The World's Best Book Summaries
What is Carl Sagan’s book Cosmos about? What’s out there in the vast reaches of space? Are we alone in the universe? Renowned astronomer Carl Sagan offers some insight into these questions and many more in his widely acclaimed book, Cosmos. In this book, he provides a comprehensive description of the science, philosophy, and history of astronomical discovery, from ancient Ionia to the time of the book’s publication in 1980. Here’s a brief overview of Cosmos.
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.
What is love? How does love connect to philosophy? How can it lead to human happiness? The ancient Greek philosopher Plato addresses these questions and more in his Symposium, a work which claims that passionate desire, rather than cold and detached analysis, drives philosophy. Symposium also provides insight into Plato’s views on happiness, education, and reproduction. Below is a brief overview of Plato’s Symposium on love.
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 Endurance by Alfred Lansing about? What should you take away from the book? Endurance tells the story of British explorer Ernest Shackleton and his 27 men who in 1914 set out to cross Antarctica on foot. But their ship became trapped between massive ice floes, forcing them to begin an 11-month journey through ice and open ocean. Keep reading for a brief overview of Alfred Lansing’s Endurance.
What are the best examples from Find Your Why? How does Simon Sinek explain discovering your purpose? In this article, we’ll break down Sinek’s book Find Your Why by taking a closer look at the book’s best examples for understanding and living your purpose. These Find Your Why examples explain the practical process Sinek advocates for finding your purpose. Read on for an overview of the best Find Your Why examples Simon Sinek gives for discovering and living your purpose.
What is love, according to Plato’s Symposium? How does each of the Symposium speakers define love? Plato’s Symposium is a fourth-hand account of a philosophical dialogue that takes place between characters from fourth century BCE Athens at a party. Each character gives a speech, attempting to answer the question “What is love?” Let’s examine the main arguments of each speech regarding the nature of love.
What does Agathon say about love in Plato’s Symposium? Why does Socrates disagree with Agathon? In Symposium, Agathon’s speech centers on Eros, the god of love, endowing him with three characteristics: Eros is beloved, Eros is an artist, and Eros is good. Socrates, however, disagrees with Agathon, arguing that Eros is a lover rather than a beloved. Let’s examine the main ideas of Agathon’s description of Eros, as well as Socrates’s rebuttal and alternative description.
What are some of the best quotes from the book Outwitting the Devil? What captures the essence of some of the book’s principles? Outwitting the Devil is a self-help book that describes how you can resist the devil’s influence and find personal and financial success in life by choosing clear goals, pursuing them single-mindedly, and surrounding yourself with positive influences. Businessman and author Napoleon Hill emphasizes the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking as the primary tools that will keep you from drifting aimlessly through life or spiraling into failure. Keep reading for some of the best