Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning | Jeremy Lent

Why it is included: While Harari looks at what happened, Jeremy Lent looks at how we thought about it. This book traces the cognitive history of humanity, specifically comparing the Western "dualist" worldview (mind vs. body, man vs. nature) with the Eastern "systems" worldview (everything is connected). Lent argues that our current ecological crisis is the inevitable result of a specific root metaphor: "Nature as Machine."

If we view the world as a machine, our goal is to hack it, extract from it, and control it. If we view it as a living organism, our goal is to harmonize with it. This book is included because we cannot build a regenerative civilization on extractive metaphors.

Lent provides the cognitive archaeology needed to dig up the deep-seated beliefs that drive our destructive behavior, offering a pathway to a thriving worldview based on connectivity and shared meaning.