I don't have any. Reading and reflecting gradually changed me as a person by teaching me how to think more ciritcally and it opened my mind to new ways of thinking, but no epiphanies, major lifestyle changes or changes in my perception resulted from reading specific books.
'What is Literature?' by Sartre made me feel more committed to living mindfully, but it was just one in a series of books. By itself, it didn't influence me much.
Did you ever feel changed by reading a philosophy or psychology book?
"Let your passion for life burn through every obstacle."
Interesting. I didn't think to include spiritual books, might have to do that later.
I am reading 'Sophie's World' - It's an intro novel to Philosophy and its history. It's so interesting to read after reading whole philosophy books. It is making philosophy fun again and more easily approachable as a game. It's like an Alice in Wonderland for adults. The plot is just silly and well written. It's a must for anyone who is remotely interested in philosophy or is sick of the serious and sometimes hostile philosophic debates.
"Larry and The Meaning of Life" What is that one like/about?
"Let your passion for life burn through every obstacle."
I feel I am constantly being changed by the books I read. I'm not very smart so I'm constantly learning from the people I read.
Philosophy:
"The Satanic Bible" by Anton Lavey
"The Gods and Other Lectures" by Robert Ingersoll
"Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?" by Drs. Greg Graffin and Preston Jones. (A book of them debating back and forth)
"The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus
"Human, All Too Human" by Friedrich Nietzsche
Psychology:
"The Future of an Illusion" by Sigmund Freud
"Varieties of Religious Experience" by William James
"Phantoms in the Brain" by VS Ramamchandran
"Hero With A Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell (Technically not a psychology book, but sure did influence Jung)
That's probably enough for now..
"We have found it of paramount importance that in order to progress, we must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt." -Richard Feynman
"(Technically not a psychology book, but sure did influence Jung)"
Fair enough, Joseph Campbell's work *can* contribute to psychoanalysis of characters in literary works.
"I'm not very smart so I'm constantly learning from the people I read." That makes you smarter than those who are too arrogant and set in their ways to learn from others.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche. I first became interested in Nietzsche when I found out all the lyrics I found most interesting in Peccatum's (Norwegian avant-garde band, now sadly defunct) songs were influenced by him. So I read many of his books, but I'd say that Thus Spoke Zarathustra had the most impact on me.
LostReverence, Zarathustra is excellent. My favorote sections were the Adders Bite and the Flies in the Marketplace, two pieces that greatly influenced my view of others, even though Nietzsche can be a bit egotistical.
Currently Im working on Albert Camus' The Plague (only appropriate because Im sick right now), an interesting read with a lot of reflection on humanity captive to crisis.
Any thing by Scarlet Thomas. Her use of academia through out her novels is extraordinary and they leave you thinking deeply about the nature of reality and time and how they are entwined with mathematics.
The Games People Play By: Eric Barnes, George Orwell's 1984 (though a work of fiction will make you value freedom), Propaganda By: Edward L. Bernays and Mark Crispin Miller, The Act of Creation By: Arthur Koestler, Advice From a Failure By: Jo Coudert...these should get the cogs in your head turning.
That's very humane of you...though, unfortunately, Plato/Socrates has had a profound (this doesn't mean good or bad) impact on the western mind and to ignore that might just be a matter of personal preference.
I read many books on psychology and philosophy (I am a clinical psychologist) ... and no one has influenced my way of thinking ... than I found in some my way of thinking ... is for me the best is Jung
no ... on the contrary I have an intellect ... and use my ... I do not go my thoughts of others! I reason with my head! those who think with the head more ... has an intellectual vacuum ..
yes...Ideas and thoughts are not born without influence of some kind. We might not even realize the things that influence us, until we take a critical look at our own "intellect."
Not entirely, well yes, you're right. There is a possibility.
Did you learn how to read and comprehend without the help of anyone? Did you learn how to speak without the help of anyone? etc...If you answer yes then..I am truly interested in how this happens.
When we are born we have the innate abilities ... you only need to be addressed ... but we already have the skills ... but why is read and write with a sense of my post?? Perhaps I do not understand English well
For you as a clinical psychologist..I think bringing up reading comprehension, which leads to the synthesis of ideas, is worth bringing up....Nevertheless, I think views on intentionality will vary in any given culture.
of course the culture determines a structure of personality ... also because the gene is transplanted to the birth parents ... (evolution of species). What I can not understand is the meaning of the post ... we talk about philosophy or psychology books that have changed the way people think, right? well .. no thought can change a way of thinking ... to the maximum can act as a supplement.
The meaning of this post is that from your reply you have obviously been influenced by someone, because your views are a bit deterministic, which had to have been influenced by a scientific philosophy.
I like the hidden physcological meaning behind fiction, because the examples of the effects of these ideas and mentalities are played out through the characters. I find it even more effective when you look into the history of the author and understand to come extent the origins of these ideas. I relate very much to Virginia Woolfe, not because I am a nihilist or a schizophrenic, but because her mindset of how she believed the world worked or how the world should work are principles I can agree with and interpret into my own life, and have found these principles have allowed me to observe life and enjoy the simplest of occurences or details. Hemingway often influences me in the same way.
