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If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All

By: Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares Published: 2025 272 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

This book makes the AI doomer case at its most extreme. It asserts that if we build artificial superintelligence (ASI) then that ASI will certainly kill all of humanity.

Their argument in brief: the ASI will have goals. These goals are very unlikely to be in alignment with humanity's goals. This will bring humanity and the ASI into conflict over resources. Since the ASI will surpass us in every respect it will have no reason to negotiate with us. Its superhuman abilities will also leave us unable to stop it. Taken together this will leave the ASI with no reason to keep us around and many reasons to eliminate us—thus the "Everyone Dies" part of the title.

What's the author's angle?

Yudkowsky is the ultimate AI doomer. No one is more vocally worried about misaligned ASI than he. Soares is Robin to Yudkowsky's Batman.

Who should read this book?

For those familiar with the argument I don't think the book covers much in the way of new territory.

For those unfamiliar with the argument I might recommend Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom instead. It makes the same points without being quite so tendentious.

Specific thoughts: The parable of the alchemists and the unfairness of life

A man who possessed a singular talent for making war and being duped.

Grant

By: Ron Chernow Published: 2017 1104 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

A biography of Ulysses S. Grant, the greatest general of the Civil War, but also simultaneously one of the most guileless individuals ever profiled by a biographer.

What's the author's angle?

Chernow clearly thinks that Grant has been unfairly maligned as a corrupt drunkard, and this book is going to set the record straight. In Chernow's telling, Grant was the best general of the war, one of the better presidents, and overall a very honorable man whose only fault was that he was far, far too trusting. I'm not saying that Chernow is wrong about any of this, merely that there is a touch of the hagiographic to this book.

Who should read this book?

I've thoroughly enjoyed every Chernow book I've ever read. They're long, but they go down pretty easy. (Though reading about the brutality of reconstruction—i.e. the original Klu Klux Klan and its offshoots was extremely sad and painful.)

Specific thoughts: How can someone be so good at fighting enemies on the battlefield and so bad at detecting treachery in those closest to him?

Chiefly Caused by Cytokine Cascades…

Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action

By: David Fajgenbaum Published: 2019 256 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

Right as Fajgenbaum was finishing up the exams for his third year of medical school, he was struck by his first attack of idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease. It nearly killed him (last rites were administered). He went on to have four more attacks, each of which also nearly killed him, but somehow in between attacks he was able to research the disease enough that he eventually found something (rapamycin) which has (so far) kept additional attacks from happening. As an outgrowth of his own research he founded the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network.

What's the author's angle?

This is one of those cases where the author has a large "angle", Fajgenbaum has Castleman disease, and is very much advocating (in the course of the book) for more research and more funding for the treatment of the disease he has. This is not a bad angle, but there is a lot of advocacy in the book.

On the other hand the fact that he has the disease is also one of the book's great strengths. It creates a compelling story, and a fascinating approach to the research and cure of the disease.

Who should read this book?

I think it's most interesting for those who want to understand how medical research is done. Its failure points, but also its potential for life-altering outcomes. Fajgenbaum's personal story is also very interesting, and people who just like good biographical stories will also enjoy it.

Specific thoughts: How much should this story be read as an example of broken science?

A small but powerful injection of Buddhism straight into your soul.

The Dhammapada

By: Unknown Translator: Gil Fronsdal Published: Sometime in the 3rd to 1st century BC 152 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

This is Buddhist scripture in a similar sense to how the New Testament is Christian scripture. In this case it's 423 verses (as opposed to nearly 8,000 in the New Testament) all of which have supposedly been uttered by the Buddha. The verses are arranged into thematic chapters (Mind, Anger, Happiness, etc.)

What's the author's angle?

In theory the author is the Buddha, and his angle would be bringing the readers to enlightenment. In reality most people believe that the verses were compiled by early Buddhist communities. The angle I got out of it was the elimination of desire.

Who should read this book?

Given how important this book is to tens of millions of people, and how short it is (if you're just looking at the verses absent commentary it's around 10,000 words) I would say anyone who's even remotely interested in religion, philosophy, or eastern thought, should read this book.

Specific thoughts: More directly Buddhist than I expected

The more people you're asking to forget the messier things become.

A Primer for Forgetting: Getting Past the Past

By: Lewis Hyde Published: 2019 384 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

The necessity of forgetting, as conveyed through a broad collection of stories, essays, quotes, reflections, etc. It's more atmospheric than prescriptive.

What's the author's angle?

This is an important writer, doing important writing, lauded as important by other writers, teaching at an important university (for a time Harvard). None of this is necessarily bad, and it can be quite good, but you should know what you're in for.

Who should read this book?

David Foster Wallace (who I greatly admire) called Hyde "One of our true superstars of nonfiction" though he can't have been talking about this book since it was published long after he was dead. If his statement or anything in the last section piques your interest, then perhaps you will enjoy this book. I'm sorry I can't be more specific. It's that kind of book.

Specific thoughts: An attempt to eat his cake and have it.

The history of attempting to make "controlled explosion" into something other than an oxymoron.

Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants

By: John Drury Clark Published: 1972 216 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

An insider's account of the always exciting, frequently terrifying, attempts to develop the perfect liquid propellant.

What's the author's angle?

Clark was a program director, and he's mostly telling personal stories about the vast effort to find better liquid propellants. His sense of humor is great and his disdain for bureaucratic minutiae is obvious. He's one of those steely-eyed missile men you hear about.

Who should read this book?

People interested in a behind the scenes look at a fascinating period of engineering and discovery.

Specific thoughts: Once We Were Engineers

Bernard Cornwell's best (and shortest) historical fiction series.

The Warlord Chronicles

By: Bernard Cornwell

The Winter King Published: 1996 431 Pages

Enemy of God Published: 1998 397 Pages

Excalibur Published: 1999 436 Pages

Briefly, what is this series about?

The Arthurian Legends turned into historical fiction. All the tales are related retrospectively by Derfel, a Saxon boy raised by Merlin who eventually becomes Arthur's right hand man.

Who should read this series?

If you've read anything by Cornwell, but haven't read this, you should. Not only is this Cornwell's personal favorite of his series, it's only three books, unlike the Sharpe series which is apparently up to 24 books?!? Even if you don't know who Cornwell is, if you like historical fiction at all this is a great series.

Specific thoughts: A realistic Arthur

The superior man uses his superior judgement to look superior on all the metrics.

The Tyranny of Metrics

By: Jerry Z. Muller Published: 2019 248 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

The distorting effects of an over-reliance on metrics particularly when it comes to creating incentives.

What's the author's angle?

Muller was frustrated by the numerous metrics being imposed upon him in academia, frustrated enough to write a book about it.

Who should read this book?

If you're in an environment where you feel like metrics are being overused and abused, this book can help you identify how that's happening, and what you might be able to do about it.

Specific thoughts: Bad metrics are everywhere, why isn't this problem better known?

Lawyers vs. Engineers. Infrastructure in America, China and Europe. Edmund Burke and the Revolutionary War.

Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future

By: Dan Wang Published: 2025 288 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

The rise of China's immense manufacturing prowess, where it comes from (a culture of engineering according to Want), and where it might be going.

What's the author's angle?

Wang has been putting out a well regarded annual letter on China for many years now. This is a distillation of his thoughts in book form. Also he has Chinese parents who often regret leaving China when they did.

Who should read this book?

If you're at all interested in what's happening with China you should absolutely read this book.

Specific thoughts: Which theory of China is correct?