How did we get here? See which ideas shaped the course of history, and how philosophy played a significant role in human evolution.

History & Philosophy

In her first book, cognition researcher Bohannon explores the evolution of women's bodies in a fascinating way. She suggests that mammal milk production likely started around 205 million years ago when pre-mammals used a mucus-like substance to coat their eggs. She also explains how the first versions of human wombs appeared about 65 million years ago in an animal similar to a weasel squirrel. By comparing humans with other species, she suggests that our anatomy might have shaped our behavior. She proposes that early humans might not have been as aggressive because they lacked certain anatomical features in ducks. Bohannon argues that female ancestors may have been the first to walk on two legs because they needed to carry food for their offspring. She combines scientific research with humor, making complex ideas easy to understand. Her book offers a fresh perspective on human evolution, emphasizing the role of females in shaping our history.

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

‘’Killers of the Flower Moon’’ by David Grann is a piece that follows the investigation into the murders of Osage Indians, who at the beginning of the last century, thanks to oil reserves on their land, became one of the richest people in the world, but also the tragic victims of one of the most horrible, horrific, and shameful crimes in the American history.

Killers of the Flower Moon

In ‘’Empire of Pain’’ Patrick Radden Keefe presents a history of the Sackler family, whose name stands behind numerous scientific and cultural institutions in America and also behind pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, famous for manufacturing and promoting OxyContin, an opioid-based painkiller that brought addiction struggles and deaths to hundreds of thousands of Americans in the last few decades.

Empire of Pain

	Although it seems that anyone can read literature, only those equipped with the proper tools of literary criticism can read it critically. In ‘’How to Read Literature,’’ renowned literary theorist Terry Eagleton teaches us how to delve into the process of critical analysis of characters, plot, literary language, narration, and many more. 

 How to Read Literature

	Addiction is a complex phenomenon that has been obsessing people over centuries - that is why we need a thorough approach in its examination - the one Carl Erik Fisher has in the book ‘’The Urge.’’ In it, you will find how addiction was treated and contemplated through centuries, how Alcoholics Anonymous was created, whether addiction has biological, genetic, or social causes, how Fisher fought his addiction, and many more.

The Urge

	In ‘’How The World Really Works,’’ you will find everything you need to understand energy, food production, globalization, and much more. In other words, this bestseller is a comprehensive guide to understanding how some of the most fundamental ruling realities govern our survival and prosperity and shape our future.

How the World Really Works

Understanding the science behind your decision making and behavior is a great asset in the battle to a more fulfilled life.

Psychology

Written in the form of a Socratic dialogue between a philosopher and a young man, “The Courage to Be Disliked” uses the theories of Alfred Adler – one of the three giants of nineteenth-century psychology alongside Freud and Jung – to guide readers to unlocking the power within themselves to become the people they truly want to be.

The Courage to Be Disliked

Involving all of the great powers and the vast majority of the world’s countries, the Second World War was the deadliest war in human history. It resulted in profound destruction, 60 million displaced, and 70 million fatalities. British military historian Antony Beevor tells the entire story in “The Second World War,” “a magisterial, single-volume history of the greatest conflict the world has ever known.”

The Second World War

GDP, Trade balance, foreign capital. Everything about global trade is here!

Economics

“Skin in the Game” is the fifth book of Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s landmark “Incerto” series. Similarly to the other four books, it deals with topics such as the unreliability of knowledge and (ir)rationality in complex systems. Above all, however, it deals with reciprocity and (a)symmetry in human affairs, arguing that having “skin in the game” is necessary for a fair and just society

Skin in the Game

Perhaps the only thing the words “soldier,” “salary” and “salacious” share is their root: sal, the Latin term for “salt.” Called a “divine substance” by Homer, this basic mineral was such a valuable commodity for millennia that – as journalist Mark Kurlansky demonstrates in this magisterial and unlikely history of “the only rock we eat” – it hasn’t just shaped parts of our language, but civilization itself

Salt: A World History

Build a solid career, learn how to run your business and inspire other people to do the same.

Career & Business

The best microbooks on Emotional Intelligence to make you overcome obstacles in your personal and professional life.

Emotional Intelligence

It's time to learn about the main pillars of society, world politics, and different cultures. 

Society & Politics

Robert Greene’s debut book – “The 48 Laws of Power” – is a practical manual for anyone interested in gaining power or arming themselves against it. Drawing from the philosophies of Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, Baltasar Gracián, and many others, the book doesn’t merely explicate the laws but also illustrates them through real-world historical examples that reveal the consequences of both their observance and violation.

The 48 Laws of Power

Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” is one of the greatest works of ancient philosophy. Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and a strong believer in Stoicism, which he outlines in his books. Everyone has a purpose in life which is dictated by the universe. Humans, animals, and the inanimate world alike are part of a plan, and to follow this, we need to listen to our inner selves in order to find our purpose and our way in life.

Meditations

An introduction to “the lives, times and ideas” of several great economic thinkers – from Adam Smith to John Maynard Keynes, from David Ricardo to Karl Marx – “The Worldly Philosophers” by Robert Heilbroner examines, with authority and dispassion, the history of economic thought in a comprehensive and comprehensible manner. A living classic, the book has sold over four million copies ever since its first publication in 1953.

The Worldly Philosophers

​No economics book published in recent years has had as much impact as Thomas Piketty's "Capital in the 21st Century." The book is a masterpiece with over 600 pages, which discuss how globalization and economic development impact our lives, the economy, and the contemporary world. Piketty, after years of research, brings us a major essay on how capitalism generates inequality for society, increasing the concentration of wealth. In his work, he traces a history of how the economic regime has reached its present state and assesses a future prognosis for the world economy.

The work is a benchmark for economic studies, but the 12min team knows that not everyone has the time to devour this bible. That's why we synthesized the book and created a micro-book so you can learn its key ideas in no time. Shall we go?

Capital in the Twenty First Century

Biology, physics and a lot of experimentation!  

Science

“Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari traces the evolution of modern humans – from the Cognitive Revolution which occurred 70,000 years ago and allowed us to become the dominant species on Earth through the development of writing, money, religion and structured societies during the Agricultural Revolution, to the discovery of the scientific method which, in partnership with imperialism, gave birth to globalism and the World Empire.

Sapiens

Personal Development

“Man’s Search for Meaning” describes Viktor Frankl’s experiences at four different Nazi concentration camps, as well as his original psychotherapeutic method called logotherapy. Devised before the war and validated by its evils, logotherapy focuses on the future, arguing that while we cannot avoid suffering, we can choose how to bear its burden and find meaning in work, love, and courage in difficult times.

Man's Search for Meaning

Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” is the oldest military treatise in the world. In it, he imparts his wisdom on how to always bring home the victory - advice that still retains its relevance to this day! The 1910 translation into English by Lionel Giles provides the reader with additional information and alternative translations and is the most extensive scholarly work of its kind.

History & Philosophy

Most Read

The 48 Laws of Power

Meditations

The Worldly Philosophers

Capital in the Twenty First Century

Sapiens

The Courage to Be Disliked

How the World Really Works

Man's Search for Meaning

The Art Of War

Skin in the Game

Newest

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

Killers of the Flower Moon

Empire of Pain

How to Read Literature

The Urge

How the World Really Works

The Courage to Be Disliked

The Second World War

Skin in the Game

Salt: A World History