Philosophy · Similar reads
Books like Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World
The best books like Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World are Man's Search for Meaning, A History of God, and A Theory of Justice. Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by René Girard is about mimetic desire, scapegoating, religion. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Man's Search for Meaning
01
Viktor E. Frankl · Psychology
Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's account of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the psychological theory he developed from that experience.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - A History of God
02
Karen Armstrong · Religion & Spirituality
A History of God is Karen Armstrong's account of how the idea of God has changed over four thousand years across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with excursions into Hinduism and Buddhism.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - A Theory of Justice
03
John Rawls · Philosophy
A Theory of Justice, published in 1971, is John Rawls's attempt to construct a systematic alternative to utilitarianism in political philosophy.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary →
- The Better Angels of Our Nature
04
The Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker · Science
The Better Angels of Our Nature is Steven Pinker's argument, supported by extensive historical and statistical data, that human violence has declined dramatically over long time periods and that this decline is real, not an artifact of reporting or perception.
Both dig into violence.
Read the summary → - Existentialism Is a Humanism
05
Jean-Paul Sartre · Philosophy
Existentialism Is a Humanism began as a 1945 lecture Sartre gave to a packed Paris hall in response to critics who called existentialism pessimistic, quietist, and dangerous.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
06
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
Jon Krakauer · Memoir
Under the Banner of Heaven opens with a specific crime: in 1984, Ron and Dan Lafferty — members of a fundamentalist Mormon splinter group — murdered their sister-in-law Brenda and her infant daughter, acting on a "revelation" they believed came directly from God.
Shares religion and violence with Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World.
Read the summary → - Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
07
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
Daniel C. Dennett · Philosophy
Breaking the Spell is Daniel Dennett's case that religion is a natural phenomenon — one that can and should be studied using the methods of evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and anthropology.
Both dig into religion.
Read the summary → - Letter to a Christian Nation
08
Sam Harris · Philosophy
Letter to a Christian Nation is a short, blunt book written in direct address to American Christians.
Both dig into religion.
Read the summary → - Mere Christianity
09
C. S. Lewis · Philosophy
Mere Christianity began as a series of BBC radio broadcasts Lewis gave during World War II, and the book retains that quality of direct, informal address.
Both dig into christianity.
Read the summary → - Myths to Live By
10
Joseph Campbell · Philosophy
Myths to Live By collects a series of lectures Joseph Campbell delivered at Cooper Union in New York City between 1958 and 1971.
Both dig into religion.
Read the summary → - The Power of Myth
11
Joseph Campbell · Philosophy
The Power of Myth is the transcript of six hours of conversations between Joseph Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers, filmed at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in 1985 and 1986 and broadcast on PBS in 1988, shortly after Campbell's death.
Both dig into religion.
Read the summary → - The Sacred and the Profane
12
Mircea Eliade · Philosophy
The Sacred and the Profane is Mircea Eliade's most accessible introduction to his life's central argument: that religious experience is a distinct mode of being in the world, irreducible to sociology, economics, psychology, or any other secular explanatory framework.
Both dig into religion.
Read the summary →
Books like Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World: quick answers
What are the best books like Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World?
The best books like Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by René Girard are Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, A History of God by Karen Armstrong, A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker, Existentialism Is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, such as mimetic desire, scapegoating, religion.
What should I read after Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World?
A natural next read after Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. A kindred philosophy read. Other strong choices are A History of God by Karen Armstrong, A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker.
What books are similar to Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by René Girard?
Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World centers on mimetic desire, scapegoating, religion. Books with a similar feel include Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, A History of God by Karen Armstrong, A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker, Existentialism Is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre, Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
