Required Reading

[Secret Chief]

Some I have found useful:

Behave (2017) by Robert Sapolsky - attempting to explain why we behave as we do, involving so many aspects of being human

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2015) by Yuval Noah Harari - from insignificant and more primitive ape to being the one exceptionally advanced ape

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016) by Yuval Noah Harari - following on from the previous book, where we might be headed

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived (2017) by Adam Rutherford - what our genes, and the history of such, reveal about us

The Bonobo and the Atheist (2014) by Frans de Waal - exploring any biological basis for morality

Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) by Jared Diamond - proposing how geographical and environmental factors have shaped the modern world

The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn From Traditional Societies? (2012) by Jared Diamond - Advancing the view that there is still much to learn from earlier societies that might have been ignored in the rush for progress, and plenty of detail to munch over

The Moral Animal: Why We Are The Way We Are (1994) by Robert Wright - an approach to such via evolutionary psychology. Much to learn about Darwin here too (as a person and his struggles), since his work is used as context to explain and discuss much human behaviour

From Bacteria to Bach And Back: The Evolution of Minds (2017) by Daniel Dennett - a possible explanation for the evolution of consciousness

Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought (2001) by Pascal Boyer - approaches the subject via evolutionary biology and cognitive psychology. Not an easy read, and a bit mixed as to what I might have got from this - which reflects the reviews. This, from Nature.com, perhaps sums up my views - Some form of religious thinking seems to be the path of least resistance for our cognitive systems. By contrast, disbelief is generally the result of deliberate, effortful work against our natural cognitive dispositions — hardly the easiest ideology to propagate.

Life 3.0 (2017) by Max Tegmark - an exploration into how AI might develop and the likely problems associated with such

Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty (1999) by Nancy Etcoff - a psychologist argues that our concept of beauty is in our biology rather than being a construct

I've read the Diamond and Harari books. I thought the Diamond and the first Harari were really good but I recall being disappointed by the sequel - seemed to be just too much speculative guff.

 

[Erebus]

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Maybe if more people would just read the damn book, they'd stop comparing everything they don't like to Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Specifically for people who want to compare political correctness to Nineteen Eighty-Four. Fahrenheit 451 is much more appropriate for that.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I've read the Diamond and Harari books. I thought the Diamond and the first Harari were really good but I recall being disappointed by the sequel - seemed to be just too much speculative guff.

Yeah, I would probably agree, but such often happens when a first book makes quite an impact. With Diamond there are plenty who will not accept his thesis no doubt but it makes sense to me.

 

[Heyo]

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Maybe if more people would just read the damn book, they'd stop comparing everything they don't like to Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Specifically for people who want to compare political correctness to Nineteen Eighty-Four. Fahrenheit 451 is much more appropriate for that.

1984 was quite a dangerous book. It wasn't meant as an instruction manual but too many politicians mistook it for that.

 

[Augustus]

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Maybe if more people would just read the damn book, they'd stop comparing everything they don't like to Nineteen Eighty-Four.

I still think Darkness at noon by Arthur Koeser is the superior anti-Communist novel.

Can read Orwell’s review of it here https://archive.md/giYn2

 

[JustGeorge]

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Maybe if more people would just read the damn book, they'd stop comparing everything they don't like to Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Specifically for people who want to compare political correctness to Nineteen Eighty-Four. Fahrenheit 451 is much more appropriate for that.

Last time I read 1984, I was riding in the car when I finished it. We went to a gas station, and I got out to pump the gas... and there was a talking screen/mini TV on the gas pump. I'd never seen one on a gas pump before.

I cried.

 

[Secret Chief]

Last time I read 1984, I was riding in the car when I finished it. We went to a gas station, and I got out to pump the gas... and there was a talking screen/mini TV on the gas pump. I'd never seen one on a gas pump before.

I cried.

Just been for a run. As I was going along my normal route, past a long row of houses I suddenly heard this (automated) announcement: "Hello, you are now being recorded." On a public footpath. What the actual?

 

[Secret Chief]

Last time I read 1984, I was riding in the car when I finished it. We went to a gas station, and I got out to pump the gas... and there was a talking screen/mini TV on the gas pump. I'd never seen one on a gas pump before.

I cried.

Did you cry because of the bill?

 

[JustGeorge]

Did you cry because of the bill?

Nah. My husband was driving, and he never puts more than 5 bucks in at a time.

 

[VoidCat]

Animal farm.

 

[Quintessence]

You know, not all that long ago I might've come up with something for this.

These days I'm more likely to respond "the central text is to get outside and pay attention to the book of nature with your sensuous being fully engaged in the experience of life and living."

Yeah. Definitely gonna go with that today. Touch some tree bark.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Green Eggs and Ham

 

[JustGeorge]

Green Eggs and Ham

Yes.

 

[Nicholas]

Witness by Whittaker Chambers - a story of spiritual redemption.

Avatamsaka Sutra, new complete translation in three volumes - Kalavinka Press.

 

[Nicholas]

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