This is Whitehead's attempt to nail the whole of existence and experience in 350 pages. Extraordinarily, he actually comes close. Note that Process & Reality is incredibly dense, convoluted and slow. They say books find their readers: if you are not strongly intrinsically intrigued, it's unlikely you'll stick with this one. Those with a great willingness will come out the other end with their minds blown.

There's been a shift in how we see emotions. This book covers Feldman-Barrett's new research and theory: our brains are prediction engines wherein emotions are more fluid and emergent than just simple labels like fear, anger, and happiness. It’s a useful model for introspection and intention.

With good reason, Alan Watts has been called the foremost western interpreter of Eastern philosophies, like Buddhism and Taoism. Published in 1968, this book has gained more relevance since. You might agree, disagree, or sit somewhere in between — but you will come out with new thoughts.

Try to imagine the darkest story of all time as if your life depended on it and it still wouldn't come close to the nightmare of the Third Reich. This really happened and it should never again: that is why this book is important. To write it, Shirer drew from his experience as a journalist in Berlin since 1925 and exhaustive research of testimonies, secret transcripts, army orders, letters, diaries. It's a monumental work of incredible detail that doesn't dwell nor bore a second.

This book is as much a summary of some of the most influential work in modern psychology as it is an autobiography. Jung walks us through his story from childhood to old-age, and in the process, we gain direct insight into how interconnected his life and work really were. Even if you don’t agree with everything he says, you can’t help but be fascinated by his mind.

It’s hard to understate Nietzsche's influence today. Fortunately, he is one of the easier philosophers to read. The Gay Science covers many of his biggest ideas, with all their confidence, strangeness, thoughtfulness, practicality, and genius.

Everybody knows Leonardo as a towering figure of history, but few think of him as a man of flesh and blood. Isaacson manages to illustrate just the right mix. We learn about his curiosities and eccentricities, fears and weaknesses, and all about how he did what he did. It beautifully captures the potential that exists at the intersection of the arts and the sciences.

There are few books with better character development than this masterpiece. It’s set as a murder mystery, but in reality, it’s far more than that. It follows the story of four brothers with very different and very complex takes on life. They are vivid and contradictory and alive, and through them, Dostoyevsky embarks on a quest to uncover and challenge human nature.

Philosophy can be challenging to grasp — especially directly from the source. This book is a wonderful alternative. Durant weaves the ideas and stories of history's greatest philosophers together in a compelling narrative. Not a replacement for the originals, but a great introduction.

In a first-principle sense, the history of civilization is really the history of energy technology. From food to fire, horses, slaves, fossil fuels and electricity: all of human organization is a function of how we generate, store, transfer and scale energy. Crucial context for understanding our history and future.

Csíkszentmihályi has researched happiness for longer than most of us has been alive. "Flow" is a handbook on how to improve the quality of your subjective experience. Part science, part philosophy: this books breaks down how to truly enjoy the everyday moments in life — and does so very well.

Few books are so easy-to-read yet so deeply packed with meaning. The Stranger tells the story of an outsider, and through it explores questions of what it means to be human. Spoiler: there are questions without answers. 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature.

As historians, both Judt and Snyder are clearheaded thinkers of the rarest breed. I’d recommend pretty much all their books. If you read only one, let it be this one. Not so much a book, but a thrilling conversation that took place during Judt’s final days. It’s a thoughtful dissection of the ideological currents that shaped our modern societies. Every page sparkling with insight, wit and wisdom. At the end, you’ll walk away with a comprehensive grasp of the century’s complex legacy.

“Man is split in two.” Humans are the only animals able to think of realities that don’t exist (yet) and thus aware of our mortal fate. Becker argues the human drive for creation roots from a deep need not to be forgotten. We create in order to defy death; to somehow overcome the inevitable by becoming part of something bigger that lasts beyond. Such immortality projects exist in the symbolic world of meaning: the realm of cultures, ideologies, religions. It’s a fascinating take on first-principle human psychology throughout history.

No one has thought about the transformative social powers of media and technology more clearly and effectively than McLuhan. "Understanding Media" was written in the age of radio and television, but has been aging like fine wine since. As our consciousness is integrating itself deeper and deeper with immersive media and tech, it's increasingly important to understand how that impacts how we relates to ourselves and others.

Much of history can be traced through the tension between centralisation and decentralisation. Scott skeptically investigates the modern state's quest for legibility, standardisation and scaling of control — and its often devastating costs to local cultures, economies and ecologies. A fascinating illustration of the trade-offs between top-down institutional efficiency and bottom-up community wisdom.

Hofstadter draws surprising parallels between the works of logician Gödel, artist Escher and composer Bach. Math, art and music blend together in a dance that transcends disciplinary boundaries and challenges our understanding of human consciousness. It's a riveting read, with fresh perspectives on the interconnectedness of intellect and creativity.

No matter how often I read about the idea and story of money, I'd always felt something was off. "Debt" finally scratched that itch. Graeber debunks commonly accepted myths about money's origins. Instead, he reveals a history of credit systems predating cash that have deeply shaped our societies, legal systems and moral codes to this very day. It's a thought-provoking read that will change the way you see not just money, but the world it created.