10 books that explain the modern world

1. The Genealogy of Morals (1887). What explains the strange comeback of communism? Why are elite universities prioritizing race over merit? To truly solve these puzzles, you need to grasp Nietzsche's concept of "slave morality." This book is where he lays it out in full detail.

2. What's Wrong With The World? (1910) G.K. Chesterton was a prophet. In this book, before women even had the right to vote, he laid out the unsolvable internal contradictions of feminism. Chesterton's analysis of the world is harsh, realistic, but also somehow...loving.

3. On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History (1841). Thomas Carlyle will convince you that the prime mover of history is not technology, ideas, or the masses. It is the lone hero. You'll walk away from this book wanting to be the sort of man who alters the course of world events.

4. The Moral Maxims and Reflections (1665). Why not read a book on human nature written by a 17th century French aristocrat who fought wars and reflected deeply on timeless questions? 2 more reasons: it's a book of aphorisms (or what we call "bangers") and La Rochefoucauld, the writer, was a big inspiration for Nietzsche.

5. Orthodoxy (1908). Deprogramming manual for atheists and "rationalists." Among other things it's a story of how G.K. Chesterton, the author, arrived at his Christian beliefs. This book exists in an interesting tension with the first Nietzsche book on this list. (And reading them back to back will be...fun.)

6. The Story of Philosophy (1926). A sweeping account of all the major thinkers from world history. An essential book for those looking to find their worldview.

7. 12 Against The Gods (1938). Psycho-biographies of some of history's greatest men, from Caesar to Napoleon to Casanova. It explores their mindsets, phobias, and personalities.  A somewhat niche book but one of Elon Musk's favorites...

8. The Managerial Revolution (1941). The world used to have leaders. Now it has managers. How, and why, did this transformation happen? And in what ways does this affect global politics and your personal life? James Burnham answers in this book.

9. War is a Racket! (1935) Written by one of the most decorated U.S. Marines of all time, Smedley Butler, this (short) book exposes how wars are fought not for principles but for money. Butler fought wars on 3 continents for 34 years and shows, in heartbreaking detail, how the Military-Industrial Complex often keeps brutal wars going so they can keep lining their pockets.

10. Man and Technics (1931). This book by Oswald Spengler is dense, poetic, and will make your head spin. Among other things it's an exploration of what makes humans truly different - sometimes in scary ways - from other animals.

Thanks for reading!

Forward this email to the most politically incorrect person you know. ;)

P.S.: I’ve collected the best insights from all ten of these books in Hit Reverse: New Ideas From Old Books. Check it out.

Jash.