Person
Every book Bill Thompson recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Bill Thompson has recommended or discussed 5 books on podcasts, as of October 21, 2026.
- Bill Thompson has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of October 21, 2026.
- Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of October 21, 2026.
- The 3 books Bill Thompson has mentioned in the most episodes, as of October 21, 2026: The red book =, Leviathan and Man and His Symbols.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Bill Thompson aired on October 21, 2026.
Updated
Bill Thompson appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss various philosophical, historical, and psychological topics, alongside his personal experiences. He described becoming deeply absorbed in the work of Carl Jung while trying to understand dreams and the collective unconscious, referencing texts such as The Red Book and Man and His Symbols as sources for understanding dreams as corrective feedback from the unconscious and exploring psychological archetypes. Thompson also touched upon narrative structures during the conversation, initially using a story he framed around religious tradition to illustrate recurring narrative patterns before identifying it as The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King. In discussing broader historical and political frameworks, he referenced Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan alongside works by John Locke and Montesquieu to talk about the philosophical foundations of the American governmental experiment. Additionally, he brought up Carol Anderson's book White Rage as an example of politically charged reading materials that he was instructed to read during his service in the modern-day military, reflecting on its themes regarding the military.
Books recommended by Bill Thompson
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The red book =
The Red Book by Carl Gustav Jung is a monumental, hand-illustrated volume documenting the psychologist's profound explorations of his own unconscious mind through active imagination between 1913 and 1917.
Discussed“So I read it started reading every Carl Jung book I could like the everything about the collective unconscious uh the red books everything that he wrote um and and and really got into to dreams”
Where to get it
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Leviathan
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes is a foundational 1651 political treatise arguing that human life in a state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short, and that peace requires absolute submission to a strong central authority.
Discussed“You read Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan or John Locke or Montesquieu. All of them talked about this great experiment that was being set up”
Where to get it
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Man and His Symbols
Discussed“So, I read this and I think it's called um uh I think this was in the red book, but I'm not sure or it might be I can't remember which might be man and his symbols.”
Where to get it
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Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King is a celebrated novella about hope, resilience, and endurance within an oppressive prison system, originally published in the collection Different Seasons.
Discussed“And um he had a collection of disciples that followed him around. And he taught them beautiful things about the world and the fabric of reality and gave them appreciation for life. He w he he died and was reborn or raised from the dead.”
Where to get it
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White Rage
White Rage by Carol Anderson is a historical examination of the systematic political and institutional backlash by white Americans against African American advancement throughout United States history.
Critiqued“Books like White Rage. Like understanding why you're a problem, uh you as a white man are a problem in the modern-day military”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2569 - Bill Thompson | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2026-10-21 | 4 |
| #2473 - Bill Thompson | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2026-03-25 | 2 |