Here are some things that I like. You might like them too.
I will update this list as I read more excellent things and to add links to my book reviews. If there is something that you think I would like to read, let me know in the comments below.
Books
Science
The Future of Fusion Energy by Jason Parisi and Justin Ball (2019).
A wonderful description of fusion science. The second chapter alone, which overviews current energy consumption and options for the future, makes the book worthwhile. It succeeds in being accessible to non-scientists and is concise enough for me to use as a reference.
Weather, Macroweather, and the Climate by Shaun Lovejoy (2019).
An excellent book on climate science. It is accessible to any scientist or engineer. Lovejoy describes the atmosphere as an anisotropic multifractal. There is clearly different behavior on three different timescales: weather – unstable fluctuations shorter than 10 days, macroweather – stable fluctuations between 10 days and about 50 years, and climate – unstable fluctuations on longer time scales. This description allows Lovejoy to make predictions of climate change that are at least as accurate as Global Climate Models (the standard for climate science) and are millions of times less complex.
A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin (1994).
The greatest technological achievement of the twentieth century was sending people to the moon and bringing them safely home. This book engagingly explains the personal challenges and scientific success of the moon missions. See also Nixon’s speech for if the moon landing failed.
History
A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke (1689).
This is probably the most influential text in the development of liberalism. Locke goes through a series of distinct arguments, both religious and political. Although the conclusions are not entirely the same for the different arguments, they all show that more religious freedom is better.
Seeing Like A State by James C. Scott (1998).
Many things that we associate with modernity (organized streets, clearly-defined property ownership, standardized units of measurement, and even last names) were imposed by governments hoping to make society more legible to a centralized bureaucracy. When a powerful government becomes infatuated with the idea of legibility, it may try to dramatically restructure society to improve it in a few measurable ways. The damage to society is enormous.
The Sovereign State and Its Competitors by Hendrik Spruyt (1994).
Our current international system consists of sovereign, territorial states: entities which claim absolute authority within some lines on a map and no authority outside of them. Although this is completely intuitive today, it is not the only way the international system could be organized. The institution of the sovereign, territorial state arose in France during the High Middle Ages (~1050-1350) as a result of the interaction between the feudal system and the recently growing cities. Similar forces led to different institutions elsewhere: city-states in Italy and city leagues in Germany. During the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Era (~1350-1650) these inconsistent international systems competed until the sovereign state system became dominant.
Political Treatise by Baruch Spinoza (1676).
Starts with a snarky opening about the purposes of government and who is best at analyzing them. An interesting analysis of two hypothetical governments, a limited monarchy and an aristocracy. Both governments are well outside of current our Overton window. Unfortunately, it cuts o ff before getting to Spinoza’s favorite: democracy.
Religion
The Old Testament by many (before 200 BC).
The remnants of the library at Jerusalem, edited by the Babylonian sword. The text that we have is only that which survived the destructions and purges of the intervening centuries. Because it has no unified agenda, the Old Testament is the most human of the scriptures. It displays people with all of the complex interactions of our virtues, vices, and ambivalent traits and actions. The text is littered without irrelevant digressions and stories whose morals are in tension with each other. Nevertheless, the work of God moves forward.
The New Testament by many (before 100 AD).
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. It begins with four accounts of the Savior’s life. A hodgepodge of letter from various apostles addresses many issues faced by the early church. And then there’s Revelation.
The Book of Mormon by disputed (1830 or before 600 AD).
The history of a people for a thousand years, compiled by a skilled historian, with the explicit intent to persuade people to believe in Christ and to provide examples of righteousness. Most of the theology appears in sermons scattered across the text. It is neither an exposition of uniquely Mormon doctrines nor a thorough analysis of the human complexity of the society described. This story is about Christ.
Doctrine and Covenants by Joseph Smith and others (mostly 1830-1844).
There is no true distinction between spiritual and temporal questions, or between contingent and eternal truths. The collection of revelations given to Joseph Smith and others exemplifies this unity. Mundane instructions to individuals and minutia of running a society are so thoroughly blended with eternal doctrines that it can be difficult to distinguish them. Needs to be read along with or after a history of early Mormonism to provide context.
Rough Stone Rolling by Lyman Bushman (2005).
One of the few biographies of Joseph Smith that places historical evidence above any current agenda. For non-Mormons, it provides interesting insight into the weirdness of Mormon religion and culture, helping people to understand who we are even if they are not interested in being converted. For Mormons, it provides evidences of the greatness of Joseph Smith’s accomplishments and the weaknesses that continually plagued the man.
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis (1946).
A surprisingly Mormon description of Heaven and Hell: the pains of Hell are social instead of physical, Heaven is a place of progression, it is possible for people to repent after death but before Final Judgment, people in Heaven pause their progression to act as missionaries for their family and friends in Hell, and people are portrayed as inherently eternal beings. The main benefit of reading this book is not comparative theology. It helps us recognizes ways that we refuse the Salvation that God offers us.
Philosophy of Science
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn (1962).
The most accurate description I’ve seen of how science is done. Normal science is puzzle solving within a paradigm: the collection of theory and experiments that helps us understand the world. Any paradigm has unsolved problems and inaccurate predictions. Occasionally, these problems get so bad that scientists doubt the paradigm. A new paradigm emerges to compete with and eventually replace the old. During this scientific revolution, it’s not clear which paradigm is better because the rules for determining this depend on the paradigm. Progress in science means being able to solve more problems, not getting closer to the Truth.
Against Method by Paul Feyerabend (1975).
An extremely radical, but interesting and well-informed, philosophy of science. Science progresses best when scientists don’t follow epistemic rules. There is no essential difference between science and non-science. Anything goes. And the Church was right in the Galileo affair.
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter (1979).
A popular explanation of one of the most philosophically unsettling developments of modern mathematics, Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem, and how it pertains to everything. I loved this book when I read it in high school and I hope I would still find it worthwhile if I read it now. The fables interspersed between chapters are especially fun.
Fiction
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (1955).
Most of the fiction I’ve read was in high school. Since then, I’ve read mostly nonfiction. The Lord of Rings was my favorite then and is still special to me.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1851).
There is a certain kind of friend that you are always lucky to find. Every time you see them, they have something new to talk about. Although the topics of conversation are wide ranging, your friend displays impressive knowledge, passion, and clarity of thought. Ishmael, the narrator, is such a friend. Although your interests may not be all tangentially related to whaling like his are, any lover of esoteric knowledge will find much to their liking. Occasionally, plot and character development happen as well.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936).
An early anti-imperialist, feminist novel. A young woman struggles to survive as the U.S. army conquers and levels her society. It is extremely personable and portrays poignant emotions, especially suffering and endurance.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960).
Do what is right, even if it is futile and poses a significant threat to yourself and your family.
Blogs
Links go to a particularly good post, not to the homepage.
Slate Star Codex. Now at Astral Codex Ten.
Almost No One is Evil. Almost Everything is Broken.