Many of us have taken a philosophy class or two when we were at university. It was either a droning, mandatory lecture or an enlightening respite from our scheduled major-specific courses. I took two philosophy classes, Intro to Logic and Political Philosophy, and regret not taking more.
The topic is incredibly intellectually stimulating and offers fresh perspectives on a number of different matters; like religion, love, work and death. This Book Will Make You Think does an excellent job of covering an extremely range of philosophers and their philosophies. Touching classics like Socrates and Plato alongside modern minds like Camus, Dawkins, and Einstein. This book, along with The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell offer an excellent opportunity to dip your toe into heavier philosophical works. Each mind is represented by one of their most famous quotes, followed by a three to six page summary of their life, writings and philosophical framework. In just over 200 pages, I was enlightened on some new philosophies and inspired to learn more. I have moved Camus, Nietzsche, Lao Tzu and Marcus Aurelias to the top of my list of reading material for the coming months. I strongly recommend giving this a read. Who should read this; Those who are interested in dipping their toes into the world of philosophical writing without the intensive, hyper-focused requirement of analyzing a specific individual work. Anyone considering a philosophy degree or looking to use their mind on a different wavelength than usual. Who should skip it; Individuals are unwelcoming towards views and perspectives that differ from their own. Philosophy nerds looking for more than three pages on an given philosopher. Stephen is clearly more interested in breadth over depth. Interesting tidbit; For all you Instagrammers out there, Susan Sontag, one of the few women cited in the book, had a great insight on photography and its effect on human experience. The “consequence of a super-abundance of visual material” represents a danger for humans and society. “Children experience things through photograph prior to actually encountering them in reality and as a consequence, memory becomes a memory of encountering the visual image, not a memory of the authentic sensations of the experience. Buy it here
Summary: Daniel Pink followed up his New York Times’ bestseller Drive, with another book on sales (and another NYT best-seller). The theme of To Sell is Human is perfectly summarized by the title, everyone has to sell, regardless of their professional title. While “sales” positions only account for one out of every nine jobs, folks in many other industries spend a lot of time pitching ideas to superiors or moving colleagues and partners to action. This phenomenon is most prevalent and important in the “ed-med” industries, according to Pink. The fields of education and medical care are both expected to grow in the coming decade and the success of professionals in this field will be predicated on their ability to sell in roles not traditionally.
Educators’ biggest challenge in the era of standardized testing is inspiring students to engage with the material. Too often, students learn enough to pass a test, then forget the material. Effective teachers must learn to sell students on the value of continuous self-improvement, thorough and focused study habits, and the retention of information being taught. Medical professionals success will also be predicated upon their ability to sell patients on treatments and rehabilitation programs. A patient that just completed an 8-week physical therapy program will not see lasting benefits if they do not maintain an active lifestyle when they return home. For physicians, simply writing a prescription is not enough. Patients need to buy into the importance of treatment, preventative care, and the reasoning behind their doctor’s recommendation. Who should read this; Millennials- particularly those without strong intuitive sales skills and those who have never gone through intensive sales training. Anyone entering the fields of medicine or education. Who should skip it; Anyone who has read more than 10 sales books in the last 3-5 years and retirees. Interesting tidbit; Strategic mimicry is something of a brain hack that serves as “a social glue and sign of trust”. Your sales effectiveness will go up if you strategically mimic “accents and speech patterns, facial expressions, overt behaviors and affective responses” Buy it here |
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