The best work happens through collaboration. All ideas originate within a community of knowledge built from mentors, peers, and the great writers and artists who have inspired us. This section is dedicated to the books and cultural artifacts that are meaningful to this project. Here, you can dive deeper into the source material for Being & Death, ask questions, get inspired, and suggest new authors and ideas that connect to you.

Each week I will be posting an overview of one of these great books, spanning from the philosophy of Alain Badiou, to the psychoanalysis of Carl Jung, to the ancient wisdom of the Upanishads, to the art of Matthew Barney. I will present the core ideas as they relate to this project, and articulate why this book is so important to me. These are not critical reviews, but rather jumping off points for your own engagement via my excitement.

I saw my friend Jake Schuman recently for the first time in a few years, and was explaining to him some of the books I’ve been reading. He said to me, “Man, I’ve missed how excited you get about books!” Jake helped me realize that enthusiastic sharing is a great way to inspire the same in others. To that extent, I will also be including an audio podcast where I talk about why each book is so important to me, and why I think its ideas might be exciting to you.

As mentioned in the Outline introduction, I will also be compiling a palette of quotes and important selections from each book, and listing them in this section. This palette is an important part of my process, and becomes my quick-reference guide for filling out the outline with source material.