My List of Books That Should Be Mandatory Reading

I have become entirely annoyed by the ignorance displayed by human beings in their comments lately. I’m honestly beginning to believe the theory of de-evolution. I have a list of 7 books that I think should be mandatory reading in order to graduate from high school, and I will provide a very brief synopsis of why I think they should be read. I think the knowledge in these books would pertain to people under any type of government or economic structure or lack thereof, and be just as relevant during any past or future point in the time line of human existence.

1. Logic and Critical Thinking – Dr. William H. Hyde

   Everyone should learn how to construct a valid argument, understand the parts that make up a valid argument, and know what makes a valid argument a sound argument. You should also learn to recognize common fallacies. When you at least acquire a decent grasp of logic, you will be more likely to spot when someone is trying to deceive you with an argument that is not valid, a valid argument with false premises, through misdirection, marketing spin or just plain bullshit, and you’ll better understand how to construct arguments that solidly prove your points without any room for counter arguments.

2. An Introduction To Probability Theory and Its Applications, Vol 1 & 2 – William Feller

   An understanding of probability theory and statistics will greatly increase your skill in making accurate decisions, when confronted with a dilemma. Once you understand that a Quarter has no memory and why the probability of 2 people having the same birthday in a group of 23 people is as high as 50%, your life will get much easier and less confusing. That, and you’re probably less likely to get your ass kicked in Vegas.

3. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds – Charles Mackay

   Independent of the fact that it describes psychologically induced economic bubbles, which are prevalent in the past few years, it is a great primer for learning how to avoid being sucked into the delusions of the masses. Independently, people can react rationally, but when the masses validate your delusion, delusion can grow out of control at an exponential rate. Witch hunts, mass Kool Aid consumption, volcanic sacrifice…not things you want to be sucked into.

4. The Memory Book – Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas

   There are many ways to train the brain to retain information better. Some methods in the book may seem like tricks or slight of hand, but they do work. Mnemonics and making numbers tangible do help your brain categorize information for future recall and takes very little effort to see the results for yourself. Even a trick, if it produces the required results, is a very useful tool to have at your disposal.

5. You Can Negotiate Anything – Herb Cohen

   Negotiation skills are important in every aspect of life. It is also important to know that someone doesn’t have to lose for you to get what you want. Sometimes it is just a matter of getting down to the core of what people actually need, and not what they say they want. The win/win scenario is at least worth trying first, and you can use everything you learned from the other books in this list to find or present a solution. At least try this first before you whack someone for their iPod.

6. Who Moved My Cheese? – Spencer Johnson M.D.

   Yes, its goofy, but it has a great moral. Get out of your comfort zone. Today we have wonderful rules, and a capitalist society and possessions we work 40 hours a week to maintain..and though the sun might very well rise the same tomorrow, it could suddenly be under a new world order, or after a natural disaster, or some other event you just weren’t prepared for. You need to understand that, though things didn’t change today, they may very well change tomorrow, and if you want to survive you will need to adapt, and adapt quickly. In the course of human events one thing is certain, civilizations get conquered, and the life they once knew ceases to exist. The one possession you can’t afford to lose is your life, everything else is just cheese.

7. The Art of War – Sun Tzu

   Not so much for the issue of war, but for the strategy. You need to be able to recognize when someone is setting you up for defeat before you even realize you are in a battle. And what things you can do to counter the threat once you’ve seen it coming. These tactics have proven successul in defeating an enemy for quite some time.

I hope you read them, you shouldn’t be disappointed. Most of them are very quick reads, Logic takes a bit for most people to grasp, but Introduction to Probability Theory is a challenge.