Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered (1973) - E. F. Schumacher
What's the most radical book you've read?
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Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
The suggestion that one can have a direct relationship with God tends to annoy those in power of various forms who might prefer to mediate that authority. Others are less thrilled of the threat of eternal concequences for their actions. I like the salvation by grace bit.
> The suggestion that one can have a direct relationship with God tends to annoy those in power of various forms who might prefer to mediate that authority. Genuinely, have you read the bible? Because this is not message of it at all.
I have. It's not the only suggestion that is considered controversial or radical but one that I thought made for a clear answer.
What the main messages are is a different question which has been a topic of debate for a while now.
Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#23The Master and His Emissary by Ian McGilchrist
Why Materialism is Baloney by Bernardo Kastrup
The first one really opened my mind to alternate modes of thought. The first half of the book is especially interesting, the second half is skippable. I don't think I could have appreciated the second book if I hadn't read the first.
The Dictator's Handbook by Bueno de Mesquita and Smith is another good one. Afaik, the first successful attempt to create a true theory of politics.
Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#24For me it was Jack London's fiction The Sea-Wolf. I was/am interested in philosophical ideas/frameworks but the simple direct materialistic philosophy espoused by Wolf Larsen in the above book made me question everything i had read.
Here are the relevant excerpts : https://old.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1jqpar/what_book_sin...
We are mere "Animals" with a far more complex social structure than any other species which is why we invent all sorts of "subjective meanings" to "objectively meaningless" life. How to reconcile both is the eternal "Human Condition" problem.
See also : Philosophy in a Meaningless Life: A System of Nihilism, Consciousness and Reality by James Tartaglia. Free pdf at - https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?docid=b-9781...
Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#25Post Office by Charles Bukowski
Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#26The Master and His Emissary by Ian McGilchrist Why Materialism is Baloney by Bernardo Kastrup The first one really opened my mind to alternate modes of thought. The first half of the book is especially interesting, the second half is skippable. I don't think I could have appreciated the second book if I hadn't read the first. The Dictator's Handbook by Bueno de Mesquita and Smith is another good one. Afaik, the first…
Love de Mesquita's The Logic of Political Survival and selectorate theory in general as well. What a meaty concept, with a lot of counterintuitive explanations.
Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#27I've got a whole list of books like this sitting somewhere on my hard drive called "Well-Argued Ideologies Very Different From My Own". Covers the whole gamut, from anti-natalism to Z-theory.
The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life would be my go-to. It's all about how people's motives are a lot more self-serving than you might think, including your own.
If you liked that, and then really want to go off the deep end, try The Enigma of Reason.
Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#28"Rules for Radicals" by Saul D. Alinsky.
On how to organize revolutions and how to be careful about what you wish for.
Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#29Medical Nemesis by Ivan Illich
Re: What's the most radical book you've read?
#30The Bible, specifically the New Testament, and more specifically，The Gospels. The reason that it's radical is that Christ overturns traditional notions of morality. Greco-Roman thought saw the rich and powerful as close to the divine but Christ's message is that the meek and poor are prefered by God.
Coming in at #2, I would argue for Marx, maybe Capital. It's radical because it shows that Capitalism is not a "natural" state of affairs (as much as it would like us to believe that it is).