# What Is Intelligence by Blaise Agüera y Arcas

5 Hacker News commenters recommended What Is Intelligence by Blaise Agüera y Arcas and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a great, mind-opening read on what intelligence is, and say it is worth reading. No critics appeared in the discussions.

## Why people recommend it

- Great, mind-opening read (2 comments): "The book "What is intelligence?" by Blaise Aguera is great" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49588835)) "brilliant and mind-opening" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48979399))
- Worth reading (1 comments): "The book is worth a read." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46127413))
- Highly recommended (1 comments): "I highly recommend the book What is Intelligence" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46148399))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 recommend
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262049953?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780262049955) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "What Is Intelligence by Blaise Agüera y Arcas", https://hackerapproved.com/p/what-is-intelligence/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).