6 Great Non-Fiction Books to Read
Introduction:
Non-fiction books may not be as exciting as fiction books, but arguably they are more practical. Reading Non-fiction is boring to most people even to me for most of my life. What made me love non-fiction was finding the purpose is reading the book. Non-fiction books always provide insights into various topics. The power and influence that non-fiction books have on society are underestimated. There are hundreds of thousands of non-fiction books to read and can be stressful and overwhelming which ones to read. Books aren't cheap and most book reviews online are full of shit that just praise any book they read. So in this article, I want to provide six non-fiction books; explain their importance, and why you should read them by summarizing them without spoiling too much of them. To make it more interesting, I will add one book I haven’t read and why I want to read it.
Book One: The History of Philosophy by A.C Grayling
The greatest tale that can ever be told is the story of philosophy. Philosophy is the foundation of all fields of study and it is based on one idea:
“All men by nature desire to know.”- Aristotle.
It is criminal how little philosophy is taught in school. And while there isn't much to contribute to philosophy, exploring the history of ideas in many different regions and cultures around the world. A.C. Grayling provides a comprehensive 700-page book that goes through the thinkers of Pre-Socratic philosophers to the Medieval and Renaissance ages to the Enlightenment and Morden thought to the Philosophy of the Twentieth century. What separates this book from the hundreds of other books on the subject is that Grayling attempts to include Eastern Philosophy at the end even though he admits it’s not his area of expertise. This book can also just be a reference book as Grayling formats the book by going through each individual philosopher and their major contributions. This is the best introduction to philosophy and the first book you should read if your getting into philosophy.
Book Two: Conquests and Cultures by Thomas Sowell
I know I know. I keep bringing up Thomas Sowell and one day I will write an article dedicated to him and his works. But to keep it simple; Thomas Sowell is probably the most influential intellectual in my life. Conquest and Cultures is a hidden gem from Sowell. He provides a new lens of history that is well-researched. The book is about conquest and colonialism’s impact on culture and society and how it shapes the modern world. The book goes over four major civilizations when discussing the topic of colonialism: Britain, Africa, the Slavs of Eastern Europe, and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. This book stands out compared to the works of anti-colonial intellectuals and activists as Sowell shows it’s whole history and continuity. Going in detail about the language, culture, geography, and history of each region he demonstrates how most countries even benefited from colonialism. This might be my favorite or second favorite book by him.
Book Three: The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker
The Blank Slate is a philosophical idea by philosopher John Locke in the 17th century. Locke argued that the human mind is born with a blank slate a clean sheet of paper and that every aspect of our personality and behavior is determined by the world around us. To keep it simple: Nobody is born bad there just victims of society. This line of thinking is everywhere, from Locke’s empiricism to the modern-day social justice movement. Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker is a famous opponent of this theory. In his 600-page magnum opus, Pinker argues against this motion and calls this wishful thinking. We all like to believe that nothing is our fault and that its evil society is the origin of our suffering. Despite this being published in 2002, this book is still more relevant than ever when discussing issues of race, sex, and gender.
Book Four: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
This book needs no introduction. One of the greatest scientific works of the 20th century. This book was a great landmark of our time. Richard Dawkins published this book in 1976 and took the scientific community by storm. Dawkins proposes the idea of gene selection and how our selfish behavior ensures our survival. There’s nothing more I could say that hasn’t already been said about this book. It is one of the most famous books in the popular science genre. Anyone interested in science or non-fiction in general cant skip this.
Book Five: Intellectuals by Paul Johnson
In this book, writer and historian Paul Johnson expose the arrogance of the intellectual. In 12 chapters, Johnson gives a biography of major intellectuals and how much it is connected to their ideas. We often see Intellectuals as an honorable trait that certain individuals hold for providing thought-provoking insights about society. This fuels the arrogance of the intellectuals, who believe they can diagnose society’s ills with their unique intellect. Intellectuals love themselves and their ideas as it gives them the strongest justification of superiority over other ordinary individuals who are incapable of conceptualizing the world as well as they do. Johnson demonstrates how Intellectuals are like the new priests, in that individuals surrender their own thoughts and experiences to people who claim to know it all.
Book Six: The Anatomy of Fascism by Robert O. Paxton
I have saved the book I haven’t read for last. This book was recommended to me by my teacher, who is surely reading this. Fascism is important to understand due to how it’s weaponized, mostly by leftists. Paxton claims that fascism has never been fully defined and that as long as the state has a strong nationalistic system, fascism can be anything. I want to read this book because it provides a vet honest historical analysis of an ideology that is so loosely defined. Understanding fascism can put aside all political and moral confusion and allow us to finally examine all political topics more objectively.
