8 Books That Will Sharpen Your Thinking
This blog presents 8 books that will help sharpen your thinking. It explains the lessons from each book, such as the importance of using first principles, Ockham's Razor, and understanding the difference between correlation and causation.
Ben Meer
Personal Development 2.0. I write about systems and high-performance living ⚡ Cornell MBA • NASM Trainer
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8 books that will sharpen your thinking:
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
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Super Thinking
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann
Lessons:
• Use first principles (foundational facts)
• Ockham's Razor: simple is often best
• Correlation ≠ causation
• Much, much more pic.twitter.com/kTHA5hiLuS -
Thinking, Fast and Slow
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Daniel Kahneman
Lessons:
• We think in two systems (1=automatic, 2=considered)
• The mind uses shortcuts to make decisions
• We often make emotional, not rational, decisions
• Learn to slow down; engage with System 2 pic.twitter.com/IhDS42S9co -
Predictably Irrational
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
Book by Dan Ariely
Lessons:
• Neoclassical economics is incomplete
• Psychology helps us understand real-world behavior
• Free is not just a price; it disrupts our rational thinking
• The first price we hear anchors
• Owning leads to overvaluing pic.twitter.com/fVMUp7nz0O -
Think Again
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Adam Grant
Lessons
• Knowing what you don't know is wisdom
• Identify with your values, not beliefs
• Strong leaders engage their critics to learn
• Ask this question (to yourself and others): "How do you know?" pic.twitter.com/zOC3YXiCxr -
The Art of Thinking Clearly
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Rolf Dobelli
Lessons
• Learn fallacies + biases that limit you
• We seek information that confirms pre-existing beliefs
• Value = perceived availability
• People conform to groups to avoid exclusion
• Too many decisions cause decision fatigue pic.twitter.com/21VgG08KR8 -
Designing the Mind
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Ryan Bush
Lessons:
• Our minds are the ONE thing we can control
• Stabilize emotions to use them proficiently
• Greatness is a state where nothing can disturb you pic.twitter.com/JD2xAjeQSF -
Thinking in Systems
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Donella Meadows
Lessons:
• To change any system, focus on 12 points of leverage
• Purposes are deduced from behavior, not words
• Create feedback loops pic.twitter.com/0yAD7hzO5s -
The Great Mental Models
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Rhiannon Beaubien and Shane Parrish
Lessons:
• The map is not the territory
• Solve problems backward with inversion
• Use thought experiments to test your ideas
• Second-order thinking = consequences of first-order impacts pic.twitter.com/p9BUtZYggy -
That’s all 8.
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
Read, apply, and you will be wise beyond your years.
What else would you add?
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All systems go,
Ben -
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— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
Every Sunday I feature the best systems for health, wealth, and free time.
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