The Richard Feynman Lectures on Physics (1961, 1963)

Feynman's famous observation - that nobody truly understands quantum mechanics - appears in the book by way of Passant. It is offered not as a defeat but as an invitation: even the most advanced minds in the universe are still working it out. The mystery is the point. Feynman's many lectures are published in book form and in videos. Some are a bit outdated because of more recent experiments.

Sean Carroll

There are many mysteries in science, but none are as fundamental as quantum mechanics. Carroll's argument in favor of the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is cogent and immutable.

See:

• A Brief History of Quantum Mechanics and
• Mysteries of Modern Physics by Sean Carroll (The good part starts about 20 minutes in)

Matt O'Dowd

The PBS Spacetime series hosted by Dr. O'Dowd is a good source for very detailed explanations of the mysteries of astrophysics and basic physics. See:

The Quantum Experiment that Broke Reality. This video is one of the best at demonstrating the weirdness of the double-slit experiment. His conclusions are a little outdated since the ground-breaking experiments with quantum entanglement have been done.

Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D.

Sapolsky's work highlights the differences and commonality between humans and other animals, biology as well as cultural. See: Being Human

Steven Pinker

We often hear that things are "going to hell in a handbasket," but this is not so when we look closer. Pinker makes a strong case that human customs and norms continue to advance for the betterment of all. These are life-changing observations. His many books and video lectures are illuminating. See:

The Better Angels of Our Nature (The relevant part begins about 3:22 after the intro)

CETI

(Cetacean Translation Initiative) project has made great progress in decoding the language of whales. See:

• CETI articles
• CETI home page

Future Shock - book by Alvin Toffler (1970)

Toffler's argument that the world was becoming too complicated for human psychology to absorb, and that "information overload" would breed stress, confusion, and social discord, reads now like a direct prediction of the present moment. It's the intellectual seed behind the book's diagnosis of a culture running faster than its own capacity to keep up with common reference points.

Quantum Computing

As with anything concerning quantum mechanics, there is great confusion between what is observed and what that observation means. To date, I have not seen a clear explanation of what quantum computing is and how it will be used. This is my attempt:

Quantum Computing

A Question of Balance (1970) Song - The Balance

The song that introduced me to the concept of Magnificent Perfection. The poem at its center - tracing Siddhartha's moment under the Bodhi tree - became a guiding image for the book: the idea that reality, observed quietly and without the noise of everyday life, reveals itself as a system of extraordinary beauty and lawfulness. Passant quotes the Moody Blues more than once. This is why.

Other Moody Blues greats: On the Threshold of a Dream (1969), To Our Children's Children's Children (1969).

Siddhartha - Book by Herman Hesse (1922)

This book introduced me to the concept of asceticism. Quiet contemplation and the rejection of material belongings is sadly not compatible with modern life. Asceticism, however, was a large component of human spiritual development. Jesus, Muhammad, and the Buddha were all ascetics. Backpacking is my ascetic experience.

Mad Magazine

The source of satire in my younger days. Goofy, light-hearted comics also had underlying meanings.

Pulp Science Fiction

Analog, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Asimov's Science Fiction were my go-to subscriptions for years. Ultimately these stories were about how humans respond to a changing world.

"Karn Evil 9" song from Brain Salad Surgery 1973 - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

This song was an early warning in music of the danger of thinking machines. The line by the computer, "I Am Perfect, Are You?" sums up the challenge that we face today.

"21st Century Schizoid Man" and "Epitaph" songs from Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson 1969

The lines "nothing he's got he really needs" and "The fate of all mankind I see Is in the hands of fools" scared many listeners, including me.

Frank Zappa

His comical, absurd, and irreverent observations of American culture had a profound effect on me. Frank pointed out the shallowness of the hippie movement and the consumerism that was blighting the nation.

"Boy in the Bubble," song from Graceland by Paul Simon 1986

The line "Staccato signals of constant information, a loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires" pretty well describes our environment today.

Salvador Dalí

Dalí brought the subconscious into the conscious and then put it on canvas. His subject matter spanned the human experience from love to quantum mechanics. Sadly, he is best known for his abstract paintings.

Photographing Fairies, a film from 1997.

I love the film because of the underlying message that love survives through all timelines.

Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon

Where all of the children are above average says it all.

Mark Twain

Twain's observations about life, politics and religion are cogent to this day.

Derek Muller (Veritasium) YouTube video producer

Dr. Muller and his team do a fantastic job of explaining complex scientific concepts to a general audience.

Dr. Becky Smethurst (Dr. Becky) YouTube video producer

Dr. Becky reviews recent science about astrophysics. She points out what we don't know as much as what we know about the universe.

The God System by Mark T. Britton

The God System is the philosophical foundation beneath Pretentious Apes. Its central proposition is simple and radical: the universe is not governed by a personal deity, but by a fixed and elegant set of rules - the same rules, applied consistently across the infinity of time, space, and timelines. That system has always existed. It will always exist. And it did not need to be created.

What makes the System remarkable is one exception to the cold machinery of physics: life. Life alone is granted the power of evolution, of self-determination, of free will. When life aligns with the rules of the System, when it practices the Graces, builds trust, pursues understanding - it thrives. When it defects, the System does not punish it. It simply fails to thrive.

The System is also infinite in complexity. No matter how advanced a civilization becomes, there is always more to discover, always deeper layers of what Britton calls the Magnificent Perfection. Faith in the System, in this sense, is not so different from what the great religions have always pointed toward. They were, at their best, observing the same thing.

The Perfect Father by Mark T. Britton

The Perfect Father explores the paradox at the heart of any loving relationship between unequals: if you protect someone from every mistake, you prevent them from becoming themselves.

A perfect parent hovers over a child in its most vulnerable years - shielding it from fire, from blades, from its own ignorance. But at a certain point, the child must be released to choose its own path, make its own errors, and learn from them. Every child is different. One is drawn to mathematics, one to music, one to building things. The bumps and bruises are not failures of the parent. They are the mechanism of growth.

In Pretentious Apes, Passant applies this concept directly to the relationship between the Fen and humanity. The Fen can observe. They can make contact at the right moment. But they cannot choose humanity's path for it - not without destroying the very thing that makes the choice meaningful. Interference would be the least loving thing they could do.