An excellent book is Understanding Earth, you should be able to pick this up used as it is used extensively as a college text for introduction to Geology. Very well written and informative.

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-.../dp/0716796171

-Zeno

I'm a big fan of the recent release The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. In terms of descriptive morality, I think it seems very on point. There is very little in there that is prescriptive, which I think is probably the weakest point of the book in some sense. But, then again, perhaps one of the takeaways from it is the difficulty of coming up with a useful prescriptive morality.

Haidt's model of morality describes people pretty darn well.* Very good read for those that want to figure out exactly how silly they are. Can be misread to figure out how silly other people are if you ignore that you are one of them.

*It isn't the end-all-be-all as the research is young and furthering the understanding should be expected as the data comes in.

I am looking for a good book or two on Origins of the Universe. I want to be able to explain and discuss the Big Bang theory and other relevant theories (like the Big Crunch theory). Thanks.

This would certainly be a useful read:

The Fabric of the Comos, by Brian Greene (a leading physicist):

http://www.amazon.com/The-Fabric-Cos.../dp/0375412883

Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman is very good. Lots of thoroughly researched concepts and ways in which our brains work and how we make mistakes because of them, better than that, filled with small ways demonstrating its effects on the reader. This makes it easy to read and convinces besides just informing.
5/5 imo.

I would, if I were inclined to heartily recommend anything, heartily recommend this book.

Thank you, Tao.

The first volume of The World of Mathematics is primarily biographical in nature and I'm about half of the way through it. I've started working into the second volume which is on Mathematics and the Physical World. To give everyone an idea of the contents of this collection, the first five topics in the second volume are as follows:

1. Mathematics of Motion by Galileo Galilei
2. Kinetic Theory of Gases by Daniel Bernoulli
3. The Longitude by Lloyd D. Brown
4. The Discovery of Neptune by Sir Harold Spencer Jones
5. Atomic Numbers by HGJ Moseley

I'm pretty excited to get into these. Anyone with an interest in the foundational mathematics of physics and science should seriously consider looking at this second volume.

The Book of Dead Philosophers, by Simon Critchley.


From the poignant and also mundane eye of how many philosophers met their death, from ancient time to modern, the author explores each philosopher’s attitude toward death and also death itself and the human reactions and relationships to death. This is a very well written exposition on humanities relationship with their mortality. The book is scholarly (in a good way) witty, funny, deep, and a very interesting read. Each philosopher explored has a section in the book from a few short sentences to 4-5 pages.

To philosophize is to learn how to die – Cicero: assassinated by order of Mark Anthony.

A recommended read. Which means it is not a waste of your time.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Dead-...mion+Critchley

I just finished reading Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá. Wow, what an eye-opener. www.sexatdawn.com

Here is a very encouraging review: http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstor...t-dusk-2/50099

can anyone help me with a college level textbook on probability and statistics? i'd prefer one that explains things as clearly as possible since it's for self studies.

You should probably try posting in the homework thread and asking there. When you do that, you can maybe also expand a bit on what you want. E.g. which college level (undergrad/grad) and what your background in the subject is.

Anyone read Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane (http://www.amazon.com/Riding-Rockets.../dp/0743276833)

or

My Dream of Stars by Anousheh Ansari (http://www.amazon.com/My-Dream-Stars.../dp/0230112218)

they seem like the two most promising books in the space section at the local library. any other suggestions on the same topic?

Schaum's Outline of Probability and Statistics is very good for problem solving. It doesn't go into details theory wise. It explains how to solve different kinds of problems without providing proves.

I've read Mullane's Riding Rockets and thought it was very well written and funny. I don't know the one from Ansari but I can also recommend Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins and A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin. The 1998 TV Show by Tom Hanks 'From the Earth to the Moon' is in part based on Chaikin's book.

Almost done with Prime Obsession. Might be the best pop-math book I've read so far.

I am about to order some books from Amazon and reviews for Prime Obsession look very good. I think I'll add it to cart. Thanks.

I'm 75% of the through Unknown Quantity: A Real And Imaginary History of Algebra, also by John Derbyshire, the author or Prime Obsession. Very similar type of book. If you have enjoyed or think you might enjoy Prime Obsession, I'd also recommend Unknown Quantity.

Douglas Hofstadter has a new book out, about how learning and discovery take place through the medium of analogy. Cant think of a book I've been more excited to read in the last 5 years.

Finding the oxford companion to philosophy ed Honderich an invaluable guide to following some of the discussions

Daniel Dennett's new book "Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking" has been a very enjoyable read so far.

As someone who is very familiar with all of his previous work, nothing which he presents is new to me, but nonetheless it's very entertaining, well written, and quite a novel concept as a whole.

Yeah the only reason I didnt buy that was because I've read most of his other stuff, and the reviews made it seem like it was just a more accessible rehash.

I'm extremely surprised no one has mentioned "The Drunkard's Walk- How Randomness Rules Our Lives' by Leonard Mlodinow

I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter

You should read GEB first though

Logicomix, a graphic novel about Bertrand Russells's life, focusing a great deal on his development of principia mathematica