8 Books the Smartest People on the Planet Should Read – The Pleasure of Reading
What books should every smart person on the planet read? This question was answered by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the great science communicator.
There are books that entertain us, books that comfort us, and books that move us. Most of them also teach us something, but few books mark the before and after of our lives. intellectual development, and they got used to our heads.
Every reader can immediately name several books that forever changed his view of the world, but only a few volumes have the honor of defining the majority of the world. humanity.
“What books should every smart person on the planet read?” This is a question that an Ask Reddit user asked on a well-known forum and received an answer to, nothing more and nothing less than Neil deGrasse Tysonastrophysicist, writer, and one of the most prominent science communicators in the United States.
De Grasse, considered by many to be the most worthy follower Carl Saganthere are eight books you need to read to understand most of the things that led to history of the western world. The list is, of course, subjective and Anglocentric – and the omission of Marx will be unforgivable for many – but it is true that these eight books are essential to understanding the world around us (both good and bad). Moreover, they are all royalty-free and their respective electronic versions are free.
Isaac Newton’s world system
SUMMARY
The third book of Newton’s Principia, entitled De mundi systemate (“The System of the World”), reveals the consequences of the principle of universal gravitation, especially in relation to astronomy. According to DeGrasse, reading is important to “understand that the universe is a place that we can know.”
The Age of Reason Thomas Paine
SUMMARY
American revolutionary Thomas Paine was one of the fathers of the world’s first constitutional democracy and one of the first intellectuals to criticize institutionalized religion and the inerrancy of the Bible. The Age of Reason is perhaps the most important deistic text, that is, the philosophical position adopted…
Bible
SUMMARY
It is estimated that Christianity’s sacred text has been printed between 2,500 and 6,000 million times in various editions and languages. Probably the best-selling edition is the English edition known as the King James Bible, which was first published in 1611.
Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
SUMMARY
Darwin’s Origin of Species is perhaps the most important popular science book in history. The English naturalist knew very well what influence his theory of evolution could have, since it called into question all religious beliefs, and that is why he decided to write a book in which…
Jonathan Swift “Gulliver’s Travels”
SUMMARY
Although Gulliver’s Travels is often considered a children’s book, it is actually one of the first satirical novels in history, violently attacking the society of its time as well as the universal suffering of human existence. Swift worked as secretary to the famous English politician Sir William Temple, who…
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
SUMMARY
It is difficult to understand the world we live in without reading the founding book of capitalism and therefore the work that laid the foundations of the economic system in which almost all of us live, whether we like it or not. According to DeGrasse, reading this text is essential “to learn that capitalism is an economy of greed, a natural force in…
The Art of War Sun Tzu
SUMMARY
The oldest book on the list is also the only one written in the Far East. The well-known volume is devoted to military tactics and strategy and has traditionally been required reading in army academies, but for some time it has been considered a very useful manual for conflict resolution and the application of tactics…
The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli
SUMMARY
Niccolò Machiavelli wrote his famous treatise on political theory while serving a prison sentence for plotting against the Medici. Its purpose was to show how princes should rule their countries in order to successfully maintain their power (regardless of whether their rule is just and morally acceptable). For Degrasse everything…
SOURCE TAKEN FROM: El Confidencial