Books

"Our cognitive abilities, how we think, moralise and comprehend the world, are all changing..."

A friend asked about my reading habits. In the past 12 months, if my memory is correct, I've gotten through over ten physical books and three e-books. I struggle to enjoy e-books because the physicality of a book in the hand, and turning the pages are hardwired in my pre-digital era brain. 

Here is a selection of books that I enjoyed over the past two years: 

• Has The West Lost It? by Kishore Mabubani. This powerful, no punches pulled book recommends that the West adapts to the "Rest". Short, concise and hard-hitting, Professor Mahbubani makes the case that the West needs to shape up and recognise that a new world order is emerging. The book is uncomfortable reading and driven by blunt honesty that the West's thought leaders are lost.
  
  
• The Power of Geography - Ten Maps that Reveal The Future of Our World by Tim Marshall. This book, and others by Marshall, highlight the impact of geography, terrain and physical elements on politics. For example, the waters around the U.K. help define the national psyche, weakening the connections to European neighbours. Likewise, you don't want to invade Iran. Mountains mark the borders, creating a fortress, and Iran's history is littered with foreign soldiers dying in those mountains. 
  
  
• The Evolution Of Everything by Matt Ridley. This book debunks the doomsayers to document that human progress is on the right track.
  
  
• The Tyranny Of Merit by Michael J. Sandel. This book offers alternative ways to think about success. Sandel asks that we recognise the dignity of work and service rather than the blind pursuit of academic qualifications, success and material rewards. In short, not everyone needs a degree. 
  
  
• Factfulness by Hans Rosling. Things are much better than you think; Rosling sets out the data to prove it. Once you disengage from the 24-hour news cycle to look at the bigger picture, the data shows we are making commendable progress on poverty, women’s right and a host of other metrics. Beware; you might have your opinions changed. 
  
  
• Vietnam by Max Hastings. A superb account of the origins, conduct and aftermath of the Vietnam War. Let's remember that thirty Vietnamese died for every American. Hastings uses declassified documents to show that the Americans knew they couldn't win in 1966, yet they kept fighting for almost another decade, resulting in untold horrors.
  
  
• Mistakes Were Made (but not by me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. We make mistakes, cling to outdated ideas, and mistreat other people. Then we create fictional reasons to absolve ourselves of responsibility, to restore our sense of being moral and right. The book explores a broad spectrum of human activities that involve twisting the truth to justify ourselves, from over-zealous police to willfully blind scientists.
  
  
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I'd recommend sitting down with Marcus at least once a day — usually in the smallest room, dipping into his thoughts, pausing for reflection. Remember to flush. 
  
  
• Truth by John D. Caputo. What is truth? Philosopher John Caputo seeks to define 'truth' in the modern era. He's not too heavy on the depths of philosophy but supports his arguments well. 
  
  
• The Weirdest People by Joseph Henrich. How your brain works and processes stuff is shaped by the culture you grew up in. In many ways, we are a cultural species. Our cognitive abilities, how we think, moralise and comprehend the world, are all changing, and we can see those adjustments in the brain's physical processes. Moreover, the collective brain brought about by cities, decent nutrition, and the time to think, help drive us forward. 
  
  
• The History of Philosophy by A.C. Grayling. First published in 1945, this book remains the definitive account of Western philosophy. 
  
  
• When The War Was Over (Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge) by Elizabeth Becker. A forensic examination of the rise, rule and fall of the Khmer Rouge. What is evident is that governments in Washington, Paris, Moscow, Beijing and Hanoi had a hand in creating a monster that wreaked a country. 
  
  
• The Three-Body Problem by Cixi Liu. The only piece of fiction I read this year (excluding The Guardian, Daily Mail, New York Times and other MSM). An outstanding work of science fiction that blends recent history, philosophy, cosmology and politics. 
  
  
• Spatial Cemetery - A Journey Beneath The Surface Of Hidden Hong Kong. A book of engaging pictures and text exploring Hong Kong's abandoned places, revealing a different side of this city that looks post-apocalyptic. The explorers belong to an urban exploration collective who venture into empty military barracks, old mines and an abandoned cinema.