The World's Best Book Summaries
What is the “Ladder of Love” in Plato’s Symposium? What are the six steps of Diotima’s Ladder? What kind of love does each step represent? Diotima’s Ladder of Love is a metaphor for different types of love that originated in Plato’s Symposium. It conceptualizes love in terms of progressive stages or steps: The higher the steps, the higher and the more sophisticated one’s love is. Keep reading to learn about Diotima’s Ladder of Love.
Do you struggle to express your emotions? How can expressing yourself better improve your life? Author Glennon Doyle asserts that you are taught by society not to feel anything, to avoid emotion and pain at all costs. Numbing yourself keeps you in captivity, but you can evolve and challenge the status quo when you break free of this conditioning. Read on to learn more about society’s impact on emotions and how to express yourself better in daily life.
What is human nature in philosophy? Are humans benevolent or evil by their nature? In philosophy, human nature has been debated extensively. Some philosophers argue that humans are naturally deceitful and cruel, seemingly with a lot of evidence to back us up: Throughout history, groups of humans have gone to war, committed genocide, and owned slaves. But despite our history of evil, humans are fundamentally good. Here’s why the basic nature of humankind is inherently good, according to historian Rutger Bregman.
What if the general public were more scientifically aware? What’s the path to get there? In The Demon-Haunted World, Carl Sagan shares his concern about science illiteracy, especially in America. He believes that a general public that’s equipped with more knowledge about scientific principles and methods would be a positive force in the world. He outlines two ways to increase science literacy: improving science education (including instilling more enthusiasm for science) and increasing funding for scientific research. Let’s take a close look at this advice from Sagan.
Are you constantly fighting who you are? Do you let others’ opinions get the best of you? The Almanack of Naval Ravikant offers advice on how to build happiness. Ravikant argues that self-acceptance is a must if you want to be truly happy. He explains that the keys are to accept your own mortality and stop obsessing about what others think of you. Let’s take a closer look at Ravikant’s advice on how to accept yourself as you are.
What’s the best time of day to make a daily plan? What are implementation intentions and linked habits? Gap-thinking and Gain-thinking are two different ways to interpret your achievements in life. Gap-thinking is measuring forward by using your ideal future self as the object of comparison. Gain-thinking is measuring backward by using your past self instead. In The Gap and the Gain, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy share practical recommendations on how to make a daily plan that helps you stay focused on Gains. Keep reading for tips on planning ahead, one day at a time.
Is interstellar space travel feasible? What did the late Carl Sagan think about space travel? In his book Cosmos, the late astronomer Carl Sagan spoke about the possibility of interstellar space travel. He believed that it may be possible in the future with the use of nuclear fusion technology. He also said that we would likely need to use multigenerational spacecrafts if we wanted to make any significant progress. Here’s what Carl Sagan had to say about space travel.
Is gender important to consider when thinking about health? How does gender affect health? According to Caroline Criado Perez in Invisible Women, our male-as-default mindset results in a gender data gap that harms women’s health. She discusses how this manifests in everyday products and in our healthcare system. Read below to learn how gender and health are interconnected through car crash tests and medicine.
What is Imago Relationship Therapy? How does it help fix relationships? In Getting the Love You Want, Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt talk about their Imago Relationship Therapy. They created the therapy as a response to the failure of the models of marriage counseling prevalent at the time. Below we’ll see how couples can use Imago Relationship Therapy for a lifetime.
What are the most important characteristics of a good purpose statement? How do you write a purpose statement? Motivational speaker and author Simon Sinek believes finding your purpose helps you make more persuasive appeals to people. Your energy and commitment to your purpose are contagious, so having clarity on it helps you pitch your ideas in a way that’s more authentic and enticing to others. Read on to learn Sinek’s proven steps for writing a good purpose statement and how to start creating your own.