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

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41–50 of 747 posts

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

#41

The first time I read Talebs Black Swan was pretty mind bending. It's a intriguing mix of philosophy, history and the application of probabilistic thinking. It's also a great aggregator book. It introduced me to the works of Kahneman, Tetlock, Poincare and Mandelbrot.

True that. The Taleb trilogy is great. Here are some notes I took from them - https://ashishb.net/?s=taleb

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

#42
post #40

I will take the bullet and suggest Ayn Rand's Fountainhead. If you are a teenager it will definitely make you think and likely leave an impact on you. It's not a typical novel, more like philosophical ideas presented in the form of a novel. Ideal characters placed in real life. You will also understand why the world is divided into Ayn Rand lovers and haters. It questions how the world works, how it should work, how…

Is the book better than the movie? I just watched the 1949 film last night. It seems complete, does it miss any details?

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

#44

The first time I read Talebs Black Swan was pretty mind bending. It's a intriguing mix of philosophy, history and the application of probabilistic thinking. It's also a great aggregator book. It introduced me to the works of Kahneman, Tetlock, Poincare and Mandelbrot.

Especially pertinent to understanding current events. As is the entire Incerto.

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

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it's degrading, but it's true and it's the world we live in. It's okay if you want to put your hands over your ears and keep your eyes closed, but don't expect others to do the same, and don't be surprised when they have a better grip of reality.

Ah, there you go, exhibiting precisely the moral authority I find repugnant in followers of the Dawkins cult. What makes it true?

[deleted]

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

#46
post #40

I will take the bullet and suggest Ayn Rand's Fountainhead. If you are a teenager it will definitely make you think and likely leave an impact on you. It's not a typical novel, more like philosophical ideas presented in the form of a novel. Ideal characters placed in real life. You will also understand why the world is divided into Ayn Rand lovers and haters. It questions how the world works, how it should work, how…

Is the book better than the movie? I just watched the 1949 film last night. It seems complete, does it miss any details?

I haven't got around watching the movie yet, is it any good? I will give it a try.

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

#47
I would recommend "the perennial philosophy", by Huxley [1]. Schrödinger recommends it in his "what is life" (another amazing piece).. you'll not be disappointed if you thrive for mind expanding literature! :)

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Perennial_Phi...

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

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it's degrading, but it's true and it's the world we live in. It's okay if you want to put your hands over your ears and keep your eyes closed, but don't expect others to do the same, and don't be surprised when they have a better grip of reality.

Ah, there you go, exhibiting precisely the moral authority I find repugnant in followers of the Dawkins cult. What makes it true?

What makes it true is the enormous weight of evidence.

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

#50
post #34

I really enjoy books on neuroscience that change the way I think about perception. Phantoms in the Brain by V S Ramachandran - a book about how the brain organises itself in bizarre edge cases. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes us Human. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes us Human by the same author is also worth reading. Admissions by Henry Marsh - An experienced…

I have quite enjoyed a couple of books by David Eagleman: The Brain, and Sum.
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