N

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist & science communicator

Director of the Hayden Planetarium and America's most prominent science communicator. His book recommendations are famously curated around a single question: what should every educated person read? His list is one of the most cited in popular science culture.

@neiltyson

15

Timeless books

8,506

Avg Lindy score

2526 yrs old

Oldest book

Lindy Verified· 13 books

Stood the test of time — old, widely published, and repeatedly endorsed

The Art of War by Sun Tsu, to learn that the act of killing fellow humans can be raised to an art.

The Wealth of Nations by Smith, to learn that capitalism is an economy of greed, a force of nature unto itself.

Richard Dawkins explained the mechanism of life in a way that made evolution undeniable and beautiful.

The challenges and joys of 2D living: "Flatland" (1884) by Edwin A. Abbott & "The Planiverse" (1984) by Alexander K. Dewdney

To learn that it’s easier to be told by others what to think and believe than it is to think for yourself.

@star_stufff @BadAstronomer "One Two Three Infinity", By George Gamow. The single most influential book on my budding scientific mind.

Gulliver's Travels by Swift, to learn, among other satirical lessons, that most of the time humans are Yahoos.

To learn how the power of rational thought is the primary source of freedom in the world.

On the Origin of Species (Darwin), to learn of our kinship with all other life on Earth.

Also Recommends

2 books · below Lindy threshold

14

The Planiverse

A. K. Dewdney

3.3k

The challenges and joys of 2D living: "Flatland" (1884) by Edwin A. Abbott & "The Planiverse" (1984) by Alexander K. Dewdney

15

The Science of Interstellar

Kip Thorne

2.2k

In #Interstellar, if you didn’t understand the physics, try Kip Thorne’s highly readable Bbook “The Science of Interstellar"