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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.
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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 — 1,353,691 ratings
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| 2 |
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Man's Search for Meaning
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4.37 avg rating — 852,715 ratings
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| 3 |
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The Metamorphosis
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3.90 avg rating — 1,378,291 ratings
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| 4 |
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Siddhartha
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4.08 avg rating — 860,660 ratings
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| 5 |
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Candide
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3.76 avg rating — 297,854 ratings
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| 6 |
|
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
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4.22 avg rating — 64,475 ratings
score: 860,
and
9 people voted
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| 7 |
|
Waiting for Godot
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3.84 avg rating — 219,496 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 — 44,579 ratings
score: 795,
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8 people voted
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| 9 |
|
The Power of Myth
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4.26 avg rating — 53,422 ratings
score: 780,
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8 people voted
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| 10 |
|
Steppenwolf
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4.13 avg rating — 210,810 ratings
score: 759,
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8 people voted
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| 11 |
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Записки из подполья
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4.17 avg rating — 218,276 ratings
score: 748,
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8 people voted
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| 12 |
|
The Trial
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3.94 avg rating — 385,317 ratings
score: 746,
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8 people voted
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| 13 |
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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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| 14 |
|
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
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4.13 avg rating — 44,579 ratings
score: 673,
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7 people voted
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| 15 |
|
When Nietzsche Wept
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4.36 avg rating — 82,272 ratings
score: 645,
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7 people voted
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| 16 |
|
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
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4.07 avg rating — 172,839 ratings
score: 571,
and
6 people voted
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| 17 |
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The Fall
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4.03 avg rating — 131,349 ratings
score: 528,
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6 people voted
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| 18 |
|
The Brothers Karamazov
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4.39 avg rating — 377,919 ratings
score: 376,
and
4 people voted
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| 19 |
|
The Sorrows of Young Werther
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3.69 avg rating — 151,964 ratings
score: 371,
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4 people voted
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| 20 |
|
Beyond Good and Evil
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4.03 avg rating — 111,620 ratings
score: 368,
and
4 people voted
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| 21 |
|
Love's Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy
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4.25 avg rating — 40,708 ratings
score: 361,
and
4 people voted
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| 21 |
|
Man's Search for Meaning
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4.37 avg rating — 852,715 ratings
score: 361,
and
4 people voted
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| 23 |
|
Momma and the Meaning of Life: Tales of Psychotherapy
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4.07 avg rating — 10,988 ratings
score: 358,
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4 people voted
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| 24 |
|
Memories, Dreams, Reflections
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4.17 avg rating — 37,869 ratings
score: 351,
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4 people voted
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| 25 |
|
The Book of Disquiet
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4.40 avg rating — 36,735 ratings
score: 345,
and
4 people voted
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| 26 |
|
Modern Man in Search of a Soul
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4.20 avg rating — 13,906 ratings
score: 343,
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4 people voted
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| 27 |
|
The Most Wretched Thing Imaginable or, Beneath the Burnt Umbrella
by
Stephen Moles (Goodreads Author)
3.82 avg rating — 22 ratings
score: 296,
and
3 people voted
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| 28 |
|
The Magic Mountain
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4.13 avg rating — 60,009 ratings
score: 291,
and
3 people voted
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| 29 |
|
Love and Will
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4.13 avg rating — 2,708 ratings
score: 287,
and
3 people voted
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| 30 |
|
Meditations
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4.28 avg rating — 332,690 ratings
score: 283,
and
3 people voted
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| 31 |
|
Myths to Live By
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4.16 avg rating — 7,064 ratings
score: 281,
and
3 people voted
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| 32 |
|
Fear and Trembling
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 30,698 ratings
score: 280,
and
3 people voted
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| 33 |
|
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
by
3.91 avg rating — 262,534 ratings
score: 279,
and
3 people voted
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| 34 |
|
To the Lighthouse
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3.81 avg rating — 211,069 ratings
score: 276,
and
3 people voted
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| 34 |
|
Nausea
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3.93 avg rating — 136,813 ratings
score: 276,
and
3 people voted
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| 36 |
|
The Varieties of Religious Experience
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 12,949 ratings
score: 275,
and
3 people voted
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| 37 |
|
Endgame
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3.79 avg rating — 24,025 ratings
score: 274,
and
3 people voted
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| 38 |
|
The Woman in the Dunes
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3.88 avg rating — 38,478 ratings
score: 258,
and
3 people voted
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| 39 |
|
Crime and Punishment
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4.28 avg rating — 1,050,028 ratings
score: 255,
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3 people voted
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| 40 |
|
The Waste Land and Other Poems
by
4.22 avg rating — 73,354 ratings
score: 252,
and
3 people voted
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| 41 |
|
The Aleph and Other Stories
by
4.32 avg rating — 47,872 ratings
score: 250,
and
3 people voted
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| 42 |
|
Beyond Psychology
by
4.13 avg rating — 127 ratings
score: 246,
and
3 people voted
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| 43 |
|
Schopenhauer: A Very Short Introduction
by
3.78 avg rating — 837 ratings
score: 235,
and
3 people voted
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| 44 |
|
The Wisdom of Life
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4.07 avg rating — 15,844 ratings
score: 206,
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3 people voted
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| 45 |
|
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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| 45 |
|
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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| 47 |
|
Wrong Planet - Searching for your Tribe
by
Karl Wiggins (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 58 ratings
score: 199,
and
2 people voted
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| 48 |
|
The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling
by
3.88 avg rating — 5,327 ratings
score: 198,
and
2 people voted
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| 49 |
|
The Red Book: Liber Novus
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4.49 avg rating — 6,489 ratings
score: 197,
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2 people voted
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| 49 |
|
Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief
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4.03 avg rating — 6,514 ratings
score: 197,
and
2 people voted
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| 51 |
|
The Alchemist
by
Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)
3.92 avg rating — 3,493,951 ratings
score: 187,
and
2 people voted
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| 52 |
|
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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| 53 |
|
The Prophet
by
4.23 avg rating — 324,861 ratings
score: 179,
and
2 people voted
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| 53 |
|
Faust, First Part
by
3.83 avg rating — 85,053 ratings
score: 179,
and
2 people voted
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| 53 |
|
Myths and Modern Man
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3.44 avg rating — 18 ratings
score: 179,
and
2 people voted
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| 56 |
|
The Glass Bead Game
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4.10 avg rating — 41,864 ratings
score: 178,
and
2 people voted
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| 57 |
|
Zorba the Greek
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4.03 avg rating — 57,719 ratings
score: 177,
and
2 people voted
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| 58 |
|
Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World
by
3.89 avg rating — 319 ratings
score: 175,
and
2 people voted
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| 59 |
|
Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,263 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 — 10,114 ratings
score: 171,
and
2 people voted
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| 62 |
|
African Myths of Origin
by
3.76 avg rating — 161 ratings
score: 169,
and
2 people voted
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| 63 |
|
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
by
4.07 avg rating — 172,839 ratings
score: 168,
and
2 people voted
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| 63 |
|
Little Birds
by
3.69 avg rating — 13,675 ratings
score: 168,
and
2 people voted
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| 63 |
|
The Way of Zen
by
4.16 avg rating — 23,118 ratings
score: 168,
and
2 people voted
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| 66 |
|
Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others
by
4.01 avg rating — 2,729 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 — 115 ratings
score: 164,
and
2 people voted
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| 68 |
|
Demian: Die Geschichte von Emil Sinclairs Jugend
by
4.14 avg rating — 132,584 ratings
score: 162,
and
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 — 777 ratings
score: 162,
and
2 people voted
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| 70 |
|
The Courage to Create
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4.07 avg rating — 4,188 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 — 253,138 ratings
score: 158,
and
2 people voted
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| 71 |
|
Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
by
4.08 avg rating — 2,158 ratings
score: 158,
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2 people voted
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| 71 |
|
Macbeth
by
3.89 avg rating — 1,004,508 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 — 10,975 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 — 11,952 ratings
score: 153,
and
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 — 3,691 ratings
score: 153,
and
2 people voted
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| 77 |
|
The Man Without Qualities
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4.19 avg rating — 7,287 ratings
score: 151,
and
2 people voted
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| 77 |
|
The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
by
4.21 avg rating — 425 ratings
score: 151,
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2 people voted
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| 79 |
|
Love's Executioner: And Other Tales of Psychotherapy
by
4.25 avg rating — 40,708 ratings
score: 148,
and
2 people voted
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| 80 |
|
Mysticism: The Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness
by
3.92 avg rating — 2,144 ratings
score: 147,
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2 people voted
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| 81 |
|
No Exit and Three Other Plays
by
4.09 avg rating — 29,919 ratings
score: 144,
and
2 people voted
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| 82 |
|
The Earth Has a Soul: The Nature Writings of C.G. Jung
by
4.32 avg rating — 549 ratings
score: 142,
and
2 people voted
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| 82 |
|
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
by
3.93 avg rating — 9,805 ratings
score: 142,
and
2 people voted
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| 84 |
|
On Love
by
Alain de Botton (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 34,570 ratings
score: 140,
and
2 people voted
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| 85 |
|
The Meaning of Anxiety
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4.25 avg rating — 738 ratings
score: 132,
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2 people voted
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| 86 |
|
Become What You Are
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4.07 avg rating — 5,788 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 — 7,345 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 — 18,366 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 — 2,937 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 — 12,678 ratings
score: 118,
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2 people voted
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| 91 |
|
Pragmatism and The Meaning of Truth
by
3.93 avg rating — 83 ratings
score: 117,
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2 people voted
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| 92 |
|
Beyond Good And Evil
by
4.03 avg rating — 111,620 ratings
score: 100,
and
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
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2,787 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)
4.18 avg rating — 243 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 ·
92 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
Jeffrey
2335 books
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Joseph
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Arun
2735 books
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John
715 books
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Kirsten Elizabeth
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Nicole
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Dizzyca
3699 books
74 friends
74 friends
Courtney Tiberio
35 books
68 friends
68 friends
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