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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?

#541

Post by devdas »

crimsonalucard wrote: post #374
nilsocket wrote: post #351

C Radhakrishnan - Bhagavad Gita_ Modern Reading and Scientific Study. Intellectually very challenging. Even though it is a religious book for many people, it can be read as just a normal story. It teaches one about how to live life, not by set of defined rules, but by providing a proper explanation and through understanding. It's a book which is usually dated to 5000 years or 7000 years. It`s a very well-balanced sto…

Might as well recommend the Holy Bible or the Koran. Also good books with good stories.

That would be the Mahabharat. The Gita is a single philosophical chapter from the epic.

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

#542

Post by meristem »

fiftyfifty wrote: post #395
enumjorge wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. While a lot of people treat it as a dog training book, her work in behavioral psychology and training has much broader applications. It can really change the way you approach interpersonal relationships.

Great mention, if you work with animals at all it is a mandatory read.

I trained with her team-- successful with cats, will try with raptors next.

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

#543

Post by meristem »

ltiger wrote: post #268

"Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life" by Rory Sutherland Explains why we choose brands over cheaper alternatives, why we're willing to pay a lot more to lock in a deal, why we hate registering before buying the thing (but are more than happy to do so right after), why Sony removed the record button from the first Walkman, and much more. This book forever changed t…

Thank you for posting a bookshop.org link

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

#545

Post by andrewflnr »

walleeee wrote: post #483
CapmCrackaWaka wrote: post #208

I enjoyed Blindsight by Peter Watts. It explores several different interesting ideas. For instance, what is the point of empathy/friendship/love in a technologically advanced society? These were very useful things for our ancestors to help each other battle the harsh environment, but we have mastered our environment, so why waste brain power on empathy now? The Wikipedia summarizes the books discussion of conciousnes…

With respect, if your takeaway from reading Watts is that we've "mastered" the environment, I implore you to read the Rifters series and/or his blog. That's about as far from his view as it's possible to get.

It's not so much "we the humans have mastered the environment" as, well, a generic sort of we. But yes, the notable thing about Watts is definitely not his sunny optimism.

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

#547

Post by WheelsAtLarge »

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

What it helped me see is that we aren't necessarily born with world class abilities but that we can achieve them by working hard. I know there have been criticisms about the methods Gladwell outlines towards achieving mastery but the basic message about working hard towards mastery is valid.

It completely changed my view on why people become Masters in their field.

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

#548

Post by [deleted] »

cstrahan wrote: post #319

"To Mock a Mockingbird" by Raymond Smullyan. From Wikipedia: > To Mock a Mockingbird and Other Logic Puzzles: Including an Amazing Adventure in Combinatory Logic (1985, ISBN 0-19-280142-2) is a book by the mathematician and logician Raymond Smullyan. It contains many nontrivial recreational puzzles of the sort for which Smullyan is well known. It is also a gentle and humorous introduction to combinatory logic and the…

[deleted]

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

#549

Post by analog31 »

When I was in high school, I read Goedel Escher Bach, and it made math come alive for me -- to see it as something beyond making physics work, even though I was also interested in physics. It's probably what caused me to choose math as my college major.

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

#550

Post by AnimalMuppet »

combatentropy wrote: post #309

Mere Christianity , by C. S. Lewis. Any of his nonfiction works have a style of writing that I seldom find. He has a dedication to reason and a step-by-step approach. The Elements of Style , by William Strunk and E. B. White. I liked writing since I learned how to. I didn't find this book until I was 17, and it unlocked me to write in a way that better helped others. The Language Instinct , by Steven Pinker. I guess…

The Abolition of Man, also by C. S. Lewis. Not explicitly Christian, it's a defense of classical ethics.
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