Person
Every book Jacob Howland recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Jacob Howland appears on, in one place — not just one.
Jacob Howland’s most recommended books
- The Assembly of Women by Aristophanes
- The making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes
- Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud
- Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren by John Maynard Keynes
- How Much Land Does a Man Need? by Leo Tolstoy
- Leisure, the Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
- Modern Classics Civilization and Its Discontent by Sigmund Freud
- Phaedo by Plato
- Politics by Aristotle
- The Dialogues of Plato by Plato
Jacob Howland appeared on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast to discuss ancient stories, philosophy, and historical texts. He recommended Richard Rhodes's book The Making of the Atomic Bomb, describing it as one of his favorite books to illustrate the theoretical physics paradise and scientific faith of the early twentieth century. Howland also discussed Aristophanes' play Assemblywomen, citing it as an early literary example of a society where women take over and establish a communist system. In addition to these recommendations, Howland referenced several other foundational works during the conversation. He mentioned the Babylonian Talmud as the primary version of the Talmud, and he discussed dialogues by Plato, including Laches and Phaedrus, noting how Platonic dialogues begin and pointing out a fundamental question appearing in the first sentence of the Phaedrus. Furthermore, Howland mentioned Sigmund Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents to reference its phrase about modern man as a prosthetic god, and he briefly discussed Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust while analyzing quotes related to Mephistopheles.
Books recommended by Jacob Howland
-
The Assembly of Women
The Assembly of Women is a classic comedic play by Aristophanes that satirizes radical politics, gender roles, and utopian egalitarianism through a fictional scenario where Athenian women take over the government and institute a collective society.
Recommended“But more important is Aristophanes play Assembly Women in which the women take over and establish a communist society.”
Where to get it
-
The making of the atomic bomb
The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes is a comprehensive historical account of the scientific breakthroughs, political forces, and personalities behind the development of nuclear weapons during World War II.
Recommended“One of my favorite books, which I'm now listening to, I read it 30 years ago, is The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodess. And what's so great about this book is, I mean, it has many wonderful features.”
Where to get it
-
Civilization and Its Discontents
Sigmund Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents is a foundational psychoanalytic text exploring the inevitable friction between individual desires for freedom and the restrictive demands of civilized society.
Discussed“I mean Freud has this phrase in civilization and it's discontent about how modern man is a prosthetic god right like we we equip ourselves with all these tools and things like this”
Where to get it
-
Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren
Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren by John Maynard Keynes is a famous 1930 essay examining technological progress, productivity, and the future reduction of the workweek.
Discussed“and that is that um we haven't been trained as John Maynard Keynes points out in a famous essay called economic possibilities for our grandchildren”
Where to get it
-
How Much Land Does a Man Need?
How Much Land Does a Man Need? is a renowned short story by Leo Tolstoy that explores human greed, ethics, and moral choices.
Discussed“One of my earliest memories was being in Iowa City when I was a kid. My mother was reading me a story by Toltoy called How Much Land Does a Man Need?”
Where to get it
-
Leisure, the Basis of Culture
Leisure, the Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper is a mid-twentieth-century philosophical work that examines the true meaning of leisure and its vital role in sustaining human culture against the pressures of modern utilitarianism.
Discussed“and um to sort of come to the punch line here about Leisure I'm very persuaded by Joseph peepers um famous essay Leisure the basis of culture”
Where to get it
-
Modern Classics Civilization and Its Discontent
Discussed“I mean Freud has this phrase in civilization and it's discontent about how modern man is a prosthetic god right like we we equip ourselves with all these tools and things like this”
Where to get it
-
Phaedo
Discussed“Then just like Plato starts, you know, in a dialogue called the Lockis, Socrates runs into a couple guys.”
Where to get it
-
Politics
Politics by Aristotle is a foundational ancient Greek treatise examining the organization, ethics, and structures of human society and government.
Discussed“Aristotle says and he has a he has the critique of the Spartans but it extends to the Athenians as well says in the politics you know war is for the sake of peace and business which you conduct in pieces for the sake of leisure”
Where to get it
-
The Dialogues of Plato
The Dialogues of Plato by Plato is a foundational collection of classical Greek philosophical texts utilizing conversational formats to explore ethics, politics, and metaphysics.
Discussed“Uh in Plato it shows up in the very first sentence of Plato's Fedrris.”
Where to get it
-
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is an epic 14th-century poem detailing the soul's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.
Discussed“And you know my image for this I I started thinking about the inferno as a kind of political text. Oh yeah. And the fact is that you know you get to the ninth circle and Dante's beautiful uh creation invention is that it's ice.”
Where to get it
-
The education of Henry Adams
The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams is a classic autobiographical masterpiece that reflects on the author's failed formal education in the nineteenth century while examining the accelerating impacts of technology, politics, and social upheaval on American identity.
Discussed“um I recently have been studying Henry Adams book the education of Henry Adams”
Where to get it
-
The Formation of the Babylonian Talmud
Discussed“There are two Talmuds. The main one is the Babylonian Talmud, two and a half million words.”
Where to get it
-
Two photographers: Robert Capa centennial - Gerda Taro retrospective
Discussed“I knew this quote before I found this out cuz I read Foust one and two and there's a line in there Mephostophles.”
Where to get it
-
War on the West
The War on the West by Douglas Murray is a cultural commentary examining contemporary criticisms of Western civilization and the ideological battles shaping modern political discourse in America and Britain.
Discussed“Douglas Murray's book, The War on the West, he's got this wonderful passage where he says, 'You can stand in front of a painting and you can look at it and you can say, hm, um this peculiar blue pigment, was that sourced from um some country that was in poverty?'”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| 536. Ancient Stories That Bridge The Heavens & The Earth | Jacob Howland | The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast | 2025-04-07 | 11 |
| Jacob Howland on the Hidden Human Costs of AI | EconTalk | 2023-06-26 | 4 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“also by Mark Twain and now you don't exactly have that experience you can of course look on the line”