The Case Against Reality | Donald Hoffman

Why it is included: This book challenges our most basic assumption: that we see the world as it is.

Hoffman, a cognitive scientist, uses evolutionary game theory to prove that evolution does not favor truth; it favors survival.

He argues that space, time, and physical objects are just a "desktop interface" (like icons on a screen) designed to help us survive, not to show us the truth.

This is included because it opens the door to a "consciousness-first" view of the universe.

If the material world is just a headset, then consciousness might be the fundamental reality. This aligns with the wisdom traditions but arrives there through math.

It helps break the rigid materialism that traps us in a "dead" universe, making space for a reality that is far more mysterious and malleable.