The World's Best Book Summaries
What is animism? How is it related to theism? Who held animistic beliefs? Animism is the belief that every animate and inanimate thing has thoughts and feelings and can communicate with people. This belief system is non-hierarchical—all beings are equal. We’ll dive deep into the animism definition, discussion animism’s origin, and look at animism’s history.
What is Sun Tzu’s philosophy in The Art of War? What are his main themes? The Art of War by Sun Tzu is a renowned guide for how to engage in conflict and be successful in battle. Written more than two thousand years ago, Sun Tzu, a Chinese warrior and philosopher, details the nature of competition and psychology of leadership and provides strategies for how to approach both. Although his teachings are geared toward actual military conflict, the principles can be useful in all arenas of conflict or competition, even at a personal level. We’ll cover some of the primary aspects
What was the Three Kingdoms Period? What can its wars teach us about the value of location, alliance, and loyalty in battle? The Three Kingdoms Period was the era in which three kingdoms ruled China: the Wei, Shu, and Wu. This period began in 220 AD and ended in 280 AD with the rise of the Jin Dynasty. We’ll cover what the Three Kingdoms Period can teach us about the importance of location, alliances, and loyalty.
What are some of the most popular Maori myths and legends? How do these Maori legends fit into the template of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? We’ll cover some Maori myths and legends and discuss how they align with stages of the hero’s journey, as laid out by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Why is childbirth so painful? What happened in the evolution of humans to make it as arduous as it is? Childbirth is painful because of our relatively narrow hips and the relatively large brains of infants. Although we’re not sure why humans evolved such large brains, we do know that narrow hips had some evolutionary advantages. We’ll cover how humans evolved the bodies they did and why childbirth is so painful.
What happened during the first early human migration? Where did humans start, and where did they end up? How did human migration affect other species? The first early human migration was the era in which humans figured out how to cross the sea barrier and made it to Australia, 45,000 years ago. The next major early human migration happened 16,000 years ago, when man reached the American continent. We’ll discuss the progress of the early human migrations and how they caused some of the biggest mass extinctions of all time.
What is the origin of religion? What was the nature of our ancestors’ first beliefs about the universe? The origin of religion is animism, the belief that every animate and inanimate thing has thoughts and feelings and can communicate with people. From the origin of animism developed polytheism and monotheism. We’ll cover the origin of religion, animism, and how it influenced the subsequent history of religion.
Who was Kamar al-Zaman? How does this prince’s adventures in Arabian Nights tales follow the conventions of the hero’s journey? Kamar al-Zaman is a prince in the tales of The Arabian Nights. The stories of Kamar al-Zaman, Princess Budur, and the otherworldly Maymunah follow the hero’s journey popularized by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. We’ll examine two popular Kamar al-Zaman tales and explore how they follow the stages of Campbell’s hero’s journey.
What were the causes of the Scientific Revolution? How did the new acceptance of ignorance become the root of our quest for knowledge? The Scientific Revolution was caused by a shift in the way people viewed the world and its future. These paradigm shifts included the willingness to accept our own ignorance, an emphasis on math and observation, the desire for imperial dominance, and the new belief in progress. We’ll cover how these causes of the Scientific Revolution changed the world, formed a web with the economy, politics, and religion, and sparked the movement toward modernity.
Is it true that opportunities multiply as they are seized? And who said this? The quote “opportunities multiply as they are seized” comes from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. We’ll cover how you can watch your opportunities multiply when facing down the enemy.