The ultimate guide to living a wiser, happier life in the modern world.
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Life can be complicated, so we've selected the most important bits of information you need to understand your place in the universe, how the world works and how you affect (and are affected by) the world around you.
Publications
Why it's one of the biggest problems of modern life - and how to avoid it.
What's your place in the great scheme of history? Find out here!
Can you identify with these 10 symptoms of modern malaise?
Did you know just how complex the world is - and that you can navigate this complexity?
The 10 essential books you need to gain perspective on history.
A list of our favourite books!
A list of the best websites for understanding the world and living wisely.
Links
A great journey in scale from the smallest thing in our universe to the largest - the universe itself.
A chart of the latest death rates, suggesting that we may be worrying about the wrong things when we fear for our mortality...
A mind-blowing comparison between the size of the universe and a grain of sand.
The ultimate comprehensive list of endangered species around the world.
World Bank data site showing the big difference in emissions per country.
Where in the world do people live longest?
Take this free course to get the ultimate big picture on history - from the big bang to now!
What happens to your data online and how can you protect yourself?
Who owns which media in the British press - plus their agenda and political bias.
Alisa Miller's TED lecture on how the news emphasises certain stories and ignores others.
Imagine everything you consume in a lifetime piled up in front of you. Now watch this video!
Where did the idea of rights come from and what are our rights?
BBC Horizon video exploring what we know about the reality we exist in.
Podcasts exploring the history of philosophy and thought - from the very first thinkers.
Outline of different belief systems - from atheism to religions.
A Life Squared article to help people interpret the language used by politicians.
What is politics? How has it developed over time? What are some of the ideas behind it?
Video explaining the different types of economic system and how they work.
Great video showing the dramatic changes to life expectancy and income around the world.
Surprising comparison of the minimum level of paid holidays that people are allowed, by country.
TED lecture by Richard Wilkinson exploring the social effects of income inequality.
Books
A brilliant, accessible overview of history - from the big bang to the present day.
Life Squared founder, Richard Docwra, examines some challenges of modern life and what we can do to flourish despite them.
By John Lanchester. If you want to understand the background to the global financial crisis in a simple way, this book is a great start.
By JM Roberts - a more detailed history of human civilisation - but still reasonably brief and very readable.
Nick Davies explores how news and the media really work - including the massive role of PR in news stories.
By Bertrand Russell - the classic, accessible introduction to the history of western thought.
Join Life Squared today!
Join Life Squared today for only £5 a month - and be part of it! You’ll receive:
- A free printed copy of our book ‘The Life Trap’
- A great free Life Squared publication through the post every quarter
- Priority invites to special events
- And most importantly, you’ll be enabling us to keep our publications free for everyone!
