Fear of Physics: A Guide for the Perplexed by Lawrence M. Krauss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fear of physics is an outstanding book readable by anyone interested in science. It makes it easy to understand what it takes to do physics. I would say it is also a motivational science book. It would have been great if Krauss had added more about how reductionist physics relates to the complexity of the natural world and the importance of fundamental physics in engineering and our day-to-day life.

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Book Review: Americanah

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great novel, especially for those who have travelled or want to travel to a foreign country or if you wish to explore what it is like to live abroad. You may find a lot to relate to. The book overviews an African, Ifemelu, travelling and living in the US, UK, and back to Africa. It is an intriguing story that may prepare you for the culture shock abroad. But I felt the novel could have been better if the chapters/plot were more unified.
Although the novel is realistic, it is, of course, based on the author’s experience and opinions with characters attached. You had better read this novel and travel with an open mind, and gain your own experience.

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Book Review: How the Mind Works

How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like this book. In as much as it makes a good attempt to elucidate how the mind works, it also establishes links to important topics such as evolution, computation, language, human nature, nurture, sexuality, religion...
For this, I recommend it to engineers, scientists, philosophers, and enthusiasts alike.
However, since the book tries to capture several ideas about how the mind works, if you were looking to have a comprehensive takeaway about how the mind actually works, you'll still have scratched the surface.

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Book Review: A Little History of the World

A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great overview. Easy to read and understand. I recommend it to anyone curious about the past and the things that shaped our present. It is important to be aware of the past... However, this is history based on the people from high-income countries. Unfortunately, what happened in low-income countries doesn't stand out or is usually of little importance to the history of the world.

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A brief contrast between science and the supernatural

Scientific research is a process used by humans to try and elucidate nature. This process is not perfect, but it is the best we have so far. By understanding and manipulating natural entities, humans conquer life challenges. Unfortunately, science has a long way to go. Several queries may never be resolved in your lifetime. Questions such as, Why is there anything at all? Are we alone in the universe? How did life begin? What is consciousness? In an attempt to push the frontiers of human knowledge, we tend to blend science with imagination or the supernatural. Here is a list that detangles science from the supernatural. 

• While supernatural claims are unfalsifiable, scientific claims are falsifiable.
• Scientific claims are reproducible, whereas supernatural miracles and phenomena are not.
• Science demands objective evidence, and the supernatural demands credulous faith.
• On the one hand, science is guided by natural laws, while on the other, the will of an unfathomable supernatural being constitutes the supernatural.
• Unlike science, supernatural claims are not empirically testable.
• The supernatural is not independently peer-reviewed, but science is.
• Science thrives in skepticism, while the supernatural is threatened by it.
• Scientific claims may change depending on the available evidence, while most supernatural claims are unchanging and divine.
• Science recognizes the unknown, but the supernatural tends to know it all.
• People can understand scientific claims by examining the provided evidence, but it may take time and dedication. In contrast, the intrinsic nature of the supernatural is incomprehensible but is accepted without examining any evidence.
• Scientific predictions are verifiably reliable, while supernatural ones are not.
• While scientific claims align with the evidence of nature, the evidence of nature is forced to conform to preexisting supernatural claims.

People can pass school exams, have master's or doctoral degrees in science, lecture in top universities, write peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals, and still decide not to recognize that supernatural claims are inherently incompatible with science.

https://sammachariaphd.substack.com/p/a-brief-contrast-between-science?s=r

Book Review: The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle

The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great book to keep in mind, especially for artists and knowledge workers. It exposes the resistance forces that keep everyone from doing what they know they are supposed to be doing in life. Be it writing a book, learning a new programming language, or just completing a project you started long ago. It gets you more equipped to pinpoint a resistance that is cropping up as you progress in your goals.

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Book Review: How to Win Friends and Influence People

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of my best books. Useful all the time and never gets old. It is more than a 5-star book since it is practical and it is useful in everyday life. The challenge is how you combine all the principles taught in this book in a way that is useful in all situations, especially if you are dealing with constantly unreasonable people.

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