat wrote: post #474

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns helped me get out of a hole of anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. Not to say I'm all the way there, but I'm far better than I used to be, and perfectly functional. His list of 10 cognitive distortions was tremendously enlightening, like I felt a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders when I realized how I could combat my bad thoughts with rationality.

Second this. Don’t be turned off by the simple sounding title: there’s some good stuff in this book!
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