The World's Best Book Summaries
Some say capitalism is failing. Is it? How can we tell? Is there anything we can do about it? Capitalists have reason to champion the system. It’s spurred economic, scientific, and imperial growth the way few other imagined realities have. But what happens in situations when it fails to work? We’ll cover two critiques of capitalism that say that capitalism has failed.
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.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu says, “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.” What does Tzu mean by this? Why would you want to appear weak? We’ll cover Tzu’s advice for mastering the art of deception and how to make your forces appear weaker than they really are.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu says, “To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.” What does Tzu mean by that? How do you become your enemy? We’ll cover 17 strategies for reading your enemy so well that you practically become your enemy. Learn what signs to look for.
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 are some of the most important Art of War lessons from Sun Tzu? What do they mean? Are they applicable to modern-day life? The Art of War was written as a strategic handbook for how to navigate military conflict. The principles and suggestions provided throughout the book are geared toward armed struggle and the relationships between governments and military factions, but they’re adaptable to everyday life as well. We’ll cover some of the key Art of War lessons.
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 is the relationship between mindfulness and happiness? Can being more mindful make us happier? Can it reduce suffering? Mindfulness and happiness are a well-researched pair, and many people believe that being more mindful can contribute to your happiness. According to this theory, mindfulness can help you keep from grasping at pleasure and avoiding pain, which are the roots of suffering. We’ll cover how mindfulness and happiness are related and explore some other theories of happiness.
What is stage 13 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? What is the significance of the “magic flight”? The magic flight is the stage of the hero’s journey in which the hero’s return home is marked by a chase as the gods seek to regain the elixir that has been stolen from them. The magic flight is stage 13 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. We’ll cover what the magic flight entails and look at two examples of the magic-flight stage of the hero’s journey.