Ask HN: What book changed the way you think about almost everything?

[iamarsibragimov]

I was reflecting today about how often I think about The magic of reality by Richard Dawkins. I read it one time more than 1 year ago. I can't remember anything certain from the book. And yet the simple idea about how we become who we are has fundamentally changed the way I view the world. Can anyone recommend books that have had a similar impact on them?

[gmuslera]

My top pick would be Antifragile, by Nassim Taleb. In fiction, would be Charles Stross's Accelerando. One teached me how little I really know and how small things can become big ones, the other, how fast things could happen.

[JohnFen]

This sounds a bit strange, I think, but for me it was Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End". It totally shifted the way I look at humanity and society.

The more time passes, the more pertinent that book seems to become.

[PaulHoule]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulacra_and_Simulation

[wizzerking]

Mythical Man Month The moon is a Harsh Mistress