No hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves: 11 books to change your mind
Recently I often found myself discussing my beliefs with other people. While doing so, I started trying to figure out how they came to be part of me. That’s why I decided to make a list of books that made me change, adjust, drop some beliefs and inspired me to learn. Hopefully, they will inspire someone else.
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Considered one of the great classics of feminist thought and literature, The Second Sex is actually about our entire civilisation: “a groundbreaking exploration of inequality and otherness” that goes all the way back to our hunter and gatherers ancestors. Despite having been published almost 70 years ago, it remains a deep, invaluable insight into our society, its mechanisms of oppression, and the dynamics of power and control.
All oppression creates a state of war. And this is no exception.
The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilisation’s Northern Future by Laurence C. Smith
Climate change isn’t the only thing we should worry about when thinking about a sustainable future for humanity. There are also demography, demand for resources, and globalisation to consider. The way these four forces interact and how we, as a civilisation, will decide to deal with them, will define whether we’re heading towards catastrophe or shift. As Smith predicted in 2010, some countries are already profiting from the thawing of permafrost and the melting of Arctic ice.
At the heart of Ethnicity. Ethnicity, Tribalism and State in Africa by Jean-Loup Amselle, Elikia M’Bokolo
Most people don’t question the mainstream narratives about topics and places they’re not familiar with. I am no exception. When I read this book for my African History class at the University, I finally realised how Colonialism and Eurocentrism manufactured the way we think about Africa. Amselle e M’Bokolo also question the concepts of “ethnicity” and “tradition”. To best of my knowledge, this book is only available in French and Italian, but a similar point of view is expressed in this article by National Geographic’s Editor in Chief.
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Foer struggled his entire life between the pleasures of eating meat, family traditions, and the moral call of vegetarianism. Until he became a father and he decided to investigate the farming industry, and the reasons why we eat certain animals instead of others. Informative and never judgmental, this book encourages readers to make conscious decisions about what we consume.
If nothing matters, there’s nothing to save.
Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks
At some point we all stood in front of the mirror and asked our reflection: am I losing my mind? Thanks to Sacks I know now that the answer is less scary than we think. The neurologist describes the symptoms of his patients and his own hallucinations, throwing a light on some of the mysterious and mind-blowing ways of the human brain.
Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness, as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.
Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
What should a citizen do when the laws are unjust and when the government is corrupted? Thoreau has no doubts: he or she needs to take action. Written on the background of slavery and war, Civil Disobedience advocates not for chaos and subversion, but for the rule of the individual moral conscience over the collective acceptance of injustice. If a government, even a democratically elected one is corrupted, then accepting is rule allows for the perpetuation of injustice.
It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right.
Politically Incorrect Guide to Latin America by Leadro Narloch, Duda Teixeira
The great disadvantage of this book is that is only available in Portuguese and Spanish, but everyone fascinated with the Latin American history and its most beloved figures should read it. The two Brazilian journalists uncover less known (and less noble) deeds of some of the most celebrated revolutionaries, from Simon Bolivar to Salvador Allende, passing through Che Guevara, and deconstruct the myth of their legendary heroism.
On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky
This collection of essays and interviews brilliantly illustrates the contradictions of both institutions and the forces that act against them. Chomsky creates clarity about the meaning of the word Anarchism, separating it from the images of chaos and violence that are usually associated with it, in exchange for a thoughtful reflection on the legitimacy of governments and civil action.
With regard to freedom of speech there are basically two positions: you defend it vigorously for views you hate, or you reject it and prefer Stalinist/fascist standards. It is unfortunate that it remains necessary to stress these simple truths.
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynman
To anyone who isn’t familiar with science, people like Feynman and things like quantum physics might seem completely detached to reality. This collection of interviews, speeches, and essays shows the human side, the curiosity, and the moral interrogatives of the unquestionable genius.
I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.
Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan
If Feynman started popularising science thanks to his unique way of teaching and writing, Sagan is the one that brought it to the big stage. This book is a summary of all the existing space missions up to the point it was written, and shows the possible scenarios of future space exploration. It’s best known for the famous title bit, which often romanticised as a love letter to Earth. My favourite part of that bit, however, is more of a warning.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
Why I Am Not a Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto by Jessa Crispin
Last but not least. I put this book at the end of the list to emphasise the fact that I included only two female authors. It was not a conscious decision but the result of my experience, which, as Crispin repeatedly points out, happens entirely inside a society where men have always been the leading thinkers. This short book is a powerful and merciless reminder of the flaws and superficiality of the current wave of activism, and of the struggle and unpleasantness that we all have to face if we want to see some real change.
It is our entire culture, the way it runs on money, rewards inhumanity, encourages disconnection and isolation, causes great inequality and suffering, that’s the enemy. That is the only enemy worth fighting.
