Shortform Books

History of Religion: From Animism to Communism

The history of religion is vast. What are the main turning points in the history of religion? How has religion unified mankind? How has it divided us? The history of religion starts with animism and progresses through the rise of polytheism, monotheism, and natural law religions. Each type of religion influenced the ones that came later, and today we see the legacies of them. We’ll cover the history of religion from the animism of our forager ancestors to some of the most widespread religions today.

General Cao Cao: 3 Lessons From a Military Hero

Who was General Cao Cao? What lessons can we learn from China’s General Cao Cao? How did he follow the principles of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War to lead his forces to victory? General Cao Cao was a well-respected and renowned military leader in Chinese history who avidly abided by Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Toward the end of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E.), Cao Cao often invaded enemy territories. We’ll cover three lessons you can learn from General Cao Cao and how he adapted Sun Tzu’s strategies to become a great leader.

Arthurian Legend: How It Illustrates the Hero’s Journey

Does Arthurian legend follow the conventions of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? In what ways is King Arthur the archetypical hero of classic legends? We’ll cover the elements of the hero’s journey and how Arthurian legends map onto these elements.

Biology of Happiness: Some People Are Wired for Joy

What is the biology of happiness? What neurochemicals are involved? Does my biological dictate how happy I’m destined to be? The biology of happiness is a theory that our happiness is determined mostly by oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. According to this theory, some people are wired to be happier than others. We’ll cover the theory of the biology of happiness and explore some counter views on what makes us happy (or not).

Crossing the Return Threshold: The Hero’s Journey, Stage 15

What is stage 15 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? What is the significance of “crossing the return threshold”? Crossing the return threshold is the stage of the hero’s journey in which the hero returns to the ordinary world with their divine boon in hand. Crossing the threshold is stage 15 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. We’ll cover what crossing the return threshold entails and look at two examples of this stage of the hero’s journey.

Belief in Many Gods: The Origin of Polytheism

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.

Neanderthal DNA in Modern Humans: How It Got There

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.

Subdue the Enemy Without Fighting: 5 Rules (Sun Tzu)

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.

Buddha’s Hero’s Journey Toward Enlightenment

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.

Pleistocene Extinction: When Humans Became Serial Killers

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.