8 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American journalist, critic, and social commentator — 'the Sage of Baltimore' — who wrote The American Language and dozens of cultural critiques, and who was responsible for introducing Nietzsche's philosophy to American readers through his 1908 study.
Henry James was an American-British novelist whose late style rendered consciousness itself as the subject of fiction.
A 1990 book by Jon Boorstin analyzing how films engage three distinct audience pleasure systems — vicarious identification, voyeuristic observation, and visceral body sensation.
Michael Lewis's 1992 New Republic essay critiquing Warren Buffett as a hypocrite whose saintly public persona obscured ruthless competitive behavior.
A book on the dysfunction of modern institutions and systems — referenced in the Lenny's Podcast context.
British essayist and critic — the greatest essayist in the English language after Montaigne according to many assessments — whose essays on painting, literature, and character combined personal passion with critical intelligence in a way that has not been surpassed.
Anglo-American poet and critic — author of The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1943), Nobel laureate, and the most influential literary critic of the 20th century.
Edward Tufte's essay arguing that PowerPoint's design forces the fragmentation and dumbing-down of information — and contributed to the organizational failures that led to the Columbia shuttle disaster.