Scan barcode
gnug315's reviews
209 reviews
Being You: A Science of Consciousness by Anil Seth
3.0
His most excellent TED talk on the subject will give you the gist of the matter, and, as far as I can tell, his main points.
I'd only recommend this book to researchers interested in the subject, because his own original opinions seem both fairly slim and tricky to grasp, at least to me.
I'd only recommend this book to researchers interested in the subject, because his own original opinions seem both fairly slim and tricky to grasp, at least to me.
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World by David Deutsch
3.0
David excells in logical thinking, has a wide breadth of knowledge and a lot of interesting things to say on a fairly broad range of topics.
He does seem to suffer from the need to exhaust every single possible counterargument to his points in a methodological, borderline autistic way, which can be a bit tiresome in a lenghty book, so I recommend skipping ahead when boredom sets in, as it will invitably do when you think to yourself for the umpteenth time "yes, I get it already."
Personally I would have preferred to have heard him make his points in a more succint manner, but this is a matter of taste and I am sure many people will find great enjoyment in the thoroughness of his explanations.
I especially enjoyed the last two chapters, which pulled the book up from merely OK.
PS. I shudder to think how many instances of the word "parochial" the copy-editor had to take an axe to before we ended up at this version. This greatly distracted me, but I'm a bit neorotic..
He does seem to suffer from the need to exhaust every single possible counterargument to his points in a methodological, borderline autistic way, which can be a bit tiresome in a lenghty book, so I recommend skipping ahead when boredom sets in, as it will invitably do when you think to yourself for the umpteenth time "yes, I get it already."
Personally I would have preferred to have heard him make his points in a more succint manner, but this is a matter of taste and I am sure many people will find great enjoyment in the thoroughness of his explanations.
I especially enjoyed the last two chapters, which pulled the book up from merely OK.
PS. I shudder to think how many instances of the word "parochial" the copy-editor had to take an axe to before we ended up at this version. This greatly distracted me, but I'm a bit neorotic..
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
1.0
Utterly dullwitted investor who can't author a single interesting or intelligent paragraph. I was unable to finish this.
I don't understand the hype around this book, and get a strong feeling of survivorship bias about his entire story. I am certain there a smarter people to pay attention to in this field.
I don't understand the hype around this book, and get a strong feeling of survivorship bias about his entire story. I am certain there a smarter people to pay attention to in this field.
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson
1.0
(This review is influenced by Jordan's online presence).
Jordan is an eloquent and engaging speaker, and has some solid (if basic) advice on life and principles of morality. He is a skilled debator, as explained in this youtube vid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS9W-wlJHPA1
He fights some worthy causes, and is a voice of reason in many areas.
The problem arises when he starts interjecting his reasonable arguments with biased and even downright bigoted opinions (religious views included) including a veritable stream of claims stated as if they were facts, and then dodges the question when pressed on it, as f.ex. in his famously frustrating clashes with Sam Harris. He purports to be a seeker of truth, but is apparently blind to his own biases, making him intellectually dishonest. This makes him a dangerous person to pay attention to, if you let the clear thinking he is is capable of, coupled with his eloquence and charm, sway you into agreeing with the rest of him. He appeals to young people ripe with frustrations about society but lacking the wisdom (and perhaps smarts) to see through the preaching part of his lecturing.
His recent downright transphobic rants ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfKWQqvFac ) reveal him to either be an contemptible person, or a sell-out in the attention economy who knows very well that outrages statements are what get the clicks, both of which I find particularly unappealing.
The book delivers a couple sensible chapters but then degenirates into eyerolling, easily dismissable crap. Regarding the quality of his writing, I'd strongly suggest him to stick to BS'ing in person.
Jordan is an eloquent and engaging speaker, and has some solid (if basic) advice on life and principles of morality. He is a skilled debator, as explained in this youtube vid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS9W-wlJHPA1
He fights some worthy causes, and is a voice of reason in many areas.
The problem arises when he starts interjecting his reasonable arguments with biased and even downright bigoted opinions (religious views included) including a veritable stream of claims stated as if they were facts, and then dodges the question when pressed on it, as f.ex. in his famously frustrating clashes with Sam Harris. He purports to be a seeker of truth, but is apparently blind to his own biases, making him intellectually dishonest. This makes him a dangerous person to pay attention to, if you let the clear thinking he is is capable of, coupled with his eloquence and charm, sway you into agreeing with the rest of him. He appeals to young people ripe with frustrations about society but lacking the wisdom (and perhaps smarts) to see through the preaching part of his lecturing.
His recent downright transphobic rants ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfKWQqvFac ) reveal him to either be an contemptible person, or a sell-out in the attention economy who knows very well that outrages statements are what get the clicks, both of which I find particularly unappealing.
The book delivers a couple sensible chapters but then degenirates into eyerolling, easily dismissable crap. Regarding the quality of his writing, I'd strongly suggest him to stick to BS'ing in person.