Listed alphabetically are some of the people, and their writings, that have most influenced my thinking.  Some I have fundamental disagreements with, but their ideas challenged and helped shape my own philosophy and policy positions.   

Aristotle (384-322 BC); Greek philosopher.  Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics.

Berlinski, David (1942-); German-American mathematician, philosopher.  Human Nature, The Devil’s Delusion, The Deniable Darwin.  www.davidberlinski.org

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich (1906-1945); German theologian, church pastor. Letters and Papers from Prison, The Cost of Discipleship, Ethics, The Way to Freedom.

Campbell, Joseph (1904-1987); American writer of comparative religion and mythology.   The Power of Myth, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space, Reflections on the Art of Living. www.jcf.com

Chomsky, Noam (1928-); American linguist, cognitive scientist, social critic.  Who Rules the World, Failed States, Profit Over People. www.chomsky.info

Deming, Edwards W. (1900-1993); American engineer, statistician.  Quality-Productivity and Competitive Position, Out of the Crisis, The Essential Deming. www.deming.org

Drucker, Peter (1909-2005); Australian-American management consultant. Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The Effective Executive, Post-Capitalist Society.  www.drucker.institute

Feuerbach, Ludwig (1804-1872); German philosopher. The Essence of Christianity, Principles of the Philosophy of the Future. 

Glasser, William (1925-2013); American psychiatrist.  Reality Therapy, Choice Theory, The Quality School.  www.wglasser.com

Mises, Ludwig von (1881-1973); Austrian economist.  Socialism, The Ethics of Liberty, Liberty and Property.  www.mises.org 

Paglia, Camille (1947-), American professor of humanities, social theorist. Sexual Personae, Sex-Art and American Culture. 

Paterson, Isabel (1886-1961); Canadian-American journalist, social theorist. The God of the Machine. 

Paul, Ron (1935-); American physician, politician. Liberty Defined, The Revolution, End the Fed.  www.ronpaulinstitute.org

Rand, Ayn (1905-1982); Russian/American philosopher, novelist. Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, Philosophy: Who Needs It, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, The Fountainhead.  www.aynrand.org

Rothbard, Murray N. (1926-1995); American economist. The Ethics of Liberty, Anatomy of the State, Conceived in Liberty. 

Sowell, Thomas (1930-); American economist, social theorist. Discriminations and Disparities, Black Rednecks and White Liberals, Charter Schools and Their Enemies, The Vision of the Anointed.  www.tsowell.com

Scalia, Antonin (1936-2016); American supreme court jurist.  Scalia Speaks, On Constitutional Interpretation, Scalia Dissents. 

Smith, Timothy (1924-1997); American church historian. Revivalism and Social Reform, Called Unto Holiness.

Talib, Nassim Nicholas (1960-); Lebanese-American mathematician, risk engineer. Skin in the Game, The Black Swam, Fooled by Randomness.  www.fooledbyrandomness.com

West, Cornel (1953-); American philosopher, social theorist.  Keeping Faith, Democracy Matters, Race Matters.  www.cornelwest.com

Zizek, Slavoj (1949-); Slovenian philosopher, social theorist. God in Pain, The Year of Dreaming Dangerously, Freedom:A Disease Without Cure.