1. The blank slate by Steven Pinker. This book caused great outrage in the US, because it basically explains that humans are not born as a blank and they don’t become who they become due to culture and education. Rather, Pinker says, the most part of who and what we are comes with our genes, and this refers not only to our physical appearance. The book is great to read even if you already agree with this view, as it gives you a good overview of a) the arguments and b) the implications for vestern culture

2. Synaptic Self by Joseph LeDoux. This is about who are we? from a neurological point of view. There really is nothing more to say, except fo you know who you are and what the difference between you and your brain is?

3. Looking for Spinoza by Antonio Damasio. A book about what we feel, why we feel and what to do with that. This is one of the best writers in the field of neuroscience and the book will really help you understand yourself and your feelings so much better. Also very interesting for those who are curious about cognitive behavioural therapy and obviously for Spinoza fans

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. This book is very engaging and it will be hard to put it down once you start it. It is actually a dialogue between a person and a very wise monkey. The monkey actually makes a cultural analysis of our world and goes very deep into its assumptions. It is very interesting to read no matter what your interests are, but extremely interesting if you are interested in cultural studies, semiotics, communication, paradigms etc. The book should be insipireing for anyone and it will make you thing about your role in the world. There are some illegaly translated copies in Romanian traveling around the web.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. This book is autobiographical- it refers to the experiences of the author in several concetration camps, but primarily deals with how he was able to find a way to stay “motivated” to survive. It will teach you that no matter how bad your life is, there is a way. Here is a quote, which I find illuminating:

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

And another one:

“It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.”