Philosophical Books
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil deGrasse Tyson
[A very well-written and insightful view of life, particularly in the United States of America. Tyson takes a scientific perspective on many important issues we face today. This is a short and humorous book with information and conclusions of use to all of us.]
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2015
The following is a direct quote from the Amazon page for this book.
As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers.
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowing together to reveal what it means to see humans as “the younger brothers of creation”. As she explores these themes, she circles toward a central argument: The awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the world. Once we begin to listen for the languages of other beings, we can begin to understand the innumerable life-giving gifts the world provides us and learn to offer our thanks, our care, and our own gifts in return.
[I would add that the book raises many questions. Such as, what is the meaning of life? How can people achieve happiness? Would a sustainable economy be an adequate goal for our future? Most of this commentary is presented through stories designed with great care to entice us to think about these and other fundamental questions at a time when the vast majority of us have been led to take other perspectives.]