William James

The Library

Reading List

A working bibliography. The volumes that have shaped, are shaping, or are about to shape my thinking.

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I. Meaning and the Self

Exploring the foundations of human psychology, motivation, and purpose.

  • The Denial of Death — Ernest Becker
  • The Birth and Death of Meaning — Ernest Becker
  • The Worm at the Core — Jeff Greenberg et al.
  • Civilization and Its Discontents — Sigmund Freud
  • The Moral Landscape — Sam Harris
  • Beyond Order — Jordan B. Peterson
  • Beyond Psychology — Otto Rank
  • The Listening Society — Hanzi Freinacht
  • A Brief History of Everything — Ken Wilber
  • Kosmic Consciousness — Ken Wilber
  • The Religion of Tomorrow: A Vision for the Future of the Great Traditions — Ken Wilber
  • Maps of Meaning — Jordan B. Peterson
  • We Who Wrestle with God — Jordan B. Peterson

II. Society, Power, and Civilization

How societies rise, rule, and collapse.

  • The Republic — Plato
  • Politics — Aristotle
  • The Finite and Infinite Games — James Carse
  • The Dictator's Handbook — Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
  • The Invention of Power — Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
  • The Collapse of Complex Societies — Joseph Tainter
  • Seeing Like a State — James C. Scott
  • End Times — Peter Turchin
  • War and Peace and War — Peter Turchin
  • The End of History and the Last Man — Francis Fukuyama
  • When Corporations Rule the World — David C. Korten
  • Consequences of Capitalism — Noam Chomsky
  • Propaganda — Edward Bernays

III. Economics and Power Structures

Understanding wealth, money, and macro forces shaping civilizations.

  • Debt: The First 5000 Years — David Graeber
  • Denationalization of Money — F. A. Hayek
  • Principles of Economics — Saifedean Ammous
  • The Bitcoin Standard — Saifedean Ammous
  • The Fiat Standard — Saifedean Ammous
  • Broken Money — Lyn Alden
  • Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order — Ray Dalio
  • Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises — Ray Dalio
  • Principles — Ray Dalio
  • How Countries Go Broke — Ray Dalio
  • Basic Economics — Thomas Sowell
  • Economics: The User's Guide — Ha-Joon Chang
  • The Entrepreneurial State — Mariana Mazzucato
  • The Value of Everything — Mariana Mazzucato
  • The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man — John Perkins
  • The Creature from Jekyll Island — G. Edward Griffin
  • Competitive Strategy — Michael Porter
  • Great Founder Theory — Samo Burja
  • The Great Leveler — Walter Scheidel
  • Capital — Thomas Piketty

IV. Science, Technology, and the Future

Exploring the scientific, evolutionary, and existential frontiers.

  • Critical Path — R. Buckminster Fuller
  • Synergetics: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking — R. Buckminster Fuller
  • Limits to Growth — Jorgen Randers et al.
  • Regenesis — George Church
  • Lifespan — David Sinclair
  • Determined — Robert Sapolsky
  • Superintelligence — Nick Bostrom
  • The Selfish Gene — Richard Dawkins
  • Algorithms to Live By — Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman
  • Silent Spring — Rachel Carson
  • The Network State — Balaji Srinivasan

V. Mastery, Power, and Human Nature

The art of influence, discipline, and understanding human drives.

  • The Laws of Human Nature — Robert Greene
  • 48 Laws of Power — Robert Greene
  • The Art of Seduction — Robert Greene
  • 33 Strategies of War — Robert Greene
  • Mastery — Robert Greene
  • The Art of War — Sun Tzu
  • Deep Work — Cal Newport
  • Atomic Habits — James Clear
  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck — Mark Manson
  • Models — Mark Manson