Eye opening books

[maestro]

It has been my experience that some books reveal hidden aspects of the world/mind so that it makes much more sense after reading them. Two such books I have read recently are "Thought as a system" and "In search of the miraculous".

I therefore request members to suggest any books on this thread, which have been eye opening for them. That turned common wisdom on its head and revealed aspects of the world/mind that are well hidden.

[average]

It has been my experience that some books reveal hidden aspects of the world/mind so that it makes much more sense after reading them. Two such books I have read recently are "Thought as a system" and "In search of the miraculous".

I therefore request members to suggest any books on this thread, which have been eye opening for them. That turned common wisdom on its head and revealed aspects of the world/mind that are well hidden.

While I think books can change your point of view and give you neat things to think about, I don't think there are any secrets to be revealed...anymore than there are secrets to the rules of chess.

Reality is your idea.

[Tomas]

It has been my experience that some books reveal hidden aspects of the world/mind so that it makes much more sense after reading them. Two such books I have read recently are "Thought as a system" and "In search of the miraculous".

I therefore request members to suggest any books on this thread, which have been eye opening for them. That turned common wisdom on its head and revealed aspects of the world/mind that are well hidden.

Who are the authors, have they other books written?

Thanks.

Tomas


.

[maestro]

While I think books can change your point of view and give you neat things to think about, I don't think there are any secrets to be revealed...anymore than there are secrets to the rules of chess.

How can you say there are no secrets to be revealed. For example in physics, the laws of motions are secrets, knowing which the world will make much more sense. For example the planetary motions look mysterious for somebody who does not know the secret.

[maestro]

Who are the authors, have they other books written?

Thought as a system: David Bohm,
In search of...: PD Ouspensky.

Both have plenty of other books too.

[average]

While I think books can change your point of view and give you neat things to think about, I don't think there are any secrets to be revealed...anymore than there are secrets to the rules of chess.

How can you say there are no secrets to be revealed. For example in physics, the laws of motions are secrets, knowing which the world will make much more sense. For example the planetary motions look mysterious for somebody who does not know the secret.

Those are descriptions of perceived regularities...which happen to be ideas themselves.

Motion is an idea, it all depends on your definition and then you describing that definition.

The secrets are up to you.

[Carl G]

Those are descriptions of perceived regularities...which happen to be ideas themselves.

Ideas can be descriptions of regularities, as can bowel movements, and be themselves, too.

Motion is an idea, it all depends on your definition and then you describing that definition.

Depends on if there is a definition you can describe as that being other than itself.

The secrets are up to you.

Before I opened a watermelon, I had no idea if there would be seeds.

[average]

Ideas can be descriptions of regularities, as can bowel movements, and be themselves, too.

Yep, you can describe an idea, or just have it. Just like you can describe a dream, or just perceive it.

Outside your perception of a bowel movement, there is no bowel movement.

Before I opened a watermelon, I had no idea if there would be seeds.

ideas come and go.

[Trevor Salyzyn]

I'm amazed by long-winded book series' that manage to dextrously avoid saying anything of substance, and suspect that there's a relationship between that and their widespread appeal.

I'm looking at you Marcel Proust, J.K. Rowlings, R.A. Salvatore, Robert Jordan, Piers Anthony, and whatever committee wrote the Goosebumps books.

[average]

I'm amazed by long-winded book series' that manage to dextrously avoid saying anything of substance, and suspect that there's a relationship between that and their widespread appeal.

I'm looking at you Marcel Proust, J.K. Rowlings, R.A. Salvatore, Robert Jordan, Piers Anthony, and whatever committee wrote the Goosebumps books.

Then you must be amazed at most of your posts as well.

[Trevor Salyzyn]

average: See, there's even a term for what you just did. It's called "threadshitting", and most people don't take it any more seriously than trolling.

Anyway, I would contrast terrible book series' with something like the three-part Gulag Archipelago, which was written so purposefully that even when Solzhenitsen rambles, he evokes a clear message. He manages to carry whole passages on irony alone. Then again, he couldn't pick up his Nobel Prize in Literature because he wouldn't have ever been allowed back into the country he was condemning, so it might be a bit unfair to compare him to people who only want to write escapist fiction.

[Carl G]

Ideas can be descriptions of regularities, as can bowel movements, and be themselves, too.

Yep, you can describe an idea, or just have it. Just like you can describe a dream, or just perceive it.

Yah, or describe an idea and have it, too, just like describing a dream is a form of perceiving.

Before I opened a watermelon, I had no idea if there would be seeds.

ideas come and go.

Yep, like bowel movements. You are two deep, brother.

[average]

You are two deep, brother.

Better than just being one deep.

[maestro]

Come on guys nobody has ever read one paradigm shifting book?

[average]

Come on guys nobody has ever read one paradigm shifting book?

when I was 10 i flipped through a playboy...that gave me a huge paradigm shift.

[Alex Jacob]

I read a bio on Wiki of Bohm, and was intrigued by his 'thought as a system' idea. I may get a hold of it and read it soon. Just the presentation of the idea makes excellent intuitive sense. Why didn't I think of that? ;-)

As to literally paradigm shifting books, I can't contribute to this list. I did read part of What is Your Dangerous Idea? which is science-oriented people writing short essays on strange ideas they have, not necessarily proved or provable, on many different subject. It seems to me that these science types have more far-ranging ideas and their horizons are more open than the traditional religious thinkers.

What was so good about In Search of the Miraculous?

In terms of pure, literary delight recently read a good deal of Rabindranath Tagore. Wonderful writer.

[maestro]

I read a bio on Wiki of Bohm, and was intrigued by his 'thought as a system' idea. I may get a hold of it and read it soon. Just the presentation of the idea makes excellent intuitive sense. Why didn't I think of that? ;-)

This book is really amazing, after reading it it seemed as if a thousand veils had been lifted from my vision.

What was so good about In Search of the Miraculous?

Have you read it. There are very many paradigm shifting ideas, man as a machine, centers of the mind, creation of the self, voluntary suffering, knowledge and being, hypnotic sleep, endless ability of man to delude himself (kundalini), absence of free will. helplessness of man. Three kinds of influences ,magnetic center.

Besides there is the interesting concept of the bulk of men being used by higher powers for their own purposes.

[brokenhead]

The Urantia Book

[brokenhead]

But I am just repeating myself.

[yougene]

Sex, Ecology, Spirituality by Ken Wilber was a big one for me. Although something newer of his might have a more relevant delivery style, SES was the revolutionary foundation for everything that came after.

[mikiel]

It has been my experience that some books reveal hidden aspects of the world/mind so that it makes much more sense after reading them. Two such books I have read recently are "Thought as a system" and "In search of the miraculous".

I therefore request members to suggest any books on this thread, which have been eye opening for them. That turned common wisdom on its head and revealed aspects of the world/mind that are well hidden.

"The Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object" by Dr. Franklin Merrell-Wolff.
He was my teacher's (Joel Morwood) teacher, a fully enlightened teacher, fully informed philosopher/proffessor and, incidentally a one-time pro mathematician. He embodies the epitome of the Western approach to gnosis through the "path of knowledge" better than anyone I have ever read or studied by any means... other than Joel.

A good friend of mine, and webmaster of Joel's website http://www.centerforsacredsciences.org/ Thomas McFarlane, gave the following keynote address (an excellent intro to Merrell-Wolff's work,) at the Franklin Merrell-Wolff Reunion Gathering at Lone Pine, California on 4/31/'03:
http://www.integralscience.org/wolffsheart.htm

Thanks for the thread. A fine opportunity to share works which have inspired us.
mikiel

[David Quinn]

The Book of Nature, written by God, was the one that did it for me.

-

[Alex Jacob]

Is it still in print?

[DHodges]

If you are looking for some books to check out:

The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way

The Culture of Make Believe

I'm currently reading The Revolution: A Manifesto, but it's not really changing my mind about anything. I mostly agree with what he says, though.

[maestro]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will check out these books.

The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way

I browsed through it once, but all it seemed to do was to make highly detailed logical arguments about the nonexistence of about everything. While of course true philosophically, such arguments do not seem to have much bearing on the way you live. They do not provide insight about the behavior of people and its effects as seen in the world around us.