BOOKS
I’ve read and I recommend all these books. The books marked with a + are ones I' haven’t completed reading, but can still recommend.
I believe books should challenge our current beliefs as well as provide adequate evidence for their viewpoint.
I urge you to read about practices you disagree with, as well as practices you live your life by.
If we only read authors we agree with, how can we ever grow?
Happiness
Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert
10% Happier - Dan Harris
The How Of Happiness - Sonja Lyubomirsky +
Longer list of happiness books here.
Meditation &
Secular Spirituality
Waking Up - Sam Harris
10% Happier - Dan Harris
Altered Traits: How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body - Daniel Goleman & Richard Davidson
Psychology, Neuroscience
& Consciousness
Why Buddhism Is True - Robert Wright
The Body Keeps The Score - Bessel Van Kolk
Altered Traits: How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body - Daniel Goleman & Richard Davidson
The Consciousness Instinct - Michael Gazzaniga
Conscious - Annaka Harris
The River Of Consciousness - Oliver Sacks
The Ego Tunnel - Thomas Metzinger
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat - Oliver Sacks
Self Help
& Psychology
Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach
When Things Fall Apart - Pema Chödrön
Religion
& Indoctrination
Leaving The Fold - Marlene Winel
Letter To A Christian Nation - Sam Harris
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Godless: How An Evangelical Preacher Became One Of America’s Leading Atheists - Dan Barker
Pure: Inside The Evangelical Movement That Shamed A Generation Of Young Women And How I Broke Free - Linda Kay Klein
**** I’ve read many books from both sides of the topic of theism v. atheism. The ones above are the ones I feel provide adequate evidence, support, and critical thinking, and the ones I tend to agree with.
Psychedelics
How To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan
The Doors Of Perception - Aldous Huxley
Sexuality
Come As You Are - Emily Nagoski
The New Male Sexuality - Bernie Zilbergeld +
Biology
& Evolution
The Greatest Show On Earth - Richard Dawkins
Science In The Soul - Richard Dawkins
The Moral Animal - Robert Wright
Philosophy
Free Will - Sam Harris
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Outgrowing God - Richard Dawkins +
Other/Humanity, Bigger Picture
& Critical Thinking
Gratitude - Oliver Sacks
Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari
Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer
The Moral Landscape - Sam Harris +
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - Carl Sagan, 1995
Podcasts & Video Series
The Happiness Lab
Dr. Laurie Santos teaches “The Science of Well-Being” at Yale University, and in this podcast she lays down all the science-based evidence for how we can change our happiness levels, and lead healthier lives, both physically and mentally. Its very accessible and an easy listen, you don’t need to have any prior knowledge on psychology or neuroscience to benefit, which is why I recommend it. I also recommend her free online course at coursera.org
Making Sense
Interviews led by Sam Harris. Sam is an incredibly articulate speaker & interviewer. He explains difficult concepts in a way that is easy to understand. Many of the books that changed my life were written by him. His podcast focuses on politics/science/religion and generally current events & controversial topics.
Waking Up App
This is a meditation app that also has tons of interviews & lessons, so I consider it a podcast of sorts. Sam Harris interviews meditation teachers, gurus, authors, scientists & thinkers on a wide range of topics having to do with meditation and other eastern practices. I also recommend the 50-day meditation course it includes. The first 5 are free, and it’s $99/yr for full access, but Sam has a policy of kindness: if you can’t afford it, email him and he’ll make it happen. He doesn’t want money to be the reason you can’t meditate.
Ten Percent Happier
Dan Harris wrote the book (10% Happier) and his podcast is just a continuation of learning about meditation and eastern philosophies through interviews ranging a wide variety of topics, all centered on finding well being through different forms of practice.
Tara Brach
She’s a psychologist, meditation teacher & author. She speaks about meditation, self compassion, the RAIN method, being present, connecting with our body, etc. She tends to be kinda touchy-feely and uses vernacular common in buddhist teachings, which often sounds fluffy and inexact, which is my only issue with her. However, she has the knowledge and experience to back it up. She’s a very compassionate speaker, so she’s my go-to if I want to hear comforting & gentle words of compassion.
Ted Talks
Ted Talks, Tedx Talks, TedEd, and The Ted Interview (video series/youtube/podcast). I highly recommend going through their videos and saving the topics that sound interesting/helpful to you. Some talks are super quick, 15-20min, and a great intro into anything that interests you.
Kurzgesagt:
In a Nutshell Videos
A Youtube channel that makes short & interesting educational videos on a variety of topics. They’re fun for a short little burst of interesting knowledge, or if you want to find topics to later delve deeper into.
Other
These are podcasts I haven’t listened to much, but they’re recommended by others: