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What Are The Best Books Every Intellectual Should Read?

What are the best books every intellectual should read?, They are Talent Is Overrated, The Art Of War, Cosmos,The Republc, The Tempest and many more..
A list of best books for intellectuals people should read - the least necessary non-professional books one needs to read in one's life. 

Today's topic is The Best Books Every Intellectual Should Read and in the follow-up, the article is talking about "what to read," This is talking about "how to read." Specifically, "If I was born again, how would I read these books"?

When you look into some "Best Books Every Intellectual Should Read" on the internet, most of the time, what you got is mere *shit*, but this time will be different.

Before writing this article "What are the best books every intellectual should read?" I have been asking myself this question: "If I were born again, which books would I still read?"
best-books-every-intellectual-should-read

10 BEST BOOKS EVERY INTELLECTUAL SHOULD READ

Reading is not about how many intellectual books everyone should read, but how much knowledge you understand. Junk books do not contain knowledge at all, so even reading a thousand books a year cannot change fate. On the contrary, as long as you understand one book and learn the knowledge, you can change your life.

Looking back, there are only two kinds of books that I have read that really have knowledge like this: one can increase "knowledge", that is, understanding of things; the other can increase "behavior", that is, the ability to change things.

Intellectual books everyone should read, there are only 10 books, first of all, here the best intellectual books are included which I have read. Compared with all the books in the world, I have read only a small part. 

secondly, because these books are the books that I will read "If I am born again", these books are non-professional books or professional introductory books that I can read when I am a teenager; and finally, because the world is really worth reading In fact, there are not many books left except professional books.

If I have not read these books, I will start with reading and writing from the classification point of view. It's easy to understand that sharpening a knife does not cut firewood by mistake. Before reading, you should learn how to read, and you will get twice the result with half the effort it is because writing can completely replace notes.

After reading a book or a chapter of a book, you can write out the knowledge you have learned in your own words. When you encounter a jam, it means that the knowledge is not solid. You need to go back to reread or check the information, and you don't need to write it in detail. As long as you can understand it, completing such an article is more useful than reciting the book, let alone taking notes Yes. But to do this, basic writing methods are needed.

The next step is the "line". If you read a lot of books that you know what to do but you can't do it, no matter how many books you read it's useless to read more books. However, it's not enough to read only [lines], but also to add [thinking], otherwise, you can't achieve the goal by mindless and reckless action.

Then there is "body". If your original efficiency is 9, a healthy body can make your efficiency reach 10, but if your efficiency is only 1 or even 0, then a healthy body is useless, so I put it after thinking and doing.

Summary: 1. Read 2. Write 3. Lines  4. Think 5. Body  6. Logic 7. Psychology

Logic is actually a part of psychology, so it is easier to understand logic first and then understand psychology. After reading these two kinds of books, one's basic skills of knowing and doing will be finished.

What to look at next depends on the situation at that time. It depends on which category is more relevant. For example, when you are still in school, you should first study mathematics and science, if you have already worked, you should look at friends, if you are eager to make money, you should look at politics if you have few achievements. If you want to communicate with people often, you should look at listening and speaking, and if you want to use computers often, you should look at software and hardware.

Although there are not many books, there are also quite a few. What kind of order and way to read them will be better?

1. Talent Is Overrated 

best-books-every-intellectual-should-read

Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

Why are certain people so incredibly great at what they do? Most of us think we know the answer—but we’re almost always wrong. 

That’s important, because if we’re wrong on this crucial question, then we have zero chance of getting significantly better at anything we care about.

Happily, the real source of great performance is no longer a mystery. Bringing together extensive scientific research, bestselling author Geoff Colvin shows where we go wrong and what actually makes world-class performers so remarkable. 

It isn’t specific, innate talent, nor is it plain old hard work. It’s a very specific type of work that anyone can do—but most people don’t.

Promising review: 

I read this book several months ago and have had time to digest its message, which is essentially what the title says. I agree with it on many fronts that dedicated hard work leads to excellence. However, I do believe that "talent" does exist, and cannot be duplicated simply with hard work. For example, my singing voice is awful. If I dedicated my whole life to singing, it might go from awful to tolerable, or perhaps a bit better, but I'd always be the nitwit on the X-Factor who goes on and the judges make a face like they just drank a shot of lemon juice while I'm crooning away.—Read More—Coops


2. The Art Of War  

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The Art Of War by Sun Tzu

The title of the book is so funny... "They criticized me again, saying that I directed the war with the romance of the Three Kingdoms and the art of war of Sun Tzu.

In fact, I didn't read Sun Tzu's Art of War at that time; I had seen The Romance of the Three Kingdoms several times, but when commanding the war, who could remember the romance of Three Kingdoms. 

I asked them: since you said that I was under the command of The Art of War by Sun Tzu, I think you must have read it. 


Promising review: 

I want to tell future readers of this book in this way. I read it first when I was 14 or 15. I thought it was a book on how to smartly fight a war. Then I re-read it when I was 28 and it occurred to me that it may be an instruction book on how to navigate an honorable life. Years passed and I recently found it at the bottom of a box in my closet. I read it again at age 56. I realized it has more to offer.—Read More—Amazon Customer 



3. Thinking, Fast and Slow  

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Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. 

He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives―and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. 

Topping bestseller lists for almost ten years, Thinking, Fast and Slow is a contemporary classic, an essential book that has changed the lives of millions of readers.


Promising review: 

This was a difficult but valuable book. However, some reviewers claim its value is in changing our mental habits. This is a mistake. The book is much too complex for that. Kahneman concludes the book by stating that even he has not been able to do much to curb the instincts of intuition. The value of the book, he states, is to give people the vocabulary to spot biases and to criticize the decisions of others: “Ultimately, a richer language is essential to the skill of constructive criticism.”—Read More—James E. Lane 



4. A Short History of Nearly Everything 

best-books-every-intellectual-should-read

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. 

Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. 

Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. 

To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, traveling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. 

He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, and apprenticed himself to their powerful minds.

 A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involved or entertaining.


Promising review: 

A friend of mine recommended this book knowing that I like science. I'm used to reading about the sciences on single topics. This book surprised me in the amount of effort the author took to go through book after book of different sciences, both old and new, and proceeded to connect the dots into several cohesive stories about our home, planet Earth, and its residents. The biggest surprise is how little we truly know about both and just how much luck was involved that both exist in their present form. This book is an easy read and should be understandable to anyone who has a basic interest in science.—Read More—Kindle Customer



5. The Greatest Secret in the World 

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The Greatest Secret in the World by Og Mandino

One of the world's most influential writers shares one of the world's greatest secrets for your personal and financial success . . . in his dynamic sequel to The Greatest Salesman in the World, Og Mandino's Spellbinding Bestseller.

“This tremendously challenging book will inspire the reader to realize his moral, spiritual, and financial goals!”—Wallace E. Johnson, Vice Chairman, Holiday Inns, Inc.


“It's inspiring. It's terrific! It motivates the reader.”—W. Clement Stone, Chairman, and CEO, Combined Insurance Company of America



Promising review: 

I read this book back in the 70s (and only did part of it, unfortunately). Recently, I have been studying habits (particularly mine), and human behavior. The elements of habit and human behavior in the book are amazingly current. It's a very simple version of neuro-linguistic programming. This time I read it, and then I tried two completely new approaches:—Read More—Money Man



6. Cosmos 

best-books-every-intellectual-should-read

Cosmos by Carl Sagan  

Cosmos retraces the fourteen billion years of cosmic evolution that have transformed matter into consciousness, exploring such topics as the origin of life, the human brain, Egyptian hieroglyphics, spacecraft missions, the death of the Sun, the evolution of galaxies, and the forces and individuals who helped to shape modern science.



Promising review: 

What a privilege and joy it was to have read this book. I made my way through it rather slowly because it was so packed full of historical anecdotes, scientific findings, and thought-provoking insights that I needed a break every chapter or so to let ideas mentally sink in. In 13 chapters, Dr. Sagan gives us a glimpse into all scales of space and time. From the Big Bang to the formation of the stars and the Earth, through the painstaking evolutionary process that resulted in human beings, to millennia beyond our time where interstellar travel may be a viable means of commute. From quarks to complex molecules to planets, supernovae, and black holes, to the idea of an infinite hierarchy of universes, all nested within one another.—Read More—Nichanan Kesonpat 



7. The Tempest 

best-books-every-intellectual-should-read

The Tempest by William Shakespeare

The characters exceed the roles of villains and heroes. Prospero seems heroic, yet he enslaves Caliban and has an appetite for revenge. 

Caliban seems to be a monster for attacking Miranda but appears heroic in resisting Prospero, evoking the period of colonialism during which the play was written. 

Miranda’s engagement with Ferdinand, the Prince of Naples, and a member of the shipwrecked party helps resolve the drama.

This edition includes:

  • Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
  • Full explanatory notes are conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
  • Scene-by-scene plot summaries
  • A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases
  • An Introduction to Reading Shakespeare’s Language
  • An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar provides a modern perspective on the play
  • Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
  • An annotated guide to further reading


Promising review: 

I really can't speak highly enough of this version of The Tempest. The notes on the text, the layout, and the modern typeface combined with First Folio spelling and punctuation make this the most actable version of a Shakespeare play that I've seen. They've even laid it out so that each page of text is faced with a blank page, perfect for writing blocking, text, and direction notes. The only small gripe I have, and it is a minute one, is that the binding could be sturdier - the cover of mine is busily in the process of falling off, and we're not halfway through the rehearsal process yet. But even given that, I would rate this 6 stars if I could. In the future, I will be using the Applause First Folio versions of any Shakespeare plays where the definitive text is FF.—ActressSuperMom



8. The Republic 

best-books-every-intellectual-should-read

The Republic by Plato

Originating in approximately 380 BC, the Republic is a Socratic dialogue written by the famed Greek philosopher Plato. Often referred to as Plato’s masterwork, the Republic’s central goal is to define the ideal state. 

By conceptualizing this model state, Greeks believed it would lead states formed with its principles in mind to function the most efficiently and fairly, striving toward justice and the greater good of society.

This edition includes a foreword by British American philosopher and Plato expert Simon Blackburn. 

Widely read around the world by philosophy students and academics alike, Plato’s Republic is sure to pass on its invaluable lessons and enlighten the next generation of thinkers.


Promising review: 

Whew, that was an intense read! I gave it five stars because after careful consideration I realized that Alan Bloom's interpretive essay really helped me to understand The Republic to a different degree. The first ten books are the shoes, the interpretive essay is the shoelace and it ties all of it up very neatly. To read something over 2,000 years old that’s been translated from Ancient Greek is a task in itself, I commend this translation interpreter he did a stellar job. This book is Heavy and not a book you can just pick up and expect to read in a weekend, it's not littered with images that create a perfect picture for you to burn thru, it’s page after page after page of thought, so it slows you down, a lot.—Read More—Andrew McKenna 



9. A Tale of the Two Cities 

best-books-every-intellectual-should-read

A Tale of the Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A novel by Charles Dickens was published both serially and in book form in 1859. The story is set in the late 18th century against the background of the French Revolution. 

Although Dickens borrowed from Thomas Carlyle's history, The French Revolution, for his sprawling tale of London and revolutionary Paris, the novel offers more drama than accuracy. 

The scenes of large-scale mob violence are especially vivid, if superficial in historical understanding. The complex plot involves Sydney Carton's sacrifice of his own life on behalf of his friends Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette. 

While political events drive the story, Dickens takes a decidedly antipolitical tone, lambasting both aristocratic tyranny and revolutionary excess--the latter memorably caricatured in Madame Defarge, who knits beside the guillotine. 

The book is perhaps best known for its opening lines, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," and for Carton's last speech, in which he says of his replacing Darnay in a prison cell, "It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature 


Promising review: 

The style of writing and the language are not of this time (or country) so it took me a little bit to get into the rhythm. After a while, it reads just like any modern story with no re-reading necessary. I haven't read a classic in ages, but I loved A Tale of Two Cities. It is actually frightening how brutal human beings can be. The story unfolds with amazing clarity of the absolute madness that takes place in the novel. It is also eerily relevant to our times, and actually to all times throughout history when the wealthy got rich off the backs of the poor.—Read More—Cid Herman 



10. A Brief History of Time 

best-books-every-intellectual-should-read

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkins

A landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends?

Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the Big Bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. 

With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation. 


Promising review: 

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking is about modern physics for general readers. Its aim is not just listing some topics, but introducing modern physics by examining current scientific answers, although not complete, to fundamental questions like: Where did we come from? Why is the universe the way it is? Was there the beginning of time? Is there an ultimate theory that can explain everything? We don't have such a theory yet.—Read More—I am falling in love with my life 



Why reading matters 

Rita Carter | TEDxCluj | 

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