Neil deGrasse Tyson Lists Eight Books Every Intelligent Person Should Read

Friends of mine know about my love and admiration for Neil deGrasse Tyson. The man of science is not afraid to call people out on science fails (with proper proof too) and he’s amazingly funny on Twitter.

Did I mention that he also met Superman? Well, not actually but Neil deGrasse Tyson did make an appearance in #14 of Action Comics where he helped the Man of Steel find his home planet of Krypton.

Also, he was kind of a babe back in the day (pictured below, far right).

Back in December 2011, Neil deGrasse Tyson participated in Reddit’s Ask Me Anything (AMA), a Q & A thread based on the website. One user asked Tyson: “Which books should be read by every single intelligent person on the planet?”. While the AMA was done a few years ago, these books and his opinions on them are still very timely.

Read on below for Tyson’s list and “how the [each] book’s content influenced the behaviour of people who shaped the western world”. Each statement below is taken directly from Tyson’s AMA thread.

THE BIBLE (Public Library + Free Ebook)

“To learn that it’s easier to be told by others what to think and believe than it is to think for yourself.”

THE SYSTEM OF THE WORLD by ISAAC NEWTON (Public Library + Free Ebook)

“To learn that the universe is a knowable place.”

ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES by Charles Darwin (Public Library + Free Ebook)

“To learn of our kinship with all other life on Earth.”

GULLIVER’S TRAVELS by Jonathan Swift (Public Library + Free Ebook)

“To learn, among other satirical lessons, that most of the time humans are Yahoos.”

THE AGE OF REASON by Thomas Paine (Public Library + Free Ebook)

“To learn how the power of rational thought is the primary source of freedom in the world.”

THE WEALTH OF NATIONS by Adam Smith (Public Library + Free Ebook)

“To learn that capitalism is an economy of greed, a force of nature unto itself.”

THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu (Public Library + Free Ebook)

“To learn that the act of killing fellow humans can be raised to an art.”

THE PRINCE by Machiavelli (Public Library + Free Ebook)

“To learn that people not in power will do all they can to acquire it, and people in power will do all they can to keep it.”

Happy reading everyone!