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Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?

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Re: Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?

#232

Post by noema »

billfruit wrote: post #156

Some authours and books offer deep introspection of human lives, that you learn and realise things about yourself from reading them: I got that feeling from reading Montaigne's Essays. Anatomy of Melancholy by Burton and Samuel Johnson's essays also are effective in a similar vein. Plutarch's Parallel Live's is the essential book on politics, after reading it, when you read the newspapers you get a feeling that there…

Yes, you can't beat the classic essayists. Sir Thomas Browne too. Melville draws a lot from these writers in Moby Dick.

Re: Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?

#233

Post by JoeAltmaier »

state_less wrote: post #225

You might like the Gateless Gate by Mumon. http://oaks.nvg.org/gate-struggles.html Hui-Neng's "Your Minds Move" The wind was flapping a temple flag, and two monks started an argument. One said the flag moved, the other said the wind moved; they argued back and forth but could not reach a conclusion. The Sixth Patriarch Hui-Neng said, "It is not the wind that moves, it is not the flag that moves; it is your minds that…

Ok, cute, but does it mean anything? Of course the wind moved the flag. Are they all ignorant of physics?

No of course not. Its some metaphysical plug about relationships or something. One of those 'one hand clapping' things. I guess the point is to get you to stop overanalyzing. Which I'm doing.

But no, I didn't get my mind blown by monks in semantic circles. I guess I'm not ready to be enlightened.

Re: Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?

#234

Post by enitihas »

giu wrote: post #200
enitihas wrote: post #88

Highly recommended for everyone: "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahenman. If you have difficulty interacting with people 1. How to win friends and influence people (Easy read) 2. Seven habits of highly effective people (Harder read) To learn how to write well: On writing well To understand how large products are made: Show Stopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT

I have a conflicting relationship with "How to Win Friends and Influence People," and maybe some of you may relate to this. Disclaimer: I only read a small, initial part of the book, and I'll explain the reasons behind this. For one, I liked the initial parts of it; for example, remembering first names is a nice and very attentive thing to do, and in general people appreciate it when I can remember their first name a…

I agree with what you said. The book encourages all kinds of shortcuts (not explicitly though), and later on I found other books to be much better on the same topics.

However, it is very very easy to read and follow. And if you are not a social person, the book is a good first read.

Re: Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?

#237

Post by bluejay2 »

"Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy" by Thomas Sowell. I read this as a teenager with only limited exposure to economics and it cleared up many misconceptions I held.

"Psycho-cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz. A plastic surgeon shares his techniques for achieving your goals in life. 95% if not more of self-help books today borrow (consciously or not) ideas discussed in this book, and often discuss them with much less depth.

Re: Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?

#238

Post by noema »

syndacks wrote: post #182

Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault fundamentally changed the way I look at things like school and work. Essentially, they're systems of discipline and control masquerading as something very different. Skip all the Malcom Gladwell crap and read some real philosophy. It's hard but rewarding.

There are many people who would claim that he isn't a real philosopher ;) Don't skip Max Weber and Georges Canguilhem, two of his biggest influences.

Re: Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?

#239

Post by boris »

nicbou wrote: post #211
mjberg01 wrote: post #127

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig takes you deep into the philosophy on what is 'quality'. Once you see it you can't unsee it. A powerful excerpt from the book: 'So the thing to do when working on a motorcycle, as in any other task, is to cultivate the peace of mind which does not separate one’s self from one’s surroundings. When that is done successfully then everything else follows natura…

Despite all the praise it got, I really struggled with that book. I hated it so much that I had to check if I didn't pick the wrong book by accident. I found that it's a very polarising book. It's life-changing for some, and garbage for others. There were a few insightful passages, but most of the book was pretentious rambling. It was difficult to understand what the author was even trying to say, with his head so fa…

I found it to be an "atmospheric" (for the lack of a better word) book -- you understand by feeling as much as by, well, direct understanding. Kind of like Master and Margarita (which some people also find pedestrian).
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