MERULOX

Reading

notes and a map

The first shelf is history: books that already shaped how I think. The curriculum below is a set of paths I have not read through yet. Within each path, stars mark progression: foundation, models, mastery, then frontiers.

Shaped me

  • ★★★★★Reverend InsanityGu Zhen Ren

Recently finished

  • $100M OffersAlex Hormozi

Paths

0/191 read
Reality0/14

Worldviews, epistemology, meaning, and the models used to interpret reality.

★foundation
  • MeditationsMarcus Aurelius
  • Thus Spoke ZarathustraFriedrich Nietzsche
  • The KybalionThree Initiates

    Short introduction to an esoteric model of reality.

  • The Secret Teachings of All AgesManly P. Hall
★★models
  • The Beginning of InfinityDavid Deutsch
  • Finite and Infinite GamesJames P. Carse
  • The Structure of Scientific RevolutionsThomas Kuhn

    Makes every other book's claims legible. Short (200p).

  • The Science DelusionRupert Sheldrake

    After: The Kybalion. Challenges scientific dogma directly.

  • The Demon-Haunted WorldCarl Sagan
★★★mastery
  • The Sovereign IndividualJames Dale Davidson & William Rees-Mogg
  • The Lessons of HistoryWill & Ariel Durant
★★★★frontiers
  • Man's Search for MeaningViktor Frankl
  • The Case Against RealityDonald Hoffman

    After: Ego Tunnel + Galileo's Error. Most radical consciousness thesis.

  • Prometheus RisingRobert Anton Wilson

    A synthesis layer that makes ideas across the paths talk to each other.

Systems0/12

Feedback, constraints, emergence, scale, and organizational leverage.

★foundation
  • Thinking in SystemsDonella Meadows

    Practical systems lens. Unlocks GEB, Wolfram, Bohm at depth.

  • The GoalEliyahu M. Goldratt
  • The Design of Everyday ThingsDon Norman
★★models
  • AntifragileNassim Nicholas Taleb
  • The Fifth DisciplinePeter Senge
  • Complexity: A Guided TourMelanie Mitchell

    Entry into systems/complexity before GEB.

★★★mastery
  • ScaleGeoffrey West
  • High Output ManagementAndrew Grove
★★★★frontiers
  • Poor Charlie's AlmanackCharles T. Munger
  • Gödel, Escher, BachDouglas Hofstadter

    After: Complexity. The monument. Takes time.

  • A New Kind of ScienceStephen Wolfram

    After: GEB + Thinking in Systems. Dense. Skim strategically.

  • Steps to an Ecology of MindGregory Bateson

    Connects cybernetics, consciousness, biology, and language.

Psychology0/16

Judgment, motivation, behavior, identity, and interpersonal dynamics.

★foundation
  • Thinking, Fast and SlowDaniel Kahneman
  • InfluenceRobert Cialdini

    Foundation under all Hormozi. Read before 100M Leads.

  • Games People PlayEric Berne
  • The Road Less TraveledM. Scott Peck
  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ckMark Manson
  • 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You ThinkBrianna Wiest
★★models
  • The Laws of Human NatureRobert Greene
  • BehaveRobert Sapolsky
  • The Scout MindsetJulia Galef
  • The Denial of DeathErnest Becker
  • Man and His SymbolsCarl Jung
★★★mastery
  • FlowMihaly Csikszentmihalyi
  • Maps of MeaningJordan B. Peterson
★★★★frontiers
  • AttachedAmir Levine & Rachel Heller
  • The Body Keeps the ScoreBessel van der Kolk
  • The Matter With ThingsIain McGilchrist
Consciousness0/21

Attention, selfhood, perception, and theories of subjective experience.

★foundation
  • Waking UpSam Harris
  • The Mind IlluminatedCuladasa

    After: How to Change Your Mind. Practice manual for meditation.

  • Being YouAnil Seth

    Best entry into consciousness. Accessible, rigorous.

  • How to Change Your MindMichael Pollan

    Grounded journalistic entry into psychedelics and altered states.

★★models
  • I Am ThatNisargadatta Maharaj
  • Gödel, Escher, BachDouglas Hofstadter

    After: Complexity. The monument. Takes time.

  • Galileo's ErrorPhilip Goff

    After: Being You. Panpsychism argument — read alongside Metzinger.

  • DMT DialoguesDavid Luke et al.

    After: How to Change Your Mind.

  • DMT: The Spirit MoleculeRick Strassman
  • Consciousness Beyond LifePim van Lommel

    After: Ego Tunnel. NDE data — empirical edge case for consciousness.

  • The World Behind the WorldErik Hoel
  • Why? The Purpose of the UniversePhilip Goff
  • El espacio de la concienciaJacobo Grinberg-Zylberbaum

    Bridges indigenous Mexican traditions + neuroscience. After Psicobiofísica.

★★★mastery
  • The Master and His EmissaryIain McGilchrist
  • The Ego TunnelThomas Metzinger

    After: Being You. Hardest consciousness book. Most important.

★★★★frontiers
  • Consciousness ExplainedDaniel Dennett
  • The BookAlan Watts
  • Surfing UncertaintyAndy Clark

    After: Being You. Predictive processing — dense, foundational.

  • I Am a Strange LoopDouglas Hofstadter

    After: GEB. Distills GEB's core — more readable, equally deep.

  • Psicobiofísica (Vol. 1–4)Jacobo Grinberg-Zylberbaum

    Mexican neuroscientist. Brain fields, consciousness, psi. Pairs with Entangled Minds.

  • La teoría sintérgicaJacobo Grinberg-Zylberbaum

    His core theoretical framework — syntergy, neuronal fields, reality construction.

Business0/17

Products, markets, operations, and durable value creation.

★foundation
  • Zero to OnePeter Thiel & Blake Masters
  • The Personal MBAJosh Kaufman
  • Exactly What to SayPhil M. Jones
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital AgeDale Carnegie & Associates
  • The 48 Laws of PowerRobert Greene
★★models
  • The Lean StartupEric Ries
  • The Almanack of Naval RavikantEric Jorgenson
  • 100M LeadsAlex Hormozi

    After: Influence + 100M Offers.

  • Basic EconomicsThomas Sowell
  • Poor Charlie's AlmanackCharles T. Munger
  • Never Split the DifferenceChris Voss & Tahl Raz
★★★mastery
  • 100M OffersAlex Hormozi

    Practical entry point. Read before 100M Leads.

  • The E-Myth RevisitedMichael E. Gerber
★★★★frontiers
  • Blue Ocean StrategyW. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
  • Good to GreatJim Collins
  • Price TheoryMilton Friedman
  • The Art of StrategyAvinash K. Dixit & Barry J. Nalebuff
Humanity0/16

Human nature, culture, cooperation, and the forces shaping societies.

★foundation
  • SapiensYuval Noah Harari
  • Guns, Germs, and SteelJared Diamond
  • MeditationsMarcus Aurelius
  • What the Buddha TaughtWalpola Rahula
★★models
  • The WEIRDest People in the WorldJoseph Henrich
  • The Righteous MindJonathan Haidt
  • Beyond Good and EvilFriedrich Nietzsche
  • The Noble Eightfold PathBhikkhu Bodhi
  • Less Is MoreJason Hickel
  • Possible MindsJohn Brockman
  • Life 3.0Max Tegmark
★★★mastery
  • The Dawn of EverythingDavid Graeber & David Wengrow
  • Civilized to DeathChristopher Ryan
★★★★frontiers
  • The Selfish GeneRichard Dawkins
  • The Hero with a Thousand FacesJoseph Campbell
  • The Complete Works of AristotleAristotle
Physics & Edge Science0/11

Physical reality, frontier technology, and disputed empirical edges.

★foundation
  • Six Easy PiecesRichard Feynman
  • The Fabric of RealityDavid Deutsch
  • The Science of MagicDean Radin
★★models
  • Reality Is Not What It SeemsCarlo Rovelli
  • The Selfish GeneRichard Dawkins
  • Entangled MindsDean Radin

    After: DMT Dialogues. Psi research, quantum framing.

★★★mastery
  • LifespanDavid A. Sinclair
  • SuperintelligenceNick Bostrom
★★★★frontiers
  • Life 3.0Max Tegmark
  • The Singularity Is NearerRay Kurzweil
  • Wholeness & the Implicate OrderDavid Bohm

    After: Complexity + Thinking in Systems. Dense physics/philosophy.

Engineering0/15

Building reliable software and technical systems.

★foundation
  • The Pragmatic ProgrammerDavid Thomas & Andrew Hunt
  • Clean ArchitectureRobert C. Martin
  • Arduino CookbookMichael Margolis
  • Robot Builder's BonanzaGordon McComb
  • Machinery's HandbookErik Oberg et al.
  • The Way Things Work NowDavid Macaulay
★★models
  • Designing Data-Intensive ApplicationsMartin Kleppmann
  • RefactoringMartin Fowler
  • Make: ElectronicsCharles Platt
  • Practical Electronics for InventorsPaul Scherz & Simon Monk
  • How to Invent EverythingRyan North
★★★mastery
  • Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (JavaScript Adaptation)Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman & Julie Sussman
  • The Mythical Man-MonthFrederick P. Brooks Jr.
★★★★frontiers
  • Code CompleteSteve McConnell
  • Release It!Michael T. Nygard
Mathematics0/10

Problem solving, proof, abstraction, and mathematical foundations.

★foundation
  • How to Solve ItGeorge Pólya
  • Linear Algebra Done RightSheldon Axler
  • A Mind for NumbersBarbara Oakley
★★models
  • Calculus Made EasySilvanus P. Thompson
  • ProofsJay Cummings
  • Basic MathematicsSerge Lang
  • How to Prove ItDaniel J. Velleman
★★★mastery
  • An Introduction to Probability TheoryWilliam Feller
  • Gödel, Escher, BachDouglas Hofstadter

    After: Complexity. The monument. Takes time.

★★★★frontiers
  • Concrete MathematicsRonald Graham, Donald Knuth & Oren Patashnik
Practice0/18

Attention, discipline, skill acquisition, and sustained execution.

★foundation
  • Atomic HabitsJames Clear
  • Deep WorkCal Newport
  • 365 Days with Self-DisciplineMartin Meadows
  • Steal Like an ArtistAustin Kleon
  • Digital MinimalismCal Newport
  • Power ReadingRick Ostrov
  • The Survival HandbookColin Towell
  • Calisthenics for BeginnersMatt Schifferle
  • CleanJames Hamblin
  • The Eczema DetoxKaren Fischer
★★models
  • PeakAnders Ericsson & Robert Pool
  • The War of ArtSteven Pressfield
  • The Telomere EffectBlackburn & Epel

    Standalone. Read whenever.

  • Why We SleepMatthew Walker
★★★mastery
  • MasteryRobert Greene
  • So Good They Can't Ignore YouCal Newport
★★★★frontiers
  • Can't Hurt MeDavid Goggins
  • EssentialismGreg McKeown
Philosophy0/8

Ethics, metaphysics, reason, and examined ways of living.

★foundation
  • MeditationsMarcus Aurelius
  • RepublicPlato
★★models
  • Beyond Good and EvilFriedrich Nietzsche
  • Tao Te ChingLao Tzu
★★★mastery
  • The Problems of PhilosophyBertrand Russell
  • The Nicomachean EthicsAristotle
★★★★frontiers
  • Critique of Pure ReasonImmanuel Kant
  • The Conspiracy Against the Human RaceThomas Ligotti
Biology0/8

Life, evolution, physiology, and biological constraints.

★foundation
  • Why We SleepMatthew Walker
  • The Selfish GeneRichard Dawkins
★★models
  • BehaveRobert Sapolsky
  • LifespanDavid A. Sinclair
★★★mastery
  • The Vital QuestionNick Lane
  • BreathJames Nestor
★★★★frontiers
  • The GeneSiddhartha Mukherjee
  • Being YouAnil Seth

    Best entry into consciousness. Accessible, rigorous.

Computation0/8

Algorithms, computer systems, AI, and computational thinking.

★foundation
  • Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (JavaScript Adaptation)Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman & Julie Sussman
  • Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and SoftwareCharles Petzold
★★models
  • Introduction to AlgorithmsThomas Cormen et al.
  • Designing Data-Intensive ApplicationsMartin Kleppmann
★★★mastery
  • The Alignment ProblemBrian Christian
  • Artificial Intelligence: A Modern ApproachStuart Russell & Peter Norvig
★★★★frontiers
  • Deep LearningIan Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio & Aaron Courville
  • The Nature of CodeDaniel Shiffman
Civilization0/8

Institutions, political economy, state capacity, and civilizational change.

★foundation
  • The Sovereign IndividualJames Dale Davidson & William Rees-Mogg
  • Why Nations FailDaron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson
★★models
  • The Lessons of HistoryWill & Ariel Durant
  • The Rise and Fall of the Great PowersPaul Kennedy
★★★mastery
  • Energy and CivilizationVaclav Smil
  • Seeing Like a StateJames C. Scott
★★★★frontiers
  • Debt: The First 5,000 YearsDavid Graeber
  • The Origins of Political OrderFrancis Fukuyama
Aesthetics0/8

Artistic judgment, creativity, visual language, and craft.

★foundation
  • The Creative ActRick Rubin
  • Steal Like an ArtistAustin Kleon
★★models
  • Ways of SeeingJohn Berger
  • The Story of ArtE. H. Gombrich
★★★mastery
  • On WritingStephen King
  • The War of ArtSteven Pressfield
★★★★frontiers
  • Understanding ComicsScott McCloud
  • The Shape of DesignFrank Chimero
Strategy0/8

Conflict, competition, positioning, and coordinated action.

★foundation
  • The Art of WarSun Tzu
  • On WarCarl von Clausewitz
★★models
  • The 33 Strategies of WarRobert Greene
  • Competition DemystifiedBruce Greenwald & Judd Kahn
★★★mastery
  • Good Strategy/Bad StrategyRichard Rumelt
  • Playing to WinA. G. Lafley & Roger L. Martin
★★★★frontiers
  • The PrinceNiccolò Machiavelli
  • Poor Charlie's AlmanackCharles T. Munger
Health0/8

Sleep, exercise, respiration, longevity, and metabolic health.

★foundation
  • Why We SleepMatthew Walker
  • OutlivePeter Attia
★★models
  • BreathJames Nestor
  • SparkJohn J. Ratey
★★★mastery
  • The Oxygen AdvantagePatrick McKeown
  • Built from BrokenScott Hogan
★★★★frontiers
  • The Circadian CodeSatchin Panda
  • The Obesity CodeJason Fung
History0/8

Recurring patterns, ruptures, and the forces that shaped the modern world.

★foundation
  • The Lessons of HistoryWill & Ariel Durant
  • The Rise and Fall of the Third ReichWilliam L. Shirer
★★models
  • The Storm Before the StormMike Duncan
  • The Silk RoadsPeter Frankopan
★★★mastery
  • PostwarTony Judt
  • The Guns of AugustBarbara W. Tuchman
★★★★frontiers
  • Destiny DisruptedTamim Ansary
  • The History of the Peloponnesian WarThucydides