Person
Every book Tim Urban recommended on podcasts
Tim Urban is a writer and creator whose appearance on Modern Wisdom involved wide-ranging discussions spanning science, psychology, fiction, and the deep expanses of time. During the podcast, Urban shared his enthusiasm for several impactful books he had recently encountered or used as research material. He enthusiastically recommended Steve Toltz's comedic and adventurous fiction novel A Fraction of the Whole after discovering it on his wife's reading list. In addition to fiction, Urban frequently engages with deep scientific and societal topics, referencing works such as Fred C. Adams and Greg Laughlin's The Five Ages of the Universe to discuss the distant cosmological future, and Carlo Rovelli's The Order of Time, which he read while working on his own writing projects. He also highlighted Jonathan Haidt's psychological and sociological insights by discussing The Happiness Hypothesis and The Anxious Generation. Finally, Urban touched upon his deep engagement with epic science fiction, noting his experiences reading Frank Herbert's Dune and Cixin Liu's entire Three-Body Problem trilogy.
Books recommended by Tim Urban
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A Fraction of the Whole
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz is an expansive and humorous Australian fiction novel that follows an eccentric family through a series of wild adventures.
Recommended“So, I read it and it was so good. It was called A Fraction of the Hole by Steve Toltz. He's this Australian author. takes place in Australia and it is so funny and it's such an adventure and it's this just fantastic fiction book.”
Where to get it
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Dune
Dune by Frank Herbert is a landmark science fiction epic that weaves complex themes of politics, religion, ecology, and human potential across a sprawling desert planet.
Discussed“I've heard Dune I've never read Dune but I've heard that Dune goes real. So my problem is I just stuck with the first one. I read the first Dune. It was good.”
Where to get it
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The Anxious Generation
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is a preeminent exploration of how the great rewiring of childhood through smartphones and social media is driving an epidemic of mental illness among young people.
Discussed“You mentioned Anxious Generation. Happiness right last name.”
Where to get it
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The Five Ages of the Universe
The Five Ages of the Universe by Fred C.
Discussed“the dark era and that goes on that goes on for even longer. So the five the five stages of the un five ages of the universe sorry book from 1996 goes through this they had to come up with their own numbering convention”
Where to get it
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The Happiness Hypothesis
Jonathan Haidt's The Happiness Hypothesis explores ancient wisdom and modern psychology to examine how different philosophies have understood human flourishing.
Discussed“You mentioned Anxious Generation. Happiness right last name. Yeah. H A I D T and Happiness Hypothesis is one of my favorite books of all time.”
Where to get it
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The Order of Time
The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli is a popular science book that explores the complex physics and philosophical nature of time.
Discussed“Something with time by by Carla Relli. The order of things. The order of time.”
Where to get it
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The Three-Body Problem
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu is an acclaimed Chinese science fiction novel that explores humanity's first contact with an alien civilization against the backdrop of historical political upheaval.
Discussed“And then um and then I um, more recently obviously I read the whole Three Body Problem trilogy which is by the way an example of one of those times when I couldn't do that either.”
Where to get it
Books Tim Urban wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Holes, Denny’s Fist Fights & Japanese Handjob Culture - Rabbit Hole #4 - #1118 | Modern Wisdom | 2026-07-02 | 7 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“a little bit like Game of Thron. They didn't name Game of Thrones: A Song of Fire and Ice, which is the actual title. They're like, "Game of thrones, the first book. That's going to be the title of the whole thing”