When Breath Becomes Air
Dr. Paul Kalanithi describes his transformation from a medical student into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, and finally…
18 posts tagged with "philosophy"
But What If We're Wrong?
Chuck Klosterman visualizes our contemporary world as it will appear to those who will perceive it as the distant past. Favorite quotes from…
A Gentleman in Moscow
On June 21, 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is escorted out of the Kremlin, through Red Square and the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel…
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Neil Postman beautifully describes what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of…
The Manual For Living
Epictetus’ Manual for Living is a short manual of stoic ethical advice on how to live a full life. Favorite quotes from this timeless piece…
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important…
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Yuval Noah Harari turns his focus toward humanity’s future, and our quest to upgrade humans into gods.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari traverses the entire human history, from the six human species that inhabited the earth to the only one today. Us. Homo…
On the Shortness of Life
The Stoic writings of the philosopher Seneca offer powerful insights into the art of living.
Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved
In her memoir, Kate Bowler boldly articulates the pain she feels as she contemplates her own mortality.
A Universe from Nothing
Lawrence Krauss elaborates on deep philosophical questions: “Where did the universe come from? What was there before it? What will the…
Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved
Primatologist Frans de Waal explores the biological foundations of one of humanity's most valued traits: morality.
The Art of Peace
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969), founder of the Japanese martial art of Aikido, taught that the real way of the warrior is based on compassion…
Fooled by Randomness
Nassim Nicholas Taleb investigates of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t…
The Black Swan
Nassim Nicholas Taleb describes a black swan as a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: it’s unpredictable it…
Antifragile
Nassim Nicholas Taleb offers advice on how to gain from chaos while being protected from frailty and adverse events. Favorite quotes from…
The Meditations
Written by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Meditations offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises…
The Manual
Epictetus (c. 50-135 CE) was brought as a slave to Rome, where he became a great teacher, deeply influencing the future emperor Marcus…