The World's Best Book Summaries
What is a progressive income tax? Why should the wealthy pay more taxes? In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty argues that since the 1980s, wealth inequality has made a troubling comeback that demands a response. His proposed solution is a progressive income tax. Read more about Piketty’s case for progressive taxation and why other economists think differently.
What are the best habits to change your life today? How can you embrace new habits permanently? In Untamed, speaker, author, and activist Glennon Doyle shares how she was unable to express her emotions or cope with the heartache, pain, anxiety, and depression she experienced as a young woman. Eventually, Doyle discovered new habits that freed her from the strictures of society by rejecting the limitations society imposes on women. Read on to find out two of the most important habits for living a happier life, according to Doyle’s advice for women.
If humans are cooperative by nature, why do we wage wars with each other? Does our species owe its survival to competition or to cooperation? According to Rutger Bregman, the author of Humankind, human cooperation is the reason our species survived. Based on archaeological evidence, he concludes that early humans were compassionate and cooperative. He argues that, contrary to popular belief, they didn’t engage in war with each other. Here’s why humans are cooperative—rather than competitive—by nature, according to Bregman.
What is the number one cause of unhappiness? How does trying to make other people happy eat away at your own happiness? One of the most common pitfalls that prevent people from being happy is, paradoxically enough, trying too hard to make others happy. Relying on positive feedback to feel happy creates a breeding ground for unwanted experiences and negative feelings. This is because seeking validation compels you to engage in two habits that disconnect you from your true needs: suppressing your feelings and pursuing the wrong goals. Let’s explore how these two inauthentic habits eat away at your happiness.
What makes an effective presentation? What are some things you should keep in mind when putting together a slideshow? An effective presentation is one that’s put together with the audience in mind. If you are creating slides, simplify things as much as possible: make sure the text is easy to read and digest, minimize distractions (e.g. animated slide transitions), and avoid superfluous language. Here are a few useful tips for a good presentation.
How can we get rid of stereotypes and racism? How can we give more political power back to the people? How can we use science to advance civilization? The more we apply scientific thinking and values to the world at large, the better the world will be. That’s the view of Carl Sagan. In The Demon-Haunted World, he argues that scientific understanding and principles can eliminate bigotry, fight tyranny, and bolster democracy. Keep reading to learn more about this important connection between science and society.
What’s leverage? How can you use this principle to build wealth over time? The Almanack of Naval Ravikant shares Ravikant’s ideas on leverage. He argues that leverage is a key component of building a passive income. He explains how you can leverage labor, money, and products that can be replicated without further inputs. Keep reading to learn about three types of leverage in financial management.
What is David Deutsch’s book The Beginning of Infinity about? What are the main takeaways of the book? In The Beginning of Infinity, David Deutsch makes a counterargument to the belief that there is a finite amount of knowledge in the universe. Deutsch rejects the idea that humanity will someday know everything there is to know. Read below for a brief overview of The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch.
What does “the gap and the gain” mean? What’s the difference between these two ways of measuring progress and success? You might need to make one simple shift in your thinking. That’s the core idea of The Gap and the Gain that was developed by entrepreneurial coach Dan Sullivan. In the book, organizational psychologist Benjamin Hardy connects Sullivan’s ideas to scientific concepts that help explain why we tend to focus on the future and how we can train ourselves to focus on the past instead. Hardy and Sullivan argue that making this change can drastically improve your quality of life.
What is Earth’s place in the universe? How big is the universe? Is our planet significant? The late astronomer and scientist Carl Sagan described Earth’s place in the universe—both physically and significantly. He paints a picture of just how vast the universe is and how inconsequential our blue-green planet is. Here’s why humans should be humbled by the size of the universe.