You may not agree with his views (it's so far to the left, that it makes your head spin) but rather read it for how he writes. His terse words are a window into his psyche.
Everything is presented in a very "matter-of-fact" way. I've read most of his books and it's surprising how very little he thinks of his own opinions. For him, it's not a revelation that the world is corrupt and full of structures that incentivise the destruction of the middle class etc., it's just a matter of fact. "That's how the world is and this is where I think it's going, good luck with changing that.", that's what it feels like.
I was pretty young when I started reading them, around 16. It temporarily changed me for the worse, the books are so pessimistic, that it tends to put that person I described above (getting sucked into books) into a depressive state.
If you want to start somewhere, try "Manufacturing Consent" (by Chomsky and Herman).
If you've already read that, then try "On Palestine" by Chomsky as well, I don't recall reading it but it does seem timely now.
I like listening to him speak more, tbh. He can come across as a rambling old man with disjointed thoughts. Then, after going off for 10 minutes, he brings it back. The world is complicated, and Chomsky has a very firm grasp on how complicated it all is, and in order to explain a point, he often has to untangle a large web of relationships and history. Sometimes exhausting, but also kind exhilarating. He refuses to short snappy news bits because he knows a statement that challenges the status quo needs strong evidence and explanation, and that necessarily requires a longer form (he discusses that point in Manufacturing Consent).
I'd also recommend Manufacturing Consent.
Not because of the actual topic, although that's important too; but because of the first 150 or so pages, where Pinker starts by saying something like: you won't believe me about how violence has declined unless I first disabuse you of the notion that the past was nice. He then describes how truly awful pretty much everyone and everything was in the past. It was an eye-opener.
Those who romanticize the past (which is most people) do themselves a grave disservice.
Yes, democracies are cracking under strain.
Yes, wars are happening that could spill over to larger areas and cause serious harm.
Yes, social media and lack of truthfulness is a huge issue.
Yes, global warming sucks and we need to do more.
But still, on so many measures, things are better than they ever have been, and trending in positive directions.
It's about psychological studies of morality, and what tends to influence one sense of morality.
It had a huge impact on me because I feel that it helped me grow as a person, and being able to understand other culture/other principle, even if I don't necessarily agree with that.
Lots of stuff that seems plain evil from a western point of view (ergo, centered about the morals of individuality) would look more sensible once understood from a moral coming from a sense of community, and the necessarily conservative need to foster a stable societal structure.
It doesn't mean that I agree with things like opposing the rights of woman to drive/open bank account, but it help understanding the motivation better.
Another interesting point he brings is the differentiation between a moral judgement (X is good or bad), and the moral reasoning (X is bad because of Y and Z). Notably, the moral judgement come before the moral reasoning, the latter being used not as a way to reach a conclusion, but as a way to defend a moral judgement with our peers.
Jonathan Haidt is mostly known for his works on the political polarization of the USA.
Another book I found incredibly enriching (but unfortunately only in French) is "Au coeur des services spéciaux", which is an interview by Jean Guisnel (a french investigative journalist) of Alain Chouet, a former director of the DGSE (the french CIA basically).
Alain Chouet studied Arabic and the arab/muslim world even before joining the DGSE, and what I picked up at the bookstore as a way to understand the french intelligence services turned out to be an extremely interesting (and respectful) exposé of the muslim and arab world, with the prism of political Islam, the history of terrorism as seen by french intelligence service, his opinion on many nuclear programs, and of course a great deal about 9/11.
The writing of the book is very fresh thanks to the conversational/interview style used, and while the book show its age more and more (it's from 2013), I still believe it's a worthwhile lecture if one is curious about such subject, especially given the current context.
Probably Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. And it didn't impact me in a way where I agreed with it, it was more the opposite. It sort of made me realize "oh, this is what bullshit looks like" and I was able to take that and apply it elsewhere
I'll give an example... Hegel sort of works like this: person X says A, person Y says B, there's a disagreement, they both fight to the death and person X enslaves person Y, then person Y goes crazy, turns to religion (I'm not bullshitting here either, he introduces the priest at this point in the master slave dialectic [0]), then person Y affirms their own slavery both physically and mentally. This is the basic process on which "history" happens
Think about this for a second, all of those people who died in the 20th century because of this guy's bullshit. I read his garbage cover to cover, lesson learned: bullshit is dangerous. There's a reason why Hegel doesn't like math. After I read this guy, it made me realize something: non-technical non-fiction is fiction
[0] "As a separate, independent extreme, it rejects the essence of its will, and casts upon the mediator or minister [priest] its own freedom of decision, and herewith the responsibility for its own action. This mediator, having a direct relationship with the unchangeable Being, ministers by giving advice on what is right." (para 228)
lots of great recommendations already, but this is a relatively quick read and a great story.
How To Build A Car
If you're into F1 -- or precision engineering -- it's a cool book that gives you insight into a fantastic designer and his approach to producing machines
I could go on but those are two books I thought about while going about my day today
- Factfulness or
- Sapiens or
- Richard Feynman’s various writings
…but the most measurable impact was probably from something like
- “Strunk and white The Elements of Style” or
- “How to win friends and influence people” or
- “Oh! Pascal!” Or
- “the dictionary” or
- some specific bus timetable that enabled a pivotal moment in my life
I see your literality, and raise:
enabled a pivotal moment in my life
Like that time you beat Archimedes to the punch and moved the world with a cantilever?
To not just 'standup philosopher'-post: Gödel, Escher, Bach (already mentioned by another I see); Euclid's Elements; Polya's How To Solve It; The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich; Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - clearly non-fiction, if you know cats. :)
Story time? Don't leave us hanging :)
I vaguely recall The Soul Of Sex giving me a healthier foundation for my own sexuality.
The Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.
The Selfish Gene has probably had a deep lingering effect on my thoughts about my life as a biological creature.
Every Page Is Page One is very helpful for realizing (what I believe to be) the higher purpose of technical documentation, which is knowledge sharing.
- Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline.
John, meanwhile, is very different vibe on the story of Jesus and is cool in its own way.
I'd also recommend Acts, personally. It is a history of the very early church and written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke. Very proto-communist/anarchist in places, imo.
It all started for me when I heard about the three jesuses of ypselanti. I hope you enjoy it too.
https://youarenotsosmart.com/2014/01/07/yanss-podcast-015-i-...
Sartre's essays on existentialism, Camus's big essays too.
Jiddu Krishnamurti's Awakening intelligence is also very good.
Edit0:
How nonviolence protects the state, Peter Gelderloos.
Very measured look at the discourse around violence and nonviolence. Fruitful read.
Free here: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-how...
Edit1: Freud's Totems and taboos, and some Jung, but I forget what exactly.
It made me reflect a lot on the interactions I have with the people around me, and I think I needed to develop a deeper level of self-awareness than I had prior to reading it. So I’m glad I read it.
As a result, I have some questions (not necessarily directly for you, @patrickthebold, but for whoever cares to answer):
(1) Were you able to internalize the lessons from this book?
(2) Is there anything valuable in the back ~half of the book?
(3) If you read this book about 20 years ago, would you re-read it; or if read it less than 20 years ago, would you recommend your future self re-read it?
Edit: so to answer your points
1. No need to.
2. Worth reading the whole thing.
3. At the first reading when younger, one might focus too much on the philosophy and miss the story of the person behind the thoughts. It's not a book where you learn philosophy, but how this person thinks and how it impacts his life. With some life experience and perspective this aspect is much more interesting.
2. The revelation about quality
3. I've read it three or four times, generally about ten years apart. I'm due...
And the concept of "gumption".
But most especially that "quality" is the interface between the observer and the observed -- that what you like is a unique aspect of you and the thing (that you like), and that's okay. That concept has shaped my world.
Phenomenology of the End in particular blew my mind.
1) Happy by Derren Brown - a stoic interpretation for the modern world (how to live, and die, happy)
2) The Daily Stoic - 366 pages of stoic philosophy for each day
3) how to control drinking / this naked mind- second book is a reinterpretation of the first, made the biggest impact on my life, helping me stop drinking
4) Atomic Habits - helped me appreciate it is a little nudge that makes the biggest long term difference
Metaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson
The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan
The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
Tao Te Ching (various translators)
Recently, I finished the making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes. It’s quite long, but a fascinating view on physics, weapon development, and then the politics of the bomb. It’s a good exercise to compare with the current state of AI and see what things are similar and what are different.
--helped me understand why listening to music has such a varied and profound effect on me.
Hallucinations -by Oliver Sack
--piqued my interest in the brain and the notion that it is running the show behind the scenes and what we perceive to be reality is merely a construct of our neural activity.
Doctor Wood, Modern Wizard of the Laboratory
For a more recent, although not nearly as formative read:
The Coddling of the American Mind
A surprising insight of the book is that having hierarchies reduces conflict. I wrote a summary of the book here: https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-wanting-by-luke-burgis
All of Nietzsche. Antioedipus. Marcuse's One Dimensional Man. Wittgenstein's Notebooks. The works of Vilem Fluser. Basically most major/famous philosophers are a solid bet.
Antifragile - Taleb
What is Life? - Schrodinger
Structure and Interpretations of Computer Programs - Abelson
It presents the idea that manufacturing accounting is wrong.
“Self esteem” - which altered how I saw myself and understood my own behavior when dating.
https://equalityfiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/thomas_sza...
and any of Byung-Chul Han's philosophical books over the last ten years, though The Burnout society is probably the place to start.
My favorite thing about these books is that if the title piques your interest, it's a quick read because of the aphoristic style keeping the aforementioned short.
Course of Theoretical Physics
In order not to sound solipsistic, I will admit that they all share the subject :P
Her show is very similar to the book, but the book explains it better. Her second book is more of the same, not sure about the third
Any of David Foster Wallace's books of essays such as A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again and Consider the Lobster
I read it in 1970. It sparked my interest in technology; an interest that is very much alive and kicking all these years later.
* Having elected not to use an obvious list format (as it appears on my screen), or even a single ASCII character beyond the fairly essential - parsimonious. You took the interrogative "How long shall you march under another man's orders?" very much to heart, it seems.
Seriously would read each sentence then spend a minute just to letting the shattering existential realizations sink in.
Not going to mention any psychological studies or philosophical essays, because, sorry, OP asked for non-fiction...
spell of the sensuous. mind bending history of the alphabet, the effect of being literate on your ways of thinking and an introduction to phenomenology and our original sin of considering "nature" to be an "other"
I wish this one was required reading.
A book on the vanity of life
None of this is taught in school - but it should be.
Hackers
It really opened my mind to the quest for knowledge being its own noble pursuit.
The Master Switch - Tim Wu
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Surveillance_Capi...
And Permanent Record by Snowden
* "Manufacturing Consent" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions) * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.
* "On Palestine" by Chomsky (1 mention) * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
* "Requiem for the American Dream" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention) * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.
* "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman (2 mentions) * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.
* "The Better Angels of Our Nature" by Steven Pinker (1 mention) * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.
* "Factfulness" by Hans Rosling (1 mention) * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.
* "Phenomenology of Spirit" by Hegel (1 mention) * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.
* "The Righteous Mind" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions) * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.
* "How To Build A Car" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.
* "Factfulness" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.
* "Strunk and White The Elements of Style" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.
* "Gödel, Escher, Bach" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.
* "The Dictionary" (1 mention, multiple authors) * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.
* "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
* "The Experience of God" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention) * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.
* "A Mind for Numbers" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention) * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.
* "A People's History of the US" by Howard Zinn (1 mention) * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.
* "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention) * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.
* "Das Kapital" by Karl Marx (1 mention) * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.
* "You are Not So Smart" by David McRaney (1 mention) * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.
* "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention) * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as "thin-slicing." The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.
* "How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.
* "The Surrender Experiment" by Michael Singer (1 mention) * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.
* "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World" by Harry Browne (1 mention) * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.
* "Happy by Derren Brown" and "The Daily Stoic" (1 mention, authors not specified) * Summary: "Happy" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. "The Daily Stoic" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.
* "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond (1 mention) * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.
* "The Gulag Archipelago" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention) * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.
* "Ecclesiastes" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.
* "Women hold up half the sky" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.
* "Spell of the Sensuous" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.
* "Kids and the Amiga" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.
* "Hackers" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.
* "LSD my problem child" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention) * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.
* "Electric cool aid acid test" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.
* "Warped Passages" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: This book guides readers through the world of particle physics and string theory. It discusses key theories, experiments, and concepts that have shaped our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.
* "A History of The Internet And the Digital Future" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention) * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and looks forward to its future. It traces the development of the internet, exploring its impact on society and speculating on potential future developments.
* "The Master Switch" by Tim Wu (1 mention) * Summary: The Master Switch looks at the history of information technologies like telephone, radio, television, and the Internet to see how their development was shaped by businesses and government. The book discusses the cycle of open to closed systems in the context of the Internet.
* "The Realities of Work: Experiencing Work and Employment in Contemporary Society" by Mike Noon and Paul Blyton (1 mention) * Summary: Examines the nature of work, the variety of different jobs, and the skills they require. This book highlights the changes in the structures and cultures of work and analyses their impact on the working lives of employees.
* "The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self" by Charles Eisenstein (1 mention) * Summary: This book explores the history and future of civilization from a unique perspective. It hypothesizes that human history is a story of the self's marginalization from nature and each other and proposes that mounting crises in the modern world will lead to an 'Age of Reunion' with a more connected sense of self.
* "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan (1 mention) * Summary: A guide to the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores the origins, scale, and future of the universe, offering insights into the nature of life and mankind's place in the cosmos. The book fosters an appreciation for the quest for knowledge for its own sake.
* "Women, fire, and dangerous things" by Lakoff (1 mention) * Summary: A scholarly book about human cognition and linguistic categorization. It posits that human categorization is not arbitrary, but is based on cognitive models that originate from physical, social, and mental experience. It argues against a classical categorization approach in favor of a prototype approach.
* "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius (1 mention) * Summary: A series of philosophical reflections and exercises by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The book offers guidance and insights on matters such as resilience, rationality, morality, duty, and the temporal nature of human life, reflecting the Stoic philosophy that Aurelius practiced.
* "A History of the Internet and the Digital Future" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention) * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and speculates about its future. It discusses the various technological and social transformations that have accompanied the rise of the internet, as well as the implications these changes may have for the future.
* "The Master Switch" by Tim Wu (1 mention) * Summary: The book examines the history of information, communications and technology industries in the United States. Wu explores how the control of these industries has shifted from an open to a closed system, stifling innovation and threatening net neutrality.
