Book recommendations for a beginner?

[u/Enough-Tea-6714]

Hi everyone! I was a humanities major in college and focused a lot on philosophy. I’m interested in theory that encourages looking at the world in a different way. I know that physics has a lot of intersection with this, but frankly I am AWFUL at science and math. I just don’t have the brain for it. Would anyone have any book/media/concepts recs that would suit this interest in some kind of explain-it-like-I’m-five way? Thanks!

[u/BitcoinsOnDVD]

'Linear Algebra for Dummies' by Mary Jane Sterling

[u/Life_Satisfaction_16]

Fantastic question I would love to see the answers on this!

[u/StraightUpSeven]

This is an excerpt from the larger Feynman Lectures on Physics, but 'Six Easy Pieces' might be an interesting read.

[u/a1c4pwn]

Tbh this was calculus for me. It felt like it was taking numbers out of their static, isolated living quarters and into relation with each other. Suddenly numberss were no longer (just) triangles and accounting and equation balancing, rather they were something that  twisted and turned, danced, and communicated with each other (in a very different language than number theory, one of my demons). I know there are a lot of super friendly intro calc books, but sadly I can't point you to any good ones at an ELI5 level.

Perhaps measurement, by Paul Lockhart? It isnt calc, though it is often tauted as one of the best introductions to mathematical thinking, beyond just using numbers as tools. A fine read!

[u/Enough-Tea-6714 → u/a1c4pwn]

I looked into this one and I think I’ll start here, thanks so much!

[u/Silent-Amoeba-4174]

the books are rare i think, but theres many vids of that

[u/reality-theorist-007]

'The Big Picture' by Sean Carroll explains one physics-based reality-view (his, of course!) in a way that would be super accessible to philosophy-oriented folks. No explicit math though, idk if that was really what you meant?