This is where you will find my favorite books and authors on the topic of Philosophy
Philosophy is one of those topics that chose me more than I chose it. I got sucked into a few philosophies, but eventually, I started to distance myself from a search for “truth” or “meaning” that initially drew me to the topic. The more I read about different philosophies, the more I realized I needed to expose myself to more of them and eventually all that I could find. After a long time of this, I started to understand that I wasn’t as interested in philosophy anymore as I was in the lives of philosophers and the discoveries they made related to what we call science and mathematics these days, and eventually to more recent philosophers when scientists and mathematicians became their own disciplines. The overall story of philosophy over time is probably the most interesting thing I’ve ever learned.
Nearly everyone swears - whether it's over a few too many drinks, in reaction to a stubbed toe, or in flagrante delicto. And yet, we sit idly by as words are banned from television and censored in books. We insist that people excise profanity from their vocabularies, and we punish children for yelling the very same dirty words that we'll mutter in relief seconds after they fall asleep. Swearing, it seems, is an intimate part of us that we have decided to selectively deny.
And when you talk, your listener fills in lots of details you didn’t mention - the curliness of the dog’s fur or the vast statuary on the grounds of the French palace. What’s the trick behind this magic? How does meaning work? In Louder than Words, cognitive scientist Benjamin Bergen draws together a decade’s worth of research in psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience to offer a new theory of how our minds make meaning.
Benjamin K. Bergen is a professor of cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego, where he directs the Language and Cognition Laboratory. He writes for the Huffington Post and Psychology Today and appears on NPR’s Morning Edition, the Brain Science Podcast, and elsewhere. He is trained in linguistics and cognitive science at UC Berkeley, receiving his Ph.D. in 2001. Bergen is an active researcher in cognitive linguistics and cognitive science, with over 40 publications and 60 presentations in the two related fields. He is the author of Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning, and most recently, What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves.
Annie Duke, a former World Series of Poker champion turned business consultant, draws on examples from business, sports, politics, and (of course) poker to share tools anyone can use to embrace uncertainty and make better decisions. For most people, it's difficult to say "I'm not sure" in a world that values, and even rewards, the appearance of certainty. But professional poker players are comfortable with the fact that great decisions don't always lead to great outcomes and bad decisions don't always lead to bad outcomes.
What if there was a better way to make quality decisions so you can think clearly, feel more confident, second-guess yourself less, and ultimately be more decisive and be more productive?
Making good decisions doesn't have to be a series of endless guesswork. Rather, it's a teachable skill that anyone can sharpen. In How to Decide, best-selling author Annie Duke and former professional poker player lays out a series of tools anyone can use to make better decisions
Business leaders, with millions of dollars down the drain, struggle to abandon a new app or product that just isn’t working. Governments, caught in a hopeless conflict, believe that the next tactic will finally be the one that wins the war. And in our own lives, we persist in relationships or careers that no longer serve us. Why? According to Annie Duke, in the face of tough decisions, we’re terrible quitters. And that is significantly holding us back.
Annie is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space, as well as Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed stage venture fund.
As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker. During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She retired from the game in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Economics was something I learned a lot about during my hyper-political phase. Now I’m less interested in traditional economics and more in Behavioral Economics. But there is a ton about Economics I still like to read about. Now I’ve found a love for reading books written by notable economists, from Adam Smith to John Maynard Keynes, to Milton Friedman, and some other theories I don’t agree with to push my world view such as Karl Marx. Economics is a beneficial subject to know about. It has many different levels, such as Macro Economics, Micro Economics, Behavioral Economics, Econometrics, Classical Economics, Agrarian Economics, Fuedal Economics, and techno Economics… ok, I made that last one up. Still, seriously, there are many more than I’ve probably named. Economies are everywhere, so the more I learned about Economics, the more the world made sense.
This is where you will find my favorite books and authors on the topic of NegotiationI started reading about negotiation out of sheer need. I was tired of getting screwed over or submitting to less than I was worth out of fear. I wanted to reduce my risk when making agreements with people and get […]
Physics, in general, came out of my fascination with Astrophysics. Understanding HOW the Universe and our world within it work is so exciting. How does gravity work, why do projectiles arch, how come there is resistance for moving objects, why do swings never swing further after the first swing, and what makes airplanes fly? Physics explains all of these questions and more. Chemistry may be about what the Universe is made of, but physics tells us how those things work in their own right and in relation to one another. Chemistry is the ingredient list of the universe, and Physics is the instructions on how to use those ingredients.
Technology is something I became interested in at a young age. I spent much time with technology and spent many hours learning and experimenting with it. So it seems natural that I would also enjoy reading about it. Whether it is about discoveries, the history of it, or the inventors and innovators behind it, technology is a fascinating subject. Technology isn’t just limited to gadgets and software as we think of it mostly these days. Technology also includes language, ways of thinking, and even math and the written word are all forms of technology. Every time we come up with a new way of doing something, a new word, or figure out a new way of getting home from work, these are all technologies we invent!
Philosophy is one of those topics that chose me more than I chose it. I got sucked into a few philosophies, but eventually, I started to distance myself from a search for “truth” or “meaning” that initially drew me to the topic. The more I read about different philosophies, the more I realized I needed to expose myself to more of them and eventually all that I could find. After a long time of this, I started to understand that I wasn’t as interested in philosophy anymore as I was in the lives of philosophers and the discoveries they made related to what we call science and mathematics these days, and eventually to more recent philosophers when scientists and mathematicians became their own disciplines. The overall story of philosophy over time is probably the most interesting thing I’ve ever learned.
I kind of suck at business, or at least I did, and I don't know. Maybe I read so much about it because I think I’m not good at business. I haven't been very successful at it yet, but maybe that is because I haven’t found my thing or my why. Perhaps this blog is gonna be it; I don’t know for sure. But what I do know is that I know enough theory to get things working when I finally find that thing that can work for me. Reading about business has really helped me figure out that I don’t know as much as I thought I knew about success or making money and that some hard and fast truths disappointed me that there is no real fast way to success in business. Hard work goes a long way and reading about people who have done that hard work is moving and empowering. I keep telling myself that I’m still in practice mode and that life doesn’t even get started until 55. My justification is that Ray Krock didn’t even get McDonald’s rollin’ until he was 55.
I’m pretty new to biographies, but I’m already loving them more than most other topics I enjoy. I love how they are a crossroads between history and psychology with some other topics thrown in there as well depending on who the biography is about. Biographies are an easy read as well, which I enjoy in contrast to how packed full of useful lessons they tend to be filled with. Sometimes the lessons happen to just be that someone lived a very fascinating life or has a ton of hilarious stories, but often those two things go hand-in-hand. Whether it is business people, politicians, icons, celebrities, comedians, or notable historical figures, I have found an endless range of possibilities inside biographies.
History is the topic I started out enjoying the least at first in my life, but that eventually changed after I started watching the History Channel in high school. By the time I was in my early 20s, I was obsessed with history and could finally see how the web of world history ages connected together. History is more fun than any fictional universe I’ve explored, it’s bigger than any fictional extended universe or even a multiverse. The lessons learned through history are where all knowledge comes from, even the knowledge we gain through personal experience is then stored and shared from our own personal history. Every time we write down anything about ourselves or our life it is no different from any other history book. That to me is probably why I feel so strongly about history, it’s OUR story.
I have a lot of experience in marketing, so it’s an important topic for me to stay informed on both new and past developments in the field. It’s enjoyable to learn about because it involves mainly psychology, which is another favorite topic of mine. I might enjoy learning about marketing more than I do practicing it. It’s just enjoyable to learn about how people make choices and what gets in the way of us making good choices. We all want to make the most out of spending our money, and marketing is how we learn what to spend our money on. Whether it’s advertising, the lifeblood of capitalism, branding, or sales, so much falls under the marketing umbrella that it seems like a never ending topic to learn.
Science is the most critical topic I read about. It is as fascinating to learn about science as it is to do science. My intro to science was learning about astrophysics, and from there, I found my way into more fields of science. Most of my exploration into other areas came later in my life, and I often wish I had broadened my search for scientific discoveries much sooner. For me, learning about scientists is as (if not more) fascinating as the topics themselves. There is so much to learn from the history and philosophy of the sciences; that was the start of how I branched into learning about more fields of science. Whether it’s the different types of scientific methods for other areas or the experiments that I can try to replicate myself, science is not just fascinating but also fun!
33 Strategies of War is a comprehensive guide to the subtle social game of everyday life, informed by the most ingenious and effective military principles in war. It's the I-Ching of conflict, the contemporary companion to Sun Tzu's The Art of War, and is abundantly illustrated with examples from history, including the folly and genius of everyone from Napoleon to Margaret Thatcher, Hannibal to Ulysses S. Grant, movie moguls to samurai swordsmen.
The Daily Laws offers a page of refined and concise wisdom for each day of the year, in an easy-to-digest lesson that will only take a few minutes to absorb. Each day features a Daily Law as well - a prescription that listeners cannot afford to ignore in the battle of life. Each month centers around a major theme: power, seduction, persuasion, strategy, human nature, toxic people, self-control, mastery, psychology, leadership, adversity, or creativity.
Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people's masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose.
Temple Grandin, Martha Graham, Henry Ford, Buckminster Fuller - all have lessons to offer about how the love for doing one thing exceptionally well can lead to mastery. Yet the secret, Greene maintains, is already in our heads. Debunking long-held cultural myths, he demonstrates just how we, as humans, are hardwired for achievement and supremacy.
In The 50th Law, hip hop and pop culture icon 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) joins forces with Robert Greene, best-selling author of The 48 Laws of Power, to write a "bible" for success in life and work, based on a single principle: fear nothing.
With intimate stories from 50 Cent's life on the streets and in the boardroom as he rose to fame after the release of his album Get Rich or Die Tryin', as well as examples of others who have overcome adversity through understanding and practicing the 50th Law, this deeply inspirational book is perfect for entrepreneurs as well as anyone interested in the extraordinary life of Curtis Jackson.
In Art of Seduction, Greene returns with a new instruction audiobook on the most subtle, elusive, and effective form of power because seduction isn't really about sex. It's about manipulating other people's greatest weakness: their desire for pleasure.
Synthesizing the work of thinkers including Freud, Diderot, Nietzsche, and Einstein, reporting the enticing strategies of characters throughout history, The Art of Seduction is a comprehensive guide to getting what we want any way we can.
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills 3,000 years of the history of power into 48 well-explicated laws. This bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other infamous strategists. The 48 Laws of Power will fascinate any listener interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.
Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics - as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwriters - this painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don’t merely act differently. They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.
For generations, we have focused on the individual drivers of success: Passion, hard work, talent, and luck. But in today’s dramatically reconfigured world, success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others. In Give and Take, Adam Grant, an award-winning researcher and Wharton’s highest-rated professor, examines the surprising forces that shape why some people rise to the top of the success ladder while others sink to the bottom.
After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. "I was in 'the void,'" she writes, "a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe." Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build.
Adam Grant, the New York Times best-selling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B, went to the World Economic Forum in Davos to find out what the world’s most visionary and influential leaders had to say about power—and its transformative role in our society.
What he learned there may surprise you.
Grant delivers a heady mix of captivating interviews, compelling data, and his unmistakably incisive and actionable analysis, to give us a crash course in power that both inspires and instructs from the front lines.
The best-selling author of Give and Take and Originals examines the critical art of rethinking: learning to question your opinions and open other people's minds, which can position you for excellence at work and wisdom in life.
Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn.
Robert Greene is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, and The 50th Law. His highly anticipated fifth book, Mastery, examines the lives of great historical figures such as Charles Darwin, Mozart, Paul Graham and Henry Ford and distills the traits and universal ingredients that made them masters. In addition to having a strong following within the business world and a deep following in Washington, DC, Greene’s books are hailed by everyone from war historians to the biggest musicians in the industry (including Jay-Z and 50 Cent). Greene attended U.C. Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a degree in classical studies. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.
My name is Charles Duhigg. I’m the author of The Power of Habit, about the science of habit formation in our lives, companies and societies, and Smarter Faster Better, about the science of productivity.
I currently write at The New Yorker Magazine, and until a few years ago, I was a reporter at the New York Times. There, I wrote such series as “The iEconomy” which focused on Apple and won a Pulitzer prize for explanatory reporting in 2013. I also contributed to other series, including “Golden Opportunities,” “The Reckoning,” and “Toxic Waters.”
I’m also a native of New Mexico. I studied history at Yale and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. I have appeared on This American Life, N.P.R., The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and Frontline. Before becoming a journalist, I worked in private equity and – for one terrifying day – was a bike messenger in San Francisco.
I stumbled upon habits since psychology tends to be one of my go-to subjects. However, I never really thought much about the concept of habits in detail until I read The Power of Habit, and that’s when I felt like my whole life changed. I started making progress with my health, eating better, having better hygiene, and more good, and less bad habits in general. It was like the secrets to being human were unlocked to me, and thus began my journey into reading any book I could find, not just with the word habit in the title but even coming close to the topic such as why we get Hooked on our devices or why food these days can Capture us and never let go.
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Books I'm Currently ReadingThis is a list of all the books I'm currently reading.For a comprehensive list of the books I've finished reading check it out here. BOOKS I'VE FINISHED
