my mind on books

“5 Great Science Books to Expand Your Mind” at ReadWriteWeb picks Godel, Escher. Bach by Hofstadter, Complexity by Waldrop, At Home in the Universe by Kauffman, The User Illusion by Norretranders, and Programming the Universe by Lloyd, with more reader suggestions in the comments.

Boldtype is a monthly book review email newsletter and this month’s issue is “Science: Traffic, Chance, Mutation,” with reviews of The Drunkard’s Walk, Traffic, Bonk, and more.

Emotional Awareness: Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Compassion by the Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman (Times Books, 2008) seems quite similar to the Mind and Life Institute series of books but it doesn’t appear on their list of publications.

Product Description

Two leading thinkers engage in a landmark conversation about human emotions and the pursuit of psychological fulfillment

At their first meeting, a remarkable bond was sparked between His Holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the world’s most revered spiritual leaders, and the psychologist Paul Ekman, whose groundbreaking work helped to define the science of emotions. Now these two luminaries share their thinking about science and spirituality, the bonds between East and West, and the nature and quality of our emotional lives.

In this unparalleled series of conversations, the Dalai Lama and Ekman prod and push toward answers to the central questions of emotional experience. What are the sources of hate and compassion? Should a person extend her compassion to a torturer—and would that even be biologically possible? What does science reveal about the benefits of Buddhist meditation, and can Buddhism improve through engagement with the scientific method? As they come to grips with these issues, they invite us to join them in an unfiltered view of two great traditions and two great minds.

Accompanied by commentaries on the findings of emotion research and the teachings of Buddhism, their interplay—amusing, challenging, eye-opening, and moving—guides us on a transformative journey in the understanding of emotions.