Kevin Simler
Writer and engineer behind the blog Melting Asphalt; co-author with Robin Hanson of The Elephant in the Brain.
Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths
I wanted to hate this book. I expected it to be a vapid popularization of trivial ideas from computer science. Mostly, I was jealous that the authors had identified such a great idea for a book, and I was hoping they would botch the job. Buuuuut they didn't. The book was great.
Every Cradle is a Grave by Sarah Perry
Sarah Perry, Every Cradle is a Grave. More unsettling to my worldview than anything else I've read in the past few years. Not sure how many of Perry's conclusions I agree with, but they're extremely thought-provoking.
Master of the Senate by Robert Caro
Robert Caro, Master of the Senate (HT: Kevin Kwok, Alok Singh). I made it about two-thirds of the way through, so given my track record, I'll count this one as "finished." It was great!
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny. Great (and short!) book. Probably preaching to the choir, but it's a great sermon.
Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith
Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life. One of the most disappointing books I've read in a long time.
Rational Ritual by Michael Chwe
Michael Chwe, Rational Ritual. Read half of it, then got distracted — but it's very good.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Harari, Sapiens. Read half of it, then lost interest. I'm ambivalent about this book. On the one hand, it provides a useful, somewhat contrarian perspective on human history. (For example: the agricultural revolution probably sucked for the people who went through it.) On the other hand, it's full of sweeping pronouncements that I can't fully endorse.
Scale by Geoffrey West
Geoffrey West, Scale. I'm strongly ambivalent about this book. On the one hand, the topics he covers are extremely important, and he brings a fresh/deep perspective to them. On the other hand, the book is poorly-written. It suffers from long-winded digressions, weird jabs against non-physicists, and (most disappointing of all) a surprising dearth of explanations for the phenomena he describes. Also I think he overstates the case for some of his big claims.
The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch
David Deutsch, The Beginning of Infinity. Even better than Fabric of Reality (thanks Mills, David, Andy). Deutsch offers the most compelling left-brain worldview I imagine it's possible to construct, given our current understanding. Of special note are (1) his emphasis on knowledge as a physical phenomenon, and (2) his ideas on the evolution of creativity. Probably going on the all-time greatest list.
The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith
The Dictator's Handbook. Very good, highly recommended.
The End of Alchemy by Mervyn King
Mervyn King, The End of Alchemy. Not recommended.
The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Gene. See tweetstorm. Bottom line: not recommended.
The Machinery of Life by David Goodsell
David Goodsell, The Machinery of Life. Spectacular book for developing intuition of what goes on inside a cell. The text is OK but the illustrations are absolutely stunning and make the book worthy of a strong recommendation.
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