Five Books Every PPE Student Should Read
Despite rapid advances in technology-enhanced learning, there remains no greater nor more authentic contribution to one’s education than reading. Although a university education in politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) may do a decent job of equipping you with some knowledge and skills, at a certain point one must realise that a thorough education demands that the student engage with their studies outside of the classroom.
With this in mind, I wish to provide the following list of books which I have found helpful in filling the most glaring gaps within the PPE curriculum. For those of you that wish to endeavour down the path of reading these texts, be both warned and encouraged that the texts you will read are some of the most complex, life-changing, at times terrifying and above all important pieces of literature you could ever have in your possession. Best of Luck.
1. ‘The Republic’ by Plato
As one of the masterworks of Western literature, there is little to say about Plato’s Republic that has not already been said. Written some 2000 years ago, countless civilisations have deemed the wisdom of Plato worthy of preservation due to its cutting insight into universally relevant themes of justice, truth, and beauty. The Republic sees Plato advocating for the pursuit of justice which, from a simple question posed by one of his interlocutors, evolves into a sprawling demonstration of the value of justice within what he believed to be the perfect society.
The important gap that The Republic covers in the PPE curriculum is, of course, the absence of ancient philosophy. As one of the most profitable periods for intellectual activity in world history, it is both astounding and deeply depressing that UQ’s current philosophy curriculum completely ignores the important works that emerged from the ancient and medieval eras. With the way that philosophy is taught at UQ, a student of PPE could be forgiven for making it to the end of their degree thinking that the history of philosophy started with Descartes — a notion so ludicrous it simply cannot go uncorrected.
As readers of The Republic will realise, Plato’s magnum opus is of continued relevance to PPE as it demonstrates one of the first and greatest attempts at uniting disparate disciplinary perspectives into a singular, coherent and systematic argument which provides the attentive reader with a plethora of new and exciting ways of thinking about a variety of wicked problems that we face in the world today. Similarly, readers will also be introduced to the Socratic method which champions cooperative argumentation and the use of questions to stimulate critical thinking.
What has ultimately left the biggest lasting impact on me from reading The Republic has been the elegant simplicity of Plato’s writing. When the very nature of PPE is to examine highly complex, interconnected and multifaceted problems from a variety of perspectives, it will serve any student of PPE well to be reminded that getting wrapped up in smaller details can often lead one to lose sight of the problem they were addressing in the first place.
2. ‘Globalization and Its Discontents: Revisited’ by Joseph Stiglitz
Written by one of the world’s leading economists, Globalization and Its Discontents (GAID) remains one of the most influential economics texts of the modern era. Based on his experiences as the Chief Economist of the World Bank, Stiglitz delivers a scathing critique of the economic incompetence of the International Monetary Fund in its attempts to lift mostly ex-Soviet and South American nations out of poverty. Contrary to the neoliberal and pro-globalization narratives that have risen in popularity since the fall of the Soviet Union, GAID remains a shocking testament to the dangers of mindlessly following conventional wisdom and the manipulative power of financial interests on our political and economic systems.
Although studying economics at UQ provides students with a good understanding of the models which underpin economic theory, there remains a gap in the curriculum for studying the real-world implications of economic policy on a macro and micro level. As such, GAID is included on this list as one of the finest examples of how the economic models and theories can go wrong when being brought into the real world and emphasises the importance of extracurricular reading as a complement to students’ university studies. This isn’t to say that criticisms of the practicality of neoclassical economics are absent from the PPE curriculum, however, what GAID provides is a human context to these criticisms in a way that emphasises how much the mistakes of experts can cost. This text ought to have a humbling impact on any economist that reads it.
3. ‘The Gay Science’ by Friedrich Nietzsche
Third on my list is another truly great work of philosophy whose power and importance I find difficult to put into words. Pre-empting now prominent trends in philosophy by several generations, Friedrich Nietzsche here is at his most honest as he reels at humanity’s horrifying and defiant act of murdering God. Now that God is dead, argues Nietzsche, it is the task of us mere mortals to replace him with new structures of meaning. Instead of accepting meaning from God, we must now work hard to give authentic meaning to our lives on our own.
Instead of celebrating our liberation from the shackles of Christian slave morality, Nietzsche here expresses feelings of dread and despair at the task that this leaves us — who are we mere mortals to attempt to replace God?
What is perhaps most striking about Nietzsche is his prophetic assessment of ideology as man’s replacement for God, as the 20th century saw millions of young men and women lay down their lives in the name of the new Gods of Communism and Nazism. It is in his discussions on this subject that one clearly sees the faces of Stalin and Hitler, the new “Gods” of the 20th century staring back at them from between the lines.
Though I expect many to find this text to be the most challenging on this list, I can, however, ensure readers that the difficulty of this task is proportional to its reward. The Gay Science stands as the most complete introduction to Nietzsche’s thought and will no doubt provide a truly unique and life-changing look at the very nature of existence that a sterile and defanged classroom reading of the text will be unlikely to provide.
4. ‘Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World’ by David Epstein
No doubt we have all heard the 10,000 hours story at this point — that to master a skill you need to spend 10,000 hours deliberately practicing it. In his book Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein looks to turn this conventional wisdom on its head as he makes the compelling case for a broader and less specialised approach to education, work and life in general.
One example from the book that highlights the benefits of a generalist approach comes from the story of a Japanese electronics student called Gunpei Yokoi. By adopting an approach to innovation that looked outside of the narrow confines of current technological trends, Gunpei was able to borrow older technology from areas that the most cutting-edge technical specialists weren’t aware of. By taking what he described as “withered technology” and applying it in a new context, Gunpei almost single-handedly revolutionised the gaming industry overnight with his now-famous Game and Watch console.
PPE students are, of course, naturally predisposed to this generalist mode of thinking, as we seek to provide new insight into old conversations by bridging the gaps between the three disciplines of politics, philosophy, and economics. What Epstein shows us is that although a generalist approach may see students falling behind their specialised peers in the short-term, it is often individuals with a broader range that provide the organisations that they work for with the greatest long-term benefits.
5. Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault
Last but certainly not least, I have left the final spot on this list to the intellectual enigma that is Michel Foucault. As his writing blurs the lines between disciplines in a way that few thinkers have since been able to replicate, Foucault’s Discipline and Punish stands as a testament to the power of interdisciplinary thinking.
Beginning with a brutal description of the horrors of medieval criminal justice, Foucault traces how we have changed our approach to discipline over time. This history of what is a seemingly niche and inane topic is not a typical history, however, as Foucault disrupts popular narratives which characterise history as a process of perpetual improvement. By noting similarities between our schools, workplaces, and prisons, Foucault masterfully illustrates the extent to which disciplinary practices have expanded and now apply to the innocent and the guilty alike.
As a result of reading this remarkable book, my thinking about both institutions and about history has not been the same since.
Note: Statecraft receives no financial benefit from purchases made from links on this page.
