by jgnat 49 Replies latest jw friends
As an ex 3rd generation Watchtower religionist the most torturously mind-bending book I personally have ever come across is "The Mystery of Christ and why we don't get it".
Gay friendly persons would be pleasantly surprised or even stunned...
This book pushed me to the limits of my spiritual capacity and pain threshold as it excised decades of deep-seated indoctrination, propaganda and prejudice from my mind.
When I was a Dub I read 1984 and it made me feel uncomfortable about the watchtower(R).......but I blocked the discomfort.
" mrs jones did you read "the psychopath test" book?"
If you mean the book I spoke about, not yet. Two days ago I read an article by said author, now I want to read his book.
Rob, I often wonder what geologic forces created the mountains around here; whether I am looking at old rock or really, really old rock.
I really can't reccommend any of the couple thousand books I've read in my life time.
As I read more and more books I began to notice that each book added less and less to the big picture.
To me there are great ideas but no great books. Great ideas are pervasive and can be found in various degrees in many books.
To appreciate a "great idea" you have to be ready for it.
The books I liked were the ones that put into words the ideas I was on the verge of expressing.
Big ideas?
Free will is impossible or at best unimportant.
Death got us to where we are.
Our brains are overated.
Nobody deserves credit or blame.
Language is a poor representation of the world.
Geography is important. National boundaries aren't.
You can't be or have a self without selfishness.
Science without vision is just a passtime.
Vision without science is blind.
Marriage is not made in heaven.
Eggs are expensive - sperm is cheap.
No one is at the controls any where. Not inside the person. Not over the universe.
All you need to know about a person is What they want and How they get what they want. What they avoid and how they avoid it.
Most important questions for communication. What do you mean? How do you know that?
I'm not trying to hijack the thread. But don't just mention books. What BIG IDEA did you get from the book.
To be fair many of you have also explained how books helped you.
"The Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan
"Letters from the Earth" by Mark Twain
"Animal Farm" by George Orwell
S. Pinker, the better angels ofour nature. Thought-provoking in so many ways.
D. Hoffstadter, godel escher bach
tarskis, "the semantic conception of truth"
Some of these are available as free e-books through gutenberg press. Copyright has expired.
I love Carl Sagans books...and his writing style.
If you haven't ever read anything by him, this book is a great start. It is a nice easy read. And very a enjoyable introduction to his other work.
The varieties of Scientific Experience, by Carl Sagan
Then I would recommend "Billions & Billions", "Cosmos" and "The Demon Haunted world" all by Carl Sagan.
Jngat: THANK YOU for this thread!
