Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
The Cosmic & Human Story: From the Big Bang to the AI Revolution
15
items How did we get here, and where are we going? This series bridges the gap between the stars and the soil. After exploring inner mindfulness with Krishnamurti, I found that Carl Sagan and Yuval Noah Harari provide the 'Outer Mindfulness' we need today....
Sections
5
The Foundations of Wonder (Carl Sagan)
Beyond the Earth (Carl Sagan)
The Human Story (Yuval Noah Harari)
The Visual History of Humanity (Yuval Noah Harari)
Voice & Vision: The Original Dialogues (Carl Sagan and Yuval Noah Harari)
The Foundations of Wonder (Carl Sagan)
"This section features the 'pillars' of Sagan’s philosophy. These books are where science meets poetry. They are designed to shift your perspective from the small, daily ego to the grand, 15-billion-year story of the universe. If you are new to the '...
"If Krishnamurti asks us to look inward, Carl Sagan asks us to look outward. Cosmos is much more than a science book; it’s a spiritual experience. Sagan has a way of making you feel both tiny and incredibly significant at the same time. It’s the perf...
Cosmos|Paperback
"This book is the ultimate cure for self-importance. Sagan takes that tiny, flickering pixel of Earth photographed from 6 billion kilometers away and uses it to dismantle our human prejudices and 'tribal' conflicts. It’s a deeply moving plea for us t...
Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space |Paperback (Sagan's Masterpiece)
Beyond the Earth (Carl Sagan)
The Demon-Haunted World
Billions & Billions
Contact
"This is Sagan’s 'defense of science.' It teaches you how to think critically and avoid being fooled by misinformation."
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark|Paperback
"This was Sagan’s final book, written while he was facing his own mortality. It covers everything from the environment to the relationship between science and religion. It is deeply moving and feels very much like a conversation with a wise friend. I...
Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium|Paperback
Sagan only wrote one novel, and it's a masterpiece. It explores what would actually happen to our religions, politics, and philosophy if we received a signal from space. It's the perfect 'thought experiment' that challenges our ego, much like a Krish...
Contact|Paperback
The Human Story (Yuval Noah Harari)
"If Carl Sagan gives us the 'Cosmic Perspective,' Yuval Noah Harari gives us the 'Human Perspective.' This section bridges the gap between the stars and our species, exploring how we developed the myths, money, and science that allowed us to build ci...
This is the perfect follow-up to Cosmos. While Sagan explains the evolution of the universe, Harari explains the evolution of us. It’s a bold, mind-bending look at how 'fictions' like money and religion allowed humans to cooperate in the billions. It...
Sapiens [Tenth Anniversary Edition]: A Brief History of Humankind|Hardcover
Once you've read Pale Blue Dot about our future in space, read this for our future on Earth. Harari explores where we are going next—from AI to genetic engineering. It’s a 'Scientific Inquiry' into the next stage of human evolution."
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow|Paperback
This book is very practical. It’s for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the modern world. It covers everything from 'fake news' (Sagan’s favorite topic) to meditation (Osho’s favorite topic), providing a clear-headed guide for surviving the present momen...
21 Lessons for the 21st Century|Paperback
"If Sapiens is about where we came from, Nexus is about the 'wires' that hold us together today. Harari looks at how information networks—from the Bible to AI—have been used to create order or spread delusions. As someone who works with digital conte...
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI|Paperback
The Visual History of Humanity (Yuval Noah Harari)
"Yuval Noah Harari teams up with world-class illustrators to turn his deep research into a vibrant, witty graphic novel series. This section is perfect for those who want to understand the 'Big Picture' of our species through a more creative and visu...
This volume reimagines human evolution as a tacky reality TV show. It covers the 'Cognitive Revolution' and explains how an insignificant ape became the master of the planet by telling stories. It's funny, colorful, and makes the science of our origi...
Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind (Vol. 1)|Paperback
"This is the story of the Agricultural Revolution—or as Harari calls it, 'History's Biggest Fraud.' It explains how wheat 'domesticated' humans, not the other way around. It uses Elizabethan tragedy and a 'Daily Business News' format to show how we b...
Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2: The Pillars of Civilization|Paperback
This volume explores the 'superpowers' that unite us: Money, Religion, and Empire. It’s set up like a game show where different historical forces compete to see who changed the world the most. It’s a perfect bridge to Krishnamurti’s ideas on how our ...
Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 3: The Masters of History|Paperback
The grand finale! This volume covers the rise of modern science and capitalism, leading all the way to our current technological age. It asks the ultimate question: as we develop AI and genetic engineering, are we becoming 'gods' who don't know what ...
Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 4|Paperback
Voice & Vision: The Original Dialogues (Carl Sagan and Yuval Noah Harari)
Carl Sagan - That's Home That's Us
Yuval Noah Harari: Why advanced societies fall for mass delusion
This is the most famous speech in science history. Listening to Sagan while looking at that tiny pixel of Earth is a meditative experience. It’s the perfect 'Inquiry' for your soul, showing us how tiny our ego really is in the face of the universe."
Carl Sagan - That's Home That's Us
This video is the perfect 12-minute 'wake-up call.' Harari explains that the problem isn't a lack of information—it's the quality of it. He discusses how our networks prioritize 'engagement' over 'truth,' leading even the most advanced societies into...
Yuval Noah Harari: Why advanced societies fall for mass delusion