Weekly Non-Fiction Reading List 4.17.23
This week, I finished three fantastic books from some awesome authors. The first book discusses the human urge for altruism, which swayed my thoughts on the topic. Then, there’s a book about the current state of capitalism as well as one of my new favorite books on science denial. Enjoy!
Each of the links to the books are affiliate links, so if you use my link to purchase any of these books, some comes back to support what I do (and it also helps fund my reading habit).
The Altruistic Urge: Why We’re Driven to Help Others by Stephanie D. Preston
I’ve been fascinated with the idea of altruism ever since I got sober because we’re taught to be selfless in order to stay sober, which seems kind of selfish. Since then, I’ve noticed it in normal human behavior where altruism always seems to have some sort of selfish motive behind it like trying to raise one’s status. So, when i saw this book by Stephanie Preston at the bookstore, I had to pick it up. Although I’m a pessimist, it doesn’t explain when people risk their lives for strangers.
In short, Preston’s theory is that this urge to help others at risk to ourselves is actually kind of predictable. She starts by explaining the evolutionary idea behind this urge, which is to help infants who are helpless. Then, she goes on to discuss how we actually do rapid assessments in our heads about whether or not we’re capable of helping the person in need (ie: if I was 100 lbs, I wouldn’t jump on a subway track to save a 300 lb man).
There’s much, much more to this book, and Preston brings a ton of research to back her theory as well. It made altruism make a lot more sense, and she’s leaning me more toward a believer based on how we evolved. If this is a topic you’re curious about, you should grab a copy of this book.
People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent by Joseph E. Stiglitz
I’ll keep this review short and sweet. If you don’t know who Joseph E. Stiglitz is, he’s an economist, but he’s also a progressive. Fortunately, he’s also an amazing writer. He tackles topics about how capitalism is one of the primary causes of human suffering in the United States and has the research to back it up and a great communication style. He also discusses fantastic solutions.
The reason I’m keeping this short is because he has a ton of books, they’re all similar and I love them all. They remind me of the change we need here in America, and everyone should be reading his books.
Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Science That Will Save Us by Sara and Jack Gorman
I’ve had this book for months and haven’t checked it out because it’s insanely long. I love reading books about science denial, but I figured this would just be super boring and tell me a lot of what I already know. With that being said, I’m super glad that I was wrong. Although this book is over twice as long as the books I normally read, I binged this book pretty quick because it’s so damn good.
Sara and Jack Gorman (I believe) are married, and they both have an extensive scientific background and have worked in the medical/pharmaceutical industry. This book literally has everything you could want from a book about why people ignore science. It covers how to spot good science, the problems with science communication, charismatic leaders, mistakes the government and CDC have made, a ton of research I was unaware of and so much more.
I could go on about this book forever. Like I said, although it’s long, it’s worth it. When people ask me for a book on this topic, I’m definitely pointing them to this one.
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