Person
Every book Eugenia Kuyda recommended on podcasts
Eugenia Kuyda appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast to discuss artificial intelligence, the philosophy behind building an AI companion app, and the complex nature of human connections. As the founder of Replika, Kuyda shares the foundational texts and deeply influential books that shaped her company's ethos and her own worldview. She emphasizes Carl Rogers' On Becoming a Person as the single most important book for Replika, explaining that its principles regarding therapeutic relationships, empathy, and unconditional positive regard heavily inspired the philosophy of her app. Another profound influence on her early work is Douglas Hofstadter and Emmanuel Sander's Surfaces and Essences, which she notes impacted her thinking on complexity and meaning emerging from simple components. Kuyda also mentions Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, specifically noting how his famous quote about the limits of language inspired a neon sign in their early office. Additionally, she shares an appreciation for P.D. Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous as a good Russian book that aligns with her lifelong optimism and belief in everyday miracles. Through these selections, Kuyda reveals an intellectual background rooted in human psychology, linguistic philosophy, and cognitive science.
Books recommended by Eugenia Kuyda
-
On Becoming a Person
On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers is a seminal work of psychological literature that outlines the core principles of client-centered therapy, human empathy, and personal growth.
Recommended“and i know a little bit about that um something magical comes out of it that we can't quite put a finger on that's why that book is was was really fundamental for me just for i don't even know why it was just all about this little magic that that happens so that's one that probably the most important”
Where to get it
-
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein is a dense and revolutionary philosophical text exploring the intricate relationship between language, thought, and the boundaries of what can be meaningfully expressed.
Recommended“when we start a company in russia we put a neon sign in our office because we thought that's that's the recipe for success yeah if we do that we're definitely going to wake up as a multi-billion dollar company it was the ludwig whitney constant quote the limits of my language the limits of my world what was the”
Where to get it
-
In Search of the Miraculous
In Search of the Miraculous by P.
Recommended“so yeah my life's been i've been incredibly lucky and things just miracles happen all the time with this company with people i know with everything around me And so i didn't mention that book but maybe in search of miraculous or in search for miraculous or whatever the english translation for that is good russian book too for everyone”
Where to get it
-
Surfaces and Essences
Surfaces and Essences by Douglas Hofstadter and Emmanuel Sander is a cognitive science book exploring how analogy is the core of human thought and language.
Recommended“my choice is um so the one book that really influenced me a lot when i was building starting out this company maybe 10 years ago uh was gb go to leicester block and um i like everything about it”
Where to get it
-
The Worm at the Core
The Worm at the Core by Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszczynski examines terror management theory and the profound influence of mortality on human behavior, suggesting that the fear of death drives much of human culture and motivation.
Recommended“uh his whole idea is that ernest becker i think i i find this idea really compelling is uh that everything human beings have created like our whole motivation in life is to uh create like escape death is to try to uh construct an illusion of um that we're somehow immortal It's like everything around us this room your”
Where to get it
-
Be Your Own Shaman
Discussed“and then there were some other books like i don't know uh mostly just self-help books around how to be the best conversationalist or um how to make people like you or some other stuff like dale carnegie or whatever uh and then there was this one book the most human human by brian christensen that really was important for”
Where to get it
-
Blue Nights
Blue Nights by Joan Didion is a poignant memoir that confronts aging, grief, and the profound loss of her daughter.
Discussed“and i was reading this you know the the book the year of magical thinking by joan didion about her losing and blue knights about her losing her husband her daughter”
Where to get it
-
Can't Hurt Me
Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins is a raw memoir and self-improvement guide detailing the author's harrowing journey from a brutal, abusive childhood to becoming a Navy SEAL, ultra-marathon runner, and record-breaking endurance athlete.
Discussed“he's a this navy seal person uh he's wrote this book can't hurt me he's basically one of the toughest human beings on earth he ran all these crazy ultra marathons in the desert he set the world record a number of pull-ups”
Where to get it
-
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is an autobiographical manifesto by Adolf Hitler outlining his political ideology and future plans for Germany.
Discussed“uh sorry but the been studying hitler a lot recently and uh going through mineconf he uh pretty much rode out of minecon for everything he was gonna do Unfortunately most leaders including stalin didn't read the read it”
Where to get it
-
Run River
Discussed“and i was reading this you know the the book the year of magical thinking by joan didion about her losing and blue knights about her losing her husband her daughter and the way to cope for her was to write those books”
Where to get it
-
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“there's a philosopher ernest becker who wrote a book um denial of death i'm not sure if you're familiar with any of those folks”
Where to get it
-
The Most Human Human
Discussed“and then there was this one book the most human human by brian christensen that really was important for me to read back in the day because he was on the um human side”
Where to get it
-
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L.
Discussed“i'm reading the rise and fall of the third reich Oh my god So i'm like really steeped into like world war ii and stalin and hitler and just these dramatic personalities that brought so much evil to the world”
Where to get it
-
The White Album
The White Album by Joan Didion is a seminal collection of essays capturing the cultural and political fragmentation of American society during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Discussed“and i was reading this you know the the book the year of magical thinking by joan didion about her losing and blue knights about her losing her husband her daughter and the way to cope for her was to write those books”
Where to get it
-
Year of Magical Thinking, The
Discussed“and i was reading this you know the the book the year of magical thinking by joan didion about her losing and blue knights about her losing her husband her daughter and the way to cope for her was to write those books and it was sort of like a tribute”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #121 – Eugenia Kuyda: Friendship with an AI Companion | Lex Fridman Podcast | 2020-09-05 | 17 |