Books to read from NotebookLM related to this blog...

Using NotebookLM.google.com with this blog (thoughtsideaswanderings.blogger.com) as a background reference, I asked:

Me: based on this collection of blog entries by james c. march, put together a list of 10 books that relate to his specific topics

Gemini: 

1. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins: This work is foundational to March’s recurring exploration of "memes" (learned units of culture) versus "genes" (biological hard-wiring). He uses Dawkins’ framework to argue that human survival now depends more on the successful horizontal transmission of information through social contact than on vertical biological inheritance.

2. Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter: March frequently references this book to discuss the "strange loops" of consciousness and identity. It aligns with his fascination with how self-reference arises from patterns and his belief that one mind might eventually be able to simulate another.

3. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: March views evolution as a powerful algorithm and uses Darwinian theory to ground his reverence for the "process" that created humanity. He specifically connects natural selection to the vital importance of diversity as a robustness strategy against unanticipated environmental threats. [I haven't read this book.]

4. The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy: This novella is cited as a profound literary exploration of mortality and the search for authenticity. March believes that confronting the inevitability of death allows a person to re-enter life in a more compassionate, purposeful, and enriching manner. [I haven't read this book.]

5. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: March identifies with this novel’s confrontation with the "fixity of time". It relates directly to his personal axiom that "I cannot change the past" and his struggle to understand human agency within a deterministic universe.

6. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari: This book mirrors March’s interest in how cognitive and technological revolutions allowed Homo sapiens to thrive through shared myths and cooperation. He notes that Harari’s work highlights the long-term consequences of diverse survival strategies.

7. The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich: March suggests this book for its analysis of cultural evolution. It supports his thesis that memetic variation is the primary evolutionary strategic advantage humans have developed over pure genetic variation.

8. Introduction to Cybernetics by W. Ross Ashby: As a trained statistician, March has utilized this text to explore "requisite variety" and "black box analysis". He even engaged in a detailed "coaching" session with an AI to understand how a pest control invoice could be viewed through the lens of Ashby's system definitions.

9. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: March refers to Frankl when discussing the high incidence of individuals seeking therapy because they have lost a sense of purpose. The book connects to March’s "Outside" writing preference—narratives that focus on proactive choices and finding meaning in suffering rather than remaining a victim of circumstances.

10. The Precipice by Toby Ord: March includes this in his reading lists for understanding "geological and cosmic forces" that threaten humanity. It relates to his belief that we must manage existential risks through "anticipatory adaptation" and long-term thinking to ensure the survival of the species. [I haven't read this.]

Then I asked NotebookLM for 10 recommended books that I didn't already reference in this blog:

Me: what 10 books NOT mentioned by March might be included in this list 

Gemini: Drawing from James C. March’s "Knowledge-Centric Morality" and his fascination with evolution, memetics, and artificial intelligence, the following 10 books—though not explicitly mentioned in his blog entries—align deeply with his intellectual framework.

1. The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch: This work explores the infinite reach of explanations and the idea that all progress is the result of knowledge-seeking. It resonates with March’s view that the universe is an "exhaustless conversation" and that we must strive to get within "epsilon" of objective reality.

2. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: Taleb’s concept of systems that thrive on shocks and errors directly parallels March’s "directed mutation generator" and his belief that making errors is a "mathematical certainty" and a primary vehicle for learning.

3. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom: While March expresses optimism about a "common enemy alliance" between human and silicon intelligence, this book explores the "alignment problem" he frequently ponders regarding whether survival-driven AI would find humans to be an obstacle.

4. Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark: Tegmark’s exploration of "substrate independence"—the idea that intelligence is not tied to biology—perfectly matches March’s purpose to continue the "process of observing and modeling reality" regardless of whether the carrier is carbon or silicon.

5. The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick: This history of information theory provides context for the work of Claude Shannon and Gregory Chaitin, whom March cites to explain how the universe contains irreducible randomness that necessitates humility.

6. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: Given March’s interest in the "biases of the brain" and how formative experiences weight our memory and perception, Kahneman’s study of cognitive shortcuts would serve as a scientific anchor for March's introspective observations.

7. Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg: March defines non-violence as a proactive "option amplifier" that increases the choices available to others. Rosenberg’s framework offers a practical linguistic methodology for the "shared language of our senses" that March seeks in his art and social interactions.

8. Complexity: A Guided Tour by Melanie Mitchell: March frequently discusses "requisite variety" and systems that are "beyond my understanding". This book provides a clear introduction to the complex adaptive systems—like ecology and social organizations—that March views as the true drivers of survival.

9. Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E. F. Schumacher: March is a vocal critic of the "economic focus on efficiency" and the "efficient allocation of scarce resources". Schumacher’s work aligns with March’s belief that government and society must counterbalance the dehumanizing tendencies of the market.

10. The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos: This book’s search for a universal learner resonates with March’s description of evolution as an algorithm and his interest in how machine learning is currently limited by human-designed scaffolding. 

So far, I've read these: The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (as well as his book The Black Swan), The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick, Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, and Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E. F. Schumacher (That's a blast from the past! I read, and loved, this book some 50 years ago!)

I didn't like David Deutsch's book (too science-centric). I didn't like many of these books, and talked with Gemini about them to better understand why I didn't like them.