6 ms·

Always puzzled with tech worker’s constant need for self help books. Go read history or a novel every now and then!

twoquestions 8y ago
Time reading novels (or doing anything else for fun) is time not spent improving, which in this all-against-all knife fight world is foolish.
- monadgonad 8y ago
  HN being what it is, I can't tell if this is intended as satire.
  - lihaciudaniel 8y ago
    It applies to me too. I can't afford books so I pirate them. But I can't enjoy fiction without physical books so I never read any lately.
    - IndrekR 8y ago
      No public libraries where you live?
bgeeek 8y ago
They probably make a good fit, especially with how tech people tend to think analytically about things. However, I'm not entirely convinced that self-help books will always work and I've often thought that you can sometimes be over-analytical about things. Also, sometimes you can understand the rational explanation of something, yet that still will not affect the way you respond. I've probably gone somewhat off-track here :]
balladeer 8y ago
Personally I’ve found very few nonfiction books which helped me improve and educate myself more than the fiction (almost 80% of my reading list). Sometimes it just seems there’s a forcefully acquired obsession with nonfiction reading and the misplaced sense of intellectual accomplishment attached (I’d not call it pseudo intellectualism). I often compare it, in crude ways, with how one picks up smoking in school/college just because the “cool kids” do it too. But then that’s more to fit in I guess, or to fulfil a need to belong. I was surprised to find friends move quickly from normal (for the lack of proper word) to “need a cig to think” or “.. do X”. Similarly “dude, this [a nonfiction book] got ‘depth’” followed by a couple of “you know”s and subtly accusing fiction of being mere entertainment. PS. I’d love to know whether there’s been work done on relating preference of self help books with isolation, loneliness, being introverted, reclusiveness, lack of knowledge of a broader spectrum of issues (or exposure to a diverse social circle, if any at all) but having developed a very sharp analytical and logical thunks in a very narrow manner (usually the related STEM field) and tendency to just fit in everything in those “formulas” etc. I have noticed a lot of these in myself and also observed them dramatically change as my surroundings and circle changed.

Time reading novels (or doing anything else for fun) is time not spent improving, which in this all-against-all knife fight world is foolish.

monadgonad 8y ago
HN being what it is, I can't tell if this is intended as satire.
- lihaciudaniel 8y ago
  It applies to me too. I can't afford books so I pirate them. But I can't enjoy fiction without physical books so I never read any lately.
  - IndrekR 8y ago
    No public libraries where you live?

bgeeek 8y ago

They probably make a good fit, especially with how tech people tend to think analytically about things. However, I'm not entirely convinced that self-help books will always work and I've often thought that you can sometimes be over-analytical about things. Also, sometimes you can understand the rational explanation of something, yet that still will not affect the way you respond. I've probably gone somewhat off-track here :]

balladeer 8y ago

Personally I’ve found very few nonfiction books which helped me improve and educate myself more than the fiction (almost 80% of my reading list). Sometimes it just seems there’s a forcefully acquired obsession with nonfiction reading and the misplaced sense of intellectual accomplishment attached (I’d not call it pseudo intellectualism). I often compare it, in crude ways, with how one picks up smoking in school/college just because the “cool kids” do it too. But then that’s more to fit in I guess, or to fulfil a need to belong. I was surprised to find friends move quickly from normal (for the lack of proper word) to “need a cig to think” or “.. do X”. Similarly “dude, this [a nonfiction book] got ‘depth’” followed by a couple of “you know”s and subtly accusing fiction of being mere entertainment. PS. I’d love to know whether there’s been work done on relating preference of self help books with isolation, loneliness, being introverted, reclusiveness, lack of knowledge of a broader spectrum of issues (or exposure to a diverse social circle, if any at all) but having developed a very sharp analytical and logical thunks in a very narrow manner (usually the related STEM field) and tendency to just fit in everything in those “formulas” etc. I have noticed a lot of these in myself and also observed them dramatically change as my surroundings and circle changed.