50 Books like Talking to the Enemy

Minds Make Societies

by Pascal Boyer • 2018

Nations clash, gods multiply, and families splinter for reasons your conscious mind never sees.

3.90

397

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🏛️ Cognitive Anthropology 🔄 Cultural Evolution 🔬 Cognitive Science ⛪ Evolution Of Religion

Minds Make Societies 94%

Nations clash, gods multiply, and families splinter for reasons your conscious mind never sees.

by Pascal Boyer 2018

3.90

397 ratings

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🏛️ Cognitive Anthropology 🔄 Cultural Evolution 🔬 Cognitive Science ⛪ Evolution Of Religion

Black Flags

by Joby Warrick • 2015

How a petty Jordanian criminal became the world's most hunted terrorist and the blueprint for ISIS.

4.32

17k+

🕌 Jihadist Movements 🔎 Terrorist Biography ☯️ Sectarian Conflict 🎯 Counterterrorism 💥 Radicalization

Black Flags 93%

How a petty Jordanian criminal became the world's most hunted terrorist and the blueprint for ISIS.

by Joby Warrick 2015

4.32

17k+ ratings

🕌 Jihadist Movements 🔎 Terrorist Biography ☯️ Sectarian Conflict 🎯 Counterterrorism 💥 Radicalization

The Better Angels of Our Nature

by Steven Pinker • 2010

Violence has plummeted for centuries. The numbers prove it. So does the danger it could reverse.

4.16

30k+

🗡️ History Of Violence 📊 Quantitative History 🏛️ State And Violence 🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🧩 Cognitive Biases

The Better Angels of Our Nature 93%

Violence has plummeted for centuries. The numbers prove it. So does the danger it could reverse.

by Steven Pinker 2010

4.16

30k+ ratings

🗡️ History Of Violence 📊 Quantitative History 🏛️ State And Violence 🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🧩 Cognitive Biases

Beyond Fundamentalism

by Reza Aslan • 2009

When God is drafted into warfare, conflicts become eternal. A strategy for breaking the spell.

3.99

2k+

⚠️ Religious Extremism 🕌 Political Islam 🌍 Globalization And Religion ⚔️ Holy War 💥 Religious Violence

Beyond Fundamentalism 93%

When God is drafted into warfare, conflicts become eternal. A strategy for breaking the spell.

by Reza Aslan 2009

3.99

2k+ ratings

⚠️ Religious Extremism 🕌 Political Islam 🌍 Globalization And Religion ⚔️ Holy War 💥 Religious Violence

The Righteous Mind

by Jonathan Haidt • 2012

Reason didn't evolve to find truth. It evolved to defend whatever your group already believes.

4.19

67k+

🧠 Moral Psychology 🔴 Political Polarization ⚡ Moral Intuition 👥 Group Psychology 🧬 Evolutionary Ethics

The Righteous Mind 93%

Reason didn't evolve to find truth. It evolved to defend whatever your group already believes.

by Jonathan Haidt 2012

4.19

67k+ ratings

🧠 Moral Psychology 🔴 Political Polarization ⚡ Moral Intuition 👥 Group Psychology 🧬 Evolutionary Ethics

Outraged

by Kurt Gray • 2025

Liberals and conservatives don't have different moralities; they just see different victims.

4.11

472

🧠 Moral Psychology 🗳️ Political Polarization 👀 Threat Perception 🌉 Bridge-Building 🐒 Evolutionary Psychology

Outraged 93%

Liberals and conservatives don't have different moralities; they just see different victims.

by Kurt Gray 2025

4.11

472 ratings

🧠 Moral Psychology 🗳️ Political Polarization 👀 Threat Perception 🌉 Bridge-Building 🐒 Evolutionary Psychology

The End of Faith

by Sam Harris • 2004

Religious moderates make faith immune to criticism, and extremists exploit that immunity.

3.89

44k+

📖 New Atheism 💥 Religious Violence 🔴 Islam And Modernity 🧭 Secular Ethics ⚖️ Faith Vs Reason

The End of Faith 93%

Religious moderates make faith immune to criticism, and extremists exploit that immunity.

by Sam Harris 2004

3.89

44k+ ratings

📖 New Atheism 💥 Religious Violence 🔴 Islam And Modernity 🧭 Secular Ethics ⚖️ Faith Vs Reason

Breaking the Spell

by Daniel C. Dennett • 2006

Our brains are built for belief. How evolution, cognition, and culture invented the gods.

3.89

13k+

🔬 Science Of Religion 🧬 Evolution Of Religion 🧠 Psychology Of Belief ❌ New Atheism 🛐 Origins Of Religion

Breaking the Spell 93%

Our brains are built for belief. How evolution, cognition, and culture invented the gods.

by Daniel C. Dennett 2006

3.89

13k+ ratings

🔬 Science Of Religion 🧬 Evolution Of Religion 🧠 Psychology Of Belief ❌ New Atheism 🛐 Origins Of Religion

The Story Paradox

by Jonathan Gottschall • 2021

Story logic that built nations now tears them apart. The psychology is identical.

3.70

446

🧠 Social Psychology 📖 Narrative Persuasion 💥 Group Conflict 📉 Post-Truth Politics 🏛️ Collective Memory

The Story Paradox 93%

Story logic that built nations now tears them apart. The psychology is identical.

by Jonathan Gottschall 2021

3.70

446 ratings

🧠 Social Psychology 📖 Narrative Persuasion 💥 Group Conflict 📉 Post-Truth Politics 🏛️ Collective Memory

Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches

by Marvin Harris • 1974

Cow worship, pork bans, witch hunts: each solved a practical problem no one admitted existed.

3.92

5k+

🍖 Food Taboos 🌿 Cultural Ecology 💰 Economic Anthropology 🕯️ Ritual And Sacrifice ⚔️ Origins Of War

Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches 93%

Cow worship, pork bans, witch hunts: each solved a practical problem no one admitted existed.

by Marvin Harris 1974

3.92

5k+ ratings

🍖 Food Taboos 🌿 Cultural Ecology 💰 Economic Anthropology 🕯️ Ritual And Sacrifice ⚔️ Origins Of War

The Believing Brain

by Michael Shermer • 2011

Your beliefs came first. Every rational argument arrived afterward to defend them.

3.93

8k+

🧠 Belief Formation 🔍 Scientific Skepticism 🕵️ Conspiracy Theories ⚖️ Moral Foundations 🗳️ Political Psychology

The Believing Brain 93%

Your beliefs came first. Every rational argument arrived afterward to defend them.

by Michael Shermer 2011

3.93

8k+ ratings

🧠 Belief Formation 🔍 Scientific Skepticism 🕵️ Conspiracy Theories ⚖️ Moral Foundations 🗳️ Political Psychology

The Weirdest People in the World

by Joseph Henrich • 2020

How a medieval church's war on cousin marriage made the West individualistic, analytical, and rich.

4.13

4k+

🧠 Cultural Psychology 🦴 Evolutionary Anthropology 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kinship And Social Structure 🧪 Cross-Cultural Experiments 🔄 Cultural Evolution Theory

The Weirdest People in the World Summary

The Weirdest People in the World 93%

How a medieval church's war on cousin marriage made the West individualistic, analytical, and rich.

by Joseph Henrich 2020

4.13

4k+ ratings

🧠 Cultural Psychology 🦴 Evolutionary Anthropology 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kinship And Social Structure 🧪 Cross-Cultural Experiments 🔄 Cultural Evolution Theory

The Hidden Brain

by Shankar Vedantam • 2009

Your unconscious picks presidents, sentences criminals, and spawns terrorists without your consent.

3.99

3k+

🧠 Unconscious Bias 🤔 Cognitive Biases 👥 Social Psychology 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Group Dynamics 🧨 Radicalization

The Hidden Brain 92%

Your unconscious picks presidents, sentences criminals, and spawns terrorists without your consent.

by Shankar Vedantam 2009

3.99

3k+ ratings

🧠 Unconscious Bias 🤔 Cognitive Biases 👥 Social Psychology 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Group Dynamics 🧨 Radicalization

Twilight of American Sanity

by Allen Frances • 2016

Trump is just a symptom. The real disorder is a Stone Age mind steering a technological superpower.

3.60

287

🧠 Political Psychology 🔍 Cognitive Biases 🧬 Evolutionary Mismatch 🌍 Climate Denial 🌱 Sustainability

Twilight of American Sanity 92%

Trump is just a symptom. The real disorder is a Stone Age mind steering a technological superpower.

by Allen Frances 2016

3.60

287 ratings

🧠 Political Psychology 🔍 Cognitive Biases 🧬 Evolutionary Mismatch 🌍 Climate Denial 🌱 Sustainability

Who Speaks for Islam?

by Dalia Mogahed • 2008

Gallup asked Muslims what they believe. The data upends most Western assumptions about Islam.

4.05

1k+

🕌 Muslim Societies 🌍 Islam And The West 📊 Empirical Sociology ⚠️ Political Radicalization 🏛️ Foreign Policy Critique

Who Speaks for Islam? 92%

Gallup asked Muslims what they believe. The data upends most Western assumptions about Islam.

by Dalia Mogahed 2008

4.05

1k+ ratings

🕌 Muslim Societies 🌍 Islam And The West 📊 Empirical Sociology ⚠️ Political Radicalization 🏛️ Foreign Policy Critique

Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times

by Stephen R. Covey • 2009

The West built its politics on a mistake: that humans are naturally selfish animals.

3.72

186

🏛️ Political Anthropology 🌍 Western Critique 🧠 Human Nature Debate 🌿 Nature Vs Culture 👥 Kinship Systems

Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times Summary

Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times 92%

The West built its politics on a mistake: that humans are naturally selfish animals.

by Stephen R. Covey 2009

3.72

186 ratings

🏛️ Political Anthropology 🌍 Western Critique 🧠 Human Nature Debate 🌿 Nature Vs Culture 👥 Kinship Systems

Political Tribes

by Amy Chua • 2018

Vietnam, Iraq, and now America: the tribal instinct that loses wars is consuming us at home.

4.20

4k+

🏴 Ethnic Conflict ⚡ Failed Interventions 👥 Us Vs Them 🎯 Identity Politics 🧠 Political Psychology

Political Tribes 92%

Vietnam, Iraq, and now America: the tribal instinct that loses wars is consuming us at home.

by Amy Chua 2018

4.20

4k+ ratings

🏴 Ethnic Conflict ⚡ Failed Interventions 👥 Us Vs Them 🎯 Identity Politics 🧠 Political Psychology

Tribe

by Sebastian Junger • 2016

The paradox of belonging: why modern comfort leaves us empty, and shared hardship makes us whole.

4.02

50k+

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Tribal Societies 🏙️ Modern Alienation 🫂 Shared Suffering 🪖 War Psychology 🏚️ Community Breakdown

Tribe 92%

The paradox of belonging: why modern comfort leaves us empty, and shared hardship makes us whole.

by Sebastian Junger 2016

4.02

50k+ ratings

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Tribal Societies 🏙️ Modern Alienation 🫂 Shared Suffering 🪖 War Psychology 🏚️ Community Breakdown

Outgrowing God

by Richard Dawkins • 2019

Humans have invented thousands of gods. A scientist's case for why yours is one of them.

4.06

6k+

🧠 New Atheism ⛪ Religious Critique 🌍 Secular Humanism 🌐 Comparative Religion 📖 Biblical Criticism

Outgrowing God 92%

Humans have invented thousands of gods. A scientist's case for why yours is one of them.

by Richard Dawkins 2019

4.06

6k+ ratings

🧠 New Atheism ⛪ Religious Critique 🌍 Secular Humanism 🌐 Comparative Religion 📖 Biblical Criticism

Parasitic Mind

by Gad Saad • 2020

The West is not just polarized; it is infected. The pathogen came from the university.

3.94

9k+

🦠 Idea Contagion 🏛️ Campus Culture Wars 🎭 Identity Politics 🤐 Political Correctness 🩹 Victimhood Culture

Parasitic Mind 92%

The West is not just polarized; it is infected. The pathogen came from the university.

by Gad Saad 2020

3.94

9k+ ratings

🦠 Idea Contagion 🏛️ Campus Culture Wars 🎭 Identity Politics 🤐 Political Correctness 🩹 Victimhood Culture

The Social Conquest of Earth

by Edward O. Wilson • 2012

Human virtue and human genocide come from the same evolutionary force, and it's not kin selection.

4.02

4k+

🧬 Evolutionary Biology 🦴 Human Evolution 🏛️ Multilevel Selection ⚖️ Origins Of Morality 🛡️ Tribalism

The Social Conquest of Earth 92%

Human virtue and human genocide come from the same evolutionary force, and it's not kin selection.

by Edward O. Wilson 2012

4.02

4k+ ratings

🧬 Evolutionary Biology 🦴 Human Evolution 🏛️ Multilevel Selection ⚖️ Origins Of Morality 🛡️ Tribalism

Why We Believe in God(s)

by J. Anderson Thomson • 2011

Faith is not divine. It is an accident of ordinary mental systems built for survival.

3.94

1k+

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🛐 Psychology Of Religion 👀 Agency Detection 🔄 Cognitive Biases 👶 Attachment Theory

Why We Believe in God(s) 92%

Faith is not divine. It is an accident of ordinary mental systems built for survival.

by J. Anderson Thomson 2011

3.94

1k+ ratings

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🛐 Psychology Of Religion 👀 Agency Detection 🔄 Cognitive Biases 👶 Attachment Theory

The Empathic Civilization

by Jeremy Rifkin • 2009

Every energy revolution expanded human empathy. Now that same engine threatens to undo us all.

4.03

937

🏛️ Big History 🫂 Empathy Studies 📈 Moral Progress ⚡ Energy And Civilization 🌍 Ecological Philosophy

The Empathic Civilization 92%

Every energy revolution expanded human empathy. Now that same engine threatens to undo us all.

by Jeremy Rifkin 2009

4.03

937 ratings

🏛️ Big History 🫂 Empathy Studies 📈 Moral Progress ⚡ Energy And Civilization 🌍 Ecological Philosophy

How We Became Human

by Tim Dean • 2021

Your sense of right and wrong evolved for the Stone Age. It's time for an upgrade.

3.90

114

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology ⚖️ Moral Philosophy 📜 Cultural Evolution 🧩 Cognitive Biases 🏕️ Tribalism

How We Became Human 92%

Your sense of right and wrong evolved for the Stone Age. It's time for an upgrade.

by Tim Dean 2021

3.90

114 ratings

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology ⚖️ Moral Philosophy 📜 Cultural Evolution 🧩 Cognitive Biases 🏕️ Tribalism

Moral Politics

by George Lakoff • 1996

Liberals and conservatives don't just disagree; they're running different family simulations.

4.03

2k+

🧠 Political Psychology 💡 Conceptual Metaphor ⚖️ Political Polarization 🤔 Moral Reasoning 🇺🇸 American Politics

Moral Politics 92%

Liberals and conservatives don't just disagree; they're running different family simulations.

by George Lakoff 1996

4.03

2k+ ratings

🧠 Political Psychology 💡 Conceptual Metaphor ⚖️ Political Polarization 🤔 Moral Reasoning 🇺🇸 American Politics

The God Delusion

by Richard Dawkins • 2006

Religion is a delusion that survives by infecting children. A biologist makes the case for atheism.

3.90

284k+

🧬 Evolutionary Biology 🏛️ Philosophy Of Religion 📖 Religious Critique 🚫 New Atheism 🔬 Scientific Skepticism

The God Delusion 92%

Religion is a delusion that survives by infecting children. A biologist makes the case for atheism.

by Richard Dawkins 2006

3.90

284k+ ratings

🧬 Evolutionary Biology 🏛️ Philosophy Of Religion 📖 Religious Critique 🚫 New Atheism 🔬 Scientific Skepticism

Disaster Nationalism

by Richard Seymour • 2024

The new far right feeds on catastrophe, not economics. Its fuel is resentment and scapegoating.

4.06

597

🏴 Far-Right Politics 💻 Digital Extremism 🕵️ Conspiracy Culture 💼 Neoliberal Critique 🔗 Online Radicalization

Disaster Nationalism 92%

The new far right feeds on catastrophe, not economics. Its fuel is resentment and scapegoating.

by Richard Seymour 2024

4.06

597 ratings

🏴 Far-Right Politics 💻 Digital Extremism 🕵️ Conspiracy Culture 💼 Neoliberal Critique 🔗 Online Radicalization

Behave

by Robert M. Sapolsky • 2017

Trace any human act through neurons, hormones, and evolution. Free will disappears at every scale.

4.38

33k+

🧬 Behavioral Biology 🧪 Neurochemistry 💉 Hormones And Behavior 🌱 Nature Nurture 🔗 Free Will Debate

Behave 92%

Trace any human act through neurons, hormones, and evolution. Free will disappears at every scale.

by Robert M. Sapolsky 2017

4.38

33k+ ratings

🧬 Behavioral Biology 🧪 Neurochemistry 💉 Hormones And Behavior 🌱 Nature Nurture 🔗 Free Will Debate

Imperial Hubris

by Michael Scheuer • 2004

Al-Qaeda is not a terror group but an insurgency, and American policy is its top recruiter.

3.81

2k+

🎯 Counterterrorism ⚔️ Counterinsurgency 🔥 Blowback Politics 🕌 Islamist Movements 🌐 Realist Foreign Policy

Imperial Hubris 92%

Al-Qaeda is not a terror group but an insurgency, and American policy is its top recruiter.

by Michael Scheuer 2004

3.81

2k+ ratings

🎯 Counterterrorism ⚔️ Counterinsurgency 🔥 Blowback Politics 🕌 Islamist Movements 🌐 Realist Foreign Policy

The World Until Yesterday

by Jared Diamond • 2012

What hunter-gatherers knew about raising children, avoiding danger, and ending feuds we forgot.

3.78

11k+

🏕️ Traditional Societies 👶 Child Rearing ⚠️ Risk Perception 🤝 Restorative Justice 🛡️ Traditional Warfare

The World Until Yesterday 92%

What hunter-gatherers knew about raising children, avoiding danger, and ending feuds we forgot.

by Jared Diamond 2012

3.78

11k+ ratings

🏕️ Traditional Societies 👶 Child Rearing ⚠️ Risk Perception 🤝 Restorative Justice 🛡️ Traditional Warfare

On Human Nature

by Roger Scruton • 2017

Genes and memes don't explain why you honor your dead, laugh, or hold someone accountable.

3.73

642

🧠 Philosophy Of Mind ⚖️ Moral Philosophy 🧬 Evolutionary Psychology 📖 Narrative Identity 🏛️ Virtue Ethics

On Human Nature 92%

Genes and memes don't explain why you honor your dead, laugh, or hold someone accountable.

by Roger Scruton 2017

3.73

642 ratings

🧠 Philosophy Of Mind ⚖️ Moral Philosophy 🧬 Evolutionary Psychology 📖 Narrative Identity 🏛️ Virtue Ethics

Ultrasociety

by Peter Turchin • 2015

War did not just destroy. Over ten millennia, it built the greatest cooperators on Earth.

4.11

464

🧬 Cultural Evolution 📜 Big History 👥 Group Selection ⚔️ Warfare And Society 🏛️ State Formation

Ultrasociety 92%

War did not just destroy. Over ten millennia, it built the greatest cooperators on Earth.

by Peter Turchin 2015

4.11

464 ratings

🧬 Cultural Evolution 📜 Big History 👥 Group Selection ⚔️ Warfare And Society 🏛️ State Formation

Off the Edge

by Kelly Weill • 2022

A commune invented flat Earth. An algorithm resurrected it. One man died trying to see the edge.

3.78

2k+

🕵️ Conspiracy Theories 📡 Internet Radicalization 🔬 Pseudoscience 🚩 Political Extremism 🧠 Mass Delusions

Off the Edge 92%

A commune invented flat Earth. An algorithm resurrected it. One man died trying to see the edge.

by Kelly Weill 2022

3.78

2k+ ratings

🕵️ Conspiracy Theories 📡 Internet Radicalization 🔬 Pseudoscience 🚩 Political Extremism 🧠 Mass Delusions

The Origins of Political Order

by Francis Fukuyama • 2011

China built a modern state eighteen centuries before Europe. That gap reshapes political history.

4.18

10k+

🏛️ Comparative Politics 🧱 State Formation 🦍 Evolutionary Anthropology 📉 Institutional Decay 👪 Kinship And Politics

The Origins of Political Order 92%

China built a modern state eighteen centuries before Europe. That gap reshapes political history.

by Francis Fukuyama 2011

4.18

10k+ ratings

🏛️ Comparative Politics 🧱 State Formation 🦍 Evolutionary Anthropology 📉 Institutional Decay 👪 Kinship And Politics

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind

by Julian Jaynes • 1976

Before introspection, humans heard gods. A theory of history explaining our search for certainty.

4.26

6k+

🧠 Consciousness Studies 🧬 Consciousness Evolution 🧩 Neurological Models 🔗 Metaphor Theory 🧐 Heterodox Psychology

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind Summary

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind 92%

Before introspection, humans heard gods. A theory of history explaining our search for certainty.

by Julian Jaynes 1976

4.26

6k+ ratings

🧠 Consciousness Studies 🧬 Consciousness Evolution 🧩 Neurological Models 🔗 Metaphor Theory 🧐 Heterodox Psychology

The Human Swarm

by Mark W. Moffett • 2019

Societies don't run on cooperation. They run on identity markers strangers can spot at a glance.

3.65

466

🏘️ Social Cohesion 🪪 Group Identity 🏴 Tribalism ⚔️ Intergroup Conflict 📈 Societal Evolution

The Human Swarm 92%

Societies don't run on cooperation. They run on identity markers strangers can spot at a glance.

by Mark W. Moffett 2019

3.65

466 ratings

🏘️ Social Cohesion 🪪 Group Identity 🏴 Tribalism ⚔️ Intergroup Conflict 📈 Societal Evolution

They Must Be Stopped

by Brigitte Gabriel • 2008

The Muslim Brotherhood's hundred-year plan to infiltrate and dominate the West is already underway.

4.18

458

🔥 Islamist Movements 🌍 Islam And The West 🛡️ Counterterrorism 💣 Radicalization ✊ Counter-Jihad Movement

They Must Be Stopped 92%

The Muslim Brotherhood's hundred-year plan to infiltrate and dominate the West is already underway.

by Brigitte Gabriel 2008

4.18

458 ratings

🔥 Islamist Movements 🌍 Islam And The West 🛡️ Counterterrorism 💣 Radicalization ✊ Counter-Jihad Movement

Food of the Gods

by Terence McKenna • 1992

A single psychoactive mushroom may have sparked language, religion, and human consciousness itself.

4.12

13k+

🧬 Human Evolution 🌿 Ethnobotany 🌀 Altered States 🍄 Psychedelic Studies ✨ Entheogens

Food of the Gods 92%

A single psychoactive mushroom may have sparked language, religion, and human consciousness itself.

by Terence McKenna 1992

4.12

13k+ ratings

🧬 Human Evolution 🌿 Ethnobotany 🌀 Altered States 🍄 Psychedelic Studies ✨ Entheogens

This View of Life

by David Sloan Wilson • 2019

Social Darwinism got Darwin wrong. His real theory: cooperation, not competition, built humanity.

3.96

372

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🌍 Cultural Evolution 👥 Group Selection ⚡ Evolutionary Mismatch 🔄 Systems Thinking

This View of Life 92%

Social Darwinism got Darwin wrong. His real theory: cooperation, not competition, built humanity.

by David Sloan Wilson 2019

3.96

372 ratings

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🌍 Cultural Evolution 👥 Group Selection ⚡ Evolutionary Mismatch 🔄 Systems Thinking

War

by Margaret MacMillan • 2020

From the Iceman to total war: how organized conflict has shaped every corner of human life.

3.58

4k+

⚔️ War And Society 🏹 Anthropology Of War 🏛️ State Formation 🏠 Civilians And War 💣 Total War

War 92%

From the Iceman to total war: how organized conflict has shaped every corner of human life.

by Margaret MacMillan 2020

3.58

4k+ ratings

⚔️ War And Society 🏹 Anthropology Of War 🏛️ State Formation 🏠 Civilians And War 💣 Total War

The Meme Machine

by Susan Blackmore • 1999

Our brains did not make culture. Culture, evolving like a virus, made our brains.

3.86

4k+

🧬 Cultural Evolution 🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🦠 Memetics 🔄 Universal Darwinism 🤝 Altruism Evolution

The Meme Machine 92%

Our brains did not make culture. Culture, evolving like a virus, made our brains.

by Susan Blackmore 1999

3.86

4k+ ratings

🧬 Cultural Evolution 🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🦠 Memetics 🔄 Universal Darwinism 🤝 Altruism Evolution

Terror, Love and Brainwashing

by Alexandra Stein • 2017

The need to belong, turned into a weapon: the psychology that explains totalist control.

4.00

520

🧷 Attachment Theory 🧠 Brainwashing ⛓️ Coercive Control 🏛️ Totalitarianism 🕳️ Cult Psychology

Terror, Love and Brainwashing 92%

The need to belong, turned into a weapon: the psychology that explains totalist control.

by Alexandra Stein 2017

4.00

520 ratings

🧷 Attachment Theory 🧠 Brainwashing ⛓️ Coercive Control 🏛️ Totalitarianism 🕳️ Cult Psychology

The "God" Part of the Brain

by Matthew Alper • 1999

Belief in God is a biological adaptation for managing the terror of mortality.

3.77

1k+

🧬 Evolutionary Psychology 🧠 Cognitive Science Of Religion 🔬 Neurotheology 💀 Mortality Awareness 🧪 Biological Basis Of Faith

The "God" Part of the Brain 92%

Belief in God is a biological adaptation for managing the terror of mortality.

by Matthew Alper 1999

3.77

1k+ ratings

🧬 Evolutionary Psychology 🧠 Cognitive Science Of Religion 🔬 Neurotheology 💀 Mortality Awareness 🧪 Biological Basis Of Faith

Less Than Human

by David Livingstone Smith • 2011

Your brain can reclassify a human group as a nonhuman species. That shift makes genocide possible.

3.88

784

🐀 Dehumanization 💀 Genocide Studies 🧠 Moral Psychology 🐺 Tribalism 👤 Othering

Less Than Human 92%

Your brain can reclassify a human group as a nonhuman species. That shift makes genocide possible.

by David Livingstone Smith 2011

3.88

784 ratings

🐀 Dehumanization 💀 Genocide Studies 🧠 Moral Psychology 🐺 Tribalism 👤 Othering

Assassination Generation

by Dave Grossman • 2016

Your child's favorite game uses the same conditioning that trains soldiers to kill.

3.71

351

🎮 Media Violence 📱 Digital Parenting 🪖 Military Psychology 😡 Aggression Studies 📺 Media Criticism

Assassination Generation 92%

Your child's favorite game uses the same conditioning that trains soldiers to kill.

by Dave Grossman 2016

3.71

351 ratings

🎮 Media Violence 📱 Digital Parenting 🪖 Military Psychology 😡 Aggression Studies 📺 Media Criticism

Awakening From the Meaning Crisis

by John Vervaeke • 2024

The West's loss of meaning has a 40,000-year history. Tracing it reveals the exit.

4.70

📜 Intellectual History 🧠 Cognitive Science 🔍 Attention And Flow 🌱 Secular Spirituality 🕯️ Wisdom Traditions

Awakening From the Meaning Crisis Summary

Awakening From the Meaning Crisis 92%

The West's loss of meaning has a 40,000-year history. Tracing it reveals the exit.

by John Vervaeke 2024

4.70

69 ratings

📜 Intellectual History 🧠 Cognitive Science 🔍 Attention And Flow 🌱 Secular Spirituality 🕯️ Wisdom Traditions

Riveted

by Jim Davies • 2014

Religion and art exploit the same brain quirks. Science alone refuses to use them, and it's losing.

3.70

406

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🤔 Cognitive Biases 👥 Social Cognition 🔍 Pattern Recognition 💭 Belief Formation

Riveted 92%

Religion and art exploit the same brain quirks. Science alone refuses to use them, and it's losing.

by Jim Davies 2014

3.70

406 ratings

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🤔 Cognitive Biases 👥 Social Cognition 🔍 Pattern Recognition 💭 Belief Formation

It IS About Islam

by Glenn Beck • 2015

Islamic terrorism isn't a misreading. The text commands, the history records, and the polls confirm.

4.06

2k+

📜 Islamic Fundamentalism 🌐 Islam And The West 🏛️ Political Islam 💣 Religious Terrorism ⚖️ Sharia Law

It IS About Islam 92%

Islamic terrorism isn't a misreading. The text commands, the history records, and the polls confirm.

by Glenn Beck 2015

4.06

2k+ ratings

📜 Islamic Fundamentalism 🌐 Islam And The West 🏛️ Political Islam 💣 Religious Terrorism ⚖️ Sharia Law

Political Ponerology

by Andrew M. Lobaczewski • 2007

A small, conscienceless minority drives tyranny; your belief in fairness is their greatest weapon.

4.06

398

🏛️ Totalitarian Regimes 🧠 Psychopathy And Power 🔬 Clinical Study Of Evil 🎭 Moral Manipulation 🗳️ Political Psychology

Political Ponerology 91%

A small, conscienceless minority drives tyranny; your belief in fairness is their greatest weapon.

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4.06

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🏛️ Totalitarian Regimes 🧠 Psychopathy And Power 🔬 Clinical Study Of Evil 🎭 Moral Manipulation 🗳️ Political Psychology

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Winning arguments deepens polarization. The real way out: redesign the hidden systems that fuel it.

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🏛️ Conflict Resolution 🔄 Systems Thinking 🧠 Cognitive Biases 🌉 Bridge Building 🔗 Social Psychology

The Way Out 91%

Winning arguments deepens polarization. The real way out: redesign the hidden systems that fuel it.

by Peter T. Coleman 2021

3.81

145 ratings

🏛️ Conflict Resolution 🔄 Systems Thinking 🧠 Cognitive Biases 🌉 Bridge Building 🔗 Social Psychology

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