Books like

Books like Leonardo's Notebooks

12 books with a reading profile close to Leonardo's Notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci. Deep and contemplative; a moderate read.

  1. 1 On Liberty

    On Liberty

    by John Stuart Mill

    Also deep · philosophy, academic

    John Stuart Mill establishes the Harm Principle, asserting that the only justification for interfering with an individual's freedom is to prevent harm to others.

  2. 2 The Abolition of Man

    The Abolition of Man

    by C.S. Lewis

    Also deep and contemplative · philosophy, academic

    C.S.

  3. 3 Politics

    Politics

    by Aristotle

    Also deep · philosophy, academic

    Aristotle defines the city-state as a collection of households aimed at the highest good.

  4. 4 Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

    Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

    by Audre Lorde

    Also deep · philosophy, academic

    In this collection of fifteen essays and speeches, Audre Lorde establishes a framework for intersectional feminism by addressing how racism, sexism, ageism, and homophobia function as interlocking systems of oppression.

  5. 5 The Cambridge Companion to the Stoics

    The Cambridge Companion to the Stoics

    by Brad Inwood

    Also deep and contemplative · philosophy, academic

    This collection of scholarly essays provides a technical map of the Stoic philosophical system from its origins in the Hellenistic period through its Roman developments.

  6. 6 On Photography

    On Photography

    by Susan Sontag

    Also deep and contemplative · philosophy, academic

    Susan Sontag examines how the camera functions as an instrument of surveillance, appropriation, and moral detachment.

  7. 7 The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    by Thomas S. Kuhn

    Also deep · philosophy, academic

    Thomas Kuhn challenges the timeline of linear scientific progress, arguing instead that science operates through distinct cycles.

  8. 8 Pedagogy of the Oppressed

    Pedagogy of the Oppressed

    by Paulo Freire

    Also deep · philosophy, academic

    Paulo Freire argues that traditional education functions as a "banking system" where teachers deposit information into passive students to maintain societal control.

  9. 9 Being There

    Being There

    by Andy Clark

    Also deep · philosophy, academic

    Andy Clark argues that human intelligence does not reside solely within the skull but emerges from the coordination of brain, body, and environment.

  10. 10 Living in the End Times

    Living in the End Times

    by Slavoj Žižek

    Also deep · philosophy, academic

    Slavoj Žižek uses Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—to categorize the global response to what he identifies as the terminal crisis of contemporary capital…

  11. 11 Art as Experience

    Art as Experience

    by John Dewey

    Also deep and contemplative · philosophy, academic

    John Dewey argues that art is not a finished object stored in a museum, but a continuous process of human interaction with the environment.

  12. 12 Philosophers of peace and war

    Philosophers of peace and war

    by W. B. Gallie

    Also deep and contemplative · philosophy, academic

    W.

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