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Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

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Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#191

Post by d0mine »

bsrhng wrote: post #48
d0mine wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is obvious in hindsight but it was a revelation for me that the ancients were not idiots/have something to teach us, and how little progress there is in a non-technological sphere since then (e.g., political social issues from many 100s years ago are still relatable or the stoics wisdom is still applicable at the personal level)

One follow up question you might want to be asking is why you thought that in the first place and what it has to do with current societal views.

The logic why I thought so is simple: I'd read Aristotle views on physics initially (complete garbage) and assumed if one part (that I can easily verify) is garbage, then other parts (that are not so easily verifiable) are likely to be garbage too.

If I see something wrong published on the topic that I know well, I assume that the quality of the content from the same source is not any better for the topics I don't know.

It is a good general principle but the heuristics/shortcut doesn't work sometimes.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#192

Post by unmole »

teekert wrote: post #154
teekert wrote: post #124

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I was overly social, choosing others over myself. I thought it was the way, possibly due to my Christian upbringing. But I learned that to say “I love you”, one must first be able to say “I”. Rational self interest is a good ethical basis for a non-sociopathic human. If you’re a sociopath, it’s horrible, which brings me to my next recommendation: Humandkind by Rutger Bregman (in Dutch: “Mo…

Haha, Mention Ayn Rand on HN, get some downvotes, sadly never any good questions or remarks. I wonder if the downvoters really read it. I feel like just like the Selfish Gene, you can misread Atlas Shrugged. I think a core point is that it makes you ponder if doing something for someone you love is selfishness. Or if true self-sacrifice is doing something you hate for something you don’t believe in. What’s good, what…

I don't dislike Atlas Shrugged because of its politics, although I would say The Road to Serfdom presents a far better case and does it more concisely.

I dislike Atlas Shrugged because it's a terrible novel with paper thin characters and cringeworthy dialogue. I'd argue that A Song of Ice and Fire, with its magic and dragons and undead armies still makes for a more realistic exploration of the human condition than the claptrap of Atlas Shrugged.

Life is too short to read Ayn Rand.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#193

Post by thejackgoode »

petra wrote: post #155
thejackgoode wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there other people who think Naval Ravikant has zero original ideas and his real competence is speech?

Why should I care whether an idea is original ? If he offers me a bunch of true and useful ideas, in a single place, and in a useful form, that seems valuable to me.

For the same reason why you shouldn’t listen to Tony Robbins. Second hand ideas are repackaged to induce emotions for reasons and causes potentially unrelated to the original.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#194

Post by teekert »

unmole wrote: post #192
teekert wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haha, Mention Ayn Rand on HN, get some downvotes, sadly never any good questions or remarks. I wonder if the downvoters really read it. I feel like just like the Selfish Gene, you can misread Atlas Shrugged. I think a core point is that it makes you ponder if doing something for someone you love is selfishness. Or if true self-sacrifice is doing something you hate for something you don’t believe in. What’s good, what…

I don't dislike Atlas Shrugged because of its politics, although I would say The Road to Serfdom presents a far better case and does it more concisely. I dislike Atlas Shrugged because it's a terrible novel with paper thin characters and cringeworthy dialogue. I'd argue that A Song of Ice and Fire , with its magic and dragons and undead armies still makes for a more realistic exploration of the human condition than t…

OP asked for novels that changed people. I give examples and support them. I knew I’d get downvotes because Ayn Rand on HN = downvotes. I’d say if a novel elicits so much consistent response it’s already worth reading.

I didn’t find it cringy I couldn’t put it down. Especially during John Galts speech. Just brilliant if you ask me. There are cetainly things I don’t agree with but OP asked for novels that changed me.

Were taking opinions here btw, keep that mind.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#195

Post by rg111 »

tagoregrtst wrote: post #170
rg111 wrote: post #130

English: Do you consider having a new layer in your thinking process "life changing"? Then, I would say- 1. Deep Work and So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport. He goes against famous ideas such as "follow your passion" and provides you with alternative actionable advice. 2. Black Swan by N. Nicholas Taleb. It makes you aware of unhinged "platonistic thinking" where stuff are "explained" looking back. And peop…

“ I used to feel very bad about my ethnic identity, and felt ashamed about it” I wish I spoke Bengali just to read Tagore in the original. First poet, at the age of 33, that I have ever appreciated. Brilliant. Of course, an atheist would have trouble appreciating him

What? Not at all.

I am a total athiest, and I really like Tagore's poems.

See, Tagore not only wrote poetries and songs, he was a great essayist, as well.

Many of his essays would be highly appreciated by athiests and progressives (I mean the real progressives, not current US-style ones). Same goes for many of his novels and plays.

His romantic poems and love songs are top-notch.

I know because I have been immersed in Tagore culture from my childhood.

He was a thiest, but definitely not in the usual way. Many of his songs that belong to the "Worship" sect, can be, and is interpreted as romantic songs a lot.

He was definitely a progressive.

Try reading this through G Translate maybe- https://www.tagoreweb.in/Stories/lipika-147/kortar-bhut-2533 .

Fun fact: that he was progressive and wrote romantic poems and songs irked Swami Vivekananda, and they did not talk with each other despite being from the same period.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#196

Post by timka »

Idries Shah. Knowing to Know.

It's sort of like a mirror, a way to look at yourself. Also, reading it is a pleasure, very refreshing. This is in contrast with Daniel Kahneman's book which is quite depressing while being essentially on the same topic.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#197

Post by unmole »

teekert wrote: post #194
unmole wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't dislike Atlas Shrugged because of its politics, although I would say The Road to Serfdom presents a far better case and does it more concisely. I dislike Atlas Shrugged because it's a terrible novel with paper thin characters and cringeworthy dialogue. I'd argue that A Song of Ice and Fire , with its magic and dragons and undead armies still makes for a more realistic exploration of the human condition than t…

OP asked for novels that changed people. I give examples and support them. I knew I’d get downvotes because Ayn Rand on HN = downvotes. I’d say if a novel elicits so much consistent response it’s already worth reading. I didn’t find it cringy I couldn’t put it down. Especially during John Galts speech. Just brilliant if you ask me. There are cetainly things I don’t agree with but OP asked for novels that changed me.…

> knew I’d get downvotes because Ayn Rand on HN = downvotes.

There are comments on this very thread that recommend Atlas Shrugged that haven't been downvoted. The best way to get downvoted on HN is to complain about being downvoted.

> I’d say if a novel elicits so much consistent response it’s already worth reading.

That is a bizzare take. I'm pretty sure Mein Kapf would elicit a more consistently negative response.

> Were taking opinions here btw, keep that mind.

The people downvoting you are also expressing their opinion.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#198

Post by unmole »

creamytaco wrote: post #108
thejackgoode wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there other people who think Naval Ravikant has zero original ideas and his real competence is speech?

"I've never read anything that wasn't a bad regurgitation of ideas better presented elsewhere from this guy, and I have to wonder why he has amassed such a following." I wrote this 2 months ago, my opinion hasn't changed. I guess there are worse charlatans out there (ribbonfarm springs to mind) but why should one waste his/her time reading chewed takes by someone who doesn't seem to have a single original thought-ide…

Now I'm really interested in your book recommendations.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#199

Post by gozzoo »

thejackgoode wrote: post #174
gozzoo wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure if he has zero original ideas, but I think his ideas have very narrow scope. There is another thinker which I think is overrated - Balaji Srinivasan. At the same time I'm becomming a big fan of Jordan Peterson - his ideas are much closer to the real life and very relevant.

I was a follower for some time, several years ago. His biblical series are a highlight. I lost him at the “12 rules” book, came to see it as wrapping surface things in fancy confusing language, and I can’t unsee this smoke and mirrors since. He’s a knowledgeable professor and independent thinker, but he has become too big in my opinion.

There is no denying that Jordan Peterson is a troubled man, and he speaks from a position of a troubled man, you can hear it in his voice. This makes him, I think, authentic. Conversely Naval and the other modern thinkers talk from a position of privilege and success, which is not relevant for the majority of the people.

It is obvious that Jordan Peterson has seen and experienced misfortune. For most of us, it's much easier to relate to his ideas, than to those of the self-proclaimed modern gurus and egomaniacs from Silicon Valley.

His books are very verbose and boring, he covers too much stuff. I admit that I couldn't finish any of them. There are however excerpt from his lectures and interviews on Youtube which are spot on - very clear and direct.

Re: Ask HN: Life Changing Books?

#200

Post by aristofun »

thejackgoode wrote: post #86
snaveen wrote: post #76

A Master's Secret Whispers: For those who abhor the noise and seek The Truth about life and living https://www.amazon.com/Masters-Secret-Whispers-those-living/... Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735211299/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b... Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness https://www.amazon.com/Alman…

Are there other people who think Naval Ravikant has zero original ideas and his real competence is speech?

Neither do 99% of modern authors you find on Amazon.

It doesn’t make all of them bad authors, sometimes the talant is in the way you communicate known ideas.

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