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Myth, Meaning, and Experience
Some see reality as a subjective experience which lacks any obvious meaning. This demands that we become the creators of own universe. This is a journey through their ideas and stories, in hopes of finding personal empowerment and meaningful living--be it through empirical, rational, or transcendental means.
This list was originated by Erraticus, an online publication focused on human flourishing.
This list was originated by Erraticus, an online publication focused on human flourishing.
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 1 |
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The Stranger
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4.03 avg rating — 1,336,449 ratings
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| 2 |
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Man's Search for Meaning
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4.37 avg rating — 842,993 ratings
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| 3 |
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The Metamorphosis
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3.90 avg rating — 1,360,308 ratings
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| 4 |
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Siddhartha
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4.08 avg rating — 854,584 ratings
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| 5 |
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Candide
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3.76 avg rating — 296,366 ratings
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| 6 |
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The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
by
4.22 avg rating — 64,086 ratings
score: 860,
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9 people voted
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| 7 |
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Waiting for Godot
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3.84 avg rating — 218,379 ratings
score: 804,
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9 people voted
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| 8 |
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The Hero With a Thousand Faces
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4.13 avg rating — 44,388 ratings
score: 795,
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8 people voted
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| 9 |
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The Power of Myth
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4.26 avg rating — 53,277 ratings
score: 780,
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8 people voted
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| 10 |
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Записки из подполья
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4.17 avg rating — 214,170 ratings
score: 748,
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8 people voted
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| 11 |
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The Trial
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3.94 avg rating — 380,851 ratings
score: 746,
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8 people voted
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| 12 |
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The Real Crisis
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4.59 avg rating — 34 ratings
score: 700,
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7 people voted
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| 13 |
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The Hero with a Thousand Faces
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4.13 avg rating — 44,388 ratings
score: 673,
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7 people voted
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| 14 |
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Steppenwolf
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4.13 avg rating — 208,980 ratings
score: 661,
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7 people voted
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| 15 |
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When Nietzsche Wept
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4.36 avg rating — 81,517 ratings
score: 645,
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7 people voted
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| 16 |
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Thus Spoke Zarathustra
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4.07 avg rating — 171,325 ratings
score: 571,
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6 people voted
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| 17 |
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The Fall
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4.03 avg rating — 129,701 ratings
score: 528,
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6 people voted
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| 18 |
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The Brothers Karamazov
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4.39 avg rating — 374,025 ratings
score: 376,
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4 people voted
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| 19 |
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The Sorrows of Young Werther
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3.69 avg rating — 150,589 ratings
score: 371,
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4 people voted
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| 20 |
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Beyond Good and Evil
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4.03 avg rating — 110,559 ratings
score: 368,
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4 people voted
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| 21 |
|
Man's Search for Meaning
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4.37 avg rating — 842,993 ratings
score: 361,
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4 people voted
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| 22 |
|
Momma and the Meaning of Life: Tales of Psychotherapy
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4.07 avg rating — 10,864 ratings
score: 358,
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4 people voted
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| 23 |
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Memories, Dreams, Reflections
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4.17 avg rating — 37,604 ratings
score: 351,
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4 people voted
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| 24 |
|
The Book of Disquiet
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4.40 avg rating — 36,268 ratings
score: 345,
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4 people voted
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| 25 |
|
Modern Man in Search of a Soul
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4.20 avg rating — 13,775 ratings
score: 343,
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4 people voted
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| 26 |
|
The Most Wretched Thing Imaginable or, Beneath the Burnt Umbrella
by
Stephen Moles (Goodreads Author)
3.75 avg rating — 20 ratings
score: 296,
and
3 people voted
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| 27 |
|
Love and Will
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4.13 avg rating — 2,696 ratings
score: 287,
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3 people voted
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| 28 |
|
Myths to Live By
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4.16 avg rating — 7,050 ratings
score: 281,
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3 people voted
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| 29 |
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Fear and Trembling
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 30,348 ratings
score: 280,
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3 people voted
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| 30 |
|
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
by
3.91 avg rating — 260,350 ratings
score: 279,
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3 people voted
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| 31 |
|
To the Lighthouse
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3.81 avg rating — 209,292 ratings
score: 276,
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3 people voted
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| 32 |
|
The Varieties of Religious Experience
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 12,872 ratings
score: 275,
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3 people voted
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| 33 |
|
Endgame
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3.79 avg rating — 23,892 ratings
score: 274,
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3 people voted
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| 34 |
|
Love's Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy
by
4.25 avg rating — 40,339 ratings
score: 264,
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3 people voted
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| 35 |
|
The Woman in the Dunes
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3.88 avg rating — 38,031 ratings
score: 258,
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3 people voted
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| 36 |
|
Crime and Punishment
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4.28 avg rating — 1,038,389 ratings
score: 255,
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3 people voted
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| 37 |
|
The Waste Land and Other Poems
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4.22 avg rating — 73,039 ratings
score: 252,
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3 people voted
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| 38 |
|
The Aleph and Other Stories
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4.33 avg rating — 47,380 ratings
score: 250,
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3 people voted
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| 39 |
|
Beyond Psychology
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4.13 avg rating — 127 ratings
score: 246,
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3 people voted
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| 40 |
|
Schopenhauer: A Very Short Introduction
by
3.78 avg rating — 832 ratings
score: 235,
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3 people voted
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| 41 |
|
The Wisdom of Life
by
4.07 avg rating — 15,646 ratings
score: 206,
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3 people voted
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| 42 |
|
Shallcross: The Blindspot Cathedral, A Novel (The Hearing Voices Series Book 1)
by
Charles Porter (Goodreads Author)
4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings
score: 200,
and
2 people voted
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| 42 |
|
The Call of the Void
by
Reece LeResche (Goodreads Author)
4.35 avg rating — 34 ratings
score: 200,
and
2 people voted
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| 44 |
|
Wrong Planet - Searching for your Tribe
by
Karl Wiggins (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 58 ratings
score: 199,
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2 people voted
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| 45 |
|
The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling
by
3.89 avg rating — 5,286 ratings
score: 198,
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2 people voted
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| 46 |
|
The Red Book: Liber Novus
by
4.49 avg rating — 6,399 ratings
score: 197,
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2 people voted
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| 46 |
|
Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief
by
4.03 avg rating — 6,465 ratings
score: 197,
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2 people voted
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| 48 |
|
The Magic Mountain
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4.13 avg rating — 57,369 ratings
score: 192,
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2 people voted
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| 49 |
|
The Alchemist
by
Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)
3.92 avg rating — 3,465,043 ratings
score: 187,
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2 people voted
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| 49 |
|
Meditations
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4.28 avg rating — 327,237 ratings
score: 187,
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2 people voted
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| 51 |
|
Existential-Humanistic Therapy
by
Kirk J. Schneider (Goodreads Author)
4.04 avg rating — 137 ratings
score: 180,
and
2 people voted
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| 52 |
|
The Prophet
by
4.23 avg rating — 323,096 ratings
score: 179,
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2 people voted
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| 52 |
|
Faust, First Part
by
3.83 avg rating — 84,581 ratings
score: 179,
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2 people voted
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| 52 |
|
Myths and Modern Man
by
3.44 avg rating — 18 ratings
score: 179,
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2 people voted
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| 55 |
|
The Glass Bead Game
by
4.10 avg rating — 41,588 ratings
score: 178,
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2 people voted
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| 56 |
|
Zorba the Greek
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4.03 avg rating — 57,124 ratings
score: 177,
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2 people voted
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| 57 |
|
Nausea
by
3.93 avg rating — 135,656 ratings
score: 176,
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2 people voted
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| 58 |
|
Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World
by
3.89 avg rating — 319 ratings
score: 175,
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2 people voted
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| 59 |
|
Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,258 ratings
score: 173,
and
2 people voted
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| 60 |
|
The Will to Believe, Human Immortality and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy
by
4.11 avg rating — 554 ratings
score: 171,
and
2 people voted
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| 60 |
|
Either/Or: A Fragment of Life
by
4.16 avg rating — 10,033 ratings
score: 171,
and
2 people voted
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| 62 |
|
African Myths of Origin
by
3.76 avg rating — 160 ratings
score: 169,
and
2 people voted
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| 63 |
|
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
by
4.07 avg rating — 171,325 ratings
score: 168,
and
2 people voted
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| 63 |
|
Little Birds
by
3.69 avg rating — 13,560 ratings
score: 168,
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2 people voted
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| 63 |
|
The Way of Zen
by
4.16 avg rating — 22,988 ratings
score: 168,
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2 people voted
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| 66 |
|
Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others
by
Stephanie Dalley (Editor)
4.01 avg rating — 2,713 ratings
score: 167,
and
2 people voted
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| 67 |
|
Fantastic Worlds: Myths, Tales, and Stories
by
Eric S. Rabkin (Editor)
3.86 avg rating — 114 ratings
score: 164,
and
2 people voted
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| 68 |
|
Demian
by
4.14 avg rating — 131,236 ratings
score: 162,
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2 people voted
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| 68 |
|
Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths
by
Philip Freeman (Goodreads Author)
3.75 avg rating — 772 ratings
score: 162,
and
2 people voted
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| 70 |
|
The Courage to Create
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4.07 avg rating — 4,146 ratings
score: 160,
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2 people voted
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| 71 |
|
A Room of One’s Own
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4.22 avg rating — 250,108 ratings
score: 158,
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2 people voted
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| 71 |
|
Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
by
4.08 avg rating — 2,154 ratings
score: 158,
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2 people voted
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| 71 |
|
Macbeth
by
3.89 avg rating — 998,804 ratings
score: 158,
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2 people voted
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| 74 |
|
The World as Will and Representation, Volume I
by
4.22 avg rating — 10,915 ratings
score: 155,
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2 people voted
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| 75 |
|
The Sickness Unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening
by
4.09 avg rating — 11,863 ratings
score: 153,
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2 people voted
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| 75 |
|
A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
by
3.64 avg rating — 3,686 ratings
score: 153,
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2 people voted
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| 77 |
|
The Man Without Qualities
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4.19 avg rating — 7,234 ratings
score: 151,
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2 people voted
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| 77 |
|
The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
by
4.22 avg rating — 419 ratings
score: 151,
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2 people voted
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| 79 |
|
Love's Executioner: & Other Tales of Psychotherapy
by
4.25 avg rating — 40,339 ratings
score: 148,
and
2 people voted
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| 80 |
|
Mysticism: The Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness
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3.92 avg rating — 2,143 ratings
score: 147,
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2 people voted
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| 81 |
|
No Exit and Three Other Plays
by
4.08 avg rating — 29,880 ratings
score: 144,
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2 people voted
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| 82 |
|
The Earth Has a Soul: The Nature Writings of C.G. Jung
by
4.33 avg rating — 543 ratings
score: 142,
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2 people voted
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| 82 |
|
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
by
3.93 avg rating — 9,734 ratings
score: 142,
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2 people voted
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| 84 |
|
On Love
by
Alain de Botton (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 34,372 ratings
score: 140,
and
2 people voted
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| 85 |
|
The Meaning of Anxiety
by
4.25 avg rating — 728 ratings
score: 132,
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2 people voted
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| 86 |
|
Become What You Are
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4.08 avg rating — 5,710 ratings
score: 130,
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2 people voted
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| 86 |
|
Happy Days
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3.84 avg rating — 7,322 ratings
score: 130,
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2 people voted
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| 88 |
|
On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy
by
4.16 avg rating — 18,251 ratings
score: 128,
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2 people voted
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| 89 |
|
A Way of Being
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4.22 avg rating — 2,907 ratings
score: 126,
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2 people voted
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| 90 |
|
The Undiscovered Self
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4.14 avg rating — 12,548 ratings
score: 118,
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2 people voted
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| 91 |
|
Pragmatism and The Meaning of Truth
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3.94 avg rating — 82 ratings
score: 117,
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2 people voted
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| 92 |
|
Beyond Good And Evil
by
4.03 avg rating — 110,559 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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| 92 |
|
The Gospel of the Rauschmonstrum
by
3.56 avg rating — 16 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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| 92 |
|
Sacred Selfishness: A Guide to Living a Life of Substance
by
Bud Harris (Goodreads Author)
4.23 avg rating — 74 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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| 92 |
|
If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2,776 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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| 92 |
|
The Gospel of Lie: A Grieving Christian Searches the Bible for a New Jesus
by
3.86 avg rating — 22 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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| 92 |
|
Optimistic Nihilism: A Psychologist's Personal Story & (Biased) Professional Appraisal of Shedding Religion
by
David Landers (Goodreads Author)
4.17 avg rating — 234 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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| 92 |
|
Wednesdays: An Ex-Pastor's Voyage into Unbelief
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3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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| 92 |
|
Give Up the Dead (Jay Porter, #3)
by
Joe Clifford (Goodreads Author)
3.93 avg rating — 255 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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| 92 |
|
Stop Unreality, Second Edition: A Guide to Conquering Depersonalization, Derealization, DPD, Anxiety & Depression
by
Kevin Klix (Goodreads Author)
3.67 avg rating — 27 ratings
score: 100,
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1 person voted
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269 books ·
90 voters ·
list created November 4th, 2015
by Jeffrey Howard (votes) .
Tags:
absurdism, alain-de-botton, alan-watts, albert-camus, anais-nin, anxiety, art-as-therapy, arthur-shopenhauer, atheism, beyond-good-and-evil, carl-jung, carl-rogers, cg-jung, death, depth-psychology, dostoyevsky, existential, existential-psychotherapy, existentialism, experience, frank-kafka, friedrich-nietzsche, irvin-yalom, james-hillman, jean-paul-sartre, joseph-campbell, love-and-will, mans-search-for-meaning, meaning, meaningless, myth, mythology, myths-to-live-by, otto-rank, paul-tillich, power-of-myth, pragmatism, psychology, radical-empiricism, religion-for-atheists, rollo-may, samuel-beckett, self, soren-kirkegaard, subjectivity, the-courage-to-create, the-cry-for-myth, the-hero-with-a-thousand-faces, the-idiot, the-stranger, thus-spoke-zurathustra, transcendentalism, viktor-frankl, waiting-for-godot, when-nietzsche-wept, william-james
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Dizzyca
3699 books
74 friends
74 friends
Courtney Tiberio
35 books
68 friends
68 friends
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