Rationalist Book Club (RBC): better living through cooperative reading

Sure, you could ask ChatGPT to summarize books for you--or you could join the Rationalist Book Club (RBC) and tap into the power of peer pressure to inspire yourself to read more and scroll less.

Our selections are non-fiction or "rationalist" works (blogs, articles, books) on subjects like economics, history, science, society, ethics, or logical thinking.

### Current book: The Ascent of Money

### Meeting 1: Friday, January 9, 2026

Due: Chapters 1–3 (Pages 1–190)

• Chapter 1: "Dreams of Avarice" — Money & Banking
  The origins of money, Spanish conquistadors, and the rise of banking systems
• Chapter 2: "Of Human Bondage" — Bond Markets
  The history of government bonds, Napoleonic Wars, American Civil War financing
• Chapter 3: "Blowing Bubbles" — Stock Markets
  The first joint-stock companies, John Law's Mississippi bubble, 20th-century market crashes

### Meeting 2: Friday, February 13, 2026

Due: Chapters 4–6 (Pages 191–441)

• Chapter 4: "Risky Business" — Insurance
  Modern insurance origins, natural disasters, hedge funds, and welfare systems
• Chapter 5: "Safe as Houses" — Real Estate & Property
  Mortgage markets, home ownership, the Great Depression, subprime crisis
• Chapter 6: "Chimerica" — Globalization
  The rise and fall of global finance, China's economic growth, US-China interdependence