Ask HN: What books taught you the most about human nature?

3 points by marviel ↗ HN
I've been reading through Discworld recently, and have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of (tongue-in-cheek) wisdom contained therein.

Since HN originally pointed me to Discworld, I thought I'd ask -- what other books -- fiction or otherwise -- have changed your perspective on human psychology / sociology / the space of possible minds?

7 comments

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Religious ones help. Especially the parts About regulating and observing your own emotions. Bhagwad Gita was helpful to me as a Hindu.

Deliberate Calm is another one that helped understand on a more scientific level now our emotions are created and how that leads to our behavior.

Warriors and Worriers (Benenson)

The Prince (Machiavelli)

Beyond Good And Evil (Nietzche)

A History of Western Philosophy (Russel)

The Fourth Turning (Strauss, Howe)

Also, Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius (Machiavelli) is a fascinating read on human political machinations (albeit fairly slanted by Machiavelli's personal views)

Gödel Escher Bach.
Wow, GEB came immediately to mind.
Well I got a lot from it, but human nature? I may have missed it.
"What You Can Change and What You Can't" by Martin Seligman
Also, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl