Areté captures a massive collection of ideas from popular nonfiction books in a single volume. You will learn (or rediscover) life-changing techniques and insights to become the hero of your life.
But does it work?
Despite its 1,000 pages, Areté isn’t really a book — it is a collection of notes. Each note is only 1 or 2 pages long. You get the source, a few quotes, a short summary, and that’s it! +1 to your heroic potential.
I don’t think so.
First, ideas must be absorbed through reflection. Life-changing concepts are often uncomfortable or challenging upon first exposure. Turning a new idea into wisdom takes time — and more than just a few paragraphs.
Second, a single idea can change your life. But too many ideas? You end up optimizing your life instead of living it.
Areté is a valuable book to start your journey, but you must pause along the way to read (and truly appreciate) the great books cited inside.
About the author
Julien Sobczak works as a software developer for Scaleway, a French cloud provider. He is a passionate reader who likes to see the world differently to measure the extent of his ignorance. His main areas of interest are productivity (doing less and better), human potential, and everything that contributes in being a better person (including a better dad and a better developer).
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