The Book(s) that changed the Way You See the World

varlog · 10-11-2014, 05:59 PM

OK, it is the very personal question - but you can lie

.

To get it started I will name my personal milestones:
All the work of Stanislaw Lem: because of what he said about reality of human beings in this world/universe.
Catch22 by Joseph Heller: because of what he said about what war is all about for us chickens.

There are those very talented writers, who see more than we do at the moment and you have recognized it: name them, please.

crich70 · 10-11-2014, 06:09 PM

I'd have to go with the KJV right off the bat. It has a lot to say about the human condition in general and doesn't pull any punches.

varlog · 10-11-2014, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

I'd have to go with the KJV right off the bat. It has a lot to say about the human condition in general and doesn't pull any punches.

KJV? please elaborate.

Lynx-lynx · 10-11-2014, 06:29 PM

I suspect CRich refers to the King George V version of the Christian Bible.

varlog · 10-11-2014, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

I suspect CRich refers to the King George V version of the Christian Bible.

Could you give me a link

?. What's different?

Lynx-lynx · 10-11-2014, 06:40 PM

@varlog I think we best wait for CRich to post back. (Isn't that the standard English version of the Bible?)

varlog · 10-11-2014, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

It has a lot to say about the human condition in general and doesn't pull any punches.

I'm not English native. Please be more explicit, I don't understand the context.

crich70 · 10-11-2014, 07:07 PM

Actually I was referring to the King James Version. King George came along some time after James I (who was also James 6th of Scotland).

Verlog I was referring to the fact that when the stories of people in the Bible are told the text doesn't sanitize them. They are shown as real people with flaws rather than being put up on a pedestal above the rest of us. I won't go into detail here as I don't want the thread to end up being moved to politics & religion but the text doesn't white wash anything.

Lynx-lynx · 10-11-2014, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

Actually I was referring to the King James Version. King George came along some time after James I (who was also James 6th of Scotland).

Verlog I was referring to the fact that when the stories of people in the Bible are told the text doesn't sanitize them. They are shown as real people with flaws rather than being put up on a pedestal above the rest of us. I won't go into detail here as I don't want the thread to end up being moved to politics & religion but the text doesn't white wash anything.

You're quite right

Even as I typed it I thought something was wrong!!

crich70 · 10-11-2014, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

You're quite right

Even as I typed it I thought something was wrong!!

I wouldn't worry about it Lynx-lynx. You had the right country, just the wrong sitting monarch.

varlog · 10-11-2014, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

Actually I was referring to the King James Version. King George came along some time after James I (who was also James 6th of Scotland).

Verlog I was referring to the fact that when the stories of people in the Bible are told the text doesn't sanitize them. They are shown as real people with flaws rather than being put up on a pedestal above the rest of us. I won't go into detail here as I don't want the thread to end up being moved to politics & religion but the text doesn't white wash anything.

OK, as you indicate you ware influenced by: is there a link to it?

crich70 · 10-11-2014, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by varlog

OK, as you indicate you ware influenced by: is there a link to it?

Yep, there are several links right here at MR that lead to it. And there are also other copies at Amazon and Kobo. I'm sure other ebook vendors also have it somewhere in their stock.
epub
Kindle

Luffy · 10-12-2014, 04:36 AM

Sophie's World. It was the best book I'd read (in 1990) until the year 2000. It still remains a remarkable book, in the way some of Western philosophy is both condensed and simplified brilliantly. It remains a unique book and a nostalgic one now. I've never read a book about philosophy that's as easy as SW. It's also a book that I've read so many times that I'll never read it again.

rhadin · 10-12-2014, 05:14 AM

Two books that greatly influenced me were "A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide" by Samantha Power and "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.

I read Harper Lee's book when it was originally published in the 1960s and it made me look take another look at my childhood. Ultimately, it was the original stimulus for my becoming an active part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and made me look more closely at the world around me.

I also read Power's book when it was originally published about 2002. I always had associated genocide with the Holocaust of World War II, but Power made me realize that genocide didn't stop with the end of World War II. She also made me realize that American politicians were paying lip service to "never again" as they sat and watched it happen repeatedly. I became an advocate for U.S. intervention to prevent genocide. I advocated, for example, intervention in Darfur, which I considered a worthy role for America, even if we had to intercede alone.

Unfortunately, you asked for one book and I've given two. There are a number of other books that over the course of a lot of years of life that have greatly influenced my behavior. Alas, unlike crich70 who was positively influenced by the Bible, I found it to be a very negative influence. It is interesting how the same book, be it fiction or nonfiction, old or new, can positively affect some and negatively affect others. The human mind is wonderful in that regard.

crich70 · 10-12-2014, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

Unfortunately, you asked for one book and I've given two. There are a number of other books that over the course of a lot of years of life that have greatly influenced my behavior. Alas, unlike crich70 who was positively influenced by the Bible, I found it to be a very negative influence. It is interesting how the same book, be it fiction or nonfiction, old or new, can positively affect some and negatively affect others. The human mind is wonderful in that regard.

True. Everyone is different in how they perceive the world around them and so their reaction to a given book, piece of music, etc. will vary as well.

10-11-2014, 05:59 PM	#1
varlog actually it is /var/log Posts: 341 Karma: 2994236 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: usually Europa Device: prs t1	The Book(s) that changed the Way You See the World OK, it is the very personal question - but you can lie . To get it started I will name my personal milestones: All the work of Stanislaw Lem: because of what he said about reality of human beings in this world/universe. Catch22 by Joseph Heller: because of what he said about what war is all about for us chickens. There are those very talented writers, who see more than we do at the moment and you have recognized it: name them, please.

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10-11-2014, 06:09 PM	#2
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	I'd have to go with the KJV right off the bat. It has a lot to say about the human condition in general and doesn't pull any punches.

10-11-2014, 06:29 PM	#4
Lynx-lynx Treachery of images ... Posts: 4,122 Karma: 93720365 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Australia Device: Sony 650, Kobo Glo, H2O, Aura One, Forma, Libra 2, Libra Colour	I suspect CRich refers to the King George V version of the Christian Bible.

10-11-2014, 06:40 PM	#6
Lynx-lynx Treachery of images ... Posts: 4,122 Karma: 93720365 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Australia Device: Sony 650, Kobo Glo, H2O, Aura One, Forma, Libra 2, Libra Colour	@varlog I think we best wait for CRich to post back. (Isn't that the standard English version of the Bible?)

10-11-2014, 07:07 PM	#8
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Actually I was referring to the King James Version. King George came along some time after James I (who was also James 6th of Scotland). Verlog I was referring to the fact that when the stories of people in the Bible are told the text doesn't sanitize them. They are shown as real people with flaws rather than being put up on a pedestal above the rest of us. I won't go into detail here as I don't want the thread to end up being moved to politics & religion but the text doesn't white wash anything.

10-12-2014, 04:36 AM	#13
Luffy Wizard Posts: 4,464 Karma: 429063498 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Mauritius Device: Kindle Paperwhite 4	Sophie's World. It was the best book I'd read (in 1990) until the year 2000. It still remains a remarkable book, in the way some of Western philosophy is both condensed and simplified brilliantly. It remains a unique book and a nostalgic one now. I've never read a book about philosophy that's as easy as SW. It's also a book that I've read so many times that I'll never read it again.

10-12-2014, 05:14 AM	#14
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	Two books that greatly influenced me were "A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide" by Samantha Power and "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. I read Harper Lee's book when it was originally published in the 1960s and it made me look take another look at my childhood. Ultimately, it was the original stimulus for my becoming an active part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and made me look more closely at the world around me. I also read Power's book when it was originally published about 2002. I always had associated genocide with the Holocaust of World War II, but Power made me realize that genocide didn't stop with the end of World War II. She also made me realize that American politicians were paying lip service to "never again" as they sat and watched it happen repeatedly. I became an advocate for U.S. intervention to prevent genocide. I advocated, for example, intervention in Darfur, which I considered a worthy role for America, even if we had to intercede alone. Unfortunately, you asked for one book and I've given two. There are a number of other books that over the course of a lot of years of life that have greatly influenced my behavior. Alas, unlike crich70 who was positively influenced by the Bible, I found it to be a very negative influence. It is interesting how the same book, be it fiction or nonfiction, old or new, can positively affect some and negatively affect others. The human mind is wonderful in that regard.

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