Wanted: Books which (attempt to) explain EVERYTHING.

for some technology, Connections by James Burke based on the tv series is good.

Most of what I came here to suggest has been covered, but you might have a little bit of interest in A Renegade History of the United States by Thaddeus Russell.

I also enjoyed it. And Ke$ha agrees with us.

Critical Path, by Buckminster Fuller.

Trust me, you’ll love it.

You have got to read Orthodoxy, by G. K. Chesterton. It has the advantage of being available online for free, being one of the most amusing books ever written, and short enough that you could probably finish it in an hour or two or three.

The Ascent of Man - also made into a BBC series.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ascent_of_Man

The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose is an attempt to explain how the real world works for a non-technical audience; that being said, you’ll likely want a Web browser or at least a few other reference works to expand upon various ideas that are new for you.

If you live in the US, you might enjoy Albion’s Seed by David Hackett Fischer. It is about the cultural history of the US and describes architecture, religion, vocabulary, food, social structure and more. His premise is that four early distinct migrations of people from Britain have left lasting influences on regional American culture. It is a big fat book with lots of illustrations and citations.

http://www.amazon.com/Albions-Seed-British-Folkways-Cultural/dp/0195069056/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333772830&sr=1-1

I can’t belive* Cosmos* by Carl Sagan has not been mentioned. In my opinion, the best exploration of how humans are involved with everything and vice versa. Get the book (hardcover if possible) and the DVDs as well, because some things covered in one are not covered in the other.

I always feel kinda bad-but-good for my hardcover, because it has these HUGE margins that I unabashedly take notes in. I’ve underlined vast passages in that book. It’s a bit tatty now.

But why? Because Carl Sagan would WANT you to return to certain passages, reflect on them again. RECONSIDER why you thought that was important at a given time, and reflect again and again.

Plus it’s a damn good book. I always find some new idea each time I read it. Highly recommend, would buy again, A+++++, etc.

I disagree. It’s an excellent, well-written, entertaining and amusing read.

James Burke did video’s called Connections.

I’m sure ther’s book versions…

It’s a lot of things but not eveything. :wink:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=connections+james+burke&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=3280760191&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8078651351643083244&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_296d70nnm8_b

  • ok second’ed then -

Sagan’s Cosmos is an excellent suggestion. I’d also recommend The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James.

http://www.psychwww.com/psyrelig/james/toc.htm

Please Explain by Isaac Asimov. Asimov on…well…just about everything. And he writes in lay terms. Seems to be out of print, but plenty of used copies still available.

My original Cosmos suffered water damage during a rogue Nor’easter that blew through when we were out of town. The book smells of mildew, but its content still smells of awe.

Having read it, I’d describe it as an attempt to explain why human history has taken the course it has (i.e. Why Spanish conquistadors in the Americas rather than Australian “conquistadors” in China?). I found it to be a really good read.

I haven’t actually read it, but I recall that God’s Debris by Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams was him trying to define God and the universe in a serious/comical way.

Based on what I’ve seen of his serious works, I’d say that Scott Adams is a brilliant cartoonist.