Book Recommendations | Academy of Ideas

This book is a fascinating exploration of the nature of myth. It reveals how myths shape how we all experience the world, whether we realize it or not, and it argues that most of us in the modern world cling to deprived myths that lack the ability to give our life meaning. Finally, it explores how religious myths offer a path to transcendent truths, i.e., truths not explicable in words.

Amazon link: More Than Allegory

Lonesome Dove is faced-paced Western epic. It tells the story of two Texas rangers as they drive a heard of cattle across the wild frontier of an unsettled America. Fascinating character development and constant action make for an exciting read.

Amazon link: Lonesome Dove

East of Eden is one of the best works of fiction I have read. It is a sweeping multi-generational tale that interweaves the destinies of two families as they grapple with themes of sin, redemption, and the human condition. Highly recommend.

Amazon link: East of Eden

Carl Jung put forth some fascinating insights on the nature of politics and the dangers of the growth of a mass society, a mass man, and an all-powerful State. The problem, however, is that these insights are spread throughout the 18 volumes of his Collected Works. In Jung and Politics, author Volodymyr Odajnyk distills the political thought of Jung into a very readable and accessible 150 page book. Well-worth the read for fans of Jung.

Amazon link: Jung and Politics

This is one of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s overlooked masterpieces. The book recounts the four years Dostoevsky spent in a military prison camp in Siberia as punishment for participating in a literary circle that discussed political and social ideas. This was Leo Tolstoy’s favorite book by Dostoevsky, while Nietzsche commented to a friend (Georg Brandes) after reading the book, that while he didn’t agree with Dostoevsky’s Christian morality: “I treasure him, all the same, as the most valuable psychological material I know – I’m exceedingly grateful to him, however much he always grates against my deepest instincts.”

Amazon Link: Notes from a Dead House

In a world where governments are increasingly pushing to control what we say, and even what we think, this book provides an important defense of the value of free speech. As Frank Furedi shows, without tolerance for dissenting views a society cannot be free. Furedi also provides strong critiques of the attempt to criminalize hate speech and misinformation.

Amazon link: On Tolerance

The Art of Impossible is a well written and fast paced book that explores how to reach the upper limits of our potential. Combining neuroscience research with philosophy, author Steven Kotler explores what defines those who push the boundaries of what is possible and how we can become elite performer ourselves.

Amazon link: The Art of Impossible

Inspired by true events, this is one of the greatest novels ever written. It tells the story of a man framed for a crime he did not commit, sentenced to years in solitary confinement, who meticulously orchestrates an epic revenge against those who betrayed him.

Amazon link: The Count of Monte Cristo

Martin Heidegger was one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, and a major figure in the existentialist movement. His writing was often cryptic, and his magnum opus, Being and Time, notoriously difficult to understand. John Richardson does a great job of introducing Heidegger’s ideas and explaining why they have influenced so many philosophers since.

Amazon link: Heidegger

“We still cling to the illogical belief that “mental health is living without anxiety.” We seem unaware that the delusion of living without anxiety reveals a radical misrepresentation of reality. . .” It is with this passage that Rollo May introduces his fascinating work on anxiety, in which he explores the idea that anxiety is an inevitable part of the human condition, serving as a catalyst for growth, creativity, and change rather than merely a negative experience to be avoided. May argues that confronting and understanding our anxieties can lead to greater self-awareness and existential freedom.

Amazon link: The Meaning of Anxiety

Orison Swett Marden wrote this book over 100 years ago and in it he inspires readers with the message that through optimism, hard work, and an unwavering belief in oneself, anyone can sculpt their life into a work of art, full of purpose and success.

Amazon link: Making Life a Masterpiece

Miguel de Unamuno’s Tragic Sense of Life is a work of existential philosophy that casts light on the beauty and tragedy of human existence. In it de Unamuno explores the eternal conflict between the intellect’s desire for rational answers and the heart’s yearning for immortality.

Amazon link: Tragic Sense of Life

Of the dozens of books I have read on economics this is perhaps the best of the bunch. Reading this book profoundly changed how I viewed not only economic issues, but also political and societal issues as well. George Reisman is a very clear writer and reading this book provided me with a better understanding of economics, than did my 4 years spent studying economics at university.

Amazon link: Capitalism: A Treatise on Economics

In this book Morris Kline traces the development of mathematics from its status in ancient times as a subject that offers infallible truths about the world, to the twentieth century, where crises and paradoxes, have led to a profound reevaluation of what mathematics can truly tell us about the universe.

Amazon link: Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty

Until reading The Varieties of Religious Experience I was a staunch atheist, but this book convinced me that a more open-minded view of religion and the religious experience was warranted. In this book William James explores question such as what is a religious experience, what can they teach us about the human psyche and the meaning of life, what value does religion offer the individual, and what does it mean to be religious. One of my top recommendations for non-fiction books.

Amazon link: The Varieties of Religious Experience

Colin Wilson was a prolific author whose works are sorely underappreciated. The Outsider is his most well known book and in it Wilson explores the lives of various philosophers and artists who felt alienated from society. He offers profound insights into the nature of their existential struggles and quest to find a way of life that was deeper and more meaningful than the life lived by the masses.

Amazon link: The Outsider

“We are subject to forces from deep within us and that drive our behaviour and that operate below the level of our awareness. We see the results – our thoughts, moods, and actions – but have little conscious access to what actually moves our emotions and compels us to behave in certain ways.” So writes Robert Greene, at the beginning of this book which distills psychological and philosophical wisdom, from across the ages, to help us better understand what motivates and drives human behavior in all its myriad of forms.

Amazon link: The Laws of Human Nature

This is a great collection of passages from the Stoic philosophers, organized into different categories that are all centered around the theme of how to tame human irrationality and understand our mind in a way that “helps us become conscious of our misjudgments – a little more perceptive, a little more self-aware, a little less stupid.” (Ward Farnsworth). For any student of human nature and lover of wisdom, this is a great book to either read from cover to cover, or to open up at random and to reflect upon one passage at a time.

Amazon link: The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Manual

For anyone seeking wisdom and insights into how to live a good life, this is a must read. Consisting of a series of letters to his disciple Lucilius, Seneca explores the nature of happiness, friendship, solitude, death, wealth, and puts forth Stoic principles which, 2000 years later, continue to be followed by countless people.

Amazon Link: Letters from a Stoic

“The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca” is biography of Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a stoic philosopher, advisor of Roman Emperors, and one of the most politically powerful and wealthiest figures of ancient Rome. The book presents a detailed account of Seneca’s political career and philosophical teachings, and delves into the moral dilemmas he faced. It paints Seneca as a man who struggled to practice the stoicism he preached as he navigated the corruption and hedonistic excesses which characterized the courts of the Roman Emperors.

Amazon Link: The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca

The 4th century BC philosopher Diogenes was one of the most colorful figures in history. He told Alexander the Great off for standing in his sun, begged statues to get used to being refused, mocked social norms, voluntarily lived on the streets all the while believing himself to be a king among men and the only truly self-sufficient and free individual. This is an entertaining and insightful collection of his insights and humor.

“Every age, and especially our own, stands in need of a Diogenes; but the difficulty is in finding men who have the courage to be one, and men who have the patience to endure one.” (

Amazon Link: Diogenes the Cynic: Sayings and Anecdotes, With Other Popular Moralists

“If the political truths stated or approximated by Machiavelli were widely known by men, the success of tyranny and all the other forms of oppressive political rule would become much less likely.” So writes James Burnham in this fascinating book that explores the ideas of Machiavelli and which makes the case that Machiavelli understood the true nature of political rule and that if we wish to understand how we are ruled today, we must learn of his ideas.

Amazon link: The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom

Intelligence in the Flesh is a great book for learning about the field of embodied cognition. This book is full of fascinating insights on the relationship between the body and our emotions, intelligence, creativity and overall life fulfillment. In a society where most people are living increasing sedentary lives and are disconnected from their bodies by screen-based technologies, this is an important read.

Amazon link: Intelligence in the Flesh

Humans have been fighting in armed conflicts for the entire history of our species and war seems to be a fundamental element of our nature. Gwynne Dyer provides a fascinating study of the history and psychology of war. A must read for anyone interested in history.

Amazon link: War: The Lethal Custom

This book was written over 70 years ago, but its observations on the impacts of technology on the development of society are prescient. For anyone interested in understanding why some people view technological advancement as a double-edged sword and why our technological society can easily morph into a totalitarian society, this book is a must read.

Amazon link: The Technological Society

The Act of Creation is a fascinating and scholarly book that explores the processes of discovery, invention, and creation. Arthur Koestler attempts to understand what leads to creative breakthroughs and what creative breakthroughs can teach us about the nature of human thought.

Amazon link: The Act of Creation

Is there life after death? This is one of the most mysterious of questions and in this book author David Ray Griffin explores how the ideas of two of history’s greatest minds, William James and Alfred North Whitehead, can shed light on an answer. For anyone with an open mind, who enjoys exploring questions related to the paranormal, this book is highly recommended.

Amazon link: James and Whitehead on Life after Death

Many people recognize that the political systems of virtually all major nation-states are broken – they are rife with corruption, mismanagement, and waste. They operate in ways that serve the politicians, bureaucrats, and special interests, at the expense of everyone else. But what is to be done? This book provides a convincing answer: radical decentralization.

Amazon link: The Breakdown of Nations

Chronic loneliness is detrimental to our health, but so too is a lack of solitude. Being able to spend time by ourselves, absent the chatter of other minds (whether from people in the flesh or through interactions on our phones) is an important skill. Solitude promotes self-realization, is a boon to creativity and can help us re-charge from the draining nature of social interaction. In this book psychologist Anthony Storr explores the many benefits that solitude offers.

Amazon link: Solitude: A Return to the Self

Carl Jung claimed that “…the lack of meaning in life is a soul-sickness whose full extent and import our age has not yet begun to comprehend.” In The Myth of Meaning Aniela Jaffé explains the role that the search for meaning plays in Jung’s thought, the connection between myth and meaning, and how we can use Jung’s ideas to better orient ourselves toward a meaningful life.

Amazon link: The Myth of Meaning

While this book is considered to be Jung’s autobiography, Jung was not the primary author. Some sections of it are of Jung’s own writing, but most of it was written by his secretary Aniela Jaffe, based on extensive interviews she had with Jung near the end of his life. Jung never saw the finished manuscript, nor did he assent to it being called his autobiography. With that said it is still a great resource for learning about the life and ideas of this great psychologist.

Amazon link: Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Is democracy really the greatest form of political organization? This book questions one of the most cherished beliefs of the western world by shining a light on some of the overlooked flaws of democratic rule.

Amazon link: Beyond Democracy

For all of us who wish to excel in our field of work, or to become great at what we do, this book is a must read. In it author Cal Newport explores the importance of strengthening our capacity for deep work, which is work done in a distraction free state, in order to attain success.

Amazon link: Deep Work

In a world where so many people work sedentary jobs and spend hour upon hour staring at disembodying screen-based technologies this book serves as a wake up call for the crucial need to re-connect to the body. Author Alexander Lowen, a physician and psychotherapist, explores the crucial, but often overlooked, link between the body (how we hold it and move it) and mental health.

Amazon link: The Voice of the Body

This short work of fiction by Hermann Hesse is based on the early-life of the Buddha and explores a young man’s search for meaning in a society that has lost its way. This is a transformative book that one can read multiple times.

Amazon link: Siddhartha

Erich Neumann was a German psychologist and philosopher and also one of Carl Jung’s students. In this brilliant book he explores how the modern world is suffering from an inability to face its own dark side and as such the threat of scapegoating looms large. In place of projecting our shadow Neumann explores how we must learn to integrate our dark side lest the world descend into catastrophe.

Amazon link: Depth Psychology and a New Ethic

This is a fascinating book which explores the emergence of our era’s mass society, the rise of a new ruling elite within it, and the mindset that defines those who wield power in the modern day.

Amazon link: Leviathan and Its Enemies

Author Jeremy Weissman explores the impact of social media and smart phones on modern society through the lens of philosophers like Soren Kierkegaard and Michel Foucault. While there are a lot of books on the theme of the social impacts of social media, this book offers a unique perspective and digs deeper than a lot of the more well known books on this topic.

Amazon link: The Crowdsourced Panopticon

Don Quixote was written over 400 years ago, but it reads like it is a much more modern book. It is considered one of the best pieces of fiction ever written and for good reason. It contains two of the greatest characters in Western literature (Sancho Panza and Don Quixote), it is full of humor and it contains deep insights on the human condition. This is one of the top 3 fiction books I have ever read and the translation linked to below is considered to be among the best.

Amazon link: Don Quixote

Sleeping well makes all the difference to the quality of life. We are better at virtually anything we do when well rested. In this important book Matthew Walker explores the importance of sleep, what makes for a good set of sleep habits and what can impede our ability to consistently get the rest we require.

Amazon link: Why We Sleep

We become, in the words of William James “mere walking bundles of habits” and so a key factor in a life well-lived is cultivating a set of habits that can move us in the direction our goals. There are many books on how to rid ourselves of bad habits, and cultivate good ones, Elastic Habits is my favorite on this topic.

Amazon link: Elastic Habits

Narcissus and Goldmund is my favorite book by Hermann Hesse. The book explores the duality of human nature through its two main protagonists – Narcissus a monk who devotes his life to spiritual and scholarly pursuits and his pupil Goldmund who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and sensual exploration.

Amazon link: Narcissus and Goldmund

Modern society is in many ways ruled by fear. Politicians use fear to implement programs and policies of social control and many people are consumed in their day-to-day life by a never ending series of fears. In this important book Frank Furedi explores why fear has ascended to become a primary shaper of society, while also looking at how our reaction to fear differs from previous generations. This is a must read for understanding modern society.

Amazon link: How Fear Works

No More Heroes is a fascinating, yet haunting, account of the psychological effects of war. This book is an important read for those who are anti-war, as well as for those who are cheer-leading the West’s involvement in armed conflicts.

Amazon link: No More Heroes

Economics is a subject that many people talk about with confidence, yet all the while they possess a grave ignorance concerning the basic workings of the economy. Arnold Kling’s book Specialization and Trade corrects for this ignorance as it is a clearly written and engaging introduction to economics. After reading this book one will be in a far better position to evaluate the proposals made by politicians, bureaucrats, and mainstream media talking heads about how to “fix” the economy.

Amazon link: Specialization and Trade

Laurens Van der Post was a South African author, farmer, explorer, soldier, educator, journalist and conservationist who was profoundly influenced by Carl Jung. Van der Post met Jung on his honeymoon to Switzerland and he claimed that Jung was the greatest influence of his life. A Story of the Wind is a coming of age story, full of Jungian themes, about a boy who lives on a remote African farm and who is forced to fend for himself in the midst of family tragedies.

Amazon link: A Story of the Wind

The Root and the Flower is a sorely underappreciated work of epic fiction. Set in India in the 17th century the story focuses on the existential quests of its main characters as they search for meaning and transcendence in a world full of conflict and suffering.

Amazon link: The Root and the Flower

The Creative Act, written by famed music producer Rick Rubin, is a meditation on the creative act. Composed of numerous short chapters this book provides great insights on how to create, but more generally on how to live.

Amazon link: The Creative Act

For anyone who enjoys fast-paced fictional thrillers, Daemon is a great choice. It tells the story of an artificial intelligence taking over society and in many ways offers a chilling possibility of what could occur were artificial general intelligence to become a reality.

Amazon link: Daemon

There are a lot of books on peak performance, but With Winning in Mind is one of the most practical and to the point. It is a quick read, well-written, and full of great insights that can help us excel when performing under pressure.

Amazon link: With Winning in Mind

“The artist must create a spark before he can make a fire and before art is born the artist must be ready to be consumed by the fire of his own creation.” (Auguste Rodin) Stoking the Creative Fires is motivating and inspiring read that is full of insights on how to fulfill our creative potential.

Amazon link: Stoking the Creative Fires

Ego and Archetype is a fantastic exploration of Carl Jung’s ideas. Its focus is on the journey of individuation, or the movement from identification with the ego, to identification with the Self. In providing an overview of the stages of individuation, Edward Edinger provides and excellent overview of many of Jung’s most important ideas regarding personal development.

Amazon link: Ego and Archetype

“How are you fulfilling your life’s task, your raison d’être, the meaning and purpose of your existence?” asks Carl Jung “This is the question of individuation, the most fateful of all questions. . .” (Carl Jung, CW V10)

Individuation, or the evolution of the personality toward the ideal of psychological wholeness, is a key theme of Carl Jung’s work. The Way of Individuation is one of the best books on this topic. It is clearly written and incredibly insightful.

Amazon link: The Way of Individuation

In Constructive Living David Reynolds suggests that what holds many of us back from implementing positive life change is the belief that before taking actions that could improve our life, we must deal with our negative emotions, be it fear, anxiety, or depression. Reynold’s explains why this is a misguided view, while also putting forth a practical action-oriented approach to self-improvement.

Amazon link: Constructive Living

This volume of Carl Jung’s Collected Works is perhaps my favorite as it provides the most poignant of his observations on why a society descends into the destruction of the totalitarian state and what we as individuals can do to counter this dangerous trend.

Amazon link: Civilization in Transition

War and Peace is an incredible story and Tolstoy’s character development and ability to intertwine different story lines is almost unrivaled. I would rank this as in the top 3 greatest fiction books I have read. The translation that I link to below by Larissa Volokhonsky and Richard Peaver is considered to be the best. Even though it is a long book, once the story pulls you in it is hard to put down.

Amazon link: War and Peace

The Matter With Things is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. The primary theme of the book is an exploration of the bi-hemispheric structure of the brain. Why is the brain divided into two asymmetrical hemispheres? What are the differences between the two hemispheres? How do they permit different ways of attending to the world? Why is the modern world moving in a direction in which the left-hemisphere mode of experience is dominating? Exploring these question Iain McGilchrist delves deeply into the cutting edges of science, psychology, and philosophy.

Amazon link: The Matter With Things

The Quotable Jung is an indispensable compendium for admirers of Carl Jung as it provides a curated selection of his most profound passages across an array of subjects. Organized by themes such as The Development of Personality, Religious Experience and God, Good and Evil, The Unconscious, and Creativity and Imagination, this collection allows readers to delve into specific areas of interest, offering a comprehensive insight into Jung’s thoughts on each topic.

Amazon link: The Quotable Jung

The Swamplands Of The Soul is a meditation on the meaning and significance of suffering. Author James Hollis provides a strong critique of the idea that the goal of life is happiness, and he offers age old wisdom on how to constructively use the suffering that occupies our present and awaits us in the future. This book emphasizes the truth that to be human is to suffer, and that just because we suffer does not mean there something wrong with us. In fact, every great individual has been made great through great suffering.

Amazon link: Swamplands Of The Soul

When most people think of psychopaths what comes to mind are the famous serial killers. But most psychopaths are not serial killers. According to some estimates 4% of all humans beings are psychopaths. A psychopath is characterized by an inability to feel empathy or guilt. They tend to be Machiavellian figures who use and abuse others, and then coldly walk away after a person no longer serves them.  Given that psychopaths are predators who can easily ruin our life if we let them, knowledge of their psychology is critical. The Sociopath Next Door is, for this reason, a must read.

Amazon link: The Sociopath Next Door

The Heart of Man opens with the question “is man a wolf or a sheep?”. What proceeds is a profound journey into the depths of man’s capacities for good and evil. Author Erich Fromm differentiates between those who love life, and those who love death – which he refers to as the biophilous and the necrophilous characters. In one of the sharper sections, he examines the  phenomenon of “incestuous fixation to mother”, and elaborates how damaging this is on an individual’s psychological health. While some of Fromm’s other works are more well known, the quality of this work equals any of his others.

Amazon link: The Heart of Man

Amor fati, or love of fate, was the goal of Nietzsche’s life. He witnessed the social structures and religious beliefs which had been sources of collective meaning begin to crumble and die. He foresaw that the grave problem of meaninglessness would sculpt the generations which followed him, and he made it is his mission to discover how a heroic individual can find meaning and affirm life in an otherwise nihilistic age. The Affirmation of Life examines Nietzsche’s thoughts on how to say Yes to life.

Amazon link: The Affirmation of Life

Get Over Yourself is a unique book which critiques modern society through the lens of Nietzsche’s philosophy. Patrick West explores what Nietzsche might have thought about digital addiction, social media shaming, virtue signaling, academic censorship, identity politics, and the envy which pervades so many of our political institutions. This book is a short and enjoyable read.

Amazon link: Get Over Yourself

Brian Leiter breaks down Nietzsche’s ideas on the will to power, the higher man, as well as the “revaluation of values” which was central to Nietzsche’s “war on morality”. This book took my understanding of Nietzsche’s ideas to a new level. Prior knowledge of Nietzsche’s ideas is necessary in order to make the most of this rich book.

Amazon link: Nietzsche on Morality

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most accessible texts of religious scripture. Written over 2000 years ago, the wisdom of the Gita is timeless and highly practical to the modern day. The translation by Eknath Easwaran is very readable with a great introduction and commentary accompanying each section. As Easwaran notes in his introduction “the Gita’s subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious.”

Amazon Link: The Bhagavad Gita

Interest rates, or more specifically the artificial manipulation of interest rates by central banks, is one of the primary factors shaping the world today. In The Price of Time, historian Edward Chancellor, provides a fascinating history of interest rates and exposes the dangers of the central bank policy of artificially suppressing rates below market levels.

Amazon Link: The Price of Time

In Decoding Jung’s Metaphysics Bernardo Kastrup explores Jung’s metaphysical ideas. What did Jung believe was the nature of reality? Was Jung a materialist? Or did he believe in the primacy of mind over matter? What were Jung’s views on the nature of God? Kastrup covers deep questions like these, but as the book is well-written it is worth the time for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of Jung’s philosophical views.

Amazon Link: Decoding Jung’s Metaphysics

Under Saturn’s Shadow by James Hollis delves into the psychological challenges faced by men in modern society. The book explores themes such as the mother complex, the importance of rites of initiation, the phenomenon of the absent father, and what it means to be a man. For anyone who wants to understand why the man-child neurosis is so prevalent in our society, and some insight regarding how to overcome it, Under Saturn’s Shadow is an essential read.

Amazon link: Under Saturn’s Shadow

David Buss examines the intricacies of human mating, and the sexual preferences and strategies of men and women, from an evolutionary standpoint. Buss covers topics such as jealousy, infidelity, and the different mating strategies between genders, in a manner that seeks the truth and pays no heed to political correctness. For anyone who wants to better understand the evolutionary logic behind the sexual psychology of men and women, and the conflicts that so often play out between the sexes, this is an enlightening read.

Amazon link: The Evolution of Desire

Many people today find themselves alone, without a romantic relationship or meaningful friendships. Many others find themselves in unhealthy relationships, and wish they had more time alone. Solitude: A Philosophical Encounter by Philip Koch, is a deep dive into the nature of solitude and the benefits of being alone. The book dispels common misconceptions about solitude, such as the idea that solitude must lead to loneliness, and it explains the why solitude fosters self-discovery, creativity, and spiritual growth.

Amazon link: Solitude: A Philosophical Encounter

M. Scott Peck opens The Road Less Traveled with the profound truth, “Life is difficult”. He then proceeds to reflect upon how to navigate the difficulties of life in a way that promotes personal growth. Peck examines the importance of self-discipline, the nature and pitfalls of romantic love, why laziness is “the one and only original sin”, and the understudied phenomenon of “grace”. The Road Less Traveled is an extremely insightful book that has the potential to change the way you look at yourself, the world, as well as motivate you to take the road less traveled of personal growth.

Amazon link: The Road Less Traveled

Endurance tells the story of the great explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated 1914 attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. This is a fast-past, well-written and suspenseful read which displays the astonishing capacities that men can tap into when faced with the direst of circumstances.

Amazon Link: Endurance

Chronic diseases have been on the rise in the West for several decades. The Western medical paradigm, with its focus on pharmaceutical drugs and surgical interventions, is sometimes limited in its ability to do much more than treat the symptoms of many of these diseases. In Mind Over Medicine the medical doctor Lissa Rankin explores how our mindset, emotions, relationships, and lifestyle choices profoundly influence both the onset of illness and the body’s ability to naturally heal. Rankin’s book is a compelling read for anyone who desires to learn more about the often-overlooked capacity we have to influence our own healing.

Amazon Link: Mind Over Medicine