These books on philosophy were all personally read by me. I considered them to be very helpful – that’s why I would like to recommend them.
Future reviews about its content will be added so that you can get a better understanding whether this book might also be something for you or not. If you think I’m missing important titles which you think are great, please let me know. I will definitely take a look at them and maybe post them here as well. No list of books on a particular subject is ever complete, but I hope I can pull together as many great titles as possible that will make a solid collection.
Also note that most books are of course of such a level that the average person (like me) will benefit from them. As a result, you are unlikely to find titles, whose contents can only be read and understood by economic students or professionals.
So if you want to buy any of the following titles, you can do so directly by clicking on it.
The link behind the book cover or the title will take you to Amazon, where you can order it using your Amazon account.
I know, within the bookseller community, Amazon is the bookseller „killer“ No. 1, therefore I wouldn’t mind at all if you were ordering or purchasing these books directly from one of your favorite bookstores near you.
But Amazon is awesome if you want to take a closer first look, of course. The size of different offers is unbeatable.
And here’s the thing about the Amazon Affiliate: when you buy a book using the links below, Amazon pays me a commission. There are no additional costs for you. Instead, from the total price, I receive a tiny portion, payed by Amazon.
Since I pay taxes regularly (not living in a tax haven) and go shopping almost only within my community, I can at least keep the cycle of money a bit more around to support people and their shops in my area. In the end, I guess we will all benefit if we first help our community by shopping in their stores and build a solid foundation.
If any other affiliate partner is behind a specific link, it will be mentioned extra.
Walter Isaacson: Elon Musk
Simon & Schuster (12. September 2023), 688 p.
Hardcover here
For two years, Walter Isaacson had unprecedented access. He shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?
Nicholas Taleb: The Black Swan (2nd. ed.)
Random House Publishing Group; 2nd ed. Edition (11. Mai 2010), Softcover, 444 p.
Softcover here
A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was.
Standard work about the subject on unpredictable events, esp. on things like the stock market.
A Kindle version of an analysis by Dr. Eric Lybeck can found here
Nicholas Taleb: Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
Random House Publishing Group; Reprint Edition (28. Januar 2014), Softcover, 544 S.
Paperback version click here
My personal favourite title. An investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand. Shifts perspective from „the worst“ being an opportunity – yes, almost a necessity.
Nicholas Taleb: Incerto (4 vols.): Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, The Bed of Procrustes, Antifragile
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Revised, Updated Edition (2021), Softcover, 1872 p.
Paperback here
All four volumes—Antifragile, The Black Swan, Fooled by Randomness, and the expanded edition of The Bed of Procrustes, updated with more than 50 percent new material—together in one boxed set.
Ray Dalio: Principles for Dealing with The Changing World Order
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster; 1. Edition (30. November 2021) 576 p.
Hardcover here
If you want to make sense in how economy „behaves“, Ray Dalio is definately the guy to go. His success with Bridgewater is not only due to a radical open and transparent work culture, but also a cause of Dalios relentless study of economic history.
Ray Dalio: Principles: Life and Work
Simon & Schuster: 2017. 592 S.
For the Kindle version, please click here
Hardcover here
A book clearly not for everyone, since Dalio’s approach about how to run a company may seem quite controversial and uncomfortable for some people. Dalio pleads a philosophy of radical transparency – both, for good and bad.
However, being open minded and OK with partly not agreeing, this book is super interesting. Because it has proven its success for Dalio. To what „cost“ though, you may want to find out yourself within this book.
The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
Bantam: 2009, 832 p.
Get the paperback edition here
Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writer’s questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associates—opening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as The Snowball makes immensely clear. Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffett’s legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth; it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched people’s lives. This book tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.