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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?

#501

Post by memonkey »

bilater wrote: post #485
Bandrsnatch wrote: post #394

Most likely no one is going to like this post. My father was a physicist and he had a large library of books. Growing up all of these books were over my head but I tried reading all of them. The more difficult the book the more determined I became to read and understand the content. I found this to be mind expanding. I began a life long quest to read the most difficult books and texts I could find. It sometimes takes…

I struggle with this since I also want to read something I enjoy and not make it a chore. I tried reading Moby Dick recently and was so disappointed. I wanted to read the original but the old English threw me off and I found it boring.

This is one of my favorite books. Frank Muller has an audiobook that makes it even better.

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

#502

Post by mindcrime »

mindcrime wrote: post #246
ludami wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is one of the few books I've read that I would actually call 'mind bending' (though stretching might be a better word). Another amazing book of his that I don't see mentioned a lot (perhaps because it is more technical that maybe any of his other books) is 'Fluid Concepts And Creative Analogies'.

Another amazing book of his that I don't see mentioned a lot (perhaps because it is more technical that maybe any of his other books) is 'Fluid Concepts And Creative Analogies'. I'm reading that one now. I recommend it, along with Perception as Analogy by Melanie Mitchell, and the aforementioned Godel, Escher, Bach to anyone interested in AI / cognitive science. I've only read a small part of Metamagical Themas to da…

Derp, derp... I meant to write "Analogy-Making as Perception by Melanie Mitchell". I blame lack of coffee.

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

#503

Post by robotnikman »

My favorite go to books:

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie 10% happier by Dan Harris Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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

#504

Post by OkGoDoIt »

pharke wrote: post #253
bemmu wrote: post #100

"Permutation City" by Greg Egan is mind-bending in a way similar to The Matrix, except taken up a few notches. Explores the consequences of consciousness being just a pattern. Would it continue if the pattern is paused? Seems yes, since we survive being unconscious. So we move in space and time, but still consciousness feels continuous. What if you pause it, destroy it, recreate it somewhere else. Would it not contin…

I think I remember reading another sci-fi book or short story that posited the classic "teleporter problem" but the device functioned by making a copy of the individual and then destroying the original, similar to The Prestige I suppose. Part of the plot centered around the original escaping that fate and then fighting for their continued existence. I think it poses a very strong argument against a copy of consciousn…

Sounds like “the punch escrow“. It was okay, although definitely not one of the better books I’ve read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32446949-the-punch-escro...

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

#506

Post by Buttons840 »

Balgair wrote: post #344
bemmu wrote: post #100

"Permutation City" by Greg Egan is mind-bending in a way similar to The Matrix, except taken up a few notches. Explores the consequences of consciousness being just a pattern. Would it continue if the pattern is paused? Seems yes, since we survive being unconscious. So we move in space and time, but still consciousness feels continuous. What if you pause it, destroy it, recreate it somewhere else. Would it not contin…

'Very far off to left field' side note: The human brain is still active during unconsciousness. EEG traces of the brain show this. When you are awake, drowsy, asleep, or under anesthesia, the patterns of your brain waves are very different [0,1]. But, the brain is not 'paused', it's just firing differently than when you are awake or drowsy. So, the 'pattern' is not just 3-D, it's 4-D. You need time as well. You'd nee…

Sometimes I wonder if I ever actually stop thinking at night; maybe I just don't remember it in the morning? Maybe every night is just laying concious for 8 hours, thinking weird dreamlike thoughts, but being unable to form memories.

I know brain measurements show that our brains operates differently during sleep, but we may still be concious, at least internally.

Have you ever had the same "sleep stage 1" experience I have?

If I start to fall asleep in the living room around people, their voices seem to become louder, I am aware of what they are saying, their sentences make sense. Yet, if I am suddenly awaken to full alertness, I will have no memory of what they were specifically talking about, although I do remember that I heard them talking. It's as though the ability to form memories went away before full conciousness went away. I believe this is a common experience, and I was fascinated when this pattern was first pointed out to me.

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

#507

Post by thisisbrians »

Waking Up by Sam Harris

Sam is a neuroscientist and meditation devotee who offers a cunning and life-altering exposé on the mysteries around consciousness and the investigations and learnings therein. One mind-bender from the book: some people have undergone a procedure to separate the left and right sides of the brain as treatment for rare disease. Following this procedure, the left and right sides can independently answer questions (sometimes simultaneously) posed by researchers, frequently offering conflicting answers. Interestingly, the right brain alone cannot speak but can answer questions by drawing or choosing letters/cards. Thus, it would appear that following the procedure, each side of the brain is conscious, yet unaware of the consciousness inside the other side.

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

#509

Post by ianai »

natch wrote: post #495
ianai wrote: post #482

“Desert Solitaire” by Ed Abbey and “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn. Both are wildly different but explore the question of how different the other forms of life on this planet are from ours. “Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?” By Franz de Waal et al explores this from a scientific perspective. Abbeys about more, of course. He had that rare ability to turn his book into something that felt like a direct conv…

Desert Solitaire* and yes it’s great.

My bad. Thank you!

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

#510

Post by whoisjuan »

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…

I tried this book and wanted to like it. I couldn't. There's something about that "lessons in disguise" type of style that doesn't click with me. I feel it tries too hard when those lessons and the analogies are things that could be explicitly said without so much ceremony. I also found the story itself rather boring.

I prefer a book like Siddartha by HH. The lessons are there, but the interpretation is open and the narrative is not compromised. You start reading it and you don't want to stop reading it because you're now part of Siddharta's journey. You’re no expecting the punch line that has the lesson, you simply live the story and therefore live the lesson.

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