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Ask HN: book suggestions in non-tech fields (e.g. psychology, philosophy…)

10 points by Timothee 13y ago

I've realized that I'd like to read some good timeless wisdom about something other than the best JavaScript design patterns, the Go documentation, or the 10 best ways to engage with VCs. Subjects like psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. What would you recommend? I'm not looking for anything in particular, mostly something different but captivating.

freshhawk 13y ago
Daniel Dennetts "Intuition pumps and other tools for thinking". Certainly parts of it won't be timeless as they touch a rapidly changing field but many parts of it likely are.
davidsmith8900 13y ago
- Top Books In Philosophy ~> https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+philosophy&oq=top+books+in+philosophy&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.5790j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+philosophy&oq=t... Top Books In Psychology ~> https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+psychology&oq=top+books+in+psychology&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.3911j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+psychology&oq=t... Top Books In Sociology ~> https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+sociology&oq=top+books+in+sociology&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.6206j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+sociology&oq=to...
deleted 13y ago
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gault8121 13y ago
In regards to psychology, read Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow. Kahneman describes fast thinking as the instantaneous, subconscious judgements we make, while slow thinking is the conscious, articulated thoughts we have. Kahneman shows how there is a huge disconnect between these two systems, and how this influences our behavior. Another excellent book is Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. It looks at how people are convinced into doing things (e.g. the effectiveness of various methods of advertising), and how you can guard yourself against these psychological mechanisms. The title sounds cheesy, but it is an excellent book full of concrete, interesting examples. I'd highly recommend both books. While they may sound sort of salesy, both books deeply examine the process of making a decision.
mstockton 13y ago
I made a goal to read 100 books this year. I'm through 87 so far. Most of them have been non-fiction. Using this year to learn things outside of technology has been time very well spent for me. Here are some of my top books this year. - Currency Wars, James Rickards - The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein - What Technology Wants, Kevin Kelly - The Art Of Happiness, Dalai Lama - Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen - The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz - Man's Search For Meaning, Viktor Frankl - Understanding Power, Noam Chomsky - The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander - Good To Great, Jim Collins - Abundance, Peter Diamandis - The Mystery Of Capital, Hernando De Soto - Pathologies Of Power, Paul Farmer - Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff - Seeing Like A State, James Scott - Ishmael, Daniel Quinn - Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, Richard Feynman - Beyond Fear, Bruce Schneier - The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan - The Birth Of Plenty, William Bernstein
- atom-morgan 13y ago
  This is a really good list you have here. Currency Wars and Lies My Teacher Told Me are definitely on my Amazon wishlist. Is reading Abundance worth it though if you've already seen his TED talk? I want a deep dive, not just a few more details here and there.
cubecul 13y ago
Classical works could take you for a spin. Plato's The Republic is deceivingly easy to follow, its format hiding a wealth of philosophy and political theory.
vijucat 13y ago
Just start reading from "Let us consider another demand : I should always be understanding, sympathetic, and helpful": http://www.scribd.com/doc/34058295/Karen-Horney-Neurosis-and-Human-Growth#page=67 http://www.scribd.com/doc/34058295/Karen-Horney-Neurosis-and... Karen Horney, "Neurosis and Human Growth : The Struggle Towards Self-Realization". If I was asked to recommend a single book to read, I would recommend this. My 2nd would probably be a Jiddu Krishnamurthi book.

10 points by Timothee 13y ago

freshhawk 13y ago

Daniel Dennetts "Intuition pumps and other tools for thinking". Certainly parts of it won't be timeless as they touch a rapidly changing field but many parts of it likely are.

davidsmith8900 13y ago

- Top Books In Philosophy ~> https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+philosophy&oq=top+books+in+philosophy&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.5790j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+philosophy&oq=t... Top Books In Psychology ~> https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+psychology&oq=top+books+in+psychology&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.3911j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+psychology&oq=t... Top Books In Sociology ~> https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+sociology&oq=top+books+in+sociology&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.6206j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=top+books+in+sociology&oq=to...

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gault8121 13y ago

In regards to psychology, read Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow. Kahneman describes fast thinking as the instantaneous, subconscious judgements we make, while slow thinking is the conscious, articulated thoughts we have. Kahneman shows how there is a huge disconnect between these two systems, and how this influences our behavior. Another excellent book is Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. It looks at how people are convinced into doing things (e.g. the effectiveness of various methods of advertising), and how you can guard yourself against these psychological mechanisms. The title sounds cheesy, but it is an excellent book full of concrete, interesting examples. I'd highly recommend both books. While they may sound sort of salesy, both books deeply examine the process of making a decision.

mstockton 13y ago

I made a goal to read 100 books this year. I'm through 87 so far. Most of them have been non-fiction. Using this year to learn things outside of technology has been time very well spent for me. Here are some of my top books this year. - Currency Wars, James Rickards - The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein - What Technology Wants, Kevin Kelly - The Art Of Happiness, Dalai Lama - Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen - The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz - Man's Search For Meaning, Viktor Frankl - Understanding Power, Noam Chomsky - The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander - Good To Great, Jim Collins - Abundance, Peter Diamandis - The Mystery Of Capital, Hernando De Soto - Pathologies Of Power, Paul Farmer - Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff - Seeing Like A State, James Scott - Ishmael, Daniel Quinn - Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, Richard Feynman - Beyond Fear, Bruce Schneier - The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan - The Birth Of Plenty, William Bernstein

atom-morgan 13y ago
This is a really good list you have here. Currency Wars and Lies My Teacher Told Me are definitely on my Amazon wishlist. Is reading Abundance worth it though if you've already seen his TED talk? I want a deep dive, not just a few more details here and there.

cubecul 13y ago

Classical works could take you for a spin. Plato's The Republic is deceivingly easy to follow, its format hiding a wealth of philosophy and political theory.

vijucat 13y ago

Just start reading from "Let us consider another demand : I should always be understanding, sympathetic, and helpful": http://www.scribd.com/doc/34058295/Karen-Horney-Neurosis-and-Human-Growth#page=67 http://www.scribd.com/doc/34058295/Karen-Horney-Neurosis-and... Karen Horney, "Neurosis and Human Growth : The Struggle Towards Self-Realization". If I was asked to recommend a single book to read, I would recommend this. My 2nd would probably be a Jiddu Krishnamurthi book.