As a Hutchins major, we are assigned roughly 20-25 books a semester in hopes to further our understanding of the world. Out of the many books that I have from my courses, three have stuck with me as the most influential. I strongly recommend these texts (though I love many more) as they helped me frame my point of view into a much more understanding and patient one.
1. How God Changes Your Brain, Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert
This text is written very well for a scientific-based book. It explains how spirituality is beneficial to your neurological system and health in general. This allowed me to further understand how our brain registers spirituality in any form, whether we pray or meditate the mental effects are the same. This book has allowed me to see religion in a new way because this book did an excellent job of supporting any belief, which expanded my understanding of other religions.
“No matter what our beliefs are, our brains are making a leap of faith.” (14
2. David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell
After reading Gladwell’s Blink, I figured this would be a good read before I picked this book up in an airport. This book explores the positive side of being the underdog and shows a different perspective on what it means to “win”. Gladwell uses relatable stories to support his thesis, which includes sports, education, and war. He always returns to the well-known story of David and Goliath and also uses the cliché of being a small fish in a big pond. His version of success was definitely helpful at this time in my life since I have not yet graduated college and I am looking for my place in this new world.
“The Big Fish-Little Pond option might be scorned by someone the outside, but Small Ponds are welcoming places for those on the inside. They have all of the support that comes from community and friendship- and they are places where innovation and individuality are not frowned upon.” (73)
3. The Republic, Plato
Whenever this book is assigned, most students roll their eyes, but I have learned that you can pull so much out of this book that was written in 380 B.C. My absolute favorite chapter is The Allegory of the Cave, where Plato explores the concept of thought and understanding. As groups of people are in a cave, never knowing the outside world, they see shadows of other people outside the cave and they do not understand. When one person escapes the cave and returns to tell them about the outside world, the others cannot fathom another world so they deem the person crazy. This not only can be applied to any essay (for future reference) it can also relate to the different points of view in our modern world. Any political opinion is framed in a way of personal understanding, and many cannot see past the “shadows” that Plato describes in his writings.