This year's reading list is shaped in part by a new course I want to teach, "Cognition, Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence". Also, I am still trying to answer some questions for a new book on market opportunities. All of this is increasingly tied together by my growing interest in evolution and biology. For several years I have told my students to think like ants. Now I have enough background to defend the position.
The recommended readings are:
- "The Master Algorithm" by Pedro Domingos The book is a history of artificial intelligence with a focus on machine learning (no math). The notion of a master algorithm that can create all knowledge is a very interesting idea.
- "Money Changes Everything" by William Goetzmann A history of money. Should be the first reading in every introductory finance class.
- "Our Mathematical Universe" by Max Tegmark Reconsiders the age old question of what is reality.
- "The Invention of Nature" by Andrea Wulf A biography of the first naturalist scientist--Alexander von Humboldt
- "The Evolution of Everything" by Matt Ridley Questions many traditional explanations of issues and shows that evolution is a better explanation
- "The Pre-history of the Mind" by Steven Mithen Scholarly work on the cognitive origins of art, religion and science.