20-01-2004 21:10									#1
	Which specific books really made you smarter? Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

Hmm, I don't think that title was very eloquently put, but I guess it gets the message across.

Anyway, there are quite a lot of you who appear to have some serious knowledge about history, politics, philosophy - well, I guess all kinds of different things. It's cool to be smart (right?), so I'm visiting the well-equipped libraries of Copenhagen on a regular basis and sometimes bringing a couple books home. However, I'm often disappointed upon realising just how much time I'm using reading and understanding everything without really getting that substantial boost of newly-acquired knowledge in return. I know this isn't unusual in any learning process, but really, it does suck, doesn't it?

This is where you (hopefully) come in to restore my faith. I'm fairly confident the Apolytoners (including those without encyclopediac memory) must have read considerably more than most ordinary folks and so I urge you to recommend some books which helped you to become the smart fellow you are today. If you could provide a short description along with your suggestions, that would be especially cool. Naturally, you can suggest everything you want to, even if I don't care greatly for, say, physics and chemistry, perhaps somebody else does.

I made this same thread two years ago and I got some really neat suggestions.

	20-01-2004 21:26									#2
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when I was young I read this series often

Time-Life History of the World

I will see what else I can find (it is sort of hard to remember, I just read evreythign I could get my hands on)

Jon Miller

	20-01-2004 21:29									#3
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Quite interesting question. I don´t know if I can name single books here....However, it may surprise you, but reading Greek mythology as a child opened the way for me to get into real history later. Reading history books got me into politics, which got me into philosophy (a bit ) and so on, and so on....

	20-01-2004 21:36									#4
	Re: Which specific books really made you smarter? Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Originally posted by Monk However, I'm often disappointed upon realising just how much time I'm using reading and understanding everything without really getting that substantial boost of newly-acquired knowledge in return.

It sounds like you're searching for books that you can read that will give the (false) impression of intelligence. Perhaps a book of famous quotes would do the job you want? For something specific, Shakespeare is always a good source, especially quotes those from the more obscure works (that nobody else bothers to see).

Just teasing

	20-01-2004 21:37									#5
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I don't know.

I think the trick is to read a whole lot of books and let the knowledge diffuse together and have strange "chemical" reactions.

I like books that stimulate thoughts instead of merely imparting knowledge (which were the sort of books I used to read 5 years ago). So recommend books on math and philosophy (particularly ones about skepticism and critical thinking).

Some books I can remember off the top of my head are:

Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World, Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things, Paine's The Age of Reason, and Randi's The Mask of Nostradamus.

Last edited by Urban Ranger on 20-01-2004 at 22:17

	20-01-2004 21:40									#6
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Roberts' History of the World

	20-01-2004 22:09									#7
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Thanks guys.

quote: Originally posted by SpencerH It sounds like you're searching for books that you can read that will give the (false) impression of intelligence. Perhaps a book of famous quotes would do the job you want? For something specific, Shakespeare is always a good source, especially quotes those from the more obscure works (that nobody else bothers to see).

"SpencerH, men for their sons shall rue the hour that ever thou wast born. And you really suck, too." William Shakespeare

	20-01-2004 22:11									#8
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Doug Adams "Hitchiker Guide to the Galaxy" series

	20-01-2004 22:15									#9
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quote: Originally posted by Monk "SpencerH, men for their sons shall rue the hour that ever thou wast born. And you really suck, too." William Shakespeare

There ya go. The best part is that only the truely intelligent people will know you're just makin it up.

Wasnt it Bacon who said "Never doubt the stupidity of the average man"!

	20-01-2004 22:25									#10
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A well rounded education should include:


The Platonic dialogues.

Homer

Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics.

Thucydides' Peleponnesian War

The Communist Manifesto

Locke's Second Treatise on Government

Rousseau - Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

Hobbes' Leviathan

Hume - An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (or his Treatise on Human Nature)

Herman Melville - Moby ****

Mill - On Liberty

Rawls - A Theory of Justice

Some Freud (there's lots)

Kant - Critique of Pure Reason

Ayer - Language, Truth and Logic

Nietzsche - Beyond Good and Evil

Conrad - Heart of Darkness

Any of Bertrand Russell's popular works.

An encyclopaedic history of the world (there are lots).

	20-01-2004 22:26									#11
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Books can't make you more intelligent. The most they can hope for is giving you knowledge, or ask questions that you hadn't considered.

	20-01-2004 22:29									#12
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Hence 42.

	20-01-2004 22:31									#13
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quote: Originally posted by Osweld Books can't make you more intelligent. The most they can hope for is giving you knowledge, or ask questions that you hadn't considered.

And they really can't on their own unless you are an autodidact. In many of the books I listed you will be lucky to get the most important themes from them if you merely pick them off the shelf. The trick is to be able to fit them into a historical pattern and a broad base of ideas.

That's why people like me have jobs.

	20-01-2004 22:33									#14
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quote: I like books that stimulate thoughts instead of merely imparting knowledge

I second that. Someone can be well-read and stupid however. Even understanding what the books say doesn't mean a thing.

Philosophy and math books are a good start. Still, reading math books are boring. Science theory is good too.

I like to think I am smart and I read history, finance, and auto/biographies.

Books will make you appear smart, but it is what you do with the knowledge that makes you smart.

"Chance favors those minds which are prepared" - Louis Pasteur

	20-01-2004 22:35									#15
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quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger I like books that stimulate thoughts instead of merely imparting knowledge.

This is one reason why Plato wrote dialogues instead of treatises.

	20-01-2004 22:35									#16
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Most of them.

	20-01-2004 22:36									#17
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara Most of them.

Most of what?

	20-01-2004 22:37									#18
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon A well rounded education should include: The Platonic dialogues. Homer Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics. Thucydides' Peleponnesian War The Communist Manifesto Locke's Second Treatise on Government Rousseau - Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Hobbes' Leviathan Hume - An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (or his Treatise on Human Nature) Herman Melville - Moby **** Mill - On Liberty Rawls - A Theory of Justice Some Freud (there's lots) Kant - Critique of Pure Reason Ayer - Language, Truth and Logic Nietzsche - Beyond Good and Evil Conrad - Heart of Darkness Any of Bertrand Russell's popular works. An encyclopaedic history of the world (there are lots).

Oh no, I'm not well rounded!

	20-01-2004 22:38									#19
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon Most of what?

Most of the books I read.

	20-01-2004 22:40									#20
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quote: Originally posted by SpencerH Oh no, I'm not well rounded!

*shrugs* Most of these I read during my undergraduate university education. Some I did on my own (like Freud and Nietzsche) but most were for courses.

Having said that I've forgotten a lot of stuff.

	20-01-2004 22:41									#21
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara Most of the books I read.

Including the Hardy Boys and Harlequin romances?

	20-01-2004 22:41									#22
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Any science in that 'well rounded' education?

	20-01-2004 22:42									#23
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon Including the Hardy Boys and Harlequin romances?

The Hardy Boys is a really gay name. Conservatives should be angered and pushing for a name more in line with modern conservative values - the Lardy Boys perhaps?

	20-01-2004 22:44									#24
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quote: Originally posted by SpencerH Any science in that 'well rounded' education?

Not at varsity. I did all the science options at high school (did exceptionally well too) but I became bored by it.

Science will get you a job, but philosophy will get you a life.

	20-01-2004 22:46									#25
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon Including the Hardy Boys and Harlequin romances?

Yup. Hardy Boys help you look for things out of the ordinary and put disparate facts together to discover the unknown. Plus, they helped hone my reading ability. Never read any HQ romanaces.

	20-01-2004 22:48									#26
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara Yup. Hardy Boys help you look for things out of the ordinary and put disparate facts together to discover the unknown. Plus, they helped hone my reading ability. Never read any HQ romanaces.

I used to like Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators.

	20-01-2004 23:09									#27
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quote: Originally posted by Ecthelion Roberts' History of the World

So, what did you think?

	21-01-2004 00:08									#28
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*looks at massive pile of college textbooks lying on floor (and empty wallet)*

	21-01-2004 00:33									#29
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I can't think of any smartification books off the top of my head, except for a big ass collection of Ray Bradbury short stories and a big ass collection of Harlan Ellison short stories. Too many smartifying books include far too much jackoffery for my tastes, so I tend to avoid them.

I'm currently reading The White Boy Shuffle on the recommendation of one of my friends -- I'll report back if it makes me smarter.

	21-01-2004 01:19									#30
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"Science will get you a job, but philosophy will get you a life"

A life you can't afford