This curated selection of works outlines a developmental path from abstract foundations to empirical investigation. Beginning with mathematics as the a priori framework of understanding, it proceeds through neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, economics, history, and sociology, before closing with methodological tools for testing and inference. Each work has been chosen for its formative role in shaping intellectual growth, both personal and professional.
Mathematics is not merely a science but the precondition of understanding—the very structure that enables us to think rigorously. Its truths appear to exist outside human contingency, shaping all subsequent inquiry.
If mathematics is the structure of thought, neuroscience is the study of the hardware through which experience is made possible. To understand consciousness, one must first understand the brain.
Philosophy forces us to pause and reflect on foundations. Once the framework of mathematics and the brain are grasped, philosophy asks the deeper questions: why is there something rather than nothing? How can we know? What are the limits of reason?
Personal reflection: It remains my conviction that knowledge can, at least in part, be acquired a priori, independent of material experience.
Having considered structures and methods, we return to ourselves. Psychology studies the functioning of the subject who perceives, thinks, and acts. Importantly, both psychoanalysis and behaviorism attempt comprehensive frameworks of psychological explanation.
Economics represents the first material expression of humans as social beings. Its theoretical models balance between elegant a priori reasoning and empirical testing.
Once theoretical foundations are laid, one must turn outward to history. Historical study demonstrates the limits of abstract models, showing that humans are irreducibly social and context-bound.
Early sociologists attempted to articulate the laws of social life. They remain, in my view, the foundational voices in sociology.
The final step is methodological. Having acquired frameworks, histories, and theories, we need tools to test and refine knowledge empirically.
The sequence of works presented here can be read as a structured intellectual journey. Mathematics provides the a priori conditions of thought, while neuroscience grounds our inquiry in the physiology of the brain. Philosophy compels us to clarify concepts and confront the ultimate limits of reason. Psychology explores the dynamics of the individual mind, while economics reveals the first formal expressions of human interaction. History demonstrates the contingency and plurality of human development, and sociology frames social life as a structured whole. Finally, methodology offers the tools to test claims and advance knowledge in a disciplined manner.
Taken together, these stages represent more than an eclectic reading list: they map a path of formation. From the universal to the particular, from the abstract to the empirical, from the solitary thinker to society at large, the reader advances step by step toward a more comprehensive understanding of self, world, and knowledge. In this sense, intellectual growth mirrors human growth itself: a constant dialogue between what is given a priori and what emerges through experience.