Announcing Our 2026 Summer Book Club and Podcast
Each summer, we read a novel and explore its themes through conversations with leading thinkers at the intersection of science and culture...
Latest
George Orwell Past and Present: A Conversation with Biographer D.J. Taylor
George Orwell's Surprising Stance on Hypocrisy
George Orwell was deeply concerned about hypocrisy—but in the opposite way you might expect. That’s what struck me about halfway through writing my new book The Hypocrisy Trap. Orwell spent his career hacking away at humbug and falsehoods and famously warned how language gets corrupted by “a gap
Event Recording — The Hidden Logic of Common Knowledge with Steven Pinker
Event Recording — The Age of Surveillance Capitalism with Shoshana Zuboff
Tomorrow's Group Discussions: Links & Info
Tomorrow, we look forward to seeing you for our group discussions. We'll host two, one hour discussions, with Eastern and Western Hemisphere options. You'll find the Zoom links to join below, along with some of the questions we'll consider during the discussion.
Labor Day: Orwell and Work
“Twenty million people are underfed but literally everyone in England has access to a radio. What we have lost in food we have gained in electricity. Whole sections of the working class who have been plundered of all they really need are being compensated, in part, by cheap luxuries which
Summer Book Club Schedule: Group Discussions & Expert Conversations
The Summer Book Club’s event schedule is here. We have an exciting mix of group discussions and expert conversations, so be sure to add the events to your calendar. In future posts, I will share more about our expert guests, the themes for our conversations, and what we’ll
The ‘1984’ Spark File: Add Your Ideas, Questions, and Connections
The Spark File is favorite tool of writers and readers alike. It's incredibly simple. It's a document of running bullet points containing ideas, questions, and connections. New idea? Add a bullet point. New question that might be worth thinking about later? Add a bullet point. (I
What Is Science?
4 Myths Worth Busting About George Orwell and '1984'
8 Facts Worth Knowing About '1984'
Ghosts from the Future
19 Facts Worth Knowing About George Orwell
And we’re off! As we start this summer’s book club, I want to explore the life of George Orwell and the context in which he wrote 1984. To begin, I’ll share a three-part series covering some of the facts and myths about Orwell and 1984. As
Ghosts from the Future
4 Reasons I'm Excited to Read 1984 with You this Summer
Here are four reasons I'm excited read 1984 with you this summer: 1. We'll read a great book Nineteen Eighty-Four appears on many of the “best books” lists, 119 by one count. It’s been called everything from “the definitive book of the twentieth century”
Ghosts from the Future
Welcome to the Summer Book Club
Thank you for joining Behavioral Scientist’s Summer Book Club! Below is everything you need to get started. Website and communications We have a website dedicate to our book events: bookclub.behavioralscientist.org. It will be the hub for the Summer Book Club and how you receive email updates and
Ghosts from the Future
Announcing Behavioral Scientist’s 2025 Summer Book Club
I am excited to invite you to our 2025 Summer Book Club. We’ll read George Orwell’s 1984—a classic novel about a future society overcome by a totalitarian regime and the citizens trying to break free. Join the Summer Book Club today 1984 needs no introduction. You’ve
Living the Imperfect Life
Event Recording: Living the Imperfect Life
Thank you to everyone who attended our conversation with Oliver Burkeman. Below, you'll find a link to today's recording if you weren't able to attend live, as well as some addition links and resources you might want to check out.
Living the Imperfect Life
Three Weeks In - Information Flows
Living the Imperfect Life
The Spark File: Add Your Connections, Questions, and Ideas
Living the Imperfect Life
One Week In
Living the Imperfect Life
The Imperfect Life
In March, Behavioral Scientist will host author Oliver Burkeman for a conversation about living the imperfect life. The excerpt below is from his book Meditation for Mortals, which is designed as a four-week "retreat of the mind." The book comprises 28 brief chapters meant to be read
Living the Imperfect Life
Event Announcement: Living the Imperfect Life with Oliver Burkeman
Reading Oliver Burkeman feels as if someone reached into your thoughts and pulled out all the advice you’ve ever received on productivity, time-management, work-life balance, burnout, and well-being so you could get a clear look at it. With everything in the open, you’re able to
Techno-Visions
Techno-Visions Interviewee Wins Nobel Prize in Economics
Techno-Visions
What the "Ghost Dance" of the Native Americans and the French Painters Who Led the Cubist Movement Have in Common
Editor's note: Kurt Vonnegut delivered the following speech at the University of Chicago in 1994. I discovered it in a lovely collection of his speeches and commencement addresses. The collection is titled: If This Isn't Nice, What Is? The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live