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Super fun books

Philosophy
There's an awful lot of introductory philosophy here. That's because in the last few years I've come to the conclusion that philiosophy is a necessary training in the art of clear thinking. A good thinker, shown that reason does not support his or her conclusion, will consider how to change that conclusion; he or she will not attempt to change the rules of logical inference, or simply ignore the evidence. I think I was nearly 30 before I took this seriously. Philosophy is a 3000-year-long attempt to figure out what we are, what this is, and what we ought to do, and it has only one rule: no contradicting yourself.

Why aren't we taught more about this in school? I think because not enough people in education take it seriously, possibly because it discourages taking your thoughts from the herd around you. This encouragement of independent thought is antithetical to the agenda of 'socialization' so important to most teachers I meet. But good citizens need to be able to think for themselves. It is a crucial part of being fully human, and a necessary component of a functioning democracy.

Oh and one more thing. Philosophy is a source of tremendous joy. The joy that comes from just trying to get things to stand still long enough for you to get a glimpse of (dare I say it?) the truth. Okay, truth may be elusive, but chasing after it, getting tantalizing glimpses of it's coattails as it flits away from you, that's the stuff of life, I tell you. That's what I can't wait to share with my kids. Obviously I'm no philosopher, but I respect greatly those who have taken the trouble to acquaint themselves with great thought, and I want to get as much of it in my brain while I can.

	Introducing Philosophy by Dave Robinson, et al.   Good. Worth picking up.
	A History of Philosophy, vols. 1-9 by Frederick Copleston   These took me just over a year and a half to read. Copleston is a Jesuit priest, a fact which obviously colours his interpretation of many thinkers. Aware of this, Copleston bends over backwards, most of the time, to interpret his subjects charitably, even many of those with whom he obviously disagrees. His elucidations of many thinkers genuinely deepened my undersatanding of many of their philosophies. For example, he presents sensible and satisfying explorations of the German idealist philosophers. His treatment of the presocratics is quite illuminating, and, perhaps best of all was his treatment of Aristotle. This latter point should not surprise anyone, but I fell in love with Aristotle through Copleston. And of course, if you want to find out about the great medieval theologians, Copleston's your man. A great referance set. Wish I could remember one tenth of what I read. I vow to return to them someday. Books are wonderful that way. They will wait for me patiently on the shelf.
	A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell   Bertrand Russell has a way of making you feel as though there are two brilliant thinkers in the world: you and him. That makes him tremendously gratifying to read. Part of how he accomplishes this feat is no doubt his astounding lucidity. To be honest, I think he cheats a certain amount to achieve this, but I think it's alright, since he makes you come away with crisp, well defined ideas, which you can possily shoot down on your own later. By then, you've been roped into the wonderful world of western philosophy, which I wish more people knew about, and I wish I knew more about!
	The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant   Don't read this first! Durant is engaging to those already famliliar with the subject, but seems to assume we've all been to a university philosophy course already. Oversold as an introduction, I think.
	Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder   A clear, very simple introduction, made to look like a children's book, to assuage your guilt at never having studied this before. A slightly crappy novel, but an excellent introduction to philosophy.
	Modern Philosophy : an Introduction and Survey by Roger Scruton   What makes Scruton think this is an introduction? Incredibly complicated in places. But it does cover a lot of ground not even touched by these other sources. Scruton is delighfully opinionated.
	Think: a Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon Blackburn   A great read for the thoughtful. And if you already know a little bit about Western phliosophy, this well-written, tight little book may help put some issues in perspective for you. Blackburn is an excellent teacher.
	Introduction to Western Philosophy: Ideas and Argument from Plato to Popper by Anthony Flew   Extremely heavy reading. This is no "introduction", and his publisher obviously told the editor to eat a peanut butter and LSD sandwich before going to work. It is however, filled with deep thought. Every so often in the margins of a book , I will mark "BWA" for "Bad Writing Award". Here is a typical insult to coherance which earned Flew his BWA: "Even physics, therefore, owes the benificient revolution in its point of view entirely to the happy thought, that while reason must seek in nature, not fictitiously ascribe to it, whatever as not being knowable through reason's own resources has to be learnt, if learnt at all, only from nature, it must adopt as its guide, in so seeking, that which it has itself put into nature." (pp400-401) Kind of sneaks up on you doesn't it? I'm not certain I'll ever be able to parse that Gordian knot of a sentence! There are dozens of these in Flew's "introduction". However, there were parts I worked hard on and really enjoyed. High on my reread list.
	The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View by Richard Tarnas   A good general introduction to the overall field in its proper historical contexts. Tarnas writes particularly well regarding Plato and Aristotle. Why he or his publishers felt compelled to include the approbations of Harvard Quack Psychiatrist John Mack on the cover, is a mystery, however. Mack came to be known as "The shame of Harvard" for his position that his patients who claimed to be abducted by aliens were right!
	Introducing Philosophy : A Text with Integrated Readings by Robert Solomon   The very best general introduction to philosophy I have read. Solomon includes long passages from the original philosophers, and rushes in to interpret them clearly (where this is possible) just as you're about to be discouraged.
	The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell   At around 100 pages, this well-written book is an absolute gem. It introduces the most basic and perplexing questions of the theory of knowledge in an engaging and responsible way. Eminently readable, Russell is at his pithy, brief, best. This book reminds me of mysteries we all pondered in childhood.
	Philosophy: Who Needs it? by Ayn Rand   I have landed myself in hot water with quite rational seeming people, merely by pronouncing Ayn Rand's name! She's certainly never scared to tell you what she thinks, which will likely render her writing always fresh, if strident. Much of this book consists of reviews which are rapidly becoming of stricly historical interest. However, the initial essay, from which the book takes its title, is the most passionate, elegant and vivid rationale I've seen for why we should study philosophy. Every intro text to philosophy has a "why study philosophy?" or "what is philosophy?" introduction, in which the authors invariably fail to convince. Ayn Rand, whatever you think of the rest of her ideas, succeeds in this task, brilliantly.
	Aristotle for Everybody by Mortimer Adler    I'm still looking for a good introduction to Aristotle that puts across his thinking, without seeming like the puzzle page from a Mensa newsletter. This book suffers from the opposite problem. Despite making some useful points, it certainly doesn't leave the reader in a position to read Aristotle for his or herself.
	The Closing of the American Mind by Alan Bloom   Hooray! Conservatism with a brain! A large, interesting, bitchy brain! Also, Bloom puts across the urgency of our need for philosophy well "because science, by itself, cannot tell you why it is good." What an arresting thought.
	The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn   This is one of the most influential books of the 20th century. Many people seem to think that Kuhn demonstrates the untrustworthiness of science in this book, but I failed to grasp why when I read it. Kuhn basically argues that one paradigm comes to replace another, through many social mechanisms, not just rational argument. But it doesn't follow that one paradigm can't happen to be a more accurate picture than another. I don't think this is the post-modern call-to-arms for which it is commonly taken.
	The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski   Read this book (based on his TV series) and hold your head up with pride in what people can accomplish. Bronowski is a mathematician, biochemist, and poet!
	Discourses on Method, and Meditations by Descartes   Only the beginning of modern philosophy. Only a singular achievement in the history of human thought. Only about 200 pages!
	The Republic, and various other Dialogues by Plato   If you've never checked out Plato, you're in for a treat when you do. Start with the Meno dialogue, and then maybe the Apology. By the time Socrates is done describing the perfect society, it somehow doesn't seem all that just anymore.

Top of Books

Literature

	War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy   Who hasn't seen it there on the bookshelf and felt challenged by its very brickishness? But when you get to the end, you may wish it were longer!
	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
	The Aeneid by Virgil
	Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
	The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
	The Odyssey by Homer
	The Iliad by Homer
	The Greek Myths, vols. 1-2 by Robert Graves
	The Bible by God!
	The Story Bible by Pearl S. Buck   A good refresher on the biblical narrative.
	The Tragedies of Shakespeare : Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear   Shakespeare. They tried to tell me about him in highschool, but I wasn't listening. Everyone says he's the best thing you can read. They're right.
	David Copperfield by Charles Dickens   Reading this is like being a child, being told the most enchanting bedtime story.
	The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbons   I think many today don't realize the importance of Rome to who we are in the West. Gibbon's wit and his use of English are well matched to the splendour and importance of Rome
	The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell   I would like Campbell better if he spent more time relating myth (which he knows very well, obviously) and spent less time expounding his harebrained literary theory, based on Jung's discredited model of the mind.
	The Educated Imagination by Northrop Frye   Ideas similar to Campbell's (indeed, Campbell lists Frye as an influence), only brought down to earth and explained very clearly. These were Frye's CBC Massey lectures, so maybe he felt compelled to make things sound simpler. Lit the fire under me to get reading classics.
	The Western Canon by Howard Bloom   Way over my head. I liked it though.
	Why read the classics^ by Italo Calvino   Way over my head, but I didn't like it.
	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand   Imagine a trashy airport novel that you couldn't put down, with sex, elements of sci-fi, and intrigue. Now imagine that it made you feel that you were in the select company of 'those who could understand' the great Ayn Rand. Now add some references to Aristotle too breif to be of any real meaning. That's Atlas Shrugged. You may enjoy it! Just don't ask yourself why there are so few children or people in wheelchairs in the world as she paints it. There are problems with Ayn Rand, to be sure, but I think she has a couple of great points, and she's articulate, and dead clever. I like those qualities.
	The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand   Less of the same. If you don't think you'll like her, this may be the book for you.
	Moby Dick by Herman Melville   Someday, perhaps I'll figure out why this is accepted by all as a classic. Of the roughly 500 pages, I can honestly say that I loved about 250 of them.

Top of Books

History

	China to 1850: a Short History by Charles O. Hucker
	A History of India: volume 1 by Romila Thapar
	The Penguin History of the World by J.M. Roberts   Since I know very little about world history, this book was a good reseource. I paired it up with the History Chart
	Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay   A classic of skepticsim from the late 1800s.
	Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond   Incredible. Why did Europe manage to run right over the whole rest of the world? The answer, as Diamond attempts to show, has likely nothing at all to do with race, and everything to do with initial conditions of the lands people came from. Absolutely fascinating.

Top of Books

Religion

	The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris   Sam Harris can really write. I don't quite agree with him, but I'd give a lot to be able to write like him.
	Atheism: the Case Against God by George Smith   Yeah, baby. The closest thing to an airtight case I've seen. That's not just agnosticism now.
	The Case for Christ: a journalist's personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel   The title is accurate. Only trouble is, the case against Christ could be ten times stronger, but this book would never give you any hint about it; Strobel doesn't interview a single source that disagrees with his favoured conclusion. Balanced journalism à la Joseph Stalin. This book is a total piece of crap.
	Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith by Charles Templeton   An ex-minister and co-founder of Billy Graham's Ministry tells it like it is.
	Bhagavad Gita
	Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis   Disappointing
	Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell   Bertrand Russell is a joy to read. Agree or disagree, but if you don't enjoy his writing, you simply have no taste.

Top of Books

Science

	This is your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin    Science has begun to explain even things as nuanced and complex as your enjoyment of music. In this elegantly written, highly entertaining book, psychologist and recording engineer/producer Daniel Levitin takes you on an insider's tour of this emerging body of inspiring research.
	Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks    Oliver Sacks is the master of the compellingly written, first-person exploration of the case study. This book details many moving accounts of people whose brains are playing tricks on them -- musical tricks.
	Mathemagics: How to Look Genius Without Really Trying by Alexander Benjamin, et al.   Fun math tricks!
	The Science Class You Wish You Had: The Seven Greatest Scientific Discoveries in History and the People Who Made Them David and Arnold Brody   This book was a real winner. Very easily read, it tracks the 7 most important scientific discoveries and who made them. If only everything came across with the simplicity of this book.
	Mathematics for the Non-Mathematicians by Morris Kline
	Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman   A great collection of stories from the life of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Somehow, it reads like W.O. Mitchell. Thoroughly entertaining.
	Relativity Simply Explained by Martin Gardner   Gardner is the world's grand Poobah of puzzle lovers. He has written hundreds of columns and books for those who love math puzzles and pop science in general. The book is clear and a useful guide to the 'relatively' perplexed.
	What Makes You Tick?: the Brain in Plain English by Thomas Czerner
	The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker   Holy smokes! This book is written with such wit and clarity that Pinker's argument seems automatically proven. What a treat this book was.
	How the Mind Works also by Steven Pinker   Also great reading.
	A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen Hawking
	The End of Science by John Horgan   Horgan's idea is interesting: to the extent that science reveals reality, it is bound to be a limited enterprise. He urges that we have reached the edges of the knowable already, and all that is left is for science to turn in on itself and become "ironic science". Time will tell if he's right. Also includes Horgan's account of his loopy religious revelation. He really ought to have left that out, I think.
	Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan   Yum yum yum. If you're like me, you will eat this book up like a strawberry sundae. This guy made science feel as vital as art, and this book is a little gem.
	The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan   I recently picked this book up and reread bits of it. When I first read it, I thought it was a great book. Now, I think it is an extraordinarily good book. This is the most passionate, lyrical, crisp plea for rationalism I have ever seen.
	The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin   Darwin argues his case so carefully and modestly, that one cannot help but be impressed by his extraordinary intellectual caution. The argument carries tremendous force. Yet Darwin's theory still seems misunderstood, even by many who say they have no problem with it. In a nutshell, it's about how all this complex life around us could have gotten here, more or less on its own. "Only a theory" comes the all-too-frequent refrain. That's right; it's only among the most well-evidenced, logically consistent theories ever concieved.
	The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design by Richard Dawkins   A fantastic explanation of Darwin in modern terms.
	What evolution is by Ernst Mayr   A no-nonsense popular introdcution to the modern evolutionary synthesis, written by one of its cheif architects.
	Darwin's Dangerous Idea Daniel C. Dennett   A very fun read.
	Alas, Poor Darwin by Steven and Hilary Rose   Coming soon to a delete bin near you. Ineffectual and bitter arguments from upset non-scientists, who don't seem to understand what they're talking about.
	Darwin's Black Box by Michael Behe   This is nonsense.
	A River Out of Eden: a Darwinian View of Life by Richard Dawkins   Gets a lot of key points across without being too hard to understand. A great quick read.
	The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped The Evolution of Human Nature by Geoffrey Miller   Interesting theory about the brain and culture as signs of fitness for potential mates. I get a vibe from this guy that I don't like, but his theory makes a hell of a lot of sense. Great book.
	The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker   Out of the way! Pinker is on the warpath with this one. His wit and insight are like a laser beam. But God help those on the wrong side of it. It's nature vs. nurture he's arguing about, and when I read Pinker, I feel pulled, almost as if by a magnet, to agree with every word. Is he right? Read for yourself, and tell me some time.
	Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect by Paul Ehrlich
	Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion, and the Appetite for Wonder by Richard Dawkins
	Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer
	Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination by Robert Jourdain

Top of Books

Consciousness/Philosophy of Mind

	Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett
	The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett
	Gôdel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter   Endless fun.
	The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds, and the Laws of Physics by Roger Penrose

Top of Books

Social Theory

	Voltaire's Bastards: the Dictatorship of Reason in the West by John Ralston Saul
	The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould
	The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Biography

Various Positions: a Life of Leonard Cohen   A great book about a fascinating guy.

Top of Books

Wacky Conspiracy Theories

	Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson   A must-read for conspiracy buffs. Journalist Ronson somehow gets himself invited along with all sorts of extremists, and then paints verbal portraits of them that they would hate, but that are hillarious and humanizing. This book is light, quirky and entertaining. I couldn't put it down.
	UFO Abductions: A Dangerous Game by Philip Klass   Are there a few key elements of a famous UFO account that make you stop and think "Maybe this is true"? Klass' case by case deconstruction of all the major "landmark" UFO incidents will not leave you scratching your head. Real no-nonsense stuff.

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