The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters

Most of us are aware that we have more than one personality.  In fact the older you get the more aware of it you become, and the more you accept it.  Part of me is calm, logical and assesses facts and evidence before coming to a decision.  Another part is on a permanent emotional roller coaster always ready to get excited about, well, more or less anything.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

 

Do you want to be world class at something?  Playing an instrument?  Computer programming?  Writing? If Charles Duhigg is right - and his argument is quite convincing - you can.  All you have to do is get into the right habits and then put in the hours.  How many hours?  About 10,000.  To save you the mental arithmetic that is about three and half years at eight hours a day.  Take weekends off and it is about five.

Aristotle's Three Components of Rhetoric

I have been listening to the excellent podcast series on critical thinking by Jonathan Haber.  I have no idea who he is but I can recommend the podcast.  I have a drive to work of about 30 minutes, and each episode fits that gap quite nicely, leaving me with a warm feeling of having learned something of value.  One of the things that came up was Aristotle's three modes of argumentation.  I have been using this concept quite a bit since I picked up on it and it is having some surprising benefits.

Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself - Lesson from the Fry Chronicles

Stephen Fry is a very successful man by any standards.  But reading the latest instalment of his autobiography gives you the chance to see how well he matches up to his own standards.  And the answer is pretty well.  But there is a paradox.  He is well aware of how well he has done, but he is also well aware of his own shortcomings.

Why Are Traffic Controllers Rude?

Here is a book waiting to be written.  'Hints, Euphemisms and Thoughtful Metaphors For Air Traffic Controllers.'  This would give tips to the people who make sure that aircraft take off and land safely to make sure that while they are doing it, they do it with good manners, politeness and decorum and show a polished and cultured face to the world.

Epictetus - Don't Let Them Grind You...

Epictetus - Stoic Philosopher of Roman Era (Thanks to Wikipedia for image)

Epictetus is the only philosopher  I can think of who started out as a slave.  His experience gave him a very special perspective on issues of free will and how much we are truly in charge of our own destiny.  He was also very clear on what actually matters.  His view was uncompromising.  The only thing of value is virtue.  Nothing else matters, except in so far as it contributes to the achievement of virtue.

The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris

I have been put off reading this book for quite a while because someone told me that Tim Ferris is not a particularly nice guy.  Well, it doesn't take long reading his book to realise that indeed he is not a particularly nice guy.  Early on he tells us a story about how he ruined some martial arts contest by gaming the rules.  It turned out that the framers of the rules of Chinese Kick Boxing had not taken into account someone like Tim Ferris.  By a bit of radical dehydration prior to the contest he managed to get into the wrong weight category, and so was able to literally punch above his weight.  Bully for Tim, who was doing it for a bet, rough on the enthusiasts who had trained properly for the big event in their sport.