Jacob Bronowski (1973)

Often described as one of the classics of our times, this is a book of essays charting the various stages in the author’s conception of the intellectual evolution of humanity. In a sense it should be compared to Civilisation, Kenneth Clarke’s history of art: a personal selection of important events.

Bronowski’s is a selection few would argue with, but he adds interest through his own personal acquaintanceship with some of the characters involved: Einstein, Born, and (most interestingly) von Neumann. His take on early history had probably been overtaken by some of modern anthropology, but his analysis of the industrial revolution is fascinating, as is his central thesis that the main agent of progress is simply the desire of the craftsman to improve his craft, beyond any real pressure for improvement coming from outside.

3/5. Finished Sunday 5 January, 2014.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Frank Dikötter (2013)

Not an easy read, but a compelling overview of the Chinese revolution and the ways in which the Communists seized power. It focuses almost entirely on the Chinese perspective where it might have been interesting to have some foreign perspectives as well; in a similar vein, a more in-depth coverage of the impact of the Korean war might have made the relationship with the outside world more clear. Or perhaps that’s partially the point: the revolution cut China off from the world to the extent that there was no relationship of any great degree.

What comes across most strongly is the wasted lives, the ways in which the Communist party was willing to ignore (if not destroy) the talents of its people for reasons of pure ideology — something the Cambodians were to do, altogether more violently, a few decades later. It’s a tribute to the resilience of the Chinese people that the country has managed to survive the experience and re-engage with the world again, but the scars are sure to linger for many years to come.

4/5. Finished Monday 9 December, 2013.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Nate Silver (2012)

An essential book for anyone concerned with “big data” or any aspect of science of forecasting. Silver casts an experienced (and somewhat jaundiced) eye over a range of commonly-encountered forecasts, including politics (his own main area), poker, finance, and climate change. In each area he manages both to convince that forecasts can be made to good effect — and to demolish many of the current practices one finds in these areas. On the way he discusses Bayesian statistics, the psychology of a good forecaster (be a “fox,” not a “hedgehog”), how to spot bias, and gives some critical advice that would be of useful to anyone looking to apply such techniques. Should be required reading for all science PhD students.

5/5. Finished Monday 2 December, 2013.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)