 | Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations With the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism (1999) by The Dalai Lama et al.
Recommender: Keyvan Rahmatian
An interesting look at Buddhism and its connections with cognitive neuroscience.
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 | Flowers for Algernon (1959) by Daniel Keyes
Recommender: Bryan Kennedy
I remember absolutely loving this book when I read it as a kid. It's about an experiment in which a man is increased in intelligence. We follow the story through the journal of this man and watch his progression.
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 | Notes on the Synthesis of Form (1970) by Christopher Alexander
Recommender: Madhu Prabaker
Must For: Anyone interested in how evolution works, or interested in better coding skills.
An excellent book by an architect whose work on the concept of "the design problem" is celebrated much more by computer programmers than other architects. This book is particularly useful in conjunction with cybernetics theory.
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 | Phantoms in the Brain : Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind (1999) by V. S. Ramachandran
Recommender: Keyvan Rahmatian
Must For: Neuro people like me!
Recommended by David Presti. A very interesting look at phantom limb related phenomena, and how Ramachandran uses simple tactics to relieve the pain.
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 | The Age of Spiritual Machines (1999) by Ray Kurzweil
Recommender: Michael Britton
Must For: Anyone interested in technology and the future
Easily the most interesting CogSci book I have read. Ray is spot on with a lot of his stuff; I agree wholeheartedly with most of his predictions.
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 | The Birth of the Mind (2004) by Gary Marcus
Recommender: Katharine Clark
Must For: Nature vs. Nurture debaters
The book's extended title says it all, how a tiny number of genes creates the complexities of human thought. Ever wondered at the fact that we were only 1% different from chimps, our closest cousins, and yet it seems we are so distinct? This book came close to answering that question and a few important others...
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 | The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (2002) by Steven Pinker
Recommender: Keyvan Rahmatian
In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. He shows how many intellectuals have denied the existence of human nature and instead have embraced three dogmas: The Blank Slate (the mind has no innate traits), The Noble Savage (people are born good and corrupted by society), and The Ghost in the Machine (each of us has a soul that makes choices free from biology). Each dogma carries a moral burden, so their defenders have engaged in desperate tactics to discredit the scientists who are now challenging them.
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 | The Conceptual Self in Context (1997) by Ulric Neisser and David Jopling
Recommender: Madhu Prabaker
Must For: Anyone interested in our mental representation(s) of self/selfhood.
I read over half the articles in this book for a term paper in CogSci 100 (on the concept of self in Cognitive Psychology and Anthropology). It was perfect for this project, and also a very interesting read. It includes psychological, anthropological, cognitive-linguistic, and philosophical perspectves. The editors seemed genuinely interested in integrating the concerns of the various disciplines into one well-rounded volume (although, if i remember correctly, the book lacked any neuroscience). I found Rosch's article, "Mindfulness meditation and the private(?) self", particularly intriguing.
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 | The Design of Everyday Things (1990) by Donald Norman
Recommender: Peter Khooshabeh
Must For: Those interested in User Interface Design.
As the title impiles, this book is about how things that you encounter every day (doors, elevators, electronic equiment, etc) are designed. After reading this book my eyes were really opened to see the wonderful (and terrible) design of things which I had never thought about before but encountered frequently. But this book is not just a list of all the well-designed and poorly-designed things; much of the book examines the cognitive elements (memory, learning, etc) which must be considered when designing everyday things.
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 | The Human Use of Human Beings (1988) by Norbert Wiener
Recommender: Peter Khooshabeh
Must For: Every Cog Sci student.
One of Wiener's later works, a meandering exploration of the human social world from the viewpoint of "the father of cybernetics". Cybernetics theory is *by far* the most useful stuff I've come across since I graduated, and I really find it difficult to believe that there are no classes for it at Cal.
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 | The Power of Babel (2003) by John Mcwhorter
Recommender: Katharine Clark
Must For: Those who talk the talk..
I had McWhorter for Ling 5 and it was one of the best classes I had at Cal. His writting reflects his excellent sense of humor, and his ability to confer information in an interesting and memorable way. If you want to understand the story of linguistics, this is a great book to add to your collection!
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 | Thinks... (2001) by David Lodge
Recommender: Michael Britton
Must For: People interested in the nature of consciousness.
I had to read this book as a required reading for CogSci102. This fictional story revolves around the relationship between Ralph Messenger, the director of the Centre for Cognitive Science at the University of Gloucester, and Helen Reed, a mewly recruited writing instructor at the University. The conversations and interactions between Ralph and Helen bring up many issues about the nature of consciousness, most specifically the other minds problem. Lodge's ability to weave a rather soap opera-esque story with a scientific backing and include insight into what an academic lifestyle (im not referring to the infidelity) made this a very enjoyable read for me.
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