Modern WisdomJul 25, 2019

#088 - Nat Eliason - The Five Best Books You've Never Read

Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #088 - Nat Eliason - The Five Best Books You've Never Read on Modern Wisdom.

Guest: Nat Eliason

Notable books mentioned: Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Peak by Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool

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Mentioned at 3:55

Anti-Fragile

Nassim Taleb

The host mentioned 'Anti-Fragile' as a pivotal book that inspired a popular episode of his previous podcast, Nat Chat. This episode's success led t…

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Mentioned at 5:46

Infinite Jest

David Foster Wallace

The host mentioned 'Infinite Jest' while discussing the challenges of reading complex books. They noted that it is a lengthy and confusing novel, b…

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Mentioned at 17:03

Thinking Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

The host mentions 'Thinking Fast and Slow' to illustrate the challenges of reading dense material that can hinder overall reading progress. They ex…

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#088 - Nat Eliason - The Five Best Books You've Never Read

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Episode summary, books & quotes

#088 - Nat Eliason - The Five Best Books You've Never Read mentions Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, and Peak by Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool with timestamps, quotes, and episode context.

Anti-Fragile Infinite Jest Thinking Fast and Slow Peak

Guest: Nat Eliason

Episode summary

Nat Eliason is the founder of GrowthMachine.com and the host of the Made You Think Podcast. Nat likes to read and think. Today we get to hear his five recommendations for books you probably won't have read, along with a description of his progressive summarisation system which he uses to note down and remember their key points. Also expect to learn Nat's thoughts on abortion, Trump, organic vs paid marketing, decentralisation and a lot more. Extra Stuff: Check out Nat's Podcast - https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com Nat's Company - https://www.growthmachine.com/ Follow Nat on Twitter - https://twitter.com/nateliason Check out Nat's website - https://www.nateliason.com/ Peak - https://amzn.to/2XZoK2l Endurance - https://amzn.to/2LEr3Bi Sovereign Individual - https://amzn.to/2K3dyrr Godel, Escher, Bach - https://amzn.to/2OhKpy7 The Denial Of Death - https://amzn.to/30VMZLL Check out everything I recommend from books to products and help support the podcast at no extra cost to you by shopping through this link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact

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Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #088 - Nat Eliason - The Five Best Books You've Never Read on Modern Wisdom.

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The conversation centers on book recommendations.
A second recurring theme is discussing difficult books.
Referenced books include Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb and Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.
The strongest audience signal points to Listeners interested in deep literary analysis and personal development and Readers interested in challenging literature.

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Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman are the clearest linked books in this episode, each tied back to transcript timestamps and quote cards.

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book recommendations(1)discussing difficult books(1)discussion of book episodes(1)fear of death(1)intellectually challenging books(1)skill acquisition and learning(1)struggles with reading habits(1)

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Highly Recommended(3)Passing Reference(2)Critical Analysis(1)Deep Dive(1)

Audience signals

Listeners interested in deep literary analysis and personal developmentReaders interested in challenging literatureReaders looking to develop better reading habitsIndividuals interested in personal development and learning strategiesIndividuals interested in personal development and resilienceReaders interested in interdisciplinary ideas and intellectual challenges

Books Mentioned

Anti-Fragile

Nassim Taleb

Best for Listeners interested in deep literary analysis and personal developmentOften cited around discussion of book episodes

“The podcast discusses a previous episode where they talked about the book 'Anti-Fragile' by Nassim Taleb, which was very popular among listeners.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: discussion of book episodes

For: Listeners interested in deep literary analysis and personal development

Key quote: “And we thought it might be fun to do a second episode on a book that we both really liked, Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb.”

The host mentioned 'Anti-Fragile' as a pivotal book that inspired a popular episode of his previous podcast, Nat Chat. This episode's success led to the creation of the Made You Think podcast, focusing on in-depth discussions of challenging books.

ASIN: B00A2ZIZYQ

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Infinite Jest

David Foster Wallace

Best for Readers interested in challenging literatureOften cited around discussing difficult books

“The podcast mentions an episode queued up that tackles 'Infinite Jest', described as a super weird, thousand-page book with complex structure.”

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Sentiment: Passing Reference

Trigger: discussing difficult books

For: Readers interested in challenging literature

Key quote: “It's a super, super weird, like thousand page book with 200 pages of end notes.”

The host mentioned 'Infinite Jest' while discussing the challenges of reading complex books. They noted that it is a lengthy and confusing novel, but the experience of finishing it is rewarding.

ASIN: B002A796RO

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Thinking Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Best for Readers looking to develop better reading habitsOften cited around struggles with reading habits

“The speaker discusses their struggle to get through 'Thinking Fast and Slow', highlighting its length and complexity.”

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Sentiment: Critical Analysis

Trigger: struggles with reading habits

For: Readers looking to develop better reading habits

Key quote: “Thinking Fast and Slow is a perfect example. And it's like, it's so long as well.”

The host mentions 'Thinking Fast and Slow' to illustrate the challenges of reading dense material that can hinder overall reading progress. They express frustration over their inability to finish the book, highlighting how it affects their reading habits negatively.

ASIN: 0374533555

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Peak

Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool

Best for Individuals interested in personal development and learning strategiesOften cited around book recommendations

“Nat Eliason recommends 'Peak' as the best book on learning and skill acquisition, emphasizing its usefulness over more popular hacky learning books.”

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Sentiment: Passing Reference

Trigger: book recommendations

For: Individuals interested in personal development and learning strategies

Key quote: “So stay until the end and find out exactly what Nat thinks you should sink your teeth into as your next read, which you might not have seen on the New York Times bestseller.”

The host mentions the book 'Peak' in the context of discussing effective learning and information retention strategies. It serves as an example of the type of insightful literature that can enhance one's understanding of mastery and skill development.

ASIN: 0099598477

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Endurance

Alfred Lansing

Best for Individuals interested in personal development and resilienceOften cited around skill acquisition and learning

“Nat Eliason mentions 'Endurance', the story of Shackleton and his crew, as an incredible biography about survival in Antarctica.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: skill acquisition and learning

For: Individuals interested in personal development and resilience

Key quote: “it's an absolutely insane book wow so i highly recommend that's probably like my favorite biography i've read it's really really incredible”

The host mentions 'Endurance' to illustrate the extreme challenges faced by Shackleton and his crew, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and direct effort in achieving goals. This story serves as a powerful metaphor for the dedication required in skill acquisition, contrasting the allure of shortcuts with the reality of hard work.

ASIN: 0465062881

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Gödel, Escher, Bach

Douglas Hofstadter

Best for Readers interested in interdisciplinary ideas and intellectual challengesOften cited around intellectually challenging books

“It's one of the most intellectually challenging books I think I've ever read. The writing is very easy, but it requires grasping and trying to work with ideas from math, physics, logic, biology, and tricky philosophical ideas.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: intellectually challenging books

For: Readers interested in interdisciplinary ideas and intellectual challenges

Key quote: “It's one of the most intellectually challenging books I think I've ever read.”

The host highlights 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' as a book that presents complex ideas across various disciplines. Despite its challenging content, the writing style is accessible, making it a worthwhile read for those willing to engage deeply with its concepts.

ASIN: 0465026567

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Denial of Death

Ernest Becker

Best for Individuals interested in psychology and existential philosophy.Often cited around fear of death

“It's basically just about what we do is about or is in some way related to our uncomfortableness with death and trying to create these pyramids, these sculptures that will outlast us.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: fear of death

For: Individuals interested in psychology and existential philosophy.

Key quote: “I do think that our fear of the end drives so much of what people do.”

The host mentions 'Denial of Death' to explore how our discomfort with mortality influences our actions and pursuits in life. They connect this theme to a discussion about optimizing life and the search for happiness as a means to cope with the fear of death.

ASIN: B011MEU2LY

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