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What I read in 2016

In no particular order, following are the books I read in 2016. As one might observe, the books are mostly related to existential philosophy, popular science and political philosophy.

The Brothers Karamazov (by Fyodor Dostoevsky): Magnum opus of the Russian literary giant, the book deals with themes of decaying  religious influence,enlightenment,  morality, existentialism, and the human condition in general. A book that I now hold in very high esteem.

The Stranger (by Albert Camus): This is a short absurd novel. No, really, it deals with the Philosophy of the Absurd – a literary and philosophical movement in 19th century France. The novel depicts an isolated individual, emotionally withdrawn from society (hence,the Stranger) and his moral perils.

The Metamorphosis (by Franz Kafka): I haven’t been able to understand it very much. But if my interpretation is even half-correct, it is one the darkest short novels modern literature has to offer. It is ugly, horrible, outrageous, gloomy and immeasurably sad.

Political Ideals (by Bertrand Russell): This short book introduces the reader to Russell’s political views. This book does not dictate a series of ‘thou-shalt’ commandments, but rather debates what ideals should a political system strive for. It provides some very profound insights into the modern political ideologies and political zeitgeist of 19th and 20th century.

The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism (by Bertrand Russell): Russell wrote this book after his visit to Soviet Russia. In that, it is an informed account of the Russian society in the Soviet era. Russell also expresses his fears and his hopes from the Russian communists. Time proved his fears largely true, and his hopes largely false.

A Brief History of Time (by Stephen Hawking): A brief history of development of Cosmology, Astronomy, and Physics in general

Animal Farm (by George Orwell): A satirical take on failed revolutions, deceitful political doctrines and the psychology of power.

1984 (by George Orwell): 1984 is Animal Farm on steroids. It casts a very gloomy image of the institution of State, specially under a totalitarian regime. It is a reminder of why people should be sceptical of their governments, its bombastic slogans and state-sponsored narrative.

A Hunger Artist (by Franz Kafka): Another challenging work by Kafka. It is hard to say what  exactly it is about. The symbolism will be interpreted by everyone in a different and very personal way.

The First 3 Minutes (by Steven Weinberg): A tale of the first 3 minutes of our Universe by Physicits and Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg

The Blind Watchmaker (by Richard Dawkins): It introduces and defends the Darwinian theory of Evolution. The book presents many examples in support of the claim and advocates how Evolution explains the diversity of life. It also addresses many criticisms of the theory, as well.

Ramooz (by Jaun Elia): A one of its kind Urdu epic poem by Jaun Elia. The poem is unique in style and content, and presents a fresh view of modern Urdu poetry.

Naveed e Fikr (by Syed Sibt e Hasan): A Marxist take on different forms of government: Theocratic, Secular, and Socialist.

River out of Eden (by Richard Dawkins): Starting from the very basics of DNA, this book takes the reader on a journey sailing through the DNA river – a river that flow not through space, but time. It explains how species diverge, how new species evolve from already existing ones and like any other book on the topic, addresses the contemporary criticism.

The Problems of Philosophy (by Bertrand Russell):  A collection of short essays by Russell aimed at introducing Philosophy to the general public.

The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell (by Bertrand Russell): A collection of essays written by Russell on a variety of topics. This book can serve as a brief summary of Russell’s ideas and writings.

Relativity (by Albert Einstein): A book by the genius himself. This book is Einstein’s attempt to introduce his time warping and space bending theory to the general public.

Einstein’s Theory: A Rigorous Introduction for the Mathematically Untrained (by Oyvind Gron and Arne Naess): A bold attempt by authors to develop the theory of Relativity, starting from the very basics – Vectors. Although the title says “for the mathematically untrained”, the book requires a fair bit of mathematical maturity to fully appreciate the beauty and majesty of this body of knowledge. I couldn’t complete this book owing to lack of time but I keep returning to it every now and then.

Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy (by Kip Thorne): A book that takes a narrative approach to popular science exposition. Thorne introduces the readers to many strange and amazing implications of Relativity. Among other things, the interstellar adventure also includes jumping into the Black Hole.

2 Comments

  1. Owais Owais January 21, 2017

    worth sharing these book titles.THE STRANGERS & THE FIRST 3 MINUTES seem interesting

    • Mohammad Yaseen Mohammad Yaseen January 21, 2017

      thank you, and happy reading. 🙂

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