What we’re about
Welcome to our Meetup! The book club is structured around reading and discussing one non-fiction book each month, typically on the second Sunday of the month but rescheduled as needed based on holidays or other special events. The meetings are currently hybrid and the percentage of people in person vs. on Zoom varies from month to month. Meetups are facilitated by the organizer to provide structure and direction to the discussion. All members are encouraged to provide their opinions, and all opinions are valued and respected.
Click to see a list of books we have read and the group's rating. Every month we choose the book for two months ahead. Members prioritize their book choices in a Google Form and then we run a ranked choice algorithm on the resulting set of votes. Members can suggest books in their RSVP to a meeting, in the Google Form, or by messaging the organizer directly. It is at the organizer's discretion which books are included in any given vote.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Simler & HansonScott's House AND Zoom, Berkeley, CA
Our book for December is: The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson. For those who are interested, here is the link to the detailed results from the voting. I have a personal conflict on Dec 8 so I am moving this to the 1st Sunday in December.
Here is a summary of the book:
The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson, published in 2018, explores the unconscious motives behind human behavior. The authors argue that many of our actions are driven by hidden self-interest, often concealed even from ourselves. They suggest that our brains are designed not just to hunt and gather, but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception.
The book is divided into two parts:
- Why We Hide Our Motives: This section examines the evolutionary and social reasons behind our tendency to conceal true intentions.
- Hidden Motives in Everyday Life: This part applies the concept to various aspects of daily life, including body language, laughter, conversation, consumption, art, charity, education, medicine, religion, and politics.
The authors provide examples and research to support their claims, offering a perspective that challenges conventional views on human behavior. For instance, they discuss how charitable giving can serve as a way to signal wealth and generosity rather than purely altruistic intentions.
While some readers may find the insights thought-provoking, others might view them as extensions of existing theories in psychology and behavioral economics. The book has been praised for its engaging writing and comprehensive analysis, making it accessible to a broad audience interested in understanding the complexities of human behavior.
This event will be hybrid. I will host the meeting in person at my house in Berkeley which is near the intersection of College Ave and Woolsey St. I will email people the address the Saturday before the meeting. Here are the Zoom details:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9362833518?pwd=ejRtMXJaUmZNOTQ0YUxjK2RtMlJqQT09
Meeting ID: 936 283 3518
Passcode: Books
+16694449171,,9362833518#,,,,*434154# US
Phone passcode: 434154 - Nexus by Yuval Noah HarariScott's House AND Zoom, Berkeley, CA
Our book for January is: Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari
For those who are interested, here is the link to the detailed results from the voting.
Here is a summary of the book from Goodreads:
For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI – a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. If we are so wise, why are we so self-destructive?
Nexus considers how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age through the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence.
Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. NEXUS explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and of rediscovering our shared humanity.
This event will be hybrid. I will host the meeting in person at my house in Berkeley which is near the intersection of College Ave and Woolsey St. I will email people the address the Saturday before the meeting. Here are the Zoom details:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9362833518?pwd=ejRtMXJaUmZNOTQ0YUxjK2RtMlJqQT09
Meeting ID: 936 283 3518
Passcode: Books
+16694449171,,9362833518#,,,,*434154# US
Phone passcode: 434154
