Best Philosophy Books

“Peter is a former Stanford colleague and a brilliant philosopher of science. But this book is an extraordinary excursion into the philosophy of mind – a thorough exploration of a species in which intelligence arose completely independent of the evolutionary line that produced human intelligence... I have recommended this book to scores of people of all backgrounds, and without exception they find it accessible and deeply rewarding.”

“The sum of our knowledge as an Island in a vast and endless ocean... As we grow our understanding of the world, the Island grows and with it so does the shores of our ignorance. Gleiser writes, 'We strive toward knowledge, always more knowledge... but must understand that we are, and will remain, surrounded by mystery.' The book is a fascinating and wide-ranging tour through scientific history.”

“I don't give a damn how rich you are financially or how abundant you are with your family or love. We all experience extreme stress in our life at some point. It's the ultimate equalizer... the ability to find meaning in the most difficult times, I think, is one of the most important skills of life, and there's probably not a greater example than that book.”

“I'm surprised they haven't tried to destroy the reputation of Alexis de Tocqueville in his book Democracy in America. Just a matter of time. You notice the Democrats want to keep centralising power... Alexis de Tocqueville comes to America... and he says there's no conceivable way America could ever have such an all powerful centralized government.”

“I haven't highlighted or made as many notes in a book in a very long time as I did with this one. It's probably the best book I've read... I tell everybody that I speak to that if you're going to read three books in the world, Essentialism, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, and The Psychology of Money... those are the three books that you need.”