The World's Best Book Summaries
What is the belief in many gods? What were the benefits of polytheism for our ancestors? Polytheism is the belief in many gods. After the Agricultural Revolution, our ancestors worshipped gods in return for dominance over plants and animals. We’ll cover the rise of polytheism and how polytheism is inherently tolerant of diversities in race, culture, and lifestyle.
Is there Neanderthal DNA in modern humans? How much? How did it get there? Some people have up to 4% Neanderthal DNA. This is because early Homo sapiens, our species, interbred with Neanderthals, a different human species. Learn the difference between Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens and how researchers made the surprising discovery that there’s Neanderthal DNA in some modern humans.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu advises to “subdue the enemy without fighting.” What does Tzu mean by this? How can you avoid fighting in battle? We’ll cover how to subdue the enemy without fighting and the art of the easy victory.
How does Buddha’s journey toward enlightenment follow the hero’s journey, as described in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces? What was the Buddha’s “call to action”? In Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, every significant adventure in mythology and religion starts with a call to action. We’ll cover how the Buddha’s journey conforms to the hero’s journey and what the Buddha’s call to action was.
What was the Pleistocene extinction? Why was it one of the biggest animal extinctions caused by humans in history? The Pleistocene extinction was the event in which many large mammals about 45,000 years ago. According to the Pleistocene overkill hypothesis, this mass extinction was caused by human migration to previously uninhabited areas of the world. We’ll cover what kinds of animals went extinct during the Pleistocene extinction and how humans became history’s most egregious serial killers.
What is Sun Tzu’s strategy for battle in The Art of War? Why is terrain so important to Sun Tzu’s overall strategy? Within the strategy of successful leadership, you must understand both the types of terrain and grounds on which battles may be waged. Terrain includes all physical elements of the land, and grounds refer to the psychological considerations encompassed in the land. We’ll cover the terrain to be aware of and other elements of Sun Tzu’s strategy for battle.
What are the basic theories of happiness? Which one is correct? Theories of happiness come from the areas of psychology, biology, philosophy, and religion. Each one has a slightly different take on how to find true happiness. We’ll cover the four theories of happiness and discuss how they compare.
What is the origin of monotheism? How did our ancestors move from worshipping many gods to worshipping a single God? The origin of monotheism is in the individual’s fondness for one particular god in a polytheistic religion. People started worshipping a single, favorite god, and this single god retained the biases and interests of the polytheistic gods. We’ll cover the origin of monotheism from polytheism and how this lay the foundation for some of the most widespread religions today.
What is the relationship between mythology and psychology? How do psychologists serve the function of storytellers in the past? We’ll cover how mythology led to psychology, the psychological aspects of ancient mythology, and why mythology is still relevant today.
What is stage 16 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? What is the significance of being a “master of two worlds”? Master of two worlds is the stage of the hero’s journey in which the hero can move seamlessly between the two worlds, without destroying or compromising either. Master of two worlds is stage 16 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. We’ll cover what being a master of two worlds entails and look at examples of the master-of-two-worlds stage of the hero’s journey.