"An Algebraic Approach to Non-Classical Logics" by Helena Rasiowa was an eye-opener for me. Before that, "A short introduction to intuitionistic logic" by Gregory Mints is a great read which introduced me to Kripke models (and made me see that intuitionism can be understood classically in an intuitive way), but Rasiowa's book just unlocked how I saw logic from then on.
Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
11–20 of 211 posts
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#12Speaker for the Dead. It is a second book in Enders game franchise so you will probably need to read the first book first or watch the movie, but second book is mostly independent of the first one.
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#131. After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre
2. The Crisis of the Modern World by Rene Guenon
3. Islam and the Destiny of Man by Gai Eaton
IMO these books are critical reading in a post-modern world to make any sense of life.
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#14If I were to choose three fiction, those would make the cut.
Fiction:
The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem - It shed light on me in regards to microelectronics, swarm intelligence. Nothing ever eased my learning curve more for genetic algorithms like this short novel! It is also a good read in general. It also taught me that the difference in scientific vs force vs emotional approach to unknown. Would recommend as a springboard from a day-to-day acitivities.
Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky - a Soviet sf classic, I've read it 3x already. It tells a story about a closed zone where 'aliens' left their artifcats, and how that changed people around them.
Ender's Game - I don't think there is an explanation needed. It is a total classic. It helps a lot to understand outsiders, not just aliens but a humans too.
All of the above are either hard or soft sf.
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#15Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Republic - Plato
Laws - Cicero
National System of Political Economy - Friedrich List
Man and Technics - Oswald Spengler
The Bible
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#16Science fiction suggestion: The Spin by Robert Charles Wilson.
Always makes me think that as a species how we come to peace with and normalize extraordinary events.
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#17From the pov of my career: Designing Data-Intensive Applications is the only technical book I've ever read that I felt was worth the time it took me to read it. It's excellent - I learned a ton, I keep going back to it, and if I'd read it as a fresh graduate it could have saved me a lot of trouble. I've read a few other of the popular programmer books eg Clean Code, Refactoring, the Pragmatic Programmer, Working Effe…
What was your approach to reading and getting value from it?
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#18Bill Gates - How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
Finally a book that approaches climate change from an engineering perspective and focuses on possible, constructive solutions.
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#19Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Insightful and relate-able in a lot of ways.
Re: Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?
#20- The Way of The Superior Man. The only "self help" book I give any credit. It really boils down to encouraging people to have a purpose in life and accept ourselves.
- The Stupidity Paradox. Ever feel the world works in a "stupid" way? That your organization keeps promoting stupid ideas? Read this book and get into the roots of functional stupidity. It's a bit repetitive, but extremely insightful book.
- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. The book I most recommend for any software professional.