philosophy - Book Reviews

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

I don't get what all the fuss is about. Peterson's book is a ultimately just a grab-bag of old-school self-help advice. He tries to do too much and in too short of a book, but his ideas are not particularly radical.

5-stars

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson

Albom has created a masterpiece of the "sad-book-about-dying" genre (way better than the more recent "When Breath Becomes Air") and this short book is certainly worth a read for anyone thinking about the big picture.

3-stars

Rationality: From AI to Zombies

Internet rationality celebrity Eliezer Yudkowsky drags us through an epic logical journey to the land of the "Bayesian Conspiracy" and the idea that real rationality is about "winning."

4-stars

On Bullshit

"On Bullshit" is a delightful little 80 page book of common sense. And published by an Ivy League philosophy professor - maybe there's hope after all! In our modern "post-truth" world, Frankfurt's book is a breath of fresh air. Originally published as a philosophy paper in

5-stars

How To Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer

A good friend from college recommended that I give Montaigne a shot. Bakewell's delightful "How to Live" opened up a portal into Montaigne's world and that enigmatic gentleman reached across the centuries to intellectually seduce me. How? I'm not quite sure. The beauty of this book is how

4-stars

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Manson's book is a profane and frequently hilarious crash-course in pragmatic modern Stoicism. How can I not love a book called "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck"? I've given talks where my last slide literally says, "Life is hard and then, almost immediately, you

5-stars

Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility

I started this book expecting a popular treatment of game theory. I was in for a surprise! Contrary to what the title might lead you to believe, "Finite and Infinite Games" is actually an extremely dense religious/philosophical text. The insights-per-paragraph rate is insane. Carse - a religion

3-stars

The Genealogy of Morals

"The Genealogy of Morals" stunned me with its originality. Nietzsche propounds a view that "noble" virtues of strength and pride were long ago subverted by a hateful and self-loathing "slave morality" that forms the root of the Judeo-Christian tradition: They have taken a lease

complexity

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World

David Deutsch's "The Beginning of Infinity" is one of the more thought-provoking books I've read in the past few years. Its scope is incredibly broad - from epistemology and quantum fungibility to environmental ethics and societal evolution. Deutsch is a physicist (of self-admittedly fringe beliefs in regards to

3-stars

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies

3 stars. A great overview of some of the research and political/existential issues around the creation of a superintelligent system. He describes various paths to potentially creating an superintelligence, including some surprising ones like whole brain emulation and eugenics.

5-stars

Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero

In "Dying Every Day", one of history's greatest philosophers plays the tutor to one of history's most notorious dictators. Alexander had his Aristotle. Nero had his Seneca. Romm animates the famed Stoic and makes us see his world - an imperial Rome full of conniving courtiers, shifting alliances,

4-stars

The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

"The Obstacle is the Way" is Ryan Holiday’s case for ancient Stoicism as a practical philosophical choice for modern entrepreneurs and do-ers. And I must admit, I’m sold. But I’m conflicted about how to rate this book. On one hand, the message is compelling and