Episode · Modern Wisdom · 2020-06-04
Books mentioned on Reality, Meaning & Self-Development - Daniel Schmachtenberger - #179
Daniel Schmachtenberger works in preventing global catastrophic risk. As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about how to improve our entire civilisation - I wanted to find out where self development and maximising personal agency fits into Daniel's perspective.
Daniel Schmachtenberger discussed Daodejing by Edmund Ryden and others and Tao te Ching. Chris Williamson discussed His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. Also mentioned: The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Way of the Superior Man
The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida offers a guide for men navigating modern relationships, spirituality, and personal purpose, exploring concepts of masculine and feminine energy.
Discussed“And so as soon as there's you know you read David it--and you have the an authentic man is such and such or embodied woman is such and such or whatever well you can just start acting that and having it be totally not real and having”
Where to get it
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Daodejing
Discussed“this is why you know if you read the daodejing as a book of leadership almost it just says that thing again and again the best leader is the one that nobody even knows is leading”
Where to get it
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Tao te Ching
Tao te Ching by 老子 is a foundational Taoist philosophical text consisting of short, poetic passages on nature, balance, and effortless action.
Discussed“and you know the first verse of the Tao Te Ching is that the knowledge that is knowable is not the eternal knowledge and the Dao that is speakable is not the eternal Dao”
Where to get it
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His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman is a celebrated fantasy trilogy following children Lyra and Will as they traverse parallel universes encountering armored bears, witches, and theological conflicts.
Discussed“as you mentioned about sort of the tier 1 tier 2 tier 3 of self development that really struck me about His Dark Materials which is a children's trilogy by Philip Pullman”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I remember the saying the Bible or the Tao Te Ching all of the various wisdom traditions were interesting to me growing up so I'm not saying this in a way that people have to accept that book as anything other than interesting”