You can find here insights on each book I have read since I built this website (and some favourites that I read before).
Voltaire
Voltaire
I say everyone in the world should read it. More so if you hate the "Whatever happens, happens for the best" crowd.
I was in splits several times when I was reading this book. It is a satire of the highest quality, and I think I enjoyed it because it aligns well with my philosophical views. It is written to ridicule the "Whatever happens, happens for the best" notion, but through the journey it also makes other sarcastic comments against art and culture, and jabs at the various European civilizations of that age. Even if you disagree with everything written in the book, you will still enjoy the satire / commentary, and the author's pettiness in calling out his contemporary critics. My favourite quote: 'Fools admire everything in an author of reputation. For my part, I read only to please myself. I like only that which serves my purpose'.
Something I discovered after finishing this book is that the critique is written against Gottfried Leibniz. What surprises me is that the inventor of Calculus, and possibly the greatest logician the world has seen, believed in God. I think my next article will be an argument against the idea that only foolish/gullible people are religious.
Cal Newport
Cal Newport
Every single person on earth who spends >4hrs of their workday on a computer must read this
From a work-life perspective, this is the only productivity book you will ever need. The instructions / strategies outlined are by no means easy to implement, but are incredibly valuable. The author outlines how to achieve a state of deep work, which is an intentional state free from any distractions. There is also section on the importance of scheduling, which I was not sold on at all, but implementing it changed my mind and view
I believe focus, concentration and cognitive load-bearing are just like any other muscles of the body. You have to work them out to keep them in shape. I've started with 2 deep work blocks of 2 hours each every day, and I get more done in that time than I do in all the rest of my work time during the day combined.
Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli
If you have any political ambitions whatsoever, it is a must-read. Some insights may be applicable to office politics.
Machiavelli walks through princedoms ancient and contemporary (for him), and makes observations and inferences on what caused certain kingdoms to succeed and others to fail. I initially thought this book had similar issues to the Art of Seduction, i.e. anecdotal evidence, but I don't think Machi had any more information to go on. The Logistician in me agrees with his inferences - based on what he observed, the conclusions drawn make sense. Overall, I think it is an excellent historical book that offers nuggets of information about rulers from ancient history up to the 1500s. Pair it with the Art of War by Sun Tzu, and you have the beginnings of a lesson in politics / ruling.
None yet, but some things I would definitely have done differently in my career had I read this book before
Robert Greene
Robert Greene
People who want to understand why they fall for red flags, or who want some cognitive control over who they fall for next?
The author dives into historical examples to illustrate seduction techniques and an MBTI-type classification of the types of seducers and the types of seduction victims. The statistician in me screams anecdotal evidence, but observations of my own behaviour and of those around me make me rethink that argument. You will probably have quite a few 'Aha!' moments while reading this. However, I would argue that this book is is better taken as theoretical deep dive into the Art of Seduction rather than an actual guidebook to seduction.
Gave me a patterns in human behaviour, and why I got seduced by the idea of certain people in the past.
Richard Wiseman
Richard Wiseman
Reading in Progress (RIP)
RIP
RIP
Voltaire
Voltaire
Reading in Progress (RIP)
RIP
RIP
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Reading in Progress (RIP)
Super excited to read this one. I find a lot of my thoughts reflected in Bertrand's writings.
RIP