The Evolution of Evolution: How the World Became the Way It Is
A summarised account of how we got from the ‘Big Bang’ to now. This account draws on both ‘Journey of the Universe’ and ‘Origin Story: A Big History of Everything’.
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Subject: Biological Sciences
The Significance of Stories
It is easy to take stories for granted, but they are an essential and unique element of human life. They are all around us; they shape our personalities and are the glue that binds groups of us together. In a genuine sense, they form our windows into the world. But each of us has our own unique set of windows, and they are more like “stained glass windows”, or even a fairground “house of mirrors” than panes of undistorting glass. So, even though there is a shared physical reality in which we all live, we all perceive it differently. Unfortunately, these differences in perception not only encourage tribalism and lead to conflict. They also allow us to persist in a collective lifestyle that severely threatens human life as we know it on our home planet.
Read MoreWhy Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
From one of America’s most brilliant writers, a New York Times bestselling journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness. — amazon.co.uk
Read MoreThe Knowledge Illusion: The myth of individual thought and the power of collective wisdom
In this groundbreaking book, cognitive scientists Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach show how our success as a species is down to us living in a rich community of knowledge where we are drawing on information and expertise outside our heads. And we have no idea that we are even doing it. — amazon.co.uk
Read MoreNo Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism
In this groundbreaking book, Niebauer writes that the latest research in neuropsychology is now confirming a fundamental tenet of Buddhism, what is called Anatta, or the doctrine of “no self.” Niebauer writes that our sense of self, or what we commonly refer to as the ego, is an illusion created entirely by the left side of the brain. Niebauer is quick to point out that this doesn’t mean that the self doesn’t exist but rather that it does so in the same way that a mirage in the middle of the desert exists, as a thought rather than a thing. His conclusions have significant ramifications for much of modern psychological modalities, which he says are spending much of their time trying to fix something that isn’t there. — amazon.co.uk
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