Hope you have a happy and productive 2025!
Usually, I like to end the year with two posts, one sharing my favorite books and one sharing my favorite posts from the previous year.
However, since much of last year was spent on my foundation project, which took up most of my writing time and included brief reviews of the 102 books I read as research for the project, I decided to merge the two lists this year.
Five books I like
While I mostly read books on the twelve foundations I decided to cover, I did sneak in some other reading. Here are five of my favorites:
1. Laura Spinney’s prototype
Long before Buddha taught the Sutras or Homer narrated the Odyssey, there was a language that eventually became the language spoken by both. In riveting style, Spinney tells the story of how Proto-Indo-European, a language that had never been written down, became the seed of the native language of nearly half of the humans on Earth.
2. “Power, Sex, Suicide” by Nick Lane
Why do we have sex? Why do we age and die? Why are there two genders instead of one, three, or ten thousand? Why haven’t we encountered alien life? Biochemist Nick Lane believes the answer to all these questions lies in mitochondria. In this fascinating book, he argues that these powerhouses within cells are more than just batteries: they are deeper explanations for many of the universe’s seeming mysteries.
3. Food Intelligence by Julia Behrouz and Kevin Hall
Most popular nutrition books are not worth reading. However, Kevin Hall and Julia Belluz manage to provide such a service. In this book, they explore the rise of ultra-processed foods (who owe much of their today’s notoriety to Kevin Hall’s original experiments) and the history of nutritional science (and nutritional quackery) itself.
4. “The Amazing Race” by Wang Dan
Wang provides a perspective on China compared to the United States. In the United States, the government is run by lawyers. In China, the government is run by engineers. Wang extends this analysis to many aspects of life, from China’s impressive economic growth to the challenges posed by population control and zero COVID-19. Part political theory, part travelogue, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I don’t usually find broad generalizations about entire countries helpful.
5. “Into the Sky” by Verno Vinci
After reading “Basics,” I’m excited to immerse myself in some fun science fiction. Space fascists and capitalists plot against each other in the shadows, and a race of spider-like aliens recreates the technological advances of the second half of the twentieth century. Set thousands of years in the future, Vinci successfully makes humans feel like aliens, and aliens feel like humans.
Five papers you may have missed
- Just trust the experts – Contrarian beliefs are overrated. Most of the time, if you believe what the experts tell you, you’ll become smarter.
- What else is worth learning in the world of artificial intelligence? – What impact will artificial intelligence have on the future of human capital? How do we prepare for a world where machines can do our jobs better (or at least much cheaper) than we can?
- attention junk food hypothesis – TikTok is empty calories for your brain.
- Focusing on your strengths is not always good advice – A 200-year-old economic theory explains when you’re better off working harder at something you’re good at.
- 102 Lessons from 102 Books I Read Last Year – I was surprised when I read these facts and ideas in a recent foundation project.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who read my work this year. Being able to learn and share my discoveries with you all is a huge privilege and I don’t take it for granted. I look forward to sharing more with you in 2026!
