#21 Tools of Critical Thinking | Book Review

Tools of Critical Thinking: Metathoughts for Psychology by David A. Levy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
In 2021 I am on a quest to read everything I can about rationality. "Critical thinking" was a perfect fit.

What is the book about as a whole?
"Tools of Critical Thinking" is about improving one's thinking using metathoughts("thoughts about thought"). The author presents at least 25 of these metathoughts in the form of tools and techniques to aid critical thinking and improve ones study, inquiry, and problem solving.

The book's structure
The book has a carefully thought-out structure. It has 5 main parts; each consists of chapters, which present one meta thought. The parts cluster the metathoughts into a common perspective:
1. Conceputalizing Phenomena
2. Explaning Phenomena
3. Common Misattributions
4. Investigating Phenomena
5. Other Biases and Fallacies in Thinking
Every chapter provides vivid examples, poses practical exercises to complete and ends with a quick summary, notes & references and even relevant glossary terms for the chapter. Additionally, several appendices (for more detailed examples, exercise "solutions", ....), a big glossary of terms uses, an even bigger reference section, a subject index, and a separate name index are provided.

One lesson
There are so many lessons that it's impossible to pinpoint the biggest one; so I just pick a random one related to the **Attribution Bias** (we tend to overemphasize the impact of the environment when analyzing our own behavior and discount it when interpreting other peoples behavior). So as of the author's suggestion, I will try to remember that at any given time, how people behave depends both on what they bring to the situation ("who" they are), as well as the situation itself ("where" they are).

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
I didn't have high expectations when I bought this book. I anticipated it to be yet another book that boringly lists some vague "biases"; like many did before. But I was really positively surprised by how well and easily digestible this book is written. It includes extremely helpful examples. So if today you were to ask me for a book recommendation on cognitive biases, mental fallacies and our shortcomings in rationality I would very likely refer you to this book and this book only! A 7 out of 10(⭑⭑⭑⭑) on my personal scale.

-----------
View all my reviews on Goodreads

#20 Lost in Thought | Book Review

Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life by Zena Hitz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
I read this without any real "reason", I just stumbled upon it, the subtitle includes the term "intellectual life" and — shame on me — this book has nice cover art.

What is the book about as a whole?
This book attempts to argue for the _intrinsic_ value of "intellectual life", partly based on the author's personal experiences, partly based on philosophy and literature.

The book's structure
The book has a rather uncommon structure; a prologue, introduction, and epilogue take up about 25-30% of the content and then 3 uninformative-titled chapters:
1. A Refuge from the World
2. Learning Lost and Found
3. The Uses of Uselessness
An index and notes/references/sources are given.

One lesson
The book references Aristotle's position that "virtues are learned by imitation". This was a new idea for me and it is what I try to take with me from this book for my own life; considering that our actions constantly radiate and affect our social circles and considering especially that I want to have kids in the future.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
To be honest, there was a lot I didn't get. At times it was the language itself, at times the logic, and at times a missing background in philosophy. While this could indicate an opportunity to gain understanding, I rather feel that this book does not know what it wants to be. Oddly, the part I liked best was the personal story in the prologue; so maybe this should have been a biography instead... So I won't re-read this and I don't recommend you to read this yourself. If by chance you pick this up in a book store, read the prologue and the reference section. A 5 out of 10 (⭑⭑⭑) on my personal rating scale.

-----------
View all my reviews on Goodreads

#19 Self Control - Its Kingship and Majesty

Self Control - Its Kingship and Majesty by William George Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
"Self-Control" was on my reading list since I am currently doing wide reading about what is loosely termed willpower.

What is the book about as a whole?
Were it not for me actively seeking out books with titles that include "willpower", "self-control" etc this year, I never would've come across this treasure. This book is about much more than self-control. It's about Character, Happiness, Success, Power, Mindfulness, Simplicity and the Good Life. It's on of the classical and "true" Self-Help books that stood the test of time.

The book's structure
The short book is divided into 16 short essays (each only about 4 pages long):
I. The Kingship of Self-Control
II. The Crimes of the Tongue
III. The Red Tape of Duty
IV. The Supreme Charity of the World
V. Worry, the Grease American Disieas
VI. The Greatness of Simplicity
VII. Living Life Over Again
VIII. Syndicating Our Sorrows
IX. The Revelations of Reserve Power
X. The Majesty of Calmness
XI. Hurry, the Scourge of America
XII. The Power of personal Influence
XIII. The Dignity of Self-Reliance
XIV. Failure as a Success
XV. Doing Our Best at All Times
XVI. The Royal Road to Happiness

One lesson
The lesson I have taken from this first read-through relates to the definition of "regrets" in life. I've for a long time maintained a list of things to engage in, so that I "won't regret not having done them"; considering "having regrets" as something bad. But Jordan makes clear in his book, that a "life without regret" is a life in vain and without gain. Jordan defines regret as "the light of fuller wisdom, from our past, illumining our future" and he maintains that if "regret remains merely 'regret'" it is indeed useless. But if instead it is used as a means for new "revelation of new possibilities" and "inspiration" then it's a source of strength for new wisdom and power. Contemplating and acknowledging the regrets you already have as well as not fearing regrets in the future and using them to fuel your actions can make for truly great experiences.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
I immediately added this to my to-read-again list. I definitely would recommend reading it. It is a very short and worthwhile read and I expect most people to get something out of this. Overall this is a 8 out of 10 (⭑⭑⭑⭑) on my personal scale.

-----------
View all my reviews on Goodreads

#18 Objective C - Kurz & Gut | Book Review

Objective C Kurz & Gut by Lars Schulten
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
For my new job, I had to prepare myself and refresh my knowledge of Objective-C. This seemed to be a good and quick overview.

What is the book about as a whole?
The title pretty much sums it up. It's a short introduction to the programming language Objective-C, which is a superset of C, extending it by OO concepts.

The book's structure
The book comes in handy pocket format, is comprised of 15 main chapters of different lengths and contains some language reference chapters and an index at the end.
1. Basics
2. Syntax
3. Objects
4. Classes
5. Categories
6. Protocols
7. Errors and Exceptions
8. NSObject
9. Object Life Cycle
10. Memory Management
11. Runtime information
12. Messaging
13. Key/Value-Coding
14. Object Archiving
15. Blocks
16. NSObject Reference
17. Compiler Directive Reference
18. Alternative Platforms
19. Clang Operation Reference

One lesson
Obviously, in reading this, I learned and refreshed some of my knowledge about the language syntax and peculiarities. Especially interesting however was some of the side information given, e.g. the relationship to the C language, concepts like Monkey Patching, and some best practices.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
The book itself is okay; it mostly does what it's supposed to. Due to the fact that Objective-C is a kind of "obsolete" language, I would not recommend reading this, unless you'll join some heavy legacy project soon. Overall this is a 6 out of 10 (⭑⭑⭑) for me ("OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations").

-----------
View all my reviews on Goodreads

#17 The Age of Reason | Book Review

The Age of Reason by Jean-Paul Sartre
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
I rarely consume novels these days. In order to change that and since 2021 is my year of "ratio and will" I thought I might give Sartre's "Age of Reason" a read.

What is the book about as a whole?
This book is about a philosophy teacher roaming around Paris in 1938 and according to its own book cover explores what it "truly means to be free".

The book's structure
18 chapters across nearly 400 pages.

One lesson
Since this was a novel I didn't really set out for any lesson, but what stroke me is, that it was a very difficult read for me. I am not a native English speaker and The Age of Reason was written close to 80 years ago. I thought I was an adept reader of the English language but this proofed me otherwise...

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
Can't really give this a recommendation. Rated it a 2 out of 10 (⭑) on my personal scale since I skipped some part of it and didn't read it completely. Maybe I am not ready yet for this...

-----------
View all my reviews on Goodreads

#16 Behavioral Self Control | Book Review

Behavioral Self Control by Carl E. Thoresen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
"Behavioral self-control" was on my reading list since I am currently doing wide reading about what is loosely termed willpower. I was familiar with one of the authors, Mahoney, who has written one of my favorite works on self-change.

What is the book about as a whole?
This book is about what was scientifically known about "self-control" and what methodological issues were present at the time (1974).

The book's structure
The book is divided in 7 chapters:
1. Self-Control: An Introduction (Relevance, Concept, Criteria, General Strategies)
2. Methodological issues in Self-Control (External Control, Extraneous Variables, Experimental Design, Reliability)
3. Self-Observation (Analysis, Methods, Studies)
4. Self-Reward (Laboratory Research, Clinical Applications, Issues)
5. Self-Punishment and Aversive Self-Regulation (Concept, Endurance&Restraint, Laboratory Analogues, Applications)
6. Covert Self-Control (Antecedents, Target Behaviors, Consequences, Problems & Prospects)
7. Summary and Implications (Methodological Problems, Techniques, Behavioral Humanism, Therapy, Personal Freedom)

One lesson
Apart from learning how to categorize self-regulation strategies at one disposal — namely, Environmental Planning vs. Behavioral Programming (Self-Observation, Self-Reward, Self-Punishment) — I was most intrigued by the fact that as early as 1974, Mahoney seems to conclude that the "key to self-mastery is not to be found in appeals to willpower and other presumed inner resources, but rather in awareness", by which he means "the knowledge of how to use various stimuli to increase and decrease certain responses". This, to my knowledge, somewhat runs against the more contemporary and popular works of for instance Anders Ericsson (Peak) who seems to focus more on the willpower concept itself.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
This book is written for a scientific audience and includes many detailed studies. Since it was written nearly 50 years ago there probably have been quite some advancements in the area. However, the author did a great job of writing a scientific, objective, and timeless work and thus I feel it is very much worth a read for the interested reader. This grant a 7 out of 10 (⭑⭑⭑⭑) on my personal rating scale, which translates into "Good read, despite minor weaknesses; generally recommended".

-----------
View my reviews at Goodreads

#15 Pragmatic Thinking and Learning | Book Review

Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware by Andy Hunt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
I work as a software developer aiming for mastery in this domain. Furthermore, I am currently conducting a "year of ratio & will" where I try to learn all about rationality and willpower.

What is the book about as a whole?
This is a book about learning and thinking pramatically, mostly but not exclusive to the context of software development, whereby pramatism is defined as "to do what works (for oneself)". The book touches on the areas of learning, expertise, creativity, personal knowledge management, productivity, and more...

The book's structure
The book is divided into 9 more or less linear chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Journey from Novice to Expert
3. This is Your Brain
4. Get in Your Right Mind
5. Debug Your Mind
6. Learn Deliberately
7. Gain Experience
8. Manage Focus
9. Beyond Expertise

However, the author is a proponent of non-linear thinking in the form of mind-maps and also provides a mind-maps of the book's content as an addition to the table of contents. He also provides some "Next Action" tasks at the end of important sections and chapters of the book.

The author further summarises his ideas in a collection of 20 tips throughout the book:
1. Always consider the context.
2. Use rules for novices, intuition for experts.
3. Know what you don't know.
4. Learn by watching and imitating.
5. Keep practicing in order to remain expert.
6. Avoid formal methods if you need creative, intuition, or inventiveness.
7. Learn the skill of learning.
8. Capture all ideas to get more of them.
9. Learn by synthesis.
10. Strive for good design; it really works better.
11. Rewire your brain with belief and constant practices.
12. Add sensory experience to engage more of you brain.
13. Lead with R-mode, follow with L-mode.
14. Use metaphor as the meeting place between L-mode and R-mode.
15. Cultivate humour to build stronger metaphors.
16. Step away from the keyboard to solve hard problems.
17. Change your viewpoint to solve the problem.
18. Watch the outlines: "rarely" doesn't mean "never".
19. Be comfortable with uncertainty.
20. Trust ink over memory; every mental read is a write.

One lesson
I really appreciated the author's presentation of the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition. It is a per-skill model with five stages: Novice (1), Advanced Beginners (2), Competent (3), Proficient (4), Expert (5). So going forward I will try to use this model for evaluating my skill levels in various areas.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
I was slightly disappointed in this book since the author is renowned in the industry and I hoped this book would go more in-depth into how to actually get better at thinking and learning in the context of software development. But unfortunately, scientific studies, best practices of the community, and personal anecdotes and experiences of the author are intermixed and presented in a rather broad and shallow manner. In all of these topics, the author himself is no expert and therefore he cannot provide convincing and cutting edge content. Moreover, the author heavily relies on metaphors, often taking them too far to be taken seriously. On the other side, the book has a decent bibliography, an index and a summary of the "20 tips", all of which I appreciate.
So in sum, I give this a 6 out of 10 on my personal rating scale which means OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations.

View all my reviews

#14 Predictably Irrational | Book Review

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
2021 is my "year of ratio & will" which means I am trying to learn all I can about rationality and willpower. Therefore, this popular book was kind of a must-read.

What is the book about as a whole?
This is your classic book on human irrationality, biases, and mental fallacies. Each chapter presents one of them and decorates it with some background information, references, and relatable stories.

The book's structure
The book is comprised of 15 chapters, each of which focuses on a different mental bias:
1. The Truth about Relativity — why all our evaluations are relative rather than objective.
2. The Fallacy of Supply and Demand — why "free" products don't follow the rules of the market.
3. The Cost of Zero — Why we often pay too much when we pay nothing.
4. The Cost of Social Norms — Why getting paid for something will make you loath doing it.
5. The Power of a Free Cookie — Why "free" can make us less selfish.
6. The Influence of Arousal — Why Sex sells...
7. The Problem of Procrastination and Self-Control — Why you cannot make yourself do what you want to do.
8. The High Price of Ownership — Why we overvalue what we have.
9. Keeping Doors Open — Why too many options distract us from our main objective.
10. The Effect of Expectations — Why your expectations can change everything.
11. The Power of Price — Why placebos work.
12. The Cycle of Distrust — Why distrust ripples through markets.
13. The Context of our Character, Part 1 — Why all of us are a little dishonest.
14. The Context of our Character, Part 2 — Why dealing with cash makes us more honest.
15. Beer and Free Lunches — Why you should pay the whole bill at the restaurant once in a while.

One lesson
There are many interesting tidbits in this book. One that I personally found of value it the distinction between social norms and market norms. The author says that we live in two worlds: one where social norms prevail and another one where the market makes the rules. Social norms are wrapped up in our social nature and our need for community. They include the friendly requests that people make of one another. Could you help me move that couch? Could you help me change this tire?. Market norms are sharp-edged: wages, prices, rents, interests. When you are in this realm, you get what you pay for. The recommendation now is to keep them precisely separated since mixing them always causes trouble. Going forward I will try to adhere to this.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
The book was OK-ish. A lot I had heard before, some things were new for me as the social vs. market norms distinction. On the positive side, the book is written by a scientist who conducted many experiments in the field himself. So the content is as close to "primary literature" as you will get without reading the scientific studies themselves. Also, references and additional reading are provided. But on the other side, the book provides nothing new; it merely presents some science in a digestible manner. Unfortunately in a way that drags on and which makes it longer than it needs to be. Further, no index is provided. In total, this is a 6 out of 10 on my personal rating scale which means OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#13 Breath | Audiobook Review

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I listened to this mostly for health reasons. A couple of times I had come across the importance of correct breathing and special "breathing techniques".

One specific thing I learned from this book:
Always breathe through your nose rather than your mouth.

Thus, going further I will try to breathe consciously more often and avoid mouth breathing.

Overall this is a 5 out of 10 (⭑⭑⭑) for me. It is modest, contains a few nuggets and I would recommend considering reading it if you struggle with anything breath-related.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#12 The Hungry Brain | Audiobook Review

The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat by Stephan Guyenet
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I listened to this because like many others I am fighting with overeating. No matter what I do I seem to be gaining weight slowly but steadily.

Two specific things I learned from this book are that
(1) there is quite some scientific evidence that sleep restriction increases food intake
(2) our genes did not change all that much over the centuries, but our environment did.

So going further I will experiment more with sleep and changing my surroundings instead of focusing on food-specific changes.

Overall for me, this is a 5 out of 10 (⭑⭑⭑). It is modest, contains a few nuggets and I would recommend reading (or better listening to) it if one struggles with weight gain and/or overeating.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#11 Self Reliance | Book Review

Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
Book no. 11 in my "year of Ratio & Will".

What is the book about as a whole?
This is a book about integrity relying on your authentic inner self as the only true path in life.

The book's structure
This book is based on an essay and therefore is rather short and has no chapters.

One lesson
Right away in the introduction, Emerson puts forth the importance of not envying others for their achievements and especially not imitating them, as the latter equals suicide of the true self. This - in my opinion - is one of the most basic and important concepts a person can ever understand. Yet basic is not the same as easy and I know that after many years I am surly still working on it.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
Certainly not an easy read. But definitely a profound one. I have to defer my final judgment until I can read this more analytically since I barely understood anything on this first readthrough.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#10 Awareness | Book Review

Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality by Anthony de Mello
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
No. 10 in my 52-book reading challenge. This book I picked to get an alternative angle on my 2021 slogan "A year of Ratio & Will" where I focus on rationality and willpower.

What is the book about as a whole?
This is a spiritual book about "waking up" from the "unaware" life.

The book's structure
It has about 60 short chapters, most of which are only 3 pages long. Here are some of them:
- On Waking Up
- On Wanting Happiness
- Listen and Unlear
- Good, Bad, or Lucky
- Our Illusion About Others
- Fear — The Root of Violence
- Labels
- Clinging to Illusions
- Detachment
- Addictive Love
- Losing Control
- The Land of Love

One lesson
This book is filled with precious ideas, but one of the most profound I found in a chapter about "clinging" in relationships. De Mello argues that depending on another human being on a psychological and/or emotional level means, first, that you give them the power to influence your happiness, and second, that you then usually demand exactly that from them. Since they have the power to make you happy, you require them to do so! But "...where there is love, there are no demands, no expectations, no dependency. I do not demand that you make me happy; my happiness does not lie in you." This is something I personally had to learn the hard way but I come to find is at the core of any good romantic relationship.

Reading Recommendation?
Since I already had read De Mello's The Way to Love, I had high expectations. And overall they were met. De Mello manages to introduce rather spiritual ideas in a down-to-earth manner. In sum, I give this a 8 out of 10 which means Very good; would recommend nearly without restriction. I will come back to this for sure.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#9 The Undefeated Mind | Book Review

The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self by Alex Lickerman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
I'm aiming to read 52 books in 2021, many of which follow the slogan "A Year of Ratio & Will". This is the 8th book I finished. My motivation with this book was quite obvious: I wanted to know what the author has to say about how to construct an "Indestructible Self".

What the book is about
This is a book about how to develop a "strong life force" or personality hardiness: the capacity to survive and even thrive under difficult conditions.
This book is comprised of 10 chapters:
1| The Meaning of Victory
2| Find Your Mission
3| Make a Vow
4| Expect Obstacles
5| Stand Alone
6| Accept Pain
7| Let Go
8| Appreciate the Good
9| Encourage Others
10| Muster Your Courage

In each chapter the author starts of with referencing a dozen or so studies and then mixes in the story of one of his patients. Essentially, the author summarizes theses chapters towards the end as follows: "For we can resist discouragement by articulating our life's mission; accomplish that mission by making a great determination; overcome the obstacles that naturally arise when we make such a determination by changing poison into medicine; gain the strength to change poison into medicine by accepting responsibility and standing against injustice; endure pain by accepting it and loss by letting go ofwhat we cannot keep; enjoy what we have by learning to appreciate it and help ourselves through trauma by helping others; conquer fear by leveraging our connections to the ones we love. And, finally, I realized, gain inspiration from others who've managed to forge an undefeated mind of their own....

One lesson I am taking from it
There are some nuggets contained in "The Undefeated Mind". I especially appreciated the sources provided by the author e.g. quotes from his school of Buddhism like "Only by defeating a powerful enemy can one prove one's real strength." However, one specific thing I will try to take with me is
that I will actually strive to attain what the author calls an "undefeated mind": not just to rebound quickly from adversity or to face it calmly, even confidently, without being pulled down by depression or anxiety, but also to get up day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade-even over the course of an entire lifetime-and attack the obstacles in front of us again and again and again until they fall, or we do. This, I think, is an honorable goal and certainly one that fits into the slogan of my 2021.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
This is a rather long and tiresome read. It took me 13+ hours to fight through the 250 pages of the book. Partly, because the author's writing style is not easily digestible but rather exhausting (even though the author does use simple terms) . Secondly, because much of the book feels like vague generalizations from his patients and personal life (even though the book contains 20 pages of references). Third, because the author is a practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism and way to often refers to his personal life stores and that he used "chanting" to get through (all of which, if it were removed without replacement, would have made for a better, less self-centered book). In summary, this is a 4 out of 10 on my personal rating scale:
1 ⭑ — Abysmal; extremely bad. Couldn't / wouldn't finish. No one should waste his time on this!
2 ⭑— Very bad; skipped part of it; skimmed most of it.
3 ⭑⭑ — Bad, but forced me to finish; close to no nuggets to be found.
4 ⭑⭑ — Rather bad; finished but definitely would not give it a re-read.
5 ⭑⭑⭑ — Modest; a few nuggets; reading recommended in certain circumstances
6 ⭑⭑⭑ — OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations
7 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Good read, despite minor weaknesses; generally recommended
8 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Very good; would recommend nearly without restriction
9 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — An outstanding work; worthwhile to be read twice or more often; a definitive recommendation
10 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — A work of genius; should be required for everyone

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#8 What The Buddha Taught | Audiobook Review

I defer my final judgement here since I only listened to this during my commute to work and over the course of many weeks. Therefore I took no notes and forgot most of it.

What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this as audiobook. It's really good; explained simply and clearly.
I don't recommend it as audiobook, though.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#7 On The Shortness of Life | Book Review

On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
This is my 7th book in 2021 reading challenge with the slogan "A Year of Ratio & Will". My motivation was to get introduced to Seneca, the Stoic philosopher, and some Stoic teachings in general.

What the book is about
This book contains 3 pieces of writing:
1) On The Shortness of Life, a timeless essay about how people waste their time, and therefore, their lives.
2) Consolation to Helvia, a letter to his mother, mainly about grief and perspective in regard to him having been banned into exile.
3) On Tranquillity of Mind, an answer of Seneca to a friend, who posed the question on how to reach "euhtymia", a tranquillity of mind.

One lesson I am taking from it
There are many precious passages to be found here. But I tried to pin down the single most "triggering" and counterintuitive idea, that struck me personally. In his "On Shortness of Life" Seneca blames people who "spend their lives organizing their lives". He write "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today." So one life directive I derived for myself is this: don't be preoccupied, consciouslly engage!

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
This is a great book, with only a few weaknesses, e.g. regarding the "shortness" of life, Seneca could have shortened his essay by at least 20-30% to be more concise. Since it is still a very short read I will definitely come back to these essays in the future. I currently rate it a 8 out of 10 on my personal rating scale:
1 ⭑ — Abysmal; extremely bad. Couldn't / wouldn't finish. No one should waste his time on this!
2 ⭑— Very bad; skipped part of it; skimmed most of it.
3 ⭑⭑ — Bad, but forced me to finish; close to no nuggets to be found.
4 ⭑⭑ — Rather bad; finished but definitely would not give it a re-read.
5 ⭑⭑⭑ — Modest; a few nuggets; reading recommended in certain circumstances
6 ⭑⭑⭑ — OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations
7 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Good read, despite minor weaknesses; generally recommended
8 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Very good; would recommend nearly without restriction
9 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — An outstanding work; worthwhile to be read twice or more often; a definitive recommendation
10 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — A work of genius; should be required for everyone

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#6 The Intellectual Life | Book Review

The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods by Antonin Sertillanges
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
This is my 6th book in 2021 reading challenge with the slogan "A Year of Ratio & Will". My motivation was to think, become, and act more "rational" and smarter.

What the book is about
This book is a gold mine and could easily be the only book you ever need to ever consult about various topics. It focuses on the very essential, stuff that did not change in 100 years. Even though the original target group was the "Christian Intellectual" everyone should read this book. The chapters and some of the targeted topics within them are:
1. The Intellectual Vocation (your calling)
2. Virtues Of a Catholic Intellectual (virtues, discipline)
3. The Organisation of Life (simplification, solitude, cooperation, silence)
4. The Time of Work (continuity, rest, plenitude)
5. The Field of Work (comparative study, thomism, sacrifices)
6. The Spirit of Work (ardor, concentration, submission to truth, outlook, mystery)
7. Preparation for Work (reading, memory management, taking notes)
8. Creative Work (writing, detachment, constancy, patience, perseverance, limits)
9. The Worker and the Man (accepting ones trials, looking forward to the fruits)

One lesson I am taking from it
The author writes: "You have a difficult journey before you—don't burden yourself with too much baggage." One simple lesson I am taking with me is to simplify my life as a first solution if I encounter a problem or want to improve something.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
This is an outstanding book. I will definitely come back to this multiple times in the future. I rate it a 9 out of 10

Here is my personal rating scale:
1 ⭑ — Abysmal; extremely bad. Couldn't / wouldn't finish. No one should waste his time on this!
2 ⭑— Very bad; skipped part of it; skimmed most of it.
3 ⭑⭑ — Bad, but forced me to finish; close to no nuggets to be found.
4 ⭑⭑ — Rather bad; finished but definitely would not give it a re-read.
5 ⭑⭑⭑ — Modest; a few nuggets; reading recommended in certain circumstances
6 ⭑⭑⭑ — OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations
7 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Good read, despite minor weaknesses; generally recommended
8 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Very good; would recommend nearly without restriction
9 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — An outstanding work; worthwhile to be read twice or more often; a definitive recommendation
10 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — A work of genius; should be required for everyone

Find my other book reviews at: https://www.dennisnehrenheim.com/read

View all my reviews

#5 Getting Results the Agile Way | Book Review

Getting Results the Agile Way: A Personal Results System for Work and Life by J.D. Meier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
This is the fifth book I read this year as part of my 52-book challenge. I am highly interested in personal productivity and in my profession (software engineering) agility is a big thing. That's why this book looked quite interesting to me.

What the book is about
In this book, J.D. Meier presents his personal productivity system called "Agile Results" which is based on his experience in the area of software engineering. "Agile Results" consists of
1) "Hot Spots" (a way of balancing different life domains or areas)
2) Weekly Results (Monday Vision, Daily Outcomes, Friday Reflection) — a way of planning and reviewing on a weekly basis
3) Action, Reference, Calendar (Distinguishing actionable from the non-actionable matter)
The author himself calls it a "results framework for work and life". Compared to other popular systems, it is very modular and light-weight. There is no need to adapt it as a whole. While this is one of its strengths it is also its weakness. After reading the book no real "system" emerges. Rather loosely couple techniques are presented which is not necessarily helpful for a beginner.

One lesson I am taking from it
I specifically want to remember the idea, that one should not become a slave of one's backlog. A backlog is a catalog of potential action, not a must-do-list. Time changes the value of things and focusing too narrowly on everything in a backlog results in missed opportunities. So instead of being "backlog driven" one should think in terms of "value delivered".

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
Every modern book about personal productivity has to be compared with Getting Things Done
by David Allen. Making this comparison, I would not recommend this book to the average reader. Instead, just deeply read GTD and be done with it. For personal productivity geeks like myself, however, it can be a worthwhile read, though. It does not really read as a "book". It feels more like a collection of strategies, techniques, concepts, and metaphors. Like a summary, one has written for an upcoming exam, even. That is also why, although it contains good ideas, over time it got quite monotonous. There is just too much loosely connected content here.

I am rating it a 6 on my personal rating scale:
1 ⭑ — Abysmal; extremely bad. Couldn't / wouldn't finish. No one should waste his time on this!
2 ⭑— Very bad; skipped part of it; skimmed most of it.
3 ⭑⭑ — Bad, but forced me to finish; close to no nuggets to be found.
4 ⭑⭑ — Rather bad; finished but definitely would not give it a re-read.
5 ⭑⭑⭑ — Modest; a few nuggets; reading recommended in certain circumstances
6 ⭑⭑⭑ — OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations
7 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Good read, despite minor weaknesses; generally recommended
8 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Very good; would recommend nearly without restriction
9 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — An outstanding work; worthwhile to be read twice or more often; a definitive recommendation
10 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — A work of genius; should be required for everyone

View all my reviews

#4 PracticalCombine | Book Review

Practical Combine by Donny Wals
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
This is the fourth book I finished in 2021. My motivation was to get my hands dirty with Combine, Apple's new Functional Reactive Programming framework.

What the book is about
The book is about getting to know Combine and is comprised of 13 chapters:
Chapter 1 - Introducing Functional Reactive Programming
Chapter 2 - Exploring publishers and subscribers
Chapter 3 - Transforming publishers
Chapter 4 - Updating the User Interface
Chapter 5 - Using Combine to respond to user input
Chapter 6 - Using Combine for networking
Chapter 7 - Wrapping existing asynchronous processes with Futures in Combine
Chapter 8 - Understanding Combine’s Schedulers
Chapter 9 - Building your own Publishers, Subscribers, and Subscriptions
Chapter 10 - Debugging your Combine code
Chapter 11 - Testing code that uses Combine
Chapter 12 - Driving publishers and flows with subjects
Chapter 13 - Where to go from here

Additionally, some source code and example projects are provided.

One lesson I am taking from it
I especially liked the sections on backpressure management (controlling flow by signaling a subscriber’s readiness to receive elements) which, in my opinion, was explained better than in other resources on the topic I know of. After this book, I am confident that I understood this concept better.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
I recommend this as a cheap, quick & dirty introduction to the subject. It is no theoretical deep dive but supposed to be a hands-on practical book. Still, in my opinion, it did not live up to its name. It was actually more theoretical than I had hoped for.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

#3 Map and Territory | Book Review

Map and Territory by Eliezer Yudkowsky
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Context & Why I read this book
This is my third book in 2021; part of my challenging 52-book challenge that goes with my slogan "A Year of Ratio & Will". My motivation was to think, become, and act more "rational"; to become a "rationalist" to say it in the author's words.

What the book is about
The book is the first volume in a book series called Rationality: From AI to Zombies, which addresses our "flawed" psyche. In each chapter, a human bias, logical fallacy, or other shortcomings of the human mind is addressed. They are categorized into 4 parts which should give you a very rough feeling of the content:
1. Predictably wrong (e.g. confirmation and availability bias, planning fallacy, ...)
2. Fake Beliefs (e.g. applause lights, religion, retreat to commitment, ...)
3. Noticing Confusion (e.g. Occam's razor, hindsight bias, expecting short inferential distance, ...)
4. Mysterious Answers (e.g. fake explanations, "positive bias",
While some definitions and explanations are given, this book is not an encyclopedia of cognitive biases. Rather, it is a compilation of loosely connected essays that the author compiled over the years. This shows. The style and quality of these essays vary a lot and make this all in all a very sad read.

One lesson I am taking with me
There are a few nuggets to be found in this book. The one I like the most is his recommendation that you should keep asking yourself the following question: "How would I regenerate this knowledge if it were deleted from my mind?". This is to ensure that you are not fooling yourself into believing that you know the meaning/concept behind a certain term. Additionally, I added this quote "That which can be destroyed by the truth should be." P.C. Hodgell to my quote database.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
Ironically, my review might be biased since my two previous reads were both on rationality (A Guide to Rational Living, The Enigma of Reason) and they were exceptionally good. But compared to them, this book very much feels like a concatenation of some cheap "blog posts" the author wrote in his spare time. So, I cannot agree with most of the reviews that came before me. Yudkowsky is not a very good writer. He appears more like an arrogant ranter. Most of the essays are rather confusing and pointing out how flawed we are in our thinking. So, considering there is an almost unlimited number of books on rationality you could read, I would not recommend picking this one and rate it a 4 out of 10 on my personal book rating scale which maps to Goodreads as follows:

1 ⭑ — Abysmal; extremely bad. Couldn't / wouldn't finish. No one should waste his time on this!
2 ⭑— Very bad; skipped part of it; skimmed most of it.
3 ⭑⭑ — Bad, but forced me to finish; close to no nuggets to be found.
4 ⭑⭑ — Rather bad; finished but will not give it a re-read.
5 ⭑⭑⭑ — Modest; a few nuggets; reading recommended in certain circumstances
6 ⭑⭑⭑ — OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations
7 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Good read, despite minor weaknesses; generally recommended
8 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Very good; would recommend nearly without restriction
9 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — An outstanding work; worthwhile to be read twice or more often; a definitive recommendation
10 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — A work of genius; should be required for everyone


View all my reviews

#2 The Enigma Of Reason | Book Review

The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Why I read this book
This was my second read of 2021 and part of my challenging 52-book challenge that complements my slogan for this year: "A Year of Ratio & Will".
While my motivation to read this book was to think, become, and act more "rational" it turned out to make me question the function and utility of "reasoning" in the first place.

What the book is about
In this highly thought-provoking book the authors put forth a new theory of rationality which they have been developing for over a decade. They argue, that reason, counter to classical thoughts, has two main purposes:
(1) to produce justifications for protecting one's social reputation
(2) to produce arguments to convince others of one's own views.
With this, they reject classical philosophies on rationality and argue, that biases and laziness are actually no flaws of the human mind, but a highly valuable feature to support human communication and coordination.

One lesson I am taking from it
This is not an easy read and a highly theoretical book. Still, I want to take one practical lesson with me. Namely, that in order to improve my "rationality" I should try to reduce solitary reasoning and instead more often engage in argumentative reasoning with other people.

Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
I cannot recommend this book enough; especially if you bought into / are convinced by the prominent work of Daniel Kahneman (Thinking, Fast and Slow). The author's theory may then represent quite a paradigm shift for you. I am a layman, but wouldn't be surprised to see this treatise have a huge impact in scientific circles.

View all my reviews