Books
A collection of books I’ve read, annotated with key concepts, connections, and personal reflections.
Tag Taxonomy
Tags are organized into three layers: Broad Domains that map to major fields of knowledge, Semi-Specific Domains that zoom into particular disciplines, and Cross-Cutting Themes that bridge multiple domains.
Broad Domains
High-level fields of knowledge. Each book typically touches one or more of these.
| Tag | Description | Example Topics |
|---|---|---|
biology | Life sciences broadly | Organisms, cells, life processes, biodiversity |
neuroscience | Brain, nervous system, neural mechanisms | Neurons, brain regions, neuroplasticity, neural signaling |
mathematics | Mathematical thinking, modeling, formal frameworks | Equations, proofs, geometry, mathematical structures |
philosophy | Fundamental questions, ethics, epistemology | Mind–body problem, free will, morality, knowledge |
society | Social structures, policy, politics, culture | Governance, inequality, cultural norms, collective behavior |
environmental-science | Earth systems, climate, pollution, resource management | Carbon cycle, deforestation, pollution, planetary boundaries |
physics | Physical laws, forces, matter/energy | Thermodynamics, mechanics, electromagnetism, relativity |
history | Historical events, civilizations, cultural development | Empires, revolutions, trade routes, archaeological record |
linguistics | Language structure, meaning, origins, etymology | Syntax, semantics, language families, word origins |
classics | Ancient literature, epic poetry, retellings | Greek myth, Roman epic, oral tradition, mythological archetypes |
fiction | Novels, literary narratives | Allegory, magical realism, dystopia, coming-of-age |
Semi-Specific Domains
More focused disciplines, often nested within a broad domain.
Life Sciences
| Tag | Parent Domain | Description | Example Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
ecology | biology | Ecosystems, species interactions, food webs | Trophic cascades, symbiosis, habitat, nutrient cycling |
evolution | biology | Natural selection, adaptation, speciation | Phylogenetics, convergent evolution, evolutionary arms races |
physiology | biology | Body systems, organ function, bodily processes | Cardiovascular system, respiration, endocrine regulation |
molecular-biology | biology | Cells, molecular processes, enzymes, signaling | Protein folding, gene transcription, cell membranes |
genetics | biology | Genes, DNA, heredity, gene expression | Epigenetics, CRISPR, Mendelian inheritance, genome |
botany | biology | Plant biology, plant ecology | Photosynthesis, root networks, plant signaling, seeds |
zoology | biology | Animal cognition, ethology, comparative biology | Animal behavior, migration, sensory ecology |
microbiology | biology | Microbes, bacteria, microbiome | Gut flora, bacterial communication, microbial ecology |
mycology | biology | Fungi, mushrooms, fungal networks | Mycelium, mycorrhizae, decomposition, spore dispersal |
immunology | biology | Immune system, immune response | Antibodies, T-cells, inflammation, autoimmunity |
metabolism | biology | Energy transformation, metabolic pathways | ATP, Krebs cycle, fermentation, metabolic regulation |
nutrition | biology | Food, diet, metabolic health impact | Macronutrients, vitamins, dietary patterns, gut health |
sleep | neuroscience | Sleep science, circadian rhythms, sleep disorders | REM cycles, melatonin, insomnia, chronobiology |
Mind & Cognition
| Tag | Parent Domain | Description | Example Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
consciousness | neuroscience / philosophy | Subjective experience, awareness, qualia | Hard problem, neural correlates, sentience, self-models |
cognitive-science | neuroscience | Mind, reasoning, mental models | Decision-making, attention, memory, heuristics |
intelligence | neuroscience | Cognitive capacities across organisms and machines | IQ, animal intelligence, artificial intelligence, problem-solving |
perception | neuroscience | Senses, Umwelten, sensory experience | Vision, hearing, proprioception, cross-modal integration |
Earth & Physical Sciences
| Tag | Parent Domain | Description | Example Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
geology | environmental-science | Earth history, rocks, plate tectonics | Stratigraphy, volcanism, mineral formation, deep time |
meteorology | environmental-science | Weather, atmosphere, climate dynamics | Jet streams, pressure systems, storm formation, albedo |
hydrology | environmental-science | Oceans, freshwater systems, water cycle | Ocean currents, aquifers, thermohaline circulation, rivers |
probability | mathematics | Chance, Bayesian reasoning, statistical thinking | Bayes’ theorem, distributions, risk, frequentism |
quantum-mechanics | physics | Quantum effects in biology and physics | Superposition, tunneling, entanglement, decoherence |
Cross-Cutting Themes
Themes that weave across multiple domains, connecting ideas from different fields.
| Tag | Bridges | Description | Example Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
science-history | history + all sciences | History of scientific discovery and thought | Paradigm shifts, key experiments, scientific biography |
health | biology + society | Well-being, disease prevention, lifestyle impacts | Exercise, chronic disease, mental health, public health |
predictive-processing | neuroscience + philosophy + mathematics | Free energy principle, prediction error, active inference | Bayesian brain, surprise minimization, Markov blankets |
complexity | mathematics + biology + physics | Chaos, emergence, nonlinear dynamics | Fractals, strange attractors, self-organization, bifurcation |
sustainability | environmental-science + society | Resource stewardship, regeneration, long-term viability | Circular economy, soil health, renewable energy, degrowth |
systems-thinking | biology + society + mathematics | Holistic approaches, feedback loops, interconnectedness | Causal loops, leverage points, stocks and flows |
network-science | mathematics + biology + society | Graphs, hubs, connectivity, scale-free networks | Small-world networks, preferential attachment, centrality |
information-theory | mathematics + physics + neuroscience | Bits, entropy, encoding, communication theory | Shannon entropy, data compression, signal vs. noise |
technology | society + physics | Tech systems, digital infrastructure, innovation | Internet, algorithms, materials science, automation |
economics | society + mathematics | Economic models, growth, markets, resource allocation | GDP, externalities, behavioral economics, trade |
conservation | ecology + environmental-science + society | Biodiversity preservation, ecological restoration | Rewilding, protected areas, species recovery, habitat loss |