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Here are a few popular science books from various fields that will help you understand a wide variety of topics:
the series of books “Charming intestines”, “Tuk-tuk heart”, etc. – will give you a general idea of our body;
Primus series of books, where the works of young scientists from various fields are collected: from genetics to linguistics;
The Main Thing in History … series – amazing publications about photography, cinema, art, contemporary and Russian art;
Evgeny Zharinov's books on literature will give you a general idea of the main milestones in the history of literature.
Erich Fromm-Escape from Freedom. The book answers the question of why authoritarian regimes appear, what forms the basis for their emergence. It is very relevant for modern Russian society.�
Lev Gumilev-Ethnogenesis and the Earth's biosphere. The theory is not recognized in scientific circles, but it is not marginal. It's very exciting to read. The author has several other books that develop the topic.
Salas Dario-Is there a woman? The philosopher and writer from Chile analyzes the gender problems of modern society. Sometimes controversial, but for general development-the most it.
I will name those authors and films that first came to mind.
Science Pop: Dawkins and Hitchens. If you are an adequate believer, this will help you in a well-reasoned argument)
Philosophy: Choran. One of the most interesting thinkers of the 20th century.
Fiction: Dovlatov, Vampilov, Tennessee Williams, Suskind (he has wonderful stories, not just “The Perfumer”), Hesse.�
From movies:
“The 400 blows,” “the cranes are Flying”, “Exercise in a beautiful”, “Nostalgia”, “Stalker”, “Ivanovo detstvo”, “Bouquet”(2000), “Underground”, “Black cat, white cat,” “the Shining”, “Clockwork orange”, “Whiplash”(2014), “Oxygen”, “Home”, “Mom”.
Everything, of course, is individual-depending on your interests and preferences. Here I would advise you to watch American TV series, from which it is simply impossible to tear yourself away without watching them until the last episode. The Game of Thrones fantasy by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss is a thrilling experience. Political drama “House of Cards” by Beau Willimon, if, of course, you are fond of politics. Well, you should definitely watch a domestic movie. Yes, it is hard to watch, but this is our reality and the truth must be faced. “Dislike” by Andrey Zvyagintsev. There is a lot to think about and feel.
I wish you good views!
Books:
Vilyanur Ramachandran ” The Brain tells. What makes us human?” – this book is very interesting and simple language tells about how our brain works, as well as discusses several phenomena (synesthesia, phantom limbs, etc.)
Ray Bradbury “Fahrenheit 451”
Directors and films:�
Francois Truffaut (the wave of new French cinema), Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (the post-war fate of Italian cinema), Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves). The director himself is very original and shocking in many places.�
Of the Soviet directors, I can recommend Shukshin (in my opinion, “Kalina Krasnaya” is one of his best works). If we take modern Russian cinema, it seems to me that it would not be superfluous to get acquainted with the works of Zvyagintsev and Serebrennikov.
Psychology books teach us effective planning, healthy habits, and even mindset changes. However, only when you know what exactly from the sea of publications to choose and apply. The article contains the best books for those who have forgotten how to think positively, or just want to find effective tools to cure depression and bad mood.
Let's start with the movies. I recently watched a couple of them, and I'll be happy to share them.
. “The Perfect Man” is a film made by the French in 2015 about a man who once committed a dastardly act, for which he will be obliged to pay for the rest of his life.
“Regions of darkness”, “Lucy”. Two films about how people mastered their brain 100% in different ways and what came out of it.
Now about the books. I consider myself a regular reader of the master of thrillers Stephen King, I also really appreciate the work of Daphne Du Maurier, I will advise from their works.
Stephen King,“Under the Dome.” A major work about the life of a small town, which was suddenly covered by a big problem, and a huge dome appeared out of nowhere.
Stephen King,“Kristina.” A story about love and jealousy, centered on a love triangle, one of the peaks of which is an old “Plymouth Fury” by name (not nickname!) Christina.
Daphne Du Maurier,“A scapegoat.” The plot of this book is somewhat covered by many well-known films, such as “Me and my Shadow”; this is a book about twins who switched places.
Daphne Du Maurier, collection of short stories “Birds”. Diverse stories that show the talent of a great author from all sides.
I hope that books and movies will not be ignored 🙂
By Carl Sagan. A world full of demons. Science is like a candle in the dark.
The book explains what science is and why it is needed for an ordinary person, the scientific method, skeptical thinking, how to distinguish science from pseudoscience.
Matt Ridley. The evolution of everything.
Matt Ridley, a famous popularizing scientist, will show you who (or even what!) really controls our world. You will learn what is behind the most significant changes in the economy, morals, genes, and even in the universe itself.
Sean Carroll. The law of the jungle. In search of the formula of life.�
How does life work? How does nature know how many zebras and lions should live in the savanna or how many fish should swim in the ocean? The bold and inspiring work of one of the most famous biologists and gifted popularizers of science tells about the laws of life in all its forms, manifestations and scales. Read this book and your outlook on the world will change.
If you want to develop a sense of humor, watch British TV shows. Even if there are topics below the belt, you will be able to develop a more subtle sense of humor.
If you want to learn to appreciate life and not underestimate the influence of hope, then constantly review Escape from Shawshank. It's the best thing that's ever been shot.
If you want to learn a more subtle language, learn to speak beautifully, then there is nothing better for this than Russian classics. Our language is very complex and beautiful, and it was our classics that demonstrated this in their compositions. And if you want to get inspired, go with your head, then foreign classical works are more suitable here. At least for me, they constantly inspire me to do something new.
Everything else is to your liking, no one has enough influence and perfect representation, see what you want, what you think is necessary or useful for yourself. For some, porn films are also useful for their development. Why not?
Aldous Huxley “Brave New World”
In fact, there is something to prohibit. After all, a typical city dweller, cyclically working and mindlessly consuming, this novel can quite really lead to depression or reproduce the effect of a concussion.
The inversion method very ironically distorted many existing customs today. At the moment of reading, thousands of times you come across analogies of the existing system. Then you realize that if something else is not identical with the written one, then everything goes to this. It makes me uneasy.
In this 84-year-old work, 4D cinemas were already present. Alcohol and drugs were combined into one whole — “soma”. This drug is legal and mandatory for use.
“A person will take soma — time stops running, sweetly a person will forget both what was and what will be.”
Born in this “new world”, the method of hypnopedia was used to instill consumer and” entertainment ” qualities.
“Soms gram — and no drams!”, “It is better to buy a new one than to wear an old one”.
And such concepts as feelings, emotions, and humanity were erased from the consciousness of a person from the very moment of his birth…
The book is one of the best in terms of its value for thought.
From popular science books, I can recommend Bill Bryson – ” A brief history of almost everything in the world.” It is written in simple language about how everything that we now have was created.
From books about art: Gombrich E. G. “History of Art”. A wonderful book with reproductions, written in a very interesting and easy way. It costs a lot, but an art lover should fork out some money.
From the works of fiction, you need to read: Kafka's “The Trial”, Joyce's “Ulysses” (it will not be easy, but the way this book is written, I think, will amaze everyone), Zamyatin's “We”, Orwell's “1984” and “Animal Farm”, Dostoevsky (in general, anything, personally I was very captured by “Demons”), Burgess's “A Clockwork Orange”.
From what to watch: films by Fellini (especially “Cabiria Nights”), Truffaut, Tarkovsky (most of all I was affected by the film” Sacrifice”), the film adaptation of the aforementioned”A Clockwork Orange”. From the Soviet, of course, ” Moscow does not believe in tears.” A brilliant film that looks in one go. From modern: I was very inspired by the film “Dangerous Illusion” with Shia LaBeouf in the title role. It's worth watching “Something's Wrong with Kevin”, but the movie is very heavy. Well, Zvyagintsev's films, of course, the same “Dislike” is mandatory for viewing and certainly will not leave you indifferent.
You can write endlessly about TV shows, but I will recommend one – “Friends”. It may not change your worldview, but it will clearly show how important friendship is, and that with the help of friendship you can survive a lot. Well, for those who want to practice their English, this series is just a godsend!
And I would recommend you to read Yuval Noah Harari's “Sapiens. A Brief History of mankind”. The name speaks for itself)�
The best time-tested book is the Bible. It teaches love, compassion, and self-sacrifice. A book that appeared simultaneously with the creation of the world can teach you a lot
I see you've already been advised quite a lot. I want to recommend a couple of interesting films from myself. 1. Areas of darkness. 2. Doctor Strange 3. Blinded by desires.
Why I recommend them: 1. The film is fantastic only at first glance. When tested, it turns out that the described state is quite achievable, and is a very deep “flow state” of consciousness, a little-studied, but absolutely real phenomenon of human consciousness. You don't need any pills. 2. Anyone who is interested in esotericism-will see a lot of interesting things in the film, and just have fun. 3. Just a fun movie, but also not alien to the topic of personal growth. Enjoy your time.
I would reread Transurfing Reality by Vadim Zeland, this book helped me understand something about life. Sometimes when the storm of everyday problems hits, I reread it, it becomes easier, helps to come back to myself and deal with everything.
My life was turned upside down by Mihai Csikszentmihalyi's book ” Flow. Psychology of optimal experiences”. It changed my attitude to work and creativity, relationships. Now I have a better understanding of what makes me happy, and I achieve more happiness accordingly.