Just the GIST
I’ve been reading books and taking copious handwritten notes for personal use over the last three years. Friends and family expressed interest in my notes, so I’ve been working on digitizing them. Since I’ve been going through the effort to make these notes clean and clear, it made sense to share them with the public. That’s why this site exists… It’s here to provide a snapshot of books I find interesting. I think of these notes as the product of a chain of information filters.
- From all the books available, I read the few that interest me most.
- From what I read, I take notes on what I find interesting.
- From my notes, I reduce it to what I find most important.
- Finally, I make the notes presentable, repackage them, and publish.
To be clear: my summaries are imperfect. Consider any confusing notes as a failure of my ability to express the ideas clearly, rather than the author’s. Use these notes freely, but I encourage you to explore these books via the author’s works themselves. The content on this site is in no way trying to replace the benefits of reading these books in full. It does, however, aim to help you decide what topics and books may be worth pursuing at length.
These notes are a byproduct and expression of my constant stumbling towards a better understanding of life. As such, I don’t agree with everything in these notes. John Stuart Mill recognized the importance of engaging with ideas counter to your own. In his book “On Liberty” he wrote, “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.” There is lots to be learned by contending with ideas you don’t fully understand or agree with.
I hope you find these notes and summaries practical and helpful.
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If you would like to connect, you can reach me at jeremydscheffel@gmail.com.
Just the Gist 