Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to The Vital Question

Energy, evolution, and the origins of complex life

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. The Vital Question launched in 2017; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   The Origin of Species▲81

   Charles Darwin's theory of evolution

   2015 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Darwin’s On the Origin of Species▲61

   A Picture Book Adaptation

   2016 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   What If?▲107

   Serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions

   2015 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Sapiens▲185

   A brief history of humankind

   2015 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Life 3.0▲92

   Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

   2017 · its alternatives →

6. 6
   The Accelerating World: Speed vs. Control▲67

   Book on the hypergrowth of the past 5 decades

   2016 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Innovator's Dilemma▲202

   The seminal business book

   2015 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   The Origin of (Almost) Everything▲64

   From the Big Bang to Belly-Button Fluff

   2016 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   The Last Question by Isaac Asimov▲76

   We are the creator and the creation at the same time.

   2016 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Tools for Thought▲69

    The history and future of mind-expanding technology

    2016 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Homo Deus▲105

    A Brief History of Tomorrow

    2017 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    What is Fire?▲134

    An illustrated explanation, from Hardbound

    2016 · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Man V. Nature▲148

    Stories that illuminate the complexity of human behavior

    2015 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Powering the Future▲88

    How we will fuel the civilization of tomorrow

    2015 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    The Science of Habit-Forming Products▲166

    (and how to build them)

    2016 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Growth Engines▲95

    How the most successful startups unlock extraordinary growth

    2015 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Time Travel: A History▲63

    A meditation on exploring time, travel, and technology

    2016 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    The Book of Life▲139

    The Bible for how to live in the 21st century

    2014 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Little Bets▲89

    How breakthrough ideas emerge from small discoveries

    2015 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Where does the moon come from?▲111

    An illustrated story, from Hardbound

    2016 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Nature of Code▲107

    Learn to program computer simulations of natural systems

    2017 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    The Science of Growth▲84

    Why do some startups succeed where others fail?

    2016 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    The Distracted Mind▲72

    Ancient brains in a high-tech world

    2016 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    The Evolution of Money▲94

    From the debt tablets of Mesopotamia to cryptocurrencies

    2016 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →