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Ryan Shea

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Ryan Shea is a co-founder of Blockstack, a new internet for decentralized apps where users own their data. Shea studied engineering at Princeton, went through Y Combinator, and has been inducted into the Forbes 30 Under 30. He has authored several popular open source libraries on cryptography and blockchains.
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The Machiavellians book cover
The Machiavellians
Defenders of Freedom
James Burnham - 2020-12-15
Ryan Shea
2023-02-07T21:43:08.000Z
@punk6529 Great books on this concept: - The Myth of the Rational Voter - The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom      source
The Myth of the Rational Voter book cover
The Myth of the Rational Voter
Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies - New Edition
Bryan Caplan - 2008-08-24 (first published in 2007)
Goodreads Rating
The greatest obstacle to sound economic policy is not entrenched special interests or rampant lobbying, but the popular misconceptions, irrational beliefs, and personal biases held by ordinary voters. This is economist Bryan Caplan's sobering assessment in this provocative and eye-opening book. Caplan argues that voters continually elect politician...
Ryan Shea
2023-02-07T21:43:08.000Z
@punk6529 Great books on this concept: - The Myth of the Rational Voter - The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom      source
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions book cover
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
50th Anniversary Edition
Thomas S. Kuhn - 2012-04-29 (first published in 1962)
Goodreads Rating
A good book may have the power to change the way we see the world, but a great book actually becomes part of our daily consciousness, pervading our thinking to the point that we take it for granted, and we forget how provocative and challenging its ideas once were—and still are. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that kind of book. When it ...
Ryan Shea
2023-01-08T00:20:16.000Z
@DanielleMorrill Incredible book      source
The Beginning of Infinity book cover
The Beginning of Infinity
Explanations That Transform the World
David Deutsch - 2011-12-31
Goodreads Rating
The New York Times bestseller: A provocative, imaginative exploration of the nature and progress of knowledge"Dazzling." - Steven Pinker, The GuardianIn this groundbreaking book, award-winning physicist David Deutsch argues that explanations have a fundamental place in the universe--and that improving them is the basic regulating principle of all s...
Ryan Shea
2022-11-01T18:09:17.000Z
@chrismanfrank This aligns deeply w/ my views which are heavily informed by "The Beginning of Infinity" Could be a great book to build up to, which can serve as a powerful frame for: - theory of knowledge - a phil./code of problem-solving - perspective on world beauty      source
The Machiavellians book cover
The Machiavellians
Defenders of Freedom
James Burnham - 1943-01-01
Goodreads Rating
THIRD FISHERMAN: Master, I marvel how the fishes live in the sea. FIRST FISHERMAN: Why, as men do a-land; the great ones eat up the little ones. Pericles, Prince of Tyre A classic work of political theory and practise, this book makes available an account of the modern Machiavellians, a remarkable group who have been influential in Europe and pract...
Ryan Shea
2022-09-11T20:44:36.000Z
A good book on this last point is “The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom.” (Thanks @drydenwtbrown for the recommendation)      source
The Imp of the Mind book cover
The Imp of the Mind
Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts
Lee Baer - 2002-02-26 (first published in 2001)
Goodreads Rating
In The Imp of the Mind, a leading expert on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder explores the hidden epidemic that afflicts millions of Americans.In the first book to fully examine obsessive bad thoughts, Dr. Lee Baer combines the latest research with his own extensive experience in treating this widespread syndrome. Drawing on information ranging from ne...
Ryan Shea
2022-06-06T21:29:28.000Z
@nickcammarata @nosilverv There’s an excellent book on this: The Imp of the Mind      source
QED book cover
QED
The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Princeton Science Library)
Richard P. Feynman - 2014-10-26 (first published in 1985)
Goodreads Rating
Celebrated for his brilliantly quirky insights into the physical world, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the general public. Here Feynman provides a classic and definitive introduction to QED (namely, quantum electrodynamics), that part of quantum field theory describing the ...
Ryan Shea
2019-12-27T07:13:44.000Z
@jaltma @AriannaSimpson Incredible book. Perhaps my favorite physics book.      source
Sapiens book cover
Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari - 2015-01-01 (first published in 2011)
Goodreads Rating
100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens. How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be ens...
Ryan Shea
One of the books I’ve given most as a gift.      source
The Alchemist book cover
The Alchemist
25th Anniversary Edition
Paulo Coelho - 2014-04-15 (first published in 1988)
Goodreads Rating
Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. What starts out as a journey to find...
Ryan Shea
One of the books I’ve given most as a gift.      source
The Sovereign Individual book cover
The Sovereign Individual
Mastering the Transition to the Information Age
James Dale Davidson - 1999-08-26 (first published in 1997)
Goodreads Rating
Two renowned investment advisors and authors of the bestseller The Great Reckoning bring to light both currents of disaster and the potential for prosperity and renewal in the face of radical changes in human history as we move into the next century. The Sovereign Individual details strategies necessary for adapting financially to the next phase of...
Ryan Shea
One of the books I’ve given most as a gift.      source