Books of truth

A few weeks ago, I listed the works of fiction which I considered essential reading for anyone who wished to understand humanity and the Caribbean. Since then, readers have been clamouring — well, three readers asked — for an equivalent list of non-fiction books. Here, then, is a shortlist of books which you should read if want to be a truly educated human being in the Caribbean. My Philosophical Development, by Bertrand Russell. This is a difficult read, and it’s best to peruse a basic textbook on philosophy beforehand (Mastering Philosophy by Anthony Harrison-Barbet is good) in order to familiarise yourself with basic philosophical concepts. That said, Russell is a remarkably clear and concise writer and, one generation after his death, is coming to be acknowledged as the greatest philosopher of the 20th century (an accolade usually given to his one-time prot?g?, Ludwig Wittgenstein). The training ground of Russell’s intellectual autobiography will stand you in good stead in all other areas, especially when it comes to separating sense from nonsense.

A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking. Written by one of the greatest theoretical physicists of all time, this book deals with most of the major ideas of modern cosmology in a succinct and often witty manner. The study of the universe has no direct impact on your everyday life, but to read Hawking’s book and experience the mind of man tackling such cosmic mysteries is itself an uplifting experience. How the Mind Works, by Steven Pinker. If you are not familiar with the ideas in this book, then you can rest assured that you do not understand the human psyche. This is one of the best popular introductions to evolutionary psychology, but Pinker applies this paradigm to explain many other things, from vision to sexual attraction to art to violence. With his ability to deal with complex issues in a lucid and colourful manner, there are few better practitioners of the explainer’s art. Phantoms in the Brain, by V.S. Ramachandran. To understand ourselves, we must understand our brains. Ramachandran, one of the world’s foremost neuropsychologists, shows that what we assume about ourselves, and indeed the world, is often an illusion which is deliberately created by the brain under certain conditions. This understanding is crucial if you want to stop fooling yourself.

Authentic Happiness, by Martin Seligman. Although this book does have practical advice on how to be as happy as you can, it is also filled with hard data about this central goal of human existence. Seligman is the world’s leading researcher on happiness, and much of what he says here you will find surprising: for instance, the happiest people in the world aren’t necessarily those with looks and money, and an effective way to be happy is to stop being self-absorbed and to help others. The Science of Love, by Glen D Wilson. No topic is so little understood as romantic love. This is because scientists never started studying it until a few decades ago, but it is also because centuries of poets and Mills and Boon novelists have helped foster illusions that play to our deepest desire: genetic survival. Wilson’s book clarifies this age-old mystery, but this will not necessarily help you find your soulmate. The Nurture Assumption, by Judith Rich Harris. Parenting is the most crucial task any normal human being can undertake. In this book, Harris presents a compelling argument that our pet assumption, that parents socialise their children, is wrong. Along the way, she provides fascinating information on what being human is all about.

Guns, Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond. To paraphrase what I wrote above: If you are not familiar with the ideas in this book, then you do not understand the world. In this amazingly wide-ranging account, anthropologist Diamond explains why Western European countries have come to dominate the world. His discourse on ecology, geology, climatology and technology shows that racial and ethnic perspectives are either irrelevant or tendentious in explaining civilisations. To paraphrase the movie ads: If there is one history book you read this lifetime… Conquests and Cultures, by Thomas Sowell. If, however, you read two…Sowell also draws on hard data to explain the rise and fall of human societies, including the colonial experience. His book fulfils a main purpose of history: to lend a long view. The Blank Slate, by Steven Pinker. This book will give you a fundamental understanding of controversial social and political issues, from violence to parenting to gender. Pinker demolishes many of the shibboleths and often unstated assumptions which underlie debate on these and other topics. His book is a fine demonstration of how and why scientific thinking must be applied to non-scientific topics.

The Death of Economics, by Paul Ormerod. The world is a complex place, and understanding economic concepts is often crucial to understanding other issues. The Pocket Economist, published by The Economist magazine, is a superb basic introduction. But Ormerod provides a crucial theoretical grounding. Unlike most economists, he writes in a straightforward manner without jargon, but the particular virtue of this book is its undermining of the several myths which pose as fact within the dismal science. The Middle Passage, by VS Naipaul. Although published more than 40 years ago, Naipaul’s acute observations still have resonance today: more’s the pity. The Trinidad essay also shows that he is not as harsh as our intellectuals used to claim (until he won the Nobel) but that he presented us truthfully. Moreover, some of the predictions he made back then have begun to come true.

Beyond a Boundary, by CLR James. Cricket is no longer an apt metaphor for West Indian society, despite the claims of pseudo-intellectual commentators. But James’s wonderfully written book, more novel than essay, gives an evocative portrait of colonial Afro-Saxon society in Trinidad, and understanding that past is crucial for charting our future. Non-Zero, by Robert Wright. Drawing on different disciplines as only a writer can, Wright, a journalist, presents the argument that life is not a zero-sum game — ie that benefits to one person or group does not necessarily mean loss to another. Essentially a sociopolitical treatise presented in scientific style, here is history, psychology, mathematics and theology rolled into an argument that, whether right or wrong, will make you consider deeply questions both temporal and spiritual.