This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

1. 1. Why the West Rules - For Now

   The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future

   

   This book is a comprehensive exploration of the historical and cultural patterns that have led to Western dominance in the world. The author uses a broad range of evidence from archaeology, genetics, and linguistics to trace the development of East and West from prehistoric times to the present, arguing that physical geography, rather than culture, religion, or great men, is the primary driving force behind the rise of the West. The book also offers a forecast for the future, predicting a shift in global power from the West to the East.

   The 9127th Greatest Book of All Time

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2. 2. War! What Is It Good For?

   Conflict and the Progress of Civilization from Primates to Robots

   

   This work contends that, despite its horrors, warfare has historically been the chief engine for creating larger, stronger states that impose order, reduce rates of violent death, enable trade, and foster innovation. Drawing on archaeology, history, and data, it argues that as societies scaled up through conquest and state-building, everyday violence declined and living standards improved. Yet it also maintains that the advent of industrialized and especially nuclear conflict changes the calculus, making large-scale war too destructive to yield net benefits, and points toward international cooperation and robust institutions as the better path to security and prosperity.

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