Suggested Reading or Watching for our Philosophers
 

I wanted to open this thread
so our members can share the various good
philosophical resources they've found over time.

It doesn't matter what media it is, only if it's filled with ideas.
Especially with alternative perspectives.

Two I'd like to start with are these.

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
I prefer the DVD set, than the book,
it brings a better perspective hearing the man himself
a 6 hour series
WOW, it really brings it all together.

Carlos Casteneda's "Don Juan" series
The stories of his Shamanic apprenticeship are very useful.
If you get past the mysticism,
his ideas about how to live life are excellent.
Skip the first book (this is from a purely anthropological angle)
I started with the "The Power of Silence"
but I'd say start with "A Separate Reality" and work your way up.

<b>Alain de Botton - The consolations of Philosophy</b>

Practical examples of how philosophy can be applied to your daily problems.

<b>Bertrand Russell - Russell on Religion</b>

A collection of essays, where the well-known atheist explains his reasons for being an atheist.

<b>Cynismes - Michel Onfray</b>
(French, translated into beautiful Dutch. Might be available in English too.)

A book about "cynical" philosophers, such as Diogenes. And this means cynical in the original meaning: dog-like, animalistic and especially down-to-earth. Onfray is funny, and either he, or the translator, is a genius with words - it's a joy to read. If you can get it, that is.

Anything from Terry Pratchett, but especially "The Science of Discworld" with Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart; and "The Science of Discworld II: the Globe" with Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart.

The Dao of Pooh. Can't remember who it's by, but it's a funny, easy introduction to daoism.

You should also read some Socratic dialogues. They're mostly written by Plato, and you should have no trouble finding some kind of compilation, just make sure you get Euthyphro.

The Dissposessed by Ursela L Leguin
i think thats how you spell her name. This book made me into an anarchist, changed my life completly

Parables of Kierkegaard

Atheism: A Reader

The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich
A New Christianity for a New World by Rev. John Shelby Spong
The NSRV Bible, or at least Genesis, Exodus, Isiah, Luke, John, Acts, and 1 Corinthians.

The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti. No matter what beliefs you have, this man can challenge you to re-evaluate them.

My favorite book:

Think and Grow Rich- by Napoleon Hill

The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Very good book and intersting to apply to dealing with people

Zen in the Art of Archery
Haven't read this book in years...time to refresh

(i may get some flak for this last one but...)

The Simpsons and Philosophy
Most of the way through this one (reading it amidst the
Ender quartet) and it is a very good way to apply
philisophical ideas in a context everyone can grasp

I've read these both
excellent reads...very deep.

I suggest The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil.

Das Energi
Principia Discordia
Essence of the Heart Sutra
Essence of Tai Chi Chuan: The Literary Tradition

The Fundamentals of Tai Chi Chuan By Wen Shan Huang (out of print)
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry Audio Edition

easy introduction

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder: (a 13 year old girl discovers philosophy)

Tao Te Ching (read it several times a year)

Anything by Alan Watts on Zen

Zen and the art of anything (esp motorcycles) basically sucks or if it has the word warrior in the title it blows! the only thing worse is that Don Juan thing. Sorry if you like it: "taste" it's personal.

The Book of Five Rings

The Fictionalized Biography of Miyamoto Musashi

The Bible esp the gospels, and the first five books of the old test.

I second The Power of Myth. some of his other stuff is a bit tedious.

Do NOT read "surfing the himalayas" really lame.

Philosophy for Dummies by Tom Morris.
Goes at a slow pace, presents ideas in easy to understand terms, and gives you time to think about each one a lil.
He Also Wrote If Aristotle Ran General Motors which is good if you like the dummies book.

The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins.

Ok, so its not really a philosophy book, but it would definately allow you to make more informed additions to any Evolution vs Creationism argument.
It also does well to dispell much of the misconceptions behind evolution, such as a misunderstanding of puctuated equilibrium.
I reccomend this book, even if you don't particularly like Dawkins, as a person. He still writes with a great deal of clarity - it is my opinion that anyone who reads this book, and takes in all they read, will finish with no doubt about Natural Selection and evolution.

To me philiosophy and science are one and the same.

i've never read even _part_ of all of the philosphil books i've wanted to... but my favorite is the easy to fine "The Dialogues of Plato", especially his telling of the trial of Socrates.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a exellent read, although it got to be redundant fairly quick.

I've tried Socrates' writings... it always feels like i'm reading straight text books for school... never can do it.

i plan to read The Art of War soon.

For beginners Lewis Carroll and Douglas Adams are good. You won't even notice you're learning until you've finished.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Tao Te Ching

To everyone that has suggested 'The Art of War', 'A Book of Five Rings' is just as good, but I found 'The Hagakure' to be easier to apply in modern life than both of them.... now if only I could remember who I lent it to.

I've been meaning to finish "The Hero With 1,000 Faces" by Joseph Campbell, thanks for reminding me about him Rogue.

The Hagakure
The Salmon of Doubt (by Douglas Adams)
Einstein's Dreams (by Alan Lightman)
Calvin and Hobbes (by Bill Watterson)
Bloom County (by Berke Breathed)

hmm, I currently finished Atlas shrugged, and looking to pick up Anthem soon... meanwhile Im investigating Heidegger as well. Here are the two books Ive already found, what other books encompas the ideas morality depends upon the self, and that the world exists through the unification of individuality?

Recommended Reading: Michael E. Zimmerman, Eclipse of the Self: The Development of Heidegger's Concept of Authenticity (Ohio, 1986) {at Amazon.com} and Heidegger, Authenticity, and Modernity: Essays in Honor of Hubert L. Dreyfus (MIT, 2000) {at Amazon.com}.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

A great account of how Lewis came to become a Christian and why.

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

The classic and basis of Taoism.

C.S Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

A very amusing "correspondance" between a head devil and his pupil regarding the pupil's "patient" (read human being being tempted).

Bishop John Shelby Spong, (pretty much anything)

This retired Episcopal Bishop from Newark upsets pretty much the entire Christian right, but I think his message on what makes Christianity a viable force today and how to save it from fundamentalism needs to be heard.

Marcus Borg, Meeting Jesus again for the First Time

You'll never look at the Historical Christ the same way as Borg takes Jesus apart and puts him back together again in a way the thinking Christian can accept.

Thomas Merton, Palace of Nowhere

Thomas Merton, OSB, led the way in blending eastern meditation practices with western prayer, creating the contemplative movement that has become a mainstay of modern western Christianity.

I'll see if I can work this up chronologically - the books that turned out to be the important ones in making me whatever I am.

This one set me up for the non-gendered view of sex that has become my sexuality (I read it in 7th grade).

Venus Plus X -- Theodore Sturgeon

.........................................

I'll edit this as I add more.

wasn't it cs lewis and not mark twain that wrote the screwtape letters? which btw i recommend as well.

dt

yeha, thats what I thought as well dt

it was an interesting book, to say the least...

so does anyone have any recommendations on my above post?

dtheriault


My bad,

Yes, it was C.S. Lewis. I had it confused in my brain with "Letters from Earth".

Thanks for the catch.

for those who want to dabble in the philosphies of life forms, check out Speaker For the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the mind by Orson Scott Card

it is a series of books, where actually Ender's Game is book one, but 2-4 touched me deeply because i always question killing life forms (animals and such).

it is fiction, true, and it looks very sci fi but the books strongly influenced me.

one other book that literaly changed my life was Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. i find it some what philosphil with the constant struggle of the layman and the law. it shows how rules are critical to society, yet shows how it can be abused grossly in the wrong hands.

If interested in the philosophy of science, I would really recommend: Relativity Visualized by Lewis Carroll Epstein.

As to what got me interested in philosophy, I owe it to Socrates' Dialogues and Plato's Republic.

I'm currently reading Foundations for a New Civilization by Will Crichton. It's not too bad. He goes through his new system of philosophy. He uses a lot of logic to dispel some historic beliefs.

suggestion to poster I think, that it would be a good idea, to give an indication when the books you post were published. Are the reasonably modern? Or are they hundreds of years old. Just a thought.

Anyway, both of these suggestions are modern.

A film that I think would do well as "An Introduction to Philosophy" is Waking Life it is an animated movie, created using a technique known as rotoscoping, where the scenes are filmed using real actors etc, then are later fed into a computer and traced, to make an animation. It is not really a film, in the traditional sense of a story, with a start middle and an end. Instead, it is about this guy, walking around a dream world, coming across these weird and wonderful characters who impart their philosophical views to him.
Some people claim that it is a very deep and thought provoking film. It's not. It's not meant to be. This film barely scratches the surface of philosophical discourse. How could it? Instead it gives a very gentle introduction to the world of philosophy, giving a primer on some topics such as existentialism and free will.


A book that I think should be required reading for everybody is Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos. It is a very short book (little over 100 pages) about mathematical illiteracy and it's consequences. If you are one of the many people who consider maths unapproachable and boring, fear not! Not a bit of calculus or algebra in sight! He explains how the general publics mathematical illiteracy contributes to exploitation, through pseudo-science, mysticism, predictive dreams, coincidence, stock market scams, numerology and others. It is very well written, it is funny and witty. It doesn't feel as though you are reading a "maths" book at all!
If you can see the humour in a weather forecaster announcing that there is a 50% chance of rain on Saturday, a 50% chance of rain on Sunday, and therefore a 100% chance of rain over the weekend, then this book is for you!
If you don't, then this book is definitely for you!

anything by ayn rand.

a steady diet of good sci-fi.

an avid sense of curiosity.

What is Existentialism by William Bennett.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Jonathan Livingston Seagull (a hippy book, but still important)

Robot Dreams by Isaac Asimov

monody, i'm with you on ayn rand; i read atlas shrugged and the fountainhead about every 6-7 years...keeps me on an even keel...

fade, if you liked atlas shrugged, you'll also appreciate the fountainhead...

Recommended Reading
 

I think we should make a list of books that we find important to developing our philosophical thought. I will start it off:

The Tao of Pooh - Bennjamin Hoff
A Brief History of Everything - Ken Wilber
Zen Mind, Begginers Mind - Suzuki

Search and ye shall find.

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...hreadid=12712&

The Bible

teeheeheee...sorry couldn't help it.......

zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. by robert m pirsig
edit: the power of now by eckhart tolle

The Gay Science, Nietzsche
Works of Love, Kierkegaard
Being and Time, Heidegger

prosequesce, why are you apologising for suggesting the bible? Since it is the basis of the moral and spiritual codes of so much of the world's population (certainly more than any of the philosophers thus far listed, with the possible exception of the Buddha), I'd say the Bible is a great place to start "developing our philosophical thought."

He's saying that because the Bible is the most common book in the world. I think thats why..

"Consciousness Explained" by Daniel Dennett. Neat book, though better read in chunks than as a whole. Certain portions are incredible in that they give insight into what goes on 'behind the curtain' in your own brain/mind (there is a difference).

"Gateless Gate" ed. by Kuon Yamada. Amazing book for students of Zen Buddhism

"Siddharta Gautama" Herman Hesse, nuff said.

"Hero With a Thousand Faces" and "Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell.

"Beyond Good and Evil" and "Thus Spake Zarathrusta", Nietszche

Plato's "Republic" and his Socratic Dialogues.

Keith dig a pair of wonderful graphic novels (yes, comic books) on "Epicurus the Sage". It gave a tongue in cheek look at classical Greek philosophy and yet still taught some good lessons. It will, at the minimum, allow you toe recognize the difference between Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, etc. T%he second is not quite so amusing and deals more with classical Greek myth and religious beliefs, but it is still amusing.

:Hindu Philosophy and Thought" Pereira (I think, been a while).

I think I'll stop now...

I've liked:

Tao te ching, Lao Tzu

The Analects, Confucius

An introductory overview of philosophy by TZ Levine, I think.

A very interesting book, if not wholly persuasive, was Julian Jayne's The Origin of Consciousness in the Bicameral Mind or something.

Selected Non-Fictions, Jorge Luis Borges

On the Heights of Despair, E.M. Cioran

Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco

Holographic Universe, Michael Talbot

I'll throw my hat in the ring.

Hobbes' Leviathan.
The Art of Happiness (some ghost writer writing for the Dalai Lama).

Ishmael - Daniel Quinn

Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis a freaking awesome book! Hard to dispute and great points. Makes highly developed ideas seem common sense! One of my all time favorites. Also, just to reiterate a lot of what has been suggested: The Bible. Stop looking for faults in translation! It seems whenever it's suggested or mentioned people are always ready to jump on it and find errors. Funny, people are always ready to bash and put down any idea dealing with Christianity, but so willing to look into ideas that exclude God. Anyways....other great reads:
Socrates Meets Jesus, Kreeft
The Screwtape Letters, Lewis
Social and Political Philosophy (a great compilation of different books), Somerville and Santoni
The Problem of Pain, Lewis
Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes

"Battlefield Earth".

Those damn Asians, good thing Elron sniffed their plans out and made them public.

Actually, I would recommend "Armageddon - The Musical" by Robert Rankin. All his books are great, because he refuses to follow any rules regarding writing books. In one book, you don't find out that the main character is a homosexual serial killer until page 200 - the middle of the book. In another, some characters get killed off just because they demand higher pay - "Armageddon - the B-movie". While he is mainly a humourous author, he is very strict on keeping his information regarding philosophy and religion straight. And if sex with stuffed toys and a drunken 12-year old hero is your thing, read "The hollow chocolate bunnies of death". Humpty Dumpty gets killed in it, boiled alive in his swimming pool.

Robert Rankin. Write the name down, people.

-Anything by Richard Dawkins, Blindwatch Maker and River out of Eden being the best. (or for the creationism side, Darwin's Black Box, i forget the author)

-Douglas Adams books, although not directly philosophical, have some great insight in them.

I like the Bhagavad Gita, The Collected Discourses of the Buddha, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare. As for film I always hold out Being There, with Peter Sellers, although I seem to be the only person I know who digs it. And My Dinner With Andre of course.
I edit to add two biggies in the film category: The Addiction, and for you Hakagure fans Ghost Dog.

If any book changed me it was "stranger in a strange land" by Robert Heinlein. In particular it teaches you that those "gut" responses you have to morality are learned as well, and sometimes you need to question them.

I find it funny that the bible was only mentioned as a sort of joke. Particularly since it is really the book which provides the context (culturally) in which we live. Weather or not its complete bull is irrelevant, our western world has been built around it. That said its a rather imposing read, so recommendations to read it will probably be ignored. As an alternative I recommend reading Genesis, Judge's and Job of the Old testament. They won't leave you board, and they might whet your appetite. Job is particularly enlightening.

The other book I need to recommend even though I still haven't finished it yet is Eternal Golden Braid. Its a tomb, and its one of the Densest texts I have ever read, but you come out knowing quite a bit more about life the universe and everything than you did going in.

But with all of these books the place you are in your life when you read them is what determines if the book opens your eyes or not.

Ghost in the shell - anime

against a dark background-Iain M Banks..for introducing me to solipsism.

the search for Animal Chin - the bones bridgade skating video
thanks

veronica decides to die-Umberto Eco... I think?

I've alwayys reccomended people to read Nigel Warburtons 'Philosophy: the Basics'. I've never seen the Ontological Argument so simply and accurately described. Mary Warnock's 'An intelligent Persons Guide to Ethics' looks great when read on public transport. For oriental stuff Hagakure is OK, but I really reccomend the works of Dave Lowry. Be picky with Plato: Republic is really dry, but the dialogues dealing with his trial and execution are much easier to read (Crito, Apology etc).

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky

First, I'm impressed by the sheer number of people recommending the Tao te Ching--not bad. There is a really great pocket edition translated by Stephen Mitchell which is really easy to carry around, if you're so inclined.
Otherwise I'd recommend:

J.L Austin, How to Do Things with Words. This book is basically the foundation for all the postmodern theories on language (Derrida, Butler, Bourdieu) as well as a lot of other contemporary philosophers of language (Habermas, Rorty). Its an easy read, and mildly amusing. Its British ordinary language philosophy, so its pretty straight up.

Giambattista Vico, the New Science. Early philosphy of History, talks about myth a lot. Fun stuff

T.S. Eliot, the Wasteland. It goes without saying...

Zen Speaks: Shouts of Nothingness

Another good book, not so much on philosophy though, is:
You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen, Ph.D.

One of the best books of the 20th century, and also changed me quite a bit. Read this, truly.

And it's Ursula K. Le Guin

Language Older than Words: Derrick Jensen
Read it! It may seem crazy at first that Jensen claims that nature/animals may be sentient, but if you give the book a chance by the end you will have a seriesly different view of the world we live in both societially and naturally

may i suggest The Age Of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil

wow, some other objectivists in here! woot woot, who is John Galt???

Anyway, for the uninitiated,
Ayn Rand..
If you need a primer, start with The Fountainhead.. it's a decent novel that will start solidifying the concepts of Objectivism.. Follow up with The Virtue of Selfishness, and Atlas Shrugged...

Familiarity with other philosophies is always good, and the Go Rin No Sho (book of 5 rings) is a great one to be aware of, as well as a familiarity with the major religions of the world.. They give you a powerful insight into how and why others will act and react the way they do.

The art of war (Sun Tzu)

The Alchemist (cant remember who by)

The education of little tree (Forest Carter)

Oh the places you'll go (Dr Sues)

The essay <a href="http://english.uindy.edu/english_331_docs/camus.htm">The Myth of Sisyphus</a> by Albert Camus, as well as the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679733736/qid=1066678593/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1781585-2628938?v=glance&s=books">book </a>by the same title.

If you read any Camus, avoid the Matthew Ward translations. Even though he claims to be more faithful to the original French, his prose is inelegant when compared to the Stuart Gilbert translation.

Compare POSSIBLE SPOILER FOR THE STRANGER:

Theres this old black and white arthouse film called "Pi". It gives a good account of the competitivness of all the alternate views on the universe.

I recomend
Staley Milgram's "Obedience to Authority"
Christopher Browning's "Ordinary Men"

They really have an insight into how horrible people are and why. They are also very interesting and quick books to read.

I just read the Bhagavad Gita, I agree with its previous reccomendations.

I'd like to encourage anyone who hasn't so far, to read C.S. Lewis. In addition to the previous suggestions, I'll add "The Great Divorce" to the list. Its a short read (a couple hours tops), but certainly thought provoking.

Right now I'm in the middle of "The River Why" by David James Duncan. Not sure yet, but it could be near the top of my list by the time it is done.

I reccomend another book by Camus, The Plague.
Any Ayn Rand is good.
I alos reccomend any of the good Russian writers, I can't remember their names, but one of the good stories was A Hero of our Time.

Also, am I the only one in the whole world who think Campbell is a quack?

the art of war every one should read it

Some of my favorites are these:

Fear and Trembling, Kirkegaard.
This is the book that made me sure that I had found the right girl -- 'Never the less I believe that I shall get her.'

Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
This is a text that can be read in part like a daily meditation guide. Its something that I read and reread continuously.

The Bible
Sorry, but this has some really great things in it. Psalms is one of my favorite books, Song of Songs, and Isaiah as well.

Dark Night of the Soul, St. John of the Cross.
This is another one of those that can be read in part, daily.

Anything written by Edgar Cayce.
This man definetely changed the way I thought about my faith, Christ, and even taught a Christian about how shit like reincarnation was not only possible but very probable.

Waking Life, Richard Linklater (film)
I agree that the film only scratches the surface of philosophy, but it masterfully combines thoughts of Existentialism and Spiritualism. Plus its a great watch by a talented film maker.

that's it. thanks.

<b>Voltaire</b> - "Zadig, or Fate", "Candid", and others - his stories I find to be very enjoyable and easy reads, and yet provide enough substance to give them value

I love everything by <b>Albert Camus</b>, though I'd suggest you read through his notebooks, he has an incredible ability to isolate amazing thoughts in small contained sentences.

<b>Plato</b> - "Symposium" - love is such an important topic for us, and it is really interesting to float through the various perspectives presented in this piece.

<b>Nietzsche</b> is great, as mentioned earlier. I'd like to throw in <u>The Antichrist</u> as a good reading as well.

<b>Simone de Beauvoir</b> - <u>The Second Sex</u>, particularly the excerpts on the "Woman in Love" and all of Part I.

<b>Henry David Thoreau</b> - "Civil Disobedience" and <u>Waldon</u>. I know that I really hated being forced to read these multiple times from high school through my undergraduate classes, but it truly has had a significant effect on my life.

<b>Immanual Kant</b> - learn his "categorical imperatives" from <u>Fundamental Principles from the Metaphysics of Morals</u> - Why? Because it provides quite an interesting perspective that has had a profound effect on Western thought and culture.

<b>Homer</b> - <u>The Illiad</u> and <u>The Odyssey</u> - You have to have the foundations.

I could go on and on and on....

Conversations with God series- Neale Donald Walsch

The Architecture of All Abundance- Lenedra J. Carroll (Jewel's mom)

William Connolly's Neuropolitics.

It is the latest [to my knowledge] of theorists in the field of immanent naturalists. The book is exceptionally relevant as it draws on modern techniques of neurobiology and cinema.

I was going to post Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, but i see someone already mentioned it! I'd like to second this. I'm not sure I quite grasped everything mentioned in the book, but it's main focus is on human nature and the culture that we have created for ourselves as a race. I'm sort of an amateur in philosophy, but am very intrigued.

Anybody have some books that are thought provoking, but more on a beginner's level? I keep getting the feeling i'm missing out on a lot of connections in other books. (If it helps, i'm only 17.. =/ )

I agree with most everything that has been listed, especially Tao Te Ching and The Power of Myth. It's funny how many of the classics (fat too many to list) and Greek mythology are powerful as well.

Daniel Quinn's books really get you thinking.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Covey is good. The thing I like about it is that he researched 200 years of self-help books and found something interesting: the first 150 years was character based and the last 50 was personality based. All he really did was create structure from everything he researched. It has turned out to be a foundation for me.

One last thing I highly encourage for self exploration, and this is a little different.... Now, Discover Your Strengths by the Gallup organization. It helps you understand yourself better in context with you focused not on your weaknesses but on the ROI you get from developing your natural strengths. I have made it part of our culture at my business.

thats a funny combo being that kierkegaard was a christian. good choices though.

also, i know that it is not following the whole book genre that seems to be the patern of this thred, but donnie darko is an awesome movie that induces thoughts on life, love and death. 6 thumbs up. 22 stars. a must see.

I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned "the Matrix" series at all. look below the action sequences and there are questions of Existentialism, Codependency, Love, reincarnation (sort of) Predestination, etc.

Fair warning! If you haven't watched it once, prepare to watch it(them) several times to really get a good feel for the questions that they bring up. And be ready to be disappointed by the answers (or lack thereof)

You can glean some kind of philosophical insights from just about anything, in my mind particularly non-fiction science to help you put the dreamers in their place ;)

Classical readings though?
The Bible
Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
anything to do with Quantum physics

You could read Descartes and get a lot of that without having to deal with the Hollywood fluff. Not that the first one was a bad movie by any means..

A great book to read to get inspired about the future, that's for sure!

My personal faves:

When Science Meets Religion by Ian Barbour

Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix ed. by Glenn Yeffeth

and of course:

The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker

The celestine prophecy
- Fiction?-

Not only do I think that that is an amazing entry to this but after years of watching the simpsons i have deducted that the simpsons can relate to anything. Good job (no flak here my friend)

You are my hero Sir.

By the way folks i'm sorry about the small comments and no addition to the list. But i'm quite intrested if that makes you feel better. Plus could someone please tell me about "the art of war". It looks interesting. Also could someone point out a very deep book, i'm looking for an interesting read, although i'm sure all of them are, just like the one quoted above.

Joan of Arcadia on NBC Friday Nights

This will be one of the best reads you ever do; I promise.

Think and Grow Rich

I read that for my high school economics class, sun tzu, but i didn't take it very seriously at the time. my goal was to obtain a pair of solid gold running shoes... not very practical but who needs to be practical when you've got gold nikes!

maybe i'll give it another try someday...