Books like The Prince
12 books with a reading profile close to The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. Deep, outward-looking and growth-minded; a moderate read.
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1
A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy
Also deep · history, philosophy
Miyamoto Musashi, an undefeated dual-sword duelist, organized this 1645 text into five scrolls titled Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and the Void.
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2
The Art of War
by Sun Tzu
Also deep and outward-looking · philosophy, theoretical
Sun Tzu’s treatise outlines thirteen distinct components of military engagement, ranging from initial calculations and terrain analysis to the deployment of fire and use of spies.
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3
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Also outward-looking · history, philosophy
Christopher Hitchens argues that organized religion is a human invention that harms social progress and intellectual honesty.
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4
Utilitarianism
Also deep and outward-looking · philosophy, theoretical
John Stuart Mill defends the Greatest Happiness Principle, asserting that actions are right if they promote pleasure and wrong if they produce pain.
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5
Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow
Also deep and outward-looking · history, philosophy
The text outlines how humanity, having largely managed the historical threats of famine, war, and plague, is refocusing its efforts on achieving immortality, bliss, and god-like powers.
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6
Common Sense
by Thomas Paine
Also outward-looking · history, theoretical
Thomas Paine argues that monarchy is an unnatural form of government that violates human equality and reason.
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7
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Also deep and outward-looking · philosophy, theoretical
Mary Wollstonecraft argues that the apparent intellectual inferiority of women results from a lack of formal education rather than natural biological capability.
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8
The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx
Also deep and outward-looking · history, theoretical
The Communist Manifesto outlines a theory of historical development driven by class struggle between the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production, and the proletariat, who sell their labor.
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9
Atlas Shrugged
by Ayn Rand
Also deep and outward-looking · philosophy, theoretical
Set in a near-future United States, the story follows railroad executive Dagny Taggart as she fights to maintain her industrial empire against a backdrop of societal collapse.
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10
Skin in the Game: The Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
Also deep and outward-looking · philosophy, theoretical
Nassim Nicholas Taleb argues that true understanding and ethical behavior only exist when individuals face personal consequences for their decisions.
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11
Silent Spring
Also deep and outward-looking · history, theoretical
Rachel Carson examines the environmental consequences of indiscriminate pesticide use, specifically focusing on synthetic chemical compounds like DDT.
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12
The Federalist Papers
Also deep and outward-looking · history, theoretical
The Federalist Papers comprise eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to advocate for the ratification of the United States Constitution.
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