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my favorite readings

Economics/ Politics

The Sovereign Individual - I believe this book provides a great mental model of the economic future we will encounter in our lifetime. The Sovereign Individual explores the relationship between technological innovation and megapolitical structures (such as nation-states or the church before the 18th century). Many of the theories presented in this book were new to me, particularly regarding the relationship between how humans organize themselves in large groups and the return on violence (a term they use a lot) and technological innovation.

The book provides great examples of megapolitical shifs, such as how the invention of the printing press and gunpowder gave rise to the concept that we now know as nation-states.

I find the core idea in the book - that the invention of the transistor and the internet will fundamentally alter megapolitical structures highly likely. This suggests that during our lifetime, we are likely to witness a significant shift in the way humans collaborate on large scale groups, in a way we did not see before.

Quotes:

“Violence is the ultimate boundary force on behavior; this, if you can understand how the logic of violence will change, you can usefully predict where people will be dropping or picking up the equivalent of one-hundred-dollar bills in the future.”

“In almost every competitive area, including most of the world’s multitrillion-dollar investment activity, the migration of transactions into cyberspace will be driven by an almost hydraulic pressure—the impetus to avoid predatory taxation, including the tax that inflation places upon everyone who holds his wealth in a national currency.”

The Denationalization of Money - This is one of the books that has influenced my economic thinking the most. In 1976, Hayek proposed something that is still considered highly radical today - the idea that governments should not control money, and should privatize it. This simple concept encompasses many ideas prevalent in the crypto industry today, such as the fear of centralizing forces in the era of the internet and AI, the ability to censor individuals outside the system, the coersive power of governments, and the impact of inflation as a form of taxation (I always beleived that inflation is the most immoral form of taxation being imposed by governments).

This book serves as a practical guide on how we can achieve a system of non-governmental money, even in a pre-commercial internet era. Masterpiece.

Quotes:

“There is no answer in the available literature to the question why a government monopoly of the provision of money is universally regarded as indispensable. … It has the defects of all monopolies.”

The Use of Knowledge in Society - This is not actually a book but rather a profound paper by Hayek discussing how free markets and price systems serve as knowledge-transmitting systems. I believe that only a few modern economists truly grasp these concepts, which lay the groundwork for understanding why free price systems foster prosperity and why it is illogical for central banks to determine interest rates and the market value of money. Similar to everything Hayek wrote, you may need to read this multiple times, but it is completely worthwhile.

Quotes:

“Fundamentally, in a system in which the knowledge of the relevant facts is dispersed among many people, prices can act to coordinate the separate actions of different people in the same way as subjective values help the individual to coördinate the parts of his plan.”

“To assume all the knowledge to be given to a single mind…is to disregard everything that is important and significant in the real world.”

Big Debt Crises - Ray Dalio takes you on a bottom-up journey, illustrating how macro cycles unfold and demonstrating the patterns of historical debt cycles in a rigorous and methodological way.

The Prince - This is a dark book written during the 16th century to serve as a guide for rulers. Despite its dark nature, it provides an excellent framework for strategic thinking.

Philloshopy

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - This is a classic book from 1974 by Robert M. Pirsig. It is a fictional autobiography of Pirsig, describing his journeys on a motorcycle with his son in the US (with some flashbacks to a side story).

The book explores the concept of ‘quality.’ It delves into what quality is and how it is defined, and whether we can accurately describe it. It uses the maintenance of the motorcycle as a metaphor to showcase different approaches to quality. The conclusion I drew from this book and trying to apply in my daily work is that quality is a middle ground between the ‘romantic’ approach (subjective) and the ‘classical’ approach (objective). The best outcomes in life come from the combination of rational thinking and emotions. There is a sweet spot, an equilibrium, in which quality lies.

This is not an easy book to read. I read it while traveling in Mexico, and it took me about two months to finish. However, it greatly influenced the way I approach tasks and how I perceive doing meaningful work.

Quotes:

“The Buddha, the Godhead, resides quite as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he does at the top of a mountain or in the petals of a flower.”

“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”

“The truth knocks on the door and you say, “Go away, I’m looking for the truth,” and so it goes away. Puzzling.”

“Is it hard?’ Not if you have the right attitudes. Its having the right attitudes thats hard.”

Almanack of Naval Ravikant - A genius can capture the complexities of life that are invisible to most of us, and serve it with simplicity. Once you read his words, you see things differently and can’t go back (“It’s the nature of truth that once you see it, you can’t unsee it”). Read this book and learn about wealth and happines.

Quotes: “Escape competition through authenticity.”

“Specific knowledge is found much more by pursuing your innate talents, your genuine curiosity, and your passion. It’s not by going to school for whatever is the hottest job; it’s not by going into whatever field investors say is the hottest.”

“You’re going to die one day, and none of this is going to matter. So enjoy yourself. Do something positive. Project some love. Make someone happy. Laugh a little bit. Appreciate the moment. And do your work.”

Novel / Fiction

Catch-22 - Catch 22 has so many quotes that I admire. It effectively portrays the absurdity of war and highlights the illogical situations individuals face when entangled in a larger system.

Quotes:

“He was going to live forever, or die in the attempt.”

“Insanity is contagious.”

The Music of Chance - This book explores some topics that I really like to think of: freedom, randomness, fate and control. It raises questions about the extent to which individuals can shape their own destiny and the role that luck and chance play in determining outcomes.

Quotes:

“Once a man begins to recognize himself in another, he can no longer look on that person as a stranger.”

Dune - The Dune universe explores many fascinating aspects of human existence, including power struggles and politics, the relationship between humans and the environment, colonization and imperialism, religion and community.

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

Shantaram - I traveled India when I was younger, and after reading Shantaram I felt sorry I didn’t visit Mumbai. This book was so vivid, I can smell Mumbai and its scent although I have never been there.

Science

The Beggining of Infinity - confession - I never finished reading this book. I’m constantly reading snippets of it and trying to process it in small pieces (there’s a lot to think about). The philosophy of science, the creation of knowledge, the uniqueness of humans, and the universe - all of these topics provoke fascinating ideas. The thing I like the most about this book is the optimistic outlook by the author. So many ‘smart people’ are pessimistic about humanity’s future, and its great to learn about well defined logical arguments that support the complete opposite - the future is bright, and we are actually just at the beggining of infinity.

Quotes:

“Without error-correction all information processing, and hence all knowledge-creation, is necessarily bounded. Error-correction is the beginning of infinity.”