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A selfish thread: recommend me a book.

Into It

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Of course, these book recommendations will be seen by everyone, but for those of you who have seen any of my posts and feel you have a grasp of my essence, I would really like a recommendation tailored to me.
Edit:And maybe a brief description. :)

Another thing you could do in this thread - just an idea - is recommend a book and then mention (or list) other members who you think could benefit from or would enjoy the book.
 

Into It

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Burr by Gore Vidal

This is really funny. I know a lot about a some subjects. Then, I know nothing about a lot of other subjects. It's kind of split down the middle-either I love it, in which case I suck the life out of it, or it holds no interest for me whatsoever, in which case I avoid it like the plague. History/Geography(embarassingly, I do not know what is where...) Are on the top of my "don't know, don't want to know" list. But I do think I know that Burr shot Hamilton. I'm proud that I have this knowledge, even though I only remember it from a comedy song!

"I drop so many Hamiltons, they should call me Burr!"

My INTP dad said the other day "There is probably 1 out of a hundred thousand people who knows as much about some subjects and is so ignorant to others as you." He's been telling me more and more recently that I need to "round off" my knowledge, and actually learn about things that I don't really find interesting. "Just get an 8th grade history book and read it," he says, "That will be a start."

So this recommendation is serendipitous in a way, is basically all I meant to say, and that kind of makes me want to read it, even though the subject matter sounds awful, no offense.
 

heart

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The Burr in Burr is a devil's advocate surronded by pretentious and petty people who live to place themselves up on pedestals. It's more a story about well fleshed out characters in conflict than dry history. Hamilton has been placed in history as a saint felled by a devil but it wasn't exactly like that. And no one could capture the nature of Burr better than Gore Vidal I think.

Well, what subject areas do you like?
 

juggernaut

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Wellll...how about...

Stiff: The Curious Life of Cadavers - Roach
Thinking about Consciousness - Papineau
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays - Camus
Goedel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid - Hofstatder
Metaphysics - Aristotle
The Counterfeiters - Gide
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals - Kant

PM me if you want more.
 

Into It

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The Burr in Burr is a devil's advocate surronded by pretentious and petty people who live to place themselves up on pedestals. It's more a story about well fleshed out characters in conflict than dry history. Hamilton has been placed in history as a saint felled by a devil but it wasn't exactly like that. And no one could capture the nature of Burr better than Gore Vidal I think.

Well, what subject areas do you like?

I am interested in psychology and philosophy, as well as obscure and arcane topics. My favorite book is "The Creature from Jekyll Island, A Second Look at the Federal Reserve" by G. Edward Griffin. It explains exactly what The Federal Reserve is, who controls it(the same people who funded WWI and WWII on both sides), and what their ultimate objective is - (surprise, the institution isn't there to help the common man.)

My second favorite book is probably "Twilight of the Idols," by Nietzsche. Esoteric or novel topics are generally my favorite to learn about.

Wellll...how about...

Stiff: The Curious Life of Cadavers - Roach
Thinking about Consciousness - Papineau
1The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays - Camus
2Goedel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid - Hofstatder
Metaphysics - Aristotle
The Counterfeiters - Gide
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Moral - Kant
PM me if you want more.

1.This was recommended to me by a close friend the other day.
2.I Forgot the name of this book, it was recommended to me by the same person who recommened "The God Particle" and "Calculus Made Easy" - He's an ENTP physics teacher and sometimes his "Work" runs over into his "Play." Then I lost his number! So thanks for that.
 

Synarch

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Sounds like typical fluffy ENFP paranoid reading. Are all NF's conspiracy theorists?
 

Synarch

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Wellll...how about...

Stiff: The Curious Life of Cadavers - Roach
Thinking about Consciousness - Papineau
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays - Camus
Goedel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid - Hofstatder
Metaphysics - Aristotle
The Counterfeiters - Gide
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Moral - Kant

PM me if you want more.

Judging from your reading list, no wonder you are hardened and depressed sounding. You need to see some theatre or something. Something that will touch you.
 

Into It

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Sounds like typical fluffy ENFP paranoid reading. Are all NF's conspiracy theorists?

Synarch, I recommend this book to you. Everything in this book is very well documented, and it has spun the head of everyone I recommended it to, including my last History Professor at UT, who nearly mocked me (like you) when I merely explained the book to him. After he had read it, he called me up after class one day and said, "You know I can't teach this stuff in class, 90% of the people out there are so set in what they think the government is and how it works, I just couldn't do it." He had turned a 180. It was refreshing.

And on another occasion, when the Federal Reserve came up in class and was to be talked about, he said "and if you want to know more about the Federal Reserve and its illegal activities, you can talk to that guy with the shaggy hair right there- his name is lance." He pointed me out in a very large class. It was kind of neat to be "the guy in the room" who had the DL on the Fed.
 

juggernaut

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Judging from your reading list, no wonder you are hardened and depressed sounding. You need to see some theatre or something. Something that will touch you.

Synarch, I read everything under the sun. I was just trying to accommodate the request.

One of my all time favorite fiction writers is Gabo...hardly a depressing writer. I also have a major fondness for Tom Robbins. So ha! So much for your theory old boy.

I also regularly attend the theater and other events. See my Why I Will Miss Washington thread for evidence.
 

Synarch

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Synarch, I recommend this book to you. Everything in this book is very well documented, and it has spun the head of everyone I recommended it to, including my last History Professor at UT, who nearly mocked me (like you) when I merely explained the book to him. After he had read it, he called me up after class one day and said, "You know I can't teach this stuff in class, 90% of the people out there are so set in what they think the government is and how it works, I just couldn't do it." He had turned a 180. It was refreshing.

And on another occasion, when the Federal Reserve came up in class and was to be talked about, he said "and if you want to know more about the Federal Reserve and its illegal activities, you can talk to that guy with the shaggy hair right there- his name is lance." He pointed me out in a very large class. It was kind of neat to be "the guy in the room" who had the DL on the Fed.

I don't occupy myself with things I have no control over. Knowing about secret cabals who pull the levers of power does nothing to:

1. Give me power
2. Get me into secret cabals
3. Give me lots of money

So, what use is it? I study things I can add to my "Synarch Improvement Project (tm)".
 

Synarch

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Synarch, I read everything under the sun. I was just trying to accommodate the request.

One of my all time favorite fiction writers is Gabo...hardly a depressing writer. I also have a major fondness for Tom Robbins. So ha! So much for your theory old boy.

Glad to see something other than ice water stirs in your veins. You're right though, I don't know you. Je m'excuse.
 

Into It

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I don't occupy myself with things I have no control over. Knowing about secret cabals who pull the levers of power does nothing to:

1. Give me power
2. Get me into secret cabals
3. Give me lot of money


So, what use is it? I study things I can add to my "Synarch Improvement Project (tm)".

How does spending lots of time on typology forums satisfy these?



I never claimed it would be of use to you, but if you don't want to read about it, hold off on mocking people about it.
 

Synarch

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How does spending lots of time on typology forums satisfy these?

I never claimed it would be of use to you, but if you don't want to read about it, hold off on mocking people about it.

You're being paranoid again.
 

juggernaut

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Glad to see something other than ice water stirs in your veins. You're right though, I don't know you. Je m'excuse.

Excused. :)

Icy and difficult are not synonymous btw. I don't think any of the men I've been involved with would have described me as icy, and I know my children wouldn't, so cut me a little slack eh?
 

Into It

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You're being paranoid again.

Sorry, I just don't like the term "conspiracy theorist." It works to destroy the credibility of those to whom it refers while providing no real refutation. So, I think any usage of that word is mockery.
 

Synarch

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Excused. :)

Icy and difficult are not synonymous btw. I don't think any of the men I've been involved with would have described me as icy, and I know my children wouldn't, so cut me a little slack eh?

I thought I acknowledged that you had convinced me you had something other than ice water in your veins. I also said "excuse me" (albeit in French) and I said you're right. But, I will go further with you. If a man compels you to go a mile, go twain, after all.

I hereby cut thee slack!

tudstu.gif
 

Synarch

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Sorry, I just don't like the term "conspiracy theorist." It works to destroy the credibility of those to whom it refers while providing no real refutation. So, I think any usage of that word is mockery.

You may have a point and yet this term is usually pretty accurate as most people interested in conspiracies seem them everywhere. It's more a projection of their own fear and dishonesty than anything else.
 
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