The Age of AI: And Our Human Future
Henry A. Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher
This one was just released and as someone who has been tracking the development of Artificial Intelligence very closely and trying to understand the implications for the future of our species, I ordered it and read it as soon as I could. It’s a controversial blend of authors, which is intriguing and interesting to me.
Eric Schmidt, former google CEO, regardless of what you think of him, his thoughts and foresight on the topic of AI and our human future are important to listen to. While I don’t endorse his views, he’s a very intelligent, influential, and in-the-know figure in our world right now. Hearing his perspective can give some insight and potentially foresight into where we are headed as a species, as uncomfortable as it may be.
Of course, if you haven’t read Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom – I consider it an essential read if you want to understand how AI will impact our future.
Getting to Zero: How To Work Through Conflict In Your High-Stakes Relationships
Jayson Gaddis
An essential read written by an old friend. At one point my coach and therapist. Well done. Learning to work with conflict in a good way is only going to become more important in the coming decade.
After all these years, I still find Jayson’s approach essential for working with conflict in my intimate relationships.
Jayson walks the talk. Read up, get humble, and good at resolving conflict.
Existential Kink: Unmask Your Shadow And Embrace Your Power
Carolyn Elliot, PhD
“We always get exactly what we want; but often, though we may not be aware of it, what we most want is dark—very dark.”
Friends had been recommending this book for years, but I finally read it this year. A great book that really taps into the reality of how we humans recapitulate or recreate our childhood, perinatal traumas as adults through unconscious act outs and induction. A principle understood in depth psychology but not well applied or understood by many. Get to the root of your trauma and free yourself to create the life you really want, by owning your shadow desires to recreate traumatic situations.
Definitely some good wisdom here. You can’t bypass this.
WILL: A Memoir
Will Smith with Mark Manson
I love this man. Such a humble and inspiring story and as a huge fan of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air growing up – I feel like a kindred soul on the journey of life. Obviously, I like that he comes out of the closet with his Ayahuasca use and shares how it positively impacted him – though I have known about this for years. Highly inspirational read and fun to get to know more of Will’s personal life.
The Scout Mindset
Julia Galef
I’ve been a big fan of Julia and her work with CFAR(Center for Applied Rationality) for years. I was excited to read her book. She’s a true gem and contributor to the field of rationality.
Why do some people seem to be able to see and think clearly and others miss the mark so much? Read this book and learn to manage your cognitive biases that cloud and skew your vision and thinking.
A must read for all who have trouble saying, “I was wrong”.
Clarity In Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA
Marc Polymeropoulos
I liked the idea of getting leadership lessons from someone with real life experience in the field as a clandestine CIA officer. There is some great insight and wisdom from someone who has truly had to show up under duress and in high stakes emergency situations and make tough decisions.
I appreciate his vulnerability in sharing his emotional impact and the stress created for his family. I appreciate the section on knowing who to count on in emergency situations.
Greenlights
Matthew McConaughey
I highly recommend the audio version because Matthew McConaughey’s voice is great.
It’s a great book full of stories and wisdom. I appreciate his vulnerability and realness. It’s a book that reminds us life is about the journey and not the destination. Left me feeling inspired as I work on writing my on memoir.
Highly recommended.
Forgiving What You Can’t Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again
Lysa Terkeurst
I, like many of us, have had a few really horrible things happen to me over the course of my life. One this year turned my world upside down temporarily and left me questioning everything I thought I knew about friendship and community. Painful and “horrible” things happen and sometimes the circumstances are such that we can’t talk about what happened with anyone other than a few close friends and a therapist, making it even more complex to move on.
How can you forgive someone who has committed a crime against you that caused great damage? If you want to live, love and open your heart again, you have to learn to forgive all those who have harmed you.
This book is a helpful companion for the process of forgiving, when you can’t ever have completion – and create a beautiful life.
The Safety Trap: A Security Expert’s Secrets for Staying Safe in a Dangerous World
Spencer Coursen
We live in a weird time right now where I think we are going to have to get more conscious about our personal safety and the safety of those that we love. It’s important to remember that humans are also wild animals and have the potential to be vengeful, delusional, and destructive – despite our most optimistic thinking. With the level of polarization happening on our planet now, I think we can only expect things to get more violent and weird before eventually getting better.
Spencer lays out a great mindset for thinking about safety and security. For those who understand and recognize the need to read a book like this, check it out.
Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World
Timothy Morton
In a world full of chaos and misinformation, Tim gives us a much needed concept, the hyperobject.
More and more we are faced with global challenges that we can’t assess and see with our own eyes or touch and feel with our own hands, so we rely on our intellectual faculties, and our hierarchies of trust to try to make sense of data.
Tim gives us a concept that allows and encourages the development of independent and critical thinking that will be critical to our navigating the chaotic times we live.