Book list

[Lykeios Tenzen]

2025 file
Evola books
John Boyd – OODA Loop
Marshall McLuhan – Understanding Media
Guy Debord – The Society of the Spectacle
Classical Political Philosophy (Foundational)
Greek & Roman
Plato – The Republic: Justice, the ideal state, philosopher-kings.

Aristotle – Politics: Empirical analysis of city-states and constitutions.

Cicero – On the Republic & On the Laws: Roman republican ideals, natural law.

Medieval & Renaissance
Augustine – City of God: Christian view of politics and history.

Thomas Aquinas – Summa Theologica (Political sections): Divine law vs human law.

Niccolò Machiavelli – The Prince & Discourses on Livy: Power realism, statecraft.

Early Modern Political Thought (1600s–1700s)
Social Contract & Enlightenment
Thomas Hobbes – Leviathan: Justification for authoritarian rule.

John Locke – Two Treatises of Government: Rights, property, liberalism.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau – The Social Contract: General will, freedom through participation.

Montesquieu – The Spirit of the Laws: Separation of powers.

Revolutionary & Liberal Thought
Thomas Paine – Common Sense & The Rights of Man

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay – The Federalist Papers

19th Century Ideological Expansion
Conservative
Edmund Burke – Reflections on the Revolution in France

Socialist / Marxist
Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels – The Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx – Capital (Vol. 1): Analysis of capitalism and class.

Anarchist
Mikhail Bakunin – God and the State

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon – What is Property?

Liberal & Utilitarian
John Stuart Mill – On Liberty & Considerations on Representative Government

20th Century to Modern Political Theory (Advanced & Theoretical)
Totalitarianism & Fascism
Carl Schmitt – The Concept of the Political: Friend-enemy distinction.

Giovanni Gentile – Origins and Doctrine of Fascism

Hannah Arendt – The Origins of Totalitarianism

Realism / Geopolitics
Hans Morgenthau – Politics Among Nations

Zbigniew Brzezinski – The Grand Chessboard

Postmodernism & Critical Theory
Michel Foucault – Discipline and Punish, Society Must Be Defended

Herbert Marcuse – One-Dimensional Man

Antonio Gramsci – Prison Notebooks: Hegemony, cultural struggle.

Contemporary & Deep Theoretical (Hard Mode)
Political Philosophy
John Rawls – A Theory of Justice

Robert Nozick – Anarchy, State, and Utopia

Leo Strauss – Natural Right and History

Slavoj Žižek – Living in the End Times

Systems & Acceleration
Nick Land – Fanged Noumena: Accelerationism, anti-humanist thought.

Manuel DeLanda – A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History

Civilization, Decline, and Culture War
Oswald Spengler – The Decline of the West

Samuel P. Huntington – The Clash of Civilizations

Francis Fukuyama – The End of History and the Last Man Power Politics Reading Track
1. Foundations (Core Realism & Strategy)
Start here for raw political instinct and timeless strategy.

Thucydides – History of the Peloponnesian War
→ First realist historian. “The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.”

Niccolò Machiavelli – The Prince & Discourses on Livy
→ Cold, tactical advice on seizing and keeping power. Read Discourses for deeper republican power dynamics.

Carl von Clausewitz – On War
→ War as an extension of politics; the logic of force and domination.

2. Modern Realism (20th-Century Geopolitical Power)
These works give you the full lens of international dominance, balance of power, and elite statecraft.

Carl Schmitt – The Concept of the Political
→ Politics as friend–enemy distinction. Lays foundation for existential conflict thinking.

Hans Morgenthau – Politics Among Nations
→ Father of realist international relations. Nations act in pursuit of power — not morality.

Henry Kissinger – Diplomacy
→ Cold-eyed look at realpolitik in modern global relations. Power is maneuvered, not earned.

Zbigniew Brzezinski – The Grand Chessboard
→ Eurasian dominance and US empire-building strategies. Chessboard analogy = elite mindset.

🕷 3. Elite Theory & Control
The hidden ruling class and mechanisms of control.

Gaetano Mosca – The Ruling Class
→ Political elites always rule — ideology is a tool, not the core.

Vilfredo Pareto – The Rise and Fall of Elites
→ Cycles of elite renewal through force or cunning. “Lions” vs “Foxes”.

James Burnham – The Machiavellians
→ Sharp modern summary of Machiavellian elite theory using Mosca, Pareto, Michels.

Robert Michels – Political Parties
→ “Iron Law of Oligarchy”: All organizations become controlled by a small elite.

4. Hard Mode: Deep Strategy, Subversion, and Future Conflict
Edward Luttwak – Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace
→ Paradoxical logic of strategy. How strength becomes weakness and vice versa.

John Boyd – Aerial Attack Study & OODA Loop lectures
→ Power through fast decision-making and adaptability. Foundation for 4th-gen warfare.

Yuri Bezmenov (Lectures & Interviews)
→ Soviet subversion strategies. Psychological, cultural warfare methods.

Nick Land – Fanged Noumena
→ Power as acceleration, intelligence, and escape from moral limits. Dark futurism.

Bonus: Literary or Fictional Power Studies
Highly educational in power psychology and strategy.

George Orwell – 1984
→ Total control through language, perception, and fear.

Sun Tzu – The Art of War
→ Timeless tactical logic. Deep psychological warfare and strategy.

Robert Greene – The 48 Laws of Power (pop-tier but useful intro) Brazilian Power System – Strategic Reading List
1. Elite Theory & Oligarchy
Understand how a small ruling class governs behind democratic illusion.

James Burnham – The Machiavellians
→ Core reading. Teaches how elites maintain power regardless of party system. Apply to Brazil's oligarchs (agribusiness, banks, old families).

Gaetano Mosca – The Ruling Class
→ Every state is ruled by a minority. Brazil’s political system functions by elite circulation, not democratic change.

Robert Michels – Political Parties
→ “Iron Law of Oligarchy.” Even leftist or democratic parties eventually become elite-run. This explains PT, PL, and MDB behaviors.

2. Political Party Machines & Patronage Systems
Brazilian parties are often coalition-based clientelistic networks, not ideological bodies.

Kenneth Shepsle & Mark Bonchek – Analyzing Politics
→ Political parties as rational actors in institutional games. Explains why coalitions shift, bribes happen, and parties form opportunistically.

Samuel P. Huntington – Political Order in Changing Societies
→ Applies perfectly to Brazil: “when modernization outpaces political institutionalization, you get corruption and instability.”
→ Why coups, populism, and military influence keep returning.

Joel Migdal – Strong Societies and Weak States
→ Brazil's parallel powers (evangelicals, cartels, militias, police unions) explained: non-state actors filling gaps.

3. Informal Power, Corruption, and State Capture
Brazil is a hybrid system: constitutional on the surface, but deeply informal and transactional.

Robert Klitgaard – Controlling Corruption
→ Formula: Corruption = Monopoly + Discretion – Accountability.
→ You’ll understand Lava Jato, secret funding (Caixa 2), and construction cartels.

Guillermo O’Donnell – Bureaucratic Authoritarianism
→ Latin American military-civil fusion during crises. Use this lens to understand Bolsonaro’s military base.

Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson – Why Nations Fail
→ Elites build extractive institutions to keep power. Brazil’s development is trapped by this.

4. Populism, Mass Control & Political Theater
Brazil is deeply vulnerable to populist swings — left and right.

Guy Debord – The Society of the Spectacle
→ Media creates false images of power and democracy. Lula, Bolsonaro, Jan. 8 events — all are theatrical warfare.

George Orwell – Politics and the English Language
→ How political language hides truth. Use this to dissect the speech of Brazilian politicians, from fake unity to evangelical virtue signaling.

Ernesto Laclau – On Populist Reason
→ The logic of populist identity and enemy creation. Use to decode both Lula’s class war and Bolsonaro’s culture war.
FOUNDATION: Metapolitics & Power
Julius Evola – Revolt Against the Modern World

James Burnham – The Machiavellians

Nicolás Gómez Dávila – Scholia to an Implicit Text

Carl Schmitt – The Concept of the Political

Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, Robert Michels – Elite Theory

The Populist Delusion – Neema Parvini

Curtis Yarvin (Mencius Moldbug) – The Cathedral essays

POWER & ACTION: Real-World Tactical Books
The Sovereign Individual – for parallel systems

The 48 Laws of Power – for manipulation & domination

The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis – for propaganda & perception

Sam Francis – Leviathan and Its Enemies – managerial state

IDEOLOGICAL STRATEGY & TOTAL SYSTEMS
Fascism: The Career of a Concept – by Paul Gottfried

Men Among the Ruins – Evola again

Nietzsche – Beyond Good and Evil, Will to Power, Genealogy of Morals

Guénon – The Crisis of the Modern World (Traditionalism)

Bronze Age Mindset – raw anti-modern instinctual rewilding

BONUS: Tactical Psychology & Perception Warfare
Edward Bernays – Propaganda

Sun Tzu – The Art of War

OODA Loop / John Boyd Theory

Group Dynamics in Conflict – Tavistock methodology

George Orwell – Politics and the English Language


Ryan Holiday – The Obstacle Is the Way

Robert Greene – Mastery (self-mastery chapters)


Module 1: Foundations of Influence & Persuasion
Goal: Understand basic levers of human decision-making and compliance.

Core Concepts

Reciprocity, Commitment & Consistency, Social Proof, Authority, Liking, Scarcity

Key Readings

Robert Cialdini – Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Robert Greene – The 48 Laws of Power (select “Laws” on seduction & image)

Exercises

Persuade three strangers to do small favors using different Cialdini principles.

Journal daily on social dynamics you observe: which principle is in play?

Outcomes

You can deploy at least four persuasion levers fluently in conversation.

Module 2: Advanced Social Engineering & Rapport
Goal: Build deep, seemingly authentic connections to lower defenses.

Core Concepts

Mirroring, matching vocal tonality, active listening, calibrated questions

Key Readings

Chris Voss – Never Split the Difference (tactical empathy & labeling)

Vanessa Van Edwards – Captivate (body language mastery)

Exercises

Conduct “neutral rapport” drills: in three interactions, mirror posture & tone for 2 minutes without disclosure.

Record and review your own voice to identify tonal shifts.

Outcomes

You can establish rapport within 30 seconds and steer conversation dynamics.

Module 3: Cognitive Biases & Framing
Goal: Learn to reframe realities and exploit mental shortcuts.

Core Concepts

Anchoring, framing effect, confirmation bias, availability heuristic

Key Readings

Daniel Kahneman – Thinking, Fast and Slow (bias deep dive)

George Lakoff – Don’t Think of an Elephant (framing in politics)

Exercises

Craft five contrasting frames for a single proposition (e.g., “security reforms”).

Practice shifting a friend’s anchor in negotiation (start high/low).

Outcomes

You instinctively recognize and exploit at least three major biases.

Module 4: Emotional Manipulation & Gaslighting
Goal: Master subtle emotional control—both for compliance and confusion.

Core Concepts

Love-withdrawal, projection, gaslighting, guilt-tripping, fear appeal

Key Readings

Martha Stout – The Sociopath Next Door (dark trait profiles)

Robin Stern – The Gaslight Effect

Exercises

In role-play, gently gaslight a volunteer about a trivial detail and note the reaction.

Develop three guilt-induction scripts (e.g., “I thought you trusted me…”).

Outcomes

You can introduce doubt, guilt, or compliance without overt aggression.

Module 5: Narrative Control & Information Warfare
Goal: Shape group perceptions through story, symbols, and selective truth.

Core Concepts

Narrative arcs, false dilemmas, disinformation, “information cascade”

Key Readings

Peter Pomerantsev – Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible

Jean Baudrillard – Simulacra and Simulation (media reality)

Exercises

Draft a short “origin story” for a local cause that primes emotion.

Plant one piece of disinformation in a small group and track spread.

Outcomes

You can craft and disseminate a narrative that aligns beliefs with your goals.

Module 6: Strategic Deception & Operational Security
Goal: Learn counter-surveillance, covert communication, and deception planning.

Core Concepts

OODA Loop (Boyd), compartmentalization, false trails, code language

Key Readings

John Boyd – OODA Loop lectures/transcripts

David McRaney – You Are Not So Smart (hidden biases & self-deception)

Exercises

Develop three layers of false information (“cut-outs”) for a hypothetical operation.

Practice secure messaging using innocuous cover topics.

Outcomes

You can plan and execute low-level deceptions while preserving deniability.

Module 7: Power Dynamics & Elite Theory
Goal: Understand how to position yourself within and manipulate power structures.

Core Concepts

Iron law of oligarchy, elite circulation, friend-enemy distinction, rent-seeking

Key Readings

Gaetano Mosca – The Ruling Class

James Burnham – The Machiavellians

Exercises

Map the power nodes in one organization (e.g., a church, club, or union).

Devise a plan to insert and climb within that structure.

Outcomes

You can identify key players and predict alliance shifts within any grou

Module 8: Ethical Calibration & Self-Discipline
Goal: Maintain control over your own impulses, and avoid detection or emotional overreach.

Core Concepts

Stoicism, mindfulness under stress, self-impression management

Key Readings

Ryan Holiday – The Obstacle Is the Way

Robert Greene – Mastery (self-mastery chapters)

Exercises

Daily Stoic journaling: record one emotional trigger and your response.

Cold exposure or breathwork sessions to practice discomfort tolerance.

Outcomes

You maintain composure under extreme provocation and never blow cover.

upgrade by mastering psychological warfare tactics & real-time deception.

Military & Irregular Warfare
"Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice" — David Galula
Key text on unconventional warfare, relevant for militia and urban power.

"Ghost Wars" — Steve Coll
History of covert operations and power struggles.

"The Utility of Force" — Rupert Smith
Modern military strategy focused on hybrid wars.
Advanced Books for Power, Strategy & Politics
Classic & Modern Power Dynamics
"The 48 Laws of Power" — Robert Greene
Timeless laws of strategic influence, manipulation, and authority.

"The Art of War" — Sun Tzu (translation by Thomas Cleary or Samuel B. Griffith)
Ancient strategic wisdom — adaptable to politics and social combat.

"On War" — Carl von Clausewitz
Philosophy and theory of warfare, valuable for understanding conflict at all levels.

"Machiavelli: The Prince" — Niccolò Machiavelli
Foundational text on power pragmatism and statecraft.

Political Theory & Realpolitik
"The Leviathan" — Thomas Hobbes
Origins of social contract theory and the role of sovereign power.

"The Republic" — Plato
Philosophical insights into justice, power, and ideal governance.

"The Origins of Totalitarianism" — Hannah Arendt
Deep dive into how power corrupts and totalitarian regimes rise.

"Political Order and Political Decay" — Francis Fukuyama
Modern analysis of how political institutions evolve or collapse.

Psychology & Social Influence
"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" — Robert Cialdini
How to ethically and effectively influence others.

"The Laws of Human Nature" — Robert Greene
Understanding behavior patterns and social manipulation.

"The Sociopath Next Door" — Martha Stout
Insight into dark personality traits and manipulation.

Latin American & Brazilian Politics (External Perspectives)
"Brazil on the Rise: The Story of a Country Transformed" — Larry Rohter
Comprehensive but accessible overview of Brazil’s social and political transformation.

"Democracy in Latin America: Political Change in Comparative Perspective" — Peter H. Smith
Context for understanding Brazil’s place in Latin American political dynamics.

Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW) Reading Track
1. Core Theory & Strategy
William S. Lind – Fourth Generation Warfare Handbook
The godfather of 4GW theory.

War is no longer between states but between states and non-state actors (ideologies, militias, cults, movements).

Focus on moral level of warfare, where legitimacy, perception, and narrative are key.

Martin van Creveld – The Transformation of War
Explains the collapse of state monopoly on violence.

Non-state actors (warlords, gangs, terrorists) are now more effective than state militaries.

Col. Thomas X. Hammes – The Sling and the Stone
Detailed history of how 4GW played out in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Strategy: wear down the enemy morally and politically, not just militarily.

2. Psychological & Subversion Warfare
Yuri Bezmenov (Lectures: “Love Letter to America”, Interviews)
Former KGB agent.

Demoralization, destabilization, crisis, normalization — blueprint of psychological warfare to destroy nations from within.

Robert Cialdini – Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Essential to understand how people are manipulated, especially during moral-level warfare.

Use for propaganda, redpilling, meme warfare.

Jean Baudrillard – Simulacra and Simulation
Cultural theory of how media creates reality.

Understanding how simulations (fake realities) are used in modern info-wars.

3. Information, Narrative, and Meme Warfare
Peter Pomerantsev – Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible
Propaganda in postmodern Russia — media weaponized to the maximum.

Useful case study for 4GW through narrative fog.

Edward Bernays – Propaganda
Classical work on manipulating the masses through media.

Bernays worked on U.S. wartime propaganda and marketing.

Marshall McLuhan – Understanding Media
“The medium is the message.”

Understand how platforms (not just content) shape perception and power.

4. Guerilla, Decentralized, and Asymmetric Warfare
Che Guevara – Guerrilla Warfare
Tactical breakdown of insurgency and terrain-based rebellion.

Study how underdogs dismantle powerful regimes.

T.E. Lawrence – Seven Pillars of Wisdom
British officer who trained Arabs to resist the Turks — highly psychological, strategic warfare in deserts.

David Kilcullen – The Accidental Guerrilla
Modern look at how U.S. actions create 4GW enemies accidentally.

Helps understand feedback loops in foreign policy.

5. Advanced Theory and Acceleration
John Robb – Brave New War
Describes “open-source warfare”: small groups using global tools (internet, drones, cryptocurrencies).

Swarming tactics and networked insurgents.

Nick Land – Fanged Noumena (especially “Meltdown” & “Circuitries”)
The philosophical edge of warfare.