A Reading Hack: Study Non-Physics Books by Physicists for Accelerated Learning (50-Book List)

Note: This post was originally compiled with Perplexity deep research, and later modified to add my rationale, additions and corrections.

A reading hack I’ve discovered recently to get high quality views on new topics is to use the “physics framework filter”. What this means in practice is - read books written by experienced Physicists on topics outside their area of expertise. Here are the benefits of “physics thinking applied to non-physics topics” that I see in the way physicists think:

1. There is an effort to create a unified view of any topic, not just lost in scattered details or tidbits (subject matter experts are prone to this); I like efforts at all sorts of synthesis.

2. Effort to fedelity to realilty; push for quantitative proof while not rejecting qualitative/speculative ideas; I value accuracy and pursuit of truth.

3. Mastery of both the mathematical apparatus and common sense questioning; it’s an opportunity for me to learn new ideas and ways of thinking.

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Complexity, Economics, and Society

Geoffrey West

• Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies (2017)
  https://www.goodbooks.io/books/scale

W. Brian Arthur

• Complexity and the Economy (2015)
  https://www.santafe.edu/news-center/news/new-book-complexity-economics-explores-paradigm-busting-influence-complexity-science-economics

Stuart Kauffman (Theoretical biologist/physicist trained in complex systems)

• At Home in the Universe: The Search for Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity (1995)
  https://books.google.com/books/about/At_Home_in_the_Universe.html?id=o-Owb5IDkSQC

• The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution (1993)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295410.Stuart_A_Kauffman

• Investigations (2000)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Kauffman

• Reinventing the Sacred: A New View of Science, Reason, and Religion (2008)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295410.Stuart_A_Kauffman

• Humanity in a Creative Universe (2016)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Kauffman

• A World Beyond Physics (2019)
  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-world-beyond-physics-9780190871338

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Eastern Philosophy, Spirituality, and Mysticism

Fritjof Capra

• The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism (1975)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritjof_Capra

• The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Rising Culture (1982)
  https://www.fritjofcapra.net/books/

• The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems (1996)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6685.Fritjof_Capra

• The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living (2002)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritjof_Capra

• Uncommon Wisdom (1988)
  https://www.fritjofcapra.net/books/

• The Systems View of Life (2014, with Pier Luigi Luisi)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritjof_Capra

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Randomness, Probability, and Decision-Making

Leonard Mlodinow

• The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (2008)
  https://getmybooks.com/authors/33559075

• Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior (2012)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Mlodinow

• The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos (2015)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Mlodinow

• Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of Change (2018)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Mlodinow

• Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking (2022)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Mlodinow

• The Grand Design (2010, with Stephen Hawking)
  https://www.audible.in/author/Leonard-Mlodinow/B001IGP3W0

• A Briefer History of Time (2005, with Stephen Hawking)
  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/61382/leonard-mlodinow/

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Philosophy of Science, Time, and Reality

Freeman Dyson

• Disturbing the Universe (1979)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5569343.Freeman_Dyson

• Infinite in All Directions (1988)
  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Freeman-Dyson

• The Scientist as Rebel (2006)
  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/freeman-dyson/221803/

• Origins of Life (1986)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5569343.Freeman_Dyson

• Weapons and Hope (1984)
  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Freeman-Dyson

• The Sun, the Genome and the Internet: Tools of Scientific Revolutions (1999)
  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/freeman-dyson/221803/

• Imagined Worlds (1997)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5569343.Freeman_Dyson

• Dreams of Earth and Sky (2015)
  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/freeman-dyson/221803/

• Maker of Patterns: An Autobiography Through Letters (2018)
  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Freeman-Dyson

Sean Carroll

• From Eternity to Here: About the Arrow of Time (2010)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_M._Carroll

• The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself (2016)
  https://leejrussell.com/2025/01/13/accessible-popular-science-books-about-cosmology-and-physics/

• Something Deeply Hidden (2019, quantum foundations)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_M._Carroll

• The Biggest Ideas in the Universe series
  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196848522-the-biggest-ideas-in-the-universe

Carlo Rovelli

• Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (2014)
  https://www.readersvibe.com/list/best-carlo-rovelli-books-1440

• The Order of Time (2017)
  https://www.reddit.com/r/AskPhysics/comments/15dmvr1/carlo_rovellis_books/

• Reality is Not What it Seems (2016)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Rovelli

• Helgoland (2021)
  https://fivebooks.com/people/carlo-rovelli/

• White Holes (2023)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/108952.Carlo_Rovelli

• Anaximander and the Nature of Science (2023)
  https://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~rovelli/

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Cosmology, Universe, and Existence

Paul Davies

• God and the New Physics (1983)
  https://www.betterworldbooks.com/author/paul-davies/40

• The Mind of God (1992)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Davies

• About Time: Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution (1995)
  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Davies

• Are We Alone? (1995)
  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Davies

• The Fifth Miracle (1998)
  https://www.betterworldbooks.com/author/paul-davies/40

• How to Build a Time Machine (2001)
  https://www.betterworldbooks.com/author/paul-davies/40

• The Goldilocks Enigma: Why Is the Universe Just Right for Life? (2006)
  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Davies

• The Demon in the Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving the Mystery of Life (2019)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Davies

• The Cosmic Blueprint (1987)
  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/paul------davies/203095/

• The Edge of Infinity (1981)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Davies

• Other Worlds (1980)
  https://www.betterworldbooks.com/author/paul-davies/40

• What’s Eating The Universe? And Other Cosmic Questions (2021)
  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/paul------davies/203095/

Lawrence Krauss

• A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing (2012)
  https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/lawrence-krauss

• The Greatest Story Ever Told—So Far (2017)
  https://www.readersvibe.com/list/best-lawrence-m-krauss-books-1436

• The Physics of Star Trek (1995)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Krauss

• Quantum Man: Richard Feynman’s Life in Science (2011)
  https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/lawrence-krauss

• Fear of Physics: A Guide for the Perplexed (1994)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Krauss

• The Edge of Knowledge: Unsolved Mysteries of the Cosmos (2023)
  https://tertulia.com/voices/lawrence-m.-krauss-books

• The Physics of Climate Change (2021)
  https://tertulia.com/voices/lawrence-m.-krauss-books

Brian Greene

• The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory (1999)
  https://academicinfluence.com/inflection/study-guides/physics-influential-books

• The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality (2004)
  https://www.readersvibe.com/list/best-brian-greene-books-1437

• The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos (2011)
  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/brian-greene/198971/

• Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe (2020)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Greene

Michio Kaku

• Hyperspace (1994)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michio_Kaku

• Physics of the Impossible (2008)
  https://www.readersvibe.com/list/best-michio-kaku-books-1439

• Physics of the Future (2011)
  https://mkaku.org/home/publications/

• The Future of the Mind (2014)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michio_Kaku

• The Future of Humanity (2018)
  https://www.readersvibe.com/list/best-michio-kaku-books-1439

• Parallel Worlds (2004)
  https://mkaku.org/home/publications/

• The God Equation (2021)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michio_Kaku

• Visions (1998)
  https://www.readersvibe.com/list/best-michio-kaku-books-1439

• Quantum Supremacy (2023)
  https://mkaku.org/home/publications/

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Consciousness, Mind, and Philosophy

Roger Penrose

• The Emperor’s New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds, and The Laws of Physics (1989)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penrose

• Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (1994)
  https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2020/penrose/biographical/

• The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe (2004)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penrose

• Cycles of Time: An Extraordinary New View of the Universe (2010)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penrose

• Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe (2016)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penrose

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Quantum Mechanics, String Theory, and Foundations of Physics

Lee Smolin

• The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next (2006)
  https://www.readersvibe.com/list/best-lee-smolin-books-1442

• Three Roads to Quantum Gravity (2001)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/63092.Lee_Smolin

• Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe (2013)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Smolin

• The Life of the Cosmos (1997)
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/63092.Lee_Smolin

• Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution: The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum (2019)
  https://www.readersvibe.com/list/best-lee-smolin-books-1442

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Mathematics and Reality

Max Tegmark

• Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality (2014)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Mathematical_Universe

• Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2017)
  https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/max-tegmark.html

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Black Holes, Gravitational Waves, and Spacetime

Kip Thorne

• Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy (1994)
  https://wwnorton.co.uk/search/contributors?q=Kip+Thorne

• The Science of Interstellar (2014)
  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/kip-s-thorne/202058/

• The Warped Side of Our Universe: An Odyssey through Black Holes, Wormholes, Time Travel, and Gravitational Waves (2023)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kip_Thorne

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Biology and Origin of Life (by physicists)

Murray Gell-Mann

• The Quark and the Jaguar: Adventures in the Simple and the Complex (1994)
  https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1969/gell-mann/biographical/

Erwin Schrödinger

• What is Life? (1944) - Classic work by physicist on biology
  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31670196-scale

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Science and Religion/Atheism

Victor Stenger

• God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist (2007)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_J._Stenger

• God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion (2011)
  https://closertotruth.com/contributor/victor-stenger/

• God and the Multiverse: Humanity’s Expanding View of the Cosmos (2014)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_J._Stenger

• The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason (2009)
  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/victor-j-stenger/203173/

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Health and Metabolism

Here are the authors for each book:

1. Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It — Gary Taubes
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Get_Fat

2. Big Fat Myths: When You Lose Weight, Where Does the Fat Go? — Ruben Meerman
   https://www.penguin.com.au/books/big-fat-myths-9781925324280

3. Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us — Julia Belluz & Kevin Hall, PhD
   https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671334/food-intelligence-by-julia-belluz-and-kevin-hall-phd/

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Additional Notable Works

Richard Feynman

• Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)
  https://www.reddit.com/r/physicsmemes/comments/1cf13op/top_10_popular_science_books_on_physics_number_10/

• What Do You Care What Other People Think?

• The Meaning of It All: Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist

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Why Read These Books?

1. Applying physics thinking to non-physics domains

2. Using mathematical and quantitative frameworks to understand complex systems

3. Finding universal patterns across different scales and contexts

4. Bridging disciplines to reveal unexpected connections

5. Maintaining rigor while remaining accessible to intelligent lay readers

The books span topics from economics and complexity (Arthur, Kauffman, West) to consciousness and philosophy (Penrose, Rovelli), from Eastern mysticism (Capra) to randomness and decision-making (Mlodinow), and from cosmology and existence (Davies, Krauss, Greene) to time and reality (Carroll, Smolin). Each physicist brings an analytical, systems-thinking approach, applying it to understanding everything from ancient philosophy to artificial intelligence, from biological evolution to the nature of consciousness itself.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2015/08/05/great-books-for-non-physicists-who-want-to-understand-quantum-physics/