Books can not only improve people's self-cultivation, but also influence the course of world history. Among China's traditional classics, the "Four Books and Five Classics" have profoundly influenced generations of China people. Looking around the world, especially since the Renaissance, there have been a number of books that have changed the world. Some show people with positive images, and some are popular with devil faces. In any case, we can't deny their influence.

In the book Books that Changed the World, Robert Downs, former president of the National Library Association of America and director of the library of the University of Illinois, selected 16 books that had a wide impact on the world for a brief introduction. Let's look at the specific 16.

1, Machiavelli's The Prince

Eleven short stories of The Prince, which expounded the principles and political skills of the monarch in governing the country, were originally written by Machiavelli to the monarch, but they caused great controversy after publication.

Its core idea is that the monarch can do whatever it takes to achieve the goal of rule, which sounds like "favoring one over the other", but it profoundly reflects the political reality at that time and the author's original intention of longing for national reunification.

As for the prince, it is difficult to find a middle ground if you either object or agree.

2. Thomas Paine's common sense

Common sense greatly promoted the independence of the United States from the British colony. This 50-page booklet was a household name during the American Revolution. Therefore, Thomas Paine is regarded as "the father of American independence".

Common sense is still a shocking classic.

3. Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations

The Wealth of Nations is a masterpiece of classical economics, which discusses the essence and causes of wealth and has a far-reaching impact on the development of western economy. It is still one of the required books for economics majors.

4. Malthus's population theory

The influence of "Population Theory" is close to that of "The Wealth of Nations". The book expounds three forward-looking viewpoints: "The increase of population is bound to be limited by the means of subsistence; With the increase of living materials, the population will inevitably increase; The dominant population growth is suppressed by poverty and sin, keeping the population and living materials in balance. "

5. Henry David Thoreau's theory of disobedience.

The title of Disobedience alone is enough to feel the author's attack on unreasonable system and his cry for freedom and justice.

6. Harriet bit Uncle storm's cabin.

President Lincoln praised Mrs. Stowe and her works, saying, "This little woman wrote a book, which led to a great war."

7. Karl Marx's Capital Theory

To put it bluntly,19th century and 20th century are both Marx's centuries, and his criticism of capitalist society is embodied in Das Kapital, which is unparalleled so far.

8. alfred mahan's sea power theory

Sea power theory is regarded as the "Bible" of the navy, and its core view is that "whoever controls the ocean will rule the world", which seems a bit abrupt, but considering that three quarters of the earth belongs to the ocean, I am afraid its importance has been underestimated by us.

9. halford mackinder's "historical and geographical hub"

The history of geographical hub is not long, and its greatest influence is that it puts forward the viewpoint of "heartland". The author is the first person to analyze the world political power with the concept of global strategy and draw a conclusion. The concept of "geopolitics"

10 Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf

If Hitler really ruled the world, I'm afraid each of us would have to read his Mein Kampf. The book written by "murderous maniac", as the historian Norman Ka pointed out: Every word in Mein Kampf was killed125; Every page, 4700 lost its life; On average, 6.5438+0.2 million people were killed in each chapter.

As an unforgivable negative textbook, Mein Kampf by Hitler is still worth reading.

1 1, Mikolaj Copernic's celestial theory.

The content of "The Theory of the Operation of Celestial Bodies" is out of date today, and the "Heliocentrism" founded by him is untenable, but it was once a revolution in astronomy, and we have to admire Copernicus' scientific spirit and tenacity in pursuing truth.

12, william harvey's "theory of painstaking efforts"

This 72-page booklet introduces the world into the era of experimental medicine, which is due to painstaking efforts and sports theory.

13, the mathematical principle of isaac newton's natural philosophy

A poet said: the world is in darkness, and God said, let Newton go, so everything is in light.

The mathematical principle of natural philosophy is the first complete scientific world view and scientific theoretical system mastered by human beings, and so far there is no second such great scientific achievement.

13, Charles Darwin's Origin of Species.

The concept of progress still dominates many aspects of science, humanities and society. The Origin of Species is regarded as the greatest and most brilliant milestone in the history of human thought development.

15, sigmund freud's dream interpretation

Interpretation of dreams not only analyzes dreams, but also analyzes the pathogenesis of mental illness. What's more, we analyze the complexity of human nature.

This book has a wide influence on psychology, literature and artistic creation. Today, Freud's spirit spreads all over the world.

16, Einstein's theory of relativity

Today, Einstein has long been synonymous with "peerless genius". His most famous achievement is embodied in the principle of relativity.

Einstein's influence has been nearly/kloc-0.00 years, but a great scientist pointed out that the real influence of Einstein's "theory of relativity" is actually in the future.

How many of the above 16 books have you read? If you had to choose one of the most influential books in history, which one would you choose?