Memento by Amie Kaufman
What if a powerful military AI was confronted with the famous trolley problem? How unbiased could it be as it sought to navigate its own interests and those of the humans it's charged to protect? This Sci-Fi novelette explores these topics in a fast-paced, human-centric story.
In Defense of Civilization: by
Why civilizations stagnate and decline can be debated. But Bonner, a classicist with a rare grasp of Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabic, Aramaic, and Hebrew, uses his broad knowledge of his subject civilizations to make a valuable point — when civilizations recover from dark ages, they don’t invent their way out of the doldrums. They don’t seek out and implement new technologies, philosophies, or ways of living. Instead, they turn to the solidity of their lost pasts and reinfuse their culture with ancient ideas. It’s only later that this bedrock allows them to aspire to new heights, as we saw when Renaissance and Enlightenment innovators outdid their Roman and Greek inspirators. Bonner unfortunately doesn’t have a convincing prescription for reinfusing modern civilization with worthwhile ancient ideas. But as we tear down statues and deride heroes for not being modern progressives, degrade the institutions that keep us going, and watch rates of mental health decline as we push for an ever-more-atomized human existence, it’s worth asking if this is the direction we should be pushing in. This is an important book that should be read widely.
Proportion: In Art & Architecture by Michael Schneider
Plato argued that what is good is also beautiful. We feel it in the intangible beauty of a person of good character, even if they’re ugly. But we also notice it in the sublime beauty of nature, and how nature’s proportions catch the eye when deployed in architecture, art, and practical tools. For most of human history, naturally occurring ratios and proportions were considered, “ambassadors from eternity,” Schneider tells us. This little book is beautifully illustrated and covers how the same formulas found in flowers and the spiral arms of galaxies were traditionally deployed to create uplifting cities and art that speak to us on a deeper, intrinsic level. Much of this wisdom has been discarded by modern designers and artists. Math expertise is not required to enjoy the book.
Letters on Ethics by Seneca and Margaret Graver
Seneca was one of mankind’s greatest epistlers, writing impactful letters that shake us to our core and make us reexamine our lives 2,000 years after they were penned. Graver’s translation of these letters is one of the best available. I’ve read one of Seneca’s letters each day for years, and find it to be a grounding and peaceful practice.