What books have influenced your world view?

[james_padfoot]

Harry Potter - And woe befall anyone who says 'psh, it's just some kiddy book'. Unless you want a ridiculously long essay.

The Last Lecture - There's something about this book, above all books, that 'clicked' something within me.

 

[Ska]

Harry Potter - And woe befall anyone who says 'psh, it's just some kiddy book'. Unless you want a ridiculously long essay.

The Last Lecture - There's something about this book, above all books, that 'clicked' something within me.

psh, it's just some kiddy book

My curiosity gets the best of me.

 

[Dansk]

Cosmos by Carl Sagan.

That was THE defining book of my teenage years. I read it and everything suddenly made sense. The way Sagan's sense of awe and wonder at the majesty of the universe permeated every word just clicked, it was like I'd found someone tuned to the same wavelength as me.

 

[Polaris]

I cannot say any particular book has influenced me significantly. Perhaps all the books I have read have influenced me subtly in various ways, especially historic tales of Arctic and Antarctic exploration. Certain poems have also hit target, so to speak.

Such as The Sick Rose by William Blake:


O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

That did something to me, definitely. When I was about 17.

Terribly intriguing, dark, destructive, sexually morbid......and beautiful.


I give it out of three.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

I hate most books without pictures. I learn better and more with pictures. I dont know why and it sounds childish, but its true. I really dont like reading novels, id rather be writing them. I like some novels, like Anthem by ayn rand. that was good. Read it in English class. Id rather read articles online, or watch videos. I read alot of those big books with pictures and shit. Thats how i learned before i had a laptop.

 

[ElderToadstool]

Man & His Symbols by Carl Jung
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche
Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
VALIS by Philip K. Dick
Ulysses by James Joyce.

In addition to these, H.P. Lovecraft was a huge influence on me during my high school years, and his stories are, in my opinion, among the best ever written. Cthulhu fhtagn!

And as long as we're on William Blake, "Ah!, Sunflower" is some of the most beautiful poetry ever composed.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

Man & His Symbols by Carl Jung
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche
Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
VALIS by Philip K. Dick
Ulysses by James Joyce.

In addition to these, H.P. Lovecraft was a huge influence on me during my high school years, and his stories are, in my opinion, among the best ever written. Cthulhu fhtagn!

And as long as we're on William Blake, "Ah!, Sunflower" is some of the most beautiful poetry ever composed.

ohh yeaaa. ulysses..thats a great book

 

[nexion]

I haven't read much other than fiction. I haven't read much actual philosophy or anything of the sort, so I'll just name people:

Mark Twain
Kierkegaard
Nietzsche probably.

Soon, I am going to read the entirety of all Twain and Poe works, read works of many different philosophers, read "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, and read "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carrol.

I have also been deeply fascinated with poetry recently, so I will be reading much of that.

 

[Amerally]

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Brothers Karamazov
Macbeth

the most I love Dostoyevsky, Freud "Introduction to Psychoanalysis"
Many authors I loved because of their quote.
Twain's and Carrol's books are better after reading their biographies. Lewis was too much interested in one little girl, he painted her in negligee.
Descartes,
After Nietzsche's -"The Antichrist"- I stop thinking I should belive, because this is usefull
Thomas Mann - "The Magic Mountain" (too simply language, but Settembrini and Neptha are incredible created), then I was fascinated in Freemasonry, that is why I continue reading dark groomy Poe literature.
Nabokow, Dumas - everything
"Marquis de Sade" - Donald Thomas, I found books writen by Sade at my friend house but he didn't want to lend me it (we just met), he lend me biography.
I hope Herman Hesse will be an author who'll change my point of view.
Many poetry from Interwar period.
Bułhakov - "The Master and Margerita", people were able to complain or laught in these time
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn-"The Gulag Archipelago"
Dan Ariely - "Predictably Irrational"

 

[DarkGreen]

Proverbs <- Bible
The Trickster's Choice <- Tamora Pierce

 

[Synthesis]

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas Hofstadter
R.A Salvatore's books conerning Drizzt Do'Urden (the contemplative journal entries made this one happy)

 

[Jesse]

How's Trickster's Choice affect you? Although I liked the view of gods in that book.

 

[Bird]

Every single one of my genetics texts.

 

[Bird]

Proverbs <- Bible
The Trickster's Choice <- Tamora Pierce

Just that book or the whole series?

 

[dark]

Hum, sort of a redundant question if I do say so. I personally think that everything we do, so that includes all books we read, influence our views, and that includes world views.

I could not think of a book that didn't influence me in some way. I would have had to not read it, and then even not reading it, would have influenced me in a way of not affecting me.

But if we are talking about what books influenced us the most I would have to say, the entire "Ender's Game" series.

 

[stig]

The Faded Sun trilogy - C.J. Cherryh

Changed my perspective on cultural divisions.

 

[MatthewSawyer]

I could not think of a book that didn't influence me in some way. I would have had to not read it, and then even not reading it, would have influenced me in a way of not affecting me.

But if we are talking about what books influenced us the most I would have to say, the entire "Ender's Game" series.

There are some books that "change" things for you.

For me, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. This makes my list because I wrote a paper on the book arguing that Yossarian was an existentialist hero. It really opened the door for me because that's where I became engrossed in Nietzsche, Camus and Sartre.

The most influential book for me is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig. His second book Lyla takes the ideas of "Zen" and tries to formulate them into an actual paradigm. As already stated, the first book is extremely important. One good friend of mine changed the course of his life (for the better) after reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Other honourable mentions are The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho and Le Petit Prince By Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

 

[Puffy]

Large parts of the Bible, V for Vendetta has been a major influence lately.

 

[Madoness]

Down and out in Paris and London, Brave new World, 1984....

 

[gephura]

Harry Potter series (JK Rowling)
Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
Blindness (Jose Saramago)
Mevrouw Verona daalt de heuvel af (Dimitri Verhulst)

That last book is in Dutch, but one of the nicest I've ever read.

 

[Magnetosphere]

The Man from St. Petersburg, by Ken Follett. I don't know if it necessarily altered my world-view, but it certainly had a profound effect upon me. After all, it was one of the first books that I'd ever read that forced me to empathize with a fictional character. Like Felix, I've been both player and perpetrator in many immoral and wrong acts, though my ideals certainly weren't on the same level as his. Like Felix, I thought that I'd lost my emotions, until somebody gave them back to me.

It's a bit lame and pathetic, really. All the same, it was nice to read a book where I could see something of myself in the protagonist, even if he did end up dying in a fire at the end.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

If I had to choose one, it would be The Giver. It helped me to cope with being different.

 

[PurposeGold]

The latest book I've read that influenced me - The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand.
It was truly excellent, so as soon as I have the time (3 cheers for winter break) I'll be moving on to Atlas Shrugged, by the same. ^^

 

[NeverSayMyName]

G.K. Chesterton - Heretics
A lot of stuff by Norman Davies, his books opened my eyes (and mind too)
Some Nietzsche probably...
Dostoevsky's Notes From The Underground
The Bible
Anton LaVey - The Satanic Bible (I'm not a Satanist/atheist, but it's hard not to agree with some of his points)

Currently I'm reading 1984 which is, of course, very fascinating and thought-provoking.


Generally, most of my views and beliefs come from thinking on my own or listening to music, rather than reading books.
Books remain important though, and everything we do or experience affects us in one way or another.

 

[indigofireflies]

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Not only did his amazing writing enchant me, it helped me look at things from different perspectives and quench a few demons lurking in the closet.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I read these books from a young age -- they helped me become enthusiastic about reading and defined good and evil.

All of John Green's books. He's a fantastic writer and his stories help me realize things I never thought of about myself.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson. It helped me accept my avid imagination as a child.

Night by Eli Wiesel. This presented a horrific account of the Holocaust and caused me to question humanity.

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. His poetry touched my heart and infested a love for poems.

Kushiel's Dart by Jaqueline Carey. Her intense and detailed storyline and wordplay evoked so many things from me.

A Hive for the Honeybee by Soinbhe Lally. Despite being a children's book, it made me wonder what life was like for smaller creatures.

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson. It instilled an appreciation for giving and chemistry all in one book.

Don Quixote by Cervantes. I never look at windmills the same. And I have never laughed so hard.

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. These books caused me to finally question my religion.

There are probably more that I'm forgetting....

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I read these books from a young age -- they helped me become enthusiastic about reading and defined good and evil.

Objectively, compared to my peers, I cannot believe I was actually interested in books of such lengths at a young age. The books also fostered my imagination.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson. It helped me accept my avid imagination as a child.

I think this was the first time I ever felt heartbreak, it was a sad story.

 

[ApostateAbe]

It is difficult to distinguish between the books that influenced me and the books that I have read and I agree with them but they did not influence me. Here is a partial list of publications:

• The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes
• The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson.
• The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson.
• "The Dynamics of Interbeing and Monological Imperatives in Dick and Jane: A Study in Psychic Transrelational Gender Modes" by Calvin.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

It is difficult to distinguish between the books that influenced me and the books that I have read and I agree with them but they did not influence me. Here is a partial list of publications:

• The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes
• The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson.
• The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson.
• "The Dynamics of Interbeing and Monological Imperatives in Dick and Jane: A Study in Psychic Transrelational Gender Modes" by Calvin.

That and The Far Side Gallery gave me my sense of humor.

 

[indigofireflies]

How could I forget Calvin and Hobbes? I own seven of the books. I love them. When I was a little girl, I had a stuffed tiger named Sheila that I dragged around everywhere with me, much like Calvin with Hobbes. This was before I'd read the comics -- afterwards, I thought it was very funny.

 

[ApostateAbe]

How could I forget Calvin and Hobbes? I own seven of the books. I love them. When I was a little girl, I had a stuffed tiger named Sheila that I dragged around everywhere with me, much like Calvin with Hobbes. This was before I'd read the comics -- afterwards, I thought it was very funny.

I hope at least a few people understood your leadership of the local Get Rid of Slimy girlS branch.

 

[RobdoR]

The Lorax
The mouse and the motorcycle
Orthodoxy

 

[Nocturne]

'The Life of Pi' - Yann Martel

 

[Stoic Beverage]

When I read Eragon in the third (or was it fourth?) grade, I fancied the silent conversations the two main characters had. It led me to create Sebastian, who I can speak to in my brain at any given time. He's an excellent coping mechanism, and an excellent cure for boredom.

 

[Audentia]

Influenced my world view? Hmm.. probably the most influential on my world view would be Winnie the Pooh. And The Tao of Pooh. Good 'ol Pooh bear is full of profound eternal wisdom about the world that fits with my outlook too .

Since I've had time to think about this I'm adding..

Little House on the Prairie
Anne of Green Gables
All Creatures Great and Small
Thoreau and Emerson
Autobiography of a Yogi
Great Expectations
Paradise Lost by Milton
Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coehlo
Island of The Blue Dolphins
The Giver
Uncle Tom's Cabin
EE Cummings
Henry James

 

[yoopernation]

- The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell (Just really hit me at the right time!)
- A Western Approach to Zen by Christmas Humphreys (my first exposure to mysticism)
- Walden by H.D. Thoreau (It's time for a re-read)
- The Madman ('poem' by Khalil Gibran) Also liked some of Prophet
- The Spiritual Guide to the Inward Way by Miguel Molinos (Died in prison, inquisition era)
- Ordinary People as Monks and Mystics by Marsha Sinetar (came at the right time too)
- The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra
- 'The Prince' and 'The Art of War' (both are books everyone should read)
- Bible, including Gnostic Gospels
- The Teachings of Don Juan (and subsequent books) by Carlos Castanedas . No, I'm not interested in the drug aspect ... but the psychology is great.

Catcher in the Rye ... NO, NO, NO ... I'm just kidding! I hate this book! Just like I root for the killer in some horror movies because a character is so annoying, I wished for Holden's death.

Here's a list of books that was on Joseph Campbell's reading list he gave to his students. I think I'll give a few a try.

http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Campbell-Reading-List/lm/R215FRJPJRX2F4

 

[yoopernation]

Audentia ... LOVE the Aristotle quote!

 

[Audentia]

Audentia ... LOVE the Aristotle quote!

Me too .

 

[Unsure]

The Little Prince - by Antoine de Saint Exupery. I was fortunate to know the story at a very young age. It has influenced my life greatly. I spent tons of time alone as a child, just analyzing the world around me. I envied the Little Prince, because he had a world all his own, I spent hours under tables as a child, pretending I was on my own little planet.

I questioned my parent's belief system at 5 years old, because it made no sense, and my parents wouldn't answer my questions. So, I let the the lessons taught in The Little Prince be my guide in life. To say I formed a closer emotional attachment to this book than my parents is accurate. Sadly.

 

[Firehazard159]

R.A. Salvatore's series on Drizzt and companions. For some reason, those books affected me greatly.

R.A Salvatore's books conerning Drizzt Do'Urden (the contemplative journal entries made this one happy)

^ Yay for someone else finding the gems I did (The new books have taken a decidedly dark turn, though, my life parallels his thoughts, so it's ...comforting, in a way.)

Schopenhauer's Telescope by Gerard Donovan - Not sure if this influenced me exactly, but it's one I greatly appreciated.

 

[kinetickyle]

-On the Road gave me a love for travel and experiential wisdom.
-The Razor's Edge did the same, but also glamorized learning in such a way that I still do my best to gather as much knowledge as I can.
-Just about everything by Kurt Vonnegut has shaped my personal philosophy and world view.

 

[fduniho]

Probably incomplete but still fairly representative.

Chess Variations: Ancient, Regional, and Modern by John Gollon

The Last Battle
The Screwtape Letters
The Four Loves
The Great Divorce - all by C. S. Lewis

The Tao of Pooh - which introduced me to Taoism
The Tao Te Ching - the classic Taoist text

The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley

Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle
The Psychology of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden
The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir
The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell

The Enneagram by Helen Palmer - The first Enneagram book I came across

Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil by M. Scott Peck
Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society by Ted Peters
The Risk of Being: What it Means to Be Good and Bad by Michael Gelven
Winter, Friendship, and Guilt by Michael Gelven

The Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom
Global Brain by Howard Bloom
On Human Nature by E. O. Wilson
Guns, Germs, and Steel (still reading) by Jared Diamond

The Power of Now (still reading) by Eckhart Tolle

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

I have no worldview.

Which books have influenced my thoughts?

 

[Awaken]

In High School "Stranger in a Strange Land" had a huge influence on my life. I am currently trying to read "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" but am finding it very hard to continue. I dont think I like the writing style at all. Should I stick with it, or is it just hit or miss?

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

re: Thus Spoke Zarathustra

From Hollingdale's introduction:
"The book's worst fault is excess... as it happens, excess is the one fault no one could impute to Nietzsche's subsequent works..."

I find the book hard to stomach as well; I would stick with it, but also read Nietzsche's other works if you've not already.

 

[Chasm]

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson have been the biggest influences. The former, out of several dystopian books I've read, really shaped my libertarian views of politics and the latter, while perhaps not being a completely accurate model, sure proved to be an useful one to make sense of the people around you in some respects (the first four circuits) and gave some nice food for thought about the nature of consciousness (the last four circuits). Of course the book is largely based on Leary's 8-circuit model, but I didn't really think much of the model until I read Wilson's book.

 

[addiboy]

The Picture Of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The Fabric Of The Cosmos - Brian Greene
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Animal Farm + 1984 - George Orwell
About A Boy - Nick Hornby
The Holy Gathas - Zoroaster
Conversations With God - Neale Donald Walsch

 

[SkyWalker]

Books about memetics have influenced me mostly.
These are nice:
- God wants you dead
- The art of memetics



---

The Brothers Karamazov

Thats a nice one, especially if you are into personality systems.

---

 

[tikru]

Anything by Dostoyevsky
Ego and Archetype by Edward Edinger (best introduction to analytic psychology imo)

 

[PapyrusAirplanes]

A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle. The latter book especially in terms of understanding love, human maturation, and its intersection with community.

Madeleine L'Engle was a genius. Half of my list is by her:

A Wrinkle In Time
A Wind In The Door
The Small Rain
A Ring of Everlasting Light

Also:

The Tao of Pooh- Benjamin Hoff
The Bible
Les Misérables- Victor Hugo
The Irresistible Revolution- Shane Claiborne

 

[NoMan]

The Harry Potter Series:
Just one of those things I picked up when I was a kid. Made me enthusiastic about reading, as someone above me said.

Watchmen:
Multilayered brilliance that made me start reading again after I had become cynical and stupid in middle school.

Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World:
This is one of those "must read" things. It's an introductory book to a way of thinking beneficial to the world, to say the least.

Notes From Underground:
Main character alerted me to a lot of my own ineptitude, while also letting me know that I had not slid as far down the shitter as I could have.

1984:
One of those "must reads." Generic Dystopian by today's standards, I know.

Sun Tzu's Art of War:
I listened through it twice as an audiobook while stoned gardening one day. I've been applying the basic principles of it to daily life with much success, imo.