Monday, June 29, 2015

The Player of Games (Culture)

My next book for A Year of Books is The Player of Games by Iain Banks.
This is a change of pace from all the recent social science books. Instead, it's a science fiction book about an advanced civilization with AI and a vibrant culture.
In other news, my pile of books to read is growing faster than I can get through it while running a large company.


Monday, June 15, 2015

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

My next book for A Year of Books is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Harari.
This book is a big history narrative of human civilization -- from how we developed from hunter-gatherers early on to how we organize our society and economy today.
Following the Muqaddimah, which was a history from the perspective of an intellectual in the 1300s, Sapiens is a contemporary exploration of many similar questions. I'm looking forward to reading these different perspectives.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Muqaddimah

My next book for A Year of Books is Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun.
It's a history of the world written by an intellectual who lived in the 1300s. It focuses on how society and culture flow, including the creation of cities, politics, commerce and science.
While much of what was believed then is now disproven after 700 more years of progress, it's still very interesting to see what was understood at this time and the overall worldview when it's all considered together.