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The 8 Books Neil deGrasse Tyson Thinks Every Person Should Read

1145 The 8 Books Neil deGrasse Tyson Thinks Every Person Should Read
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In honor of World Book Day, we've gathered reading recommendations from scientists whose specialties range from astrophysics to neuroscience to primatology.

First up is a list of eight books that Neil deGrasse Tyson thinks everyone should read and his reasons why. The recommendations are from a 2011 Reddit Ask-Me-Anything.

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"The Bible": “To learn that it's easier to be told by others what to think and believe than it is to think for yourself."

"The System of the World" by Isaac Newton: “To learn that the universe is a knowable place.”

"On the Origins of Species" by Charles Darwin: “To learn of our kinship with all other life on Earth.”

"Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift: “To learn, among other satirical lessons, that most of the time humans are Yahoos.”

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"The Age of Reason" by Thomas Paine: “To learn how the power of rational thought is the primary source of freedom in the world.”

"The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith: “To learn that capitalism is an economy of greed, a force of nature unto itself.”

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu: “To learn that the act of killing fellow humans can be raised to an art.”

"The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli: “To learn that people not in power will do all they can to acquire it, and people in power will do all they can to keep it.”

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Check out an assortment of books that other notable scientists recommend:

Jane Goodall: “Animal Liberation” by Peter Singer

Michio Kaku: "The Foundation Trilogy" by Isaac Asimov

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Oliver Sacks: “The Mind of a Mnemonist” by Aleksandr R. Luria

Steven Pinker: "1984" by George Orwell , "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins

Sean Carroll: "One, Two, Three...Infinity" by George Gamow

Steve Jones: "Farthest North" by Fridjtof Nansen

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Jared Diamond: "Child of the Jungle" by Sabine Kuegler

Max Tegmark: "Permutation City" by Greg Egan

Adam Riess: "Contact" by Carl Sagan ,  "The Fountains of Paradise" by Arthur C. Clarke

Steven Strogatz: "The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton

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Ainissa Ramirez: "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy: "The Beak of the Finch" by Jonathan Weiner , "Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters" by Matt Ridley

Melvin Konner: "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" by Robert M. Sapolsky  ,  "Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain" by Anthony Damasio

Keith Thomson: "The Fly in the Cathedral" by Brian Cathcart

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Hat Tip: [New Scientist, GoodreadsHuffington Post, American Scientist]


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