Book description
'Damasio undertakes nothing less than a reconstruction of the natural history of the universe ... [A] brave and honest book' The New York Times Book Review
The Strange Order of Things is a pathbreaking investigation into homeostasis, the condition of that regulates human physiology within the range that makes possible…
Why read it?
2 authors picked The Strange Order of Things as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio dismantles the false divide between biology and culture.
He shows how emotions and the biological drive for balance are at the core of human behavior, values, and institutions. He helps us understand the hidden architecture of global affairs: beneath ideology and strategy lie emotional imperatives that shape cultures and geopolitics.
Damasio affirms the centrality of human dignity as an evolved need rather than a political abstraction. His insights help illuminate why rational actors on the world stage often behave in ways that reflect fear, pride, or hope more than calculated interest.
His work also aligns with my…
From Nayef's list on understanding the key forces shaping international relations today.
This is outside the box a little for design-related books but there is an important reason why I list it.
I began with Johnson’s The Meaning of the Body and end with The Strange Order of Things because they are both body-based studies. Ultimately, we feel the way we do about art and design because of our bodies, our sensing, and our interaction with the world.
It is important to know as a designer, but also simply as a human, that the foundation of our feeling about art and design is the same as our feeling about the taste of…
From Frank's list on design sensing.
If you love The Strange Order of Things...
The High House
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
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