Person
Every book David Eagleman recommended on podcasts
David Eagleman appears as a guest on the Lex Fridman Podcast, discussing neuroplasticity, the livewired brain, and the complexities of human perception. Drawing on his background as a neuroscientist and writer, Eagleman shares several profound literary and nonfiction recommendations that have shaped his career and worldview. He expresses a deep fondness for Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, recommending it as a favorite work of fiction. Additionally, Eagleman describes how Carl Sagan's Cosmos, experienced through both the television series and the book during his youth, heavily influenced his career path and scientific curiosity. During their conversation, Eagleman and host Lex Fridman also touch upon Ernest Becker's The Denial of Death and its exploration of mortality and terror management theory. Furthermore, Eagleman discusses Anthony Doerr's novel All the Light We Cannot See, noting how Doerr's title and themes were inspired by Eagleman's own book, Incognito. Rounding out his literary interests, Eagleman mentions the short stories of Ernest Hemingway as personal favorites. Through these selections, Eagleman illustrates a profound synthesis of scientific inquiry, philosophical exploration, and imaginative storytelling.
Books recommended by David Eagleman
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Invisible Cities
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino is a lyrical novel that explores imagination, urban spaces, and alternate realities through a fictionalized conversation between Kublai Khan and the explorer Marco Polo.
Recommended“I would actually recommend invisible cities I just i loved that book by italo calvino”
Where to get it
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Cosmos
Cosmos by Carl Sagan is a sweeping popular science masterwork that explores the universe, the history of astronomy, and humanity's place within the vast expanse of space and time.
Recommended“i grew up uh with cosmos both watching the pbs series and then reading the book and that influenced me a huge amount in terms of what i do”
Where to get it
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All the Light We Cannot See
Discussed“uh anthony door wrote a book called all the light we cannot see which actually uh was inspired by incognito by exactly what we were talking about earlier about how you can only see a little bit of the what we call visible light in the electromagnetic radiation”
Where to get it
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The Denial of Death
The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker is a Pulitzer Prize-winning psychological study that posits that human civilization, culture, and individual ambition are ultimately driven by an underlying, often unconscious fear of mortality.
Discussed“you know i i don't know if you're familiar with a philosopher named ernest becker he wrote a book called denial of death”
Where to get it
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The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is a seminal modernist novel that chronicles a group of American and British expatriates traveling from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and bullfights.
Discussed“um snows of kilimanjaro uh oh wow short stories that i love”
Where to get it
Books David Eagleman wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #119 – David Eagleman: Neuroplasticity and the Livewired Brain | Lex Fridman Podcast | 2020-08-26 | 8 |
Other mentions (8: passing, ad reads, own books)
“so what my book Incognito was about of course was that almost everything in the brain is happening unconsciously you just don't have any access to it and really no awareness or acquaintance with it either”
“what's interesting by the way I talked about this in the brain plasticity course um and in my book live wir what's interesting is that given who you are and what you've already packed down into your Machinery that determines what is relevant to you for the next thing”
“and um and in my book live wir what's interesting is that given who you are and what you've already packed down into your Machinery that determines what is relevant to you”
“well I I'm I'm running a couple of new books and um so one of them is called Empire of the invisible and this is about all the stuff that we don't see”
“then it simplifies it and we come to understand something that that was my goal in livewire which i've written over 10 years by the way is to try to distill things down to the principles of what plastic systems are trying to accomplish”
“changing livewire the name of the book is is like so i'll tell you exactly right but i'll tell you why i chose livewire instead of plasticity”
“i gave this the end of my book incognito”
“i gave this the end of my book incognito so the whole book of incognito is about you know all the what's happening in the brain”