Post: #676

Euler's biography.

Post: #677

First Things First, Stephen Covey and friends. Seems to be a somewhat repackaged version of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but I'll report back on its content when I'm done.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #678

I am reading Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present by Max Boot.

Its tells the history of guerrilla warfare from antiquity up until today's war on terror. Looks promising.

Post: #679

(05-25-2016 10:42 PM)Paracelsus Wrote:  First Things First, Stephen Covey and friends. Seems to be a somewhat repackaged version of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but I'll report back on its content when I'm done.

I have read this book when I was 16, great book. However I don't like the emphasis he places on character. While I agree that having a good character is important, having too much of it can be detrimental in dealing with women or people in general.

Post: #680

(05-28-2016 03:59 AM)pitt Wrote:  

(05-25-2016 10:42 PM)Paracelsus Wrote:  First Things First, Stephen Covey and friends. Seems to be a somewhat repackaged version of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but I'll report back on its content when I'm done.

I have read this book when I was 16, great book. However I don't like the emphasis he places on character. While I agree that having a good character is important, having too much of it can be detrimental in dealing with women or people in general.

Can you expand on what 'having a good character' means?

Post: #681

(05-28-2016 11:47 AM)Moma Wrote:  

(05-28-2016 03:59 AM)pitt Wrote:  

(05-25-2016 10:42 PM)Paracelsus Wrote:  First Things First, Stephen Covey and friends. Seems to be a somewhat repackaged version of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but I'll report back on its content when I'm done.

I have read this book when I was 16, great book. However I don't like the emphasis he places on character. While I agree that having a good character is important, having too much of it can be detrimental in dealing with women or people in general.

Can you expand on what 'having a good character' means?

In terms of having integrity , being honest and being a very ethical person. Let me just copy and paste what one forum member said on here, it was life changing for me:

''Character is in the package of principles. What are principles? Principles is a world view, a strategy and a tactic, principles is not the foundation of your very being. Generally our society sees principles as unchanging beliefs. Unchanging Beliefs tend to make you feel as if you lived in a predictable world where your views and perspective in life can remain the same without deteriorating your quality of life. Sometimes this may not be the best approach. The best approach is to be flexible and adaptable. Your beliefs or principles should lead to more happiness, if they are not generating happiness be prepared to change them and adapt to whatever situation you are in. Solid beliefs is for the religious inclined, a man who is looking for full freedom and happiness should be able to change his perspective and beliefs. This should be common sense because as social beings, our circumstances change, new information and new opportunities arise. If you are flexible, don’t you think you will be more likely to enrich your life? Remember, don’t solidify truth, all must fall in line when they are not in accord with happiness.''

Post: #682

Picked up Dostoevsky - Demons again. Only 20 or so pages in and I've already giggled a few times as he describes the 19th century Russian equivalent of a SJW

Post: #683

Finished First Things First, review is over in the completed books thread.

Now moving onto Tides of War by Steve Pressfield. Pressfield wrote The War of Art, a little motivational book which is always inspirational. Tides of War is his second historical novel, focused around the life of Alcibiades, the Athenian general who led Athens into the Peloppenesian War against Sparta. Having been in the RVF book reading drive back when we were looking at Thucydides' History, it's so far a good experience. I've already run into Socrates and Alcibiades themselves at the outset of the war, and the first scene is a good Red Pill-style discussion already!

What I really want to get hold of is Pressfield's first historical novel ... Gates of Fire, which, as you may guess, is a historical novel about Thermopylae and which got rave reviews. Supposedly Pressfield's novels are recommended to Greek history students as being just about as good a picture of Athenian civilisation as you'll ever get.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #684

I'm giving Plato's Republic a stab (translated by Allan Bloom, full .pdf here).

Finished reading Books I and II today. Relatively new to Plato, but I'm aware that he writes with a mind towards both theatricality and philosophy. I find it hard to believe that most anyone reading this could have thought of The Republic as theater, especially when the discussion of justice and its role is plain for all to see.

One of the things I remember from my last reading of The Republic was that Thrasymachus represented the Sophists, a group of Greeks who made money off teaching others their philosophy. What strikes me the most about the exchange between Socrates (or Plato?) and Thrasymachus is how confrontational the latter is. He calls out Socrates for always questioning rather than providing an answer, and is unhappy that Socrates can easily undermine his propositions. Other people who teach their truths for a living (looking at academia) are surely just as defensive about their academic accomplishments.

This reminds me of a weird moment with an insecure professor: I was writing a paper on successful entrepreneurs/renaissance men and my professor asked me whether those entrepreneurs would consider him and the academic work he has done successful. Weird.

More to read...

Post: #685

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

The archaic language is at times a slog to get through... People of the 18th century seem to enjoy telling stories with as many words as possible. His observations on people, situations and conduct are brilliant. Talk about a hustler and self-made man. It also seems to me that his preaching of "industriousness" later transformed into the American ideal of hard work. Franklin truly left his print on the nation he helped found.

Next up is Maxims by Francois De La Rochefoucauld and Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski.

Post: #686

Didn't make much progress on The Fall and Decline of the Roman Empire.

Right now, about halfway through Ominous Parallels - The End of Freedom in America

Very good, hard to put down. Ties SJW like behavior to german philosophers. Had some very prescient knowledge of what was happening, back in 1980 when it was written. It's just now starting to get into how Germany went full Nazi.

Post: #687

(06-01-2016 09:07 AM)philosophical_recovery Wrote:  Didn't make much progress on The Fall and Decline of the Roman Empire.

Right now, about halfway through Ominous Parallels - The End of Freedom in America

Very good, hard to put down. Ties SJW like behavior to german philosophers. Had some very prescient knowledge of what was happening, back in 1980 when it was written. It's just now starting to get into how Germany went full Nazi.

PR, look into: Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic (Tom Holland) if you haven't. Still working on it, but it's a great read.

Post: #688

Just started The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs. Looks like a winner 25 pages in...

Post: #689

KAIZEN The secret to Japan's competitive success.

The author is Masaaki Imai. This book was published in 1986, when Japan's technology industries had already enjoyed decades of unrivalled accomplishments, beginning around the late 1950s. The Western world had been curious about how within a few years of the start of Japan's post-World War 2 reconstruction, there had been so many as-yet unmatched advances coming out of this island nation. The book explains how the so-called secret was Kaizen.

As mentioned before, the book was first published 30 years ago. Of course, Japan's technology industry has lost some of its shine in the past 30 years. A good example is Sony, once one of the most prestigious organisations in the world, but has had various struggles since the start of this century. In particular, South Korea's technology industries have upstaged Japan's in recent times.

I predict this will be one of the most valuable books I have read thus far, and will write up a review once I am done.

Post: #690

Currently I am reading through the whole list of books recommended by Scott Adams on Persuasion.

I am on chapter 3 stage of the books (The Moist Robot Hypothesis). At this moment I am reading Influence by Robert Cialdini. When I’ll finish all of them I will write a report on each in the form of a datasheet.

Already now I strongly recommend giving the list a go. It has jumbled my mind quite a bit and I am seeing very interesting results by applying what I’ve learned.

Humans truly are creatures of habit.

Post: #691

The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain. It is a great, playful story that reminds me a little bit of the short story Micromegas by Voltaire where one character helps another to see a totally different point of view than their own.

Post: #692

Listening to Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. About 10 hours into a 50 hour audio book.

Laugh out loud funny. Intelligent. Dark. I was listening to it while working out and laughed so hard on a squat I nearly injured while. I really lost my balance laughing on the way down.

Highly recommend listening to the audiobook. A bit too wordy to read I think. Plus the reader is incredible, a great actor.

Post: #693

Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris - Ian Kershaw. Part 1 of a two-volume biography on the man, had to read the abridged one-volume version a couple of years ago in college.

I don't like biographies that focus on the minutia of one person and miss the bigger picture. This one doesn't do that, and is a wonderful introduction to what conditions led to the dumpster fire that was the Weimar Republic.

Post: #694

Gorilla Mindset by Mike Cernovich.

Post: #695

The Mature Mind by Harry Overstreet

Post: #696

The Pursuit of Power, by William McNeal

Post: #697

Finished Tides of War and Story Structure Architect, reviews over in the completed books thread.

Onward to ...

(06-07-2016 07:02 AM)Guriko Wrote:  Currently I am reading through the whole list of books recommended by Scott Adams on Persuasion.

Based off this recommendation I sought out a few things off this list. The first one I'm starting with is Gerry Spence's How to Argue & Win Every Time: At Home, At Work, In Court, Everywhere, Everyday.

That said, I've only got an audiobook version, narrated by Spence, and -- as with Robert McKee's Story -- it's a wonderful listening experience so far as Spence brings all his speech-making powers to the reading. Will report back when it's done.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #698

Report on the audiobook is in the completed books thread.

Onward to Robert Cialdini's Influence.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #699

Billy Idol autobiography, "Dancing With Myself"

Post: #700

Well, Free Speech Isn't Free just got here...