About us
Curiosity Connections is a community of curious, engaged people who enjoy intellectual discussions and learning from one another. Like a salon, we come together to engage in open, respectful, thoughtful dialog on a wide range of topics from current events to ancient philosophies. Our objective is to encourage meaningful conversations about interesting and thought-provoking material.
Curiosity Connections hosts a variety of events, some in-person and some over Zoom. We have a podcast club, which is just like a book club, except instead of reading books, we all listen to the same podcast before the meeting and then come together to discuss it at the event. The podcasts focus on probing interviews with recognized thought-leaders in the fields of science, philosophy, psychology, politics, business, and technology. Our virtual podcast events are typically held every Monday. Occasionally, we hold in-person events in San Francisco as well.
We also have a book club, where we take time with our books to get the most out of them. Typically, we read about 50 - 75 pages per week and discuss them at the meetings.
In addition, we have added a new walking and conversation group called Curious Walks, which take place in Pasadena, CA. Here, everyone comes with a deep question or idea that they'd like to discuss, and the group goes on a 5-mile walk diving into those themes.
If you are a curious person who enjoys sharing and exploring ideas with others, we would love you to join us!
Upcoming events
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Podcast Club ONLINE: Can One Man Change History
·OnlineOnlineThis week's discussion will be on Michael Shermer's Skeptic Podcast "How Much Can One Man Change History" where he hosts Jared Diamond to discuss question such as would World War II have happened without Hitler? Would someone else have built Apple without Steve Jobs? Jared Diamond joins Michael Shermer to ask how much history depends on particular people.
From Darwin’s discoveries to the rise of Christianity, Diamond considers when someone is truly irreplaceable, when someone else would have done much the same thing, and how we can tell the difference.PLEASE NOTE: We require that attendees listen to the podcast below before attending the meeting to optimize discussion.
You can find this week's podcast at
How Much Can One Person Change History?
or
Jared Diamond: How Much Can On… - The Michael Shermer Show - Apple Podcasts
(1 hr. 29 min.)
What's a podcast club?
It's like a book club for podcasts. Each week we discuss an interesting and currently-relevant episode from podcasters like Ezra Klein, Michael Shermer, or Russ Roberts. We start off as a large group and spend most of the time talking in small break-out groups, which we remix 3 times during the course of the evening. Our conversations are casual and open. We ask that everyone speak respectfully at all times, and we encourage free and concise discussion relevant to the week's podcast topic. To do this, we try to adhere to Grice's Maxims: https://bit.ly/2p4uSQmUltimately, the idea is to help each other think a little differently, learn a thing or two and have some fun.
12 attendees
Curious Walks (in Pasadena, CA)
Tournament Park, S. Wilson Ave, South of California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, USPlease join us for a beautiful 5-mile walk aimed at cultivating deep, thoughtful, and interesting conversations! Ultimately, we hope to spark connection, learning, friendship, and community — all while getting exercise in the great outdoors and being curious!
This walk is being guest-hosted by Kai and Story -- HUGE thanks to both for taking the lead!!!
How does this work?
The concept is simple! Before the event, come up with a thought-provoking, weighty question or idea that you’ve been thinking about or would like to explore. You need this for the event! When we gather, we’ll all briefly introduce ourselves and share our question or idea. Then we’ll start walking and use those questions or ideas as launching pads for conversation. The intention is to leapfrog over small-talk and get into meaningful discussion. During the walk, please move fluidly among different walkers if you’d like to!About those questions or ideas, . . . don’t sweat them too much. Anything thoughtful or thought-provoking will do. Have fun with it! Here are some examples:
“How would you want to be remembered after you’re gone, and why?”
“I’ve been thinking about the concept of time, how it’s experienced, what speeds it up or slows it down, and I’d like to explore that today.”
“Can we ever really know who we are when we’re never fully unbiased in thinking about ourselves?”
“What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done, and how did it affect you?”The route runs through gorgeous neighborhoods around the Caltech campus, particularly to its south and east, as well as through the lovely campus itself. Portions of the route are shaded by mature trees.
Is this event right for you?
We are walking 5 miles on mainly flat terrain at a moderate (~20 minutes/mile) or moderate-plus pace. This should allow for conversation while getting in some nice exercise. Please ascertain that this distance and pace is comfortable for you, as there is no “sweep.” The organizer is an unpaid community volunteer who wants everyone to have fun and stay safe, but you are fully responsible for your own safety throughout the event. At the start of your first walk, you'll need to sign a liability waiver that covers all Curious Walks you attend. You’re encouraged to read it ahead of time HERE.How to Find Us/Location & Parking
Curious Walks start and end at Tournament Park, Pasadena, CA. NOTE: Do not rely own your car/phone navigation! Although the Park address is 1200 E. California Blvd., it is not on that street and is accessed via Wilson Ave. To find the Park entrance starting from California Blvd, turn south on Wilson Ave. Proceed ~1 block until Cornell Road is on your right (do not turn onto Cornell). Look left, and you will see two signs for Tournament Park and its driveway entrance. The Park is at the end of the long driveway/parking lot. You may park at any of the spaces, even if they're marked for Caltech permits; all are free to the public during weekends.
We will meet at a picnic table near the bathrooms.More Info
Walks will be on Saturday mornings (though possibly on an occasional Sunday instead). Please bring whatever you need for a 5-mile walk, which likely would include water, comfy shoes, and sunscreen. After the walk, most of us head to a nearby spot to have a drink, relax, and continue the conversation -- join us if you can! The venue only accepts credit cards. We look forward to walking and deep-diving with you!6 attendees
How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question
·OnlineOnlineNote: Our book club requires that attendees do the assigned readings before the meeting.
Please join us for our online book club discussion series as we take a light hearted look into Moral Philosophy with “How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question" by Michael Schur.
Assigned reading for this week: The Introduction and Chapters 1 and 2. Please Note: Completion of the assigned reading is a prerequisite for attending. If you do not have the chance to do the reading, please join us another time.
What is this book about?
From the creator of The Good Place and the cocreator of Parks and Recreation, a hilarious, thought-provoking guide to living an ethical life, drawing on 2,400 years of deep thinking from around the world.Most people think of themselves as “good,” but it’s not always easy to determine what’s “good” or “bad”—especially in a world filled with complicated choices and pitfalls and booby traps and bad advice. Fortunately, many smart philosophers have been pondering this conundrum for millennia and they have guidance for us. With bright wit and deep insight, How to Be Perfect explains concepts like deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism, ubuntu, and more so we can sound cool at parties and become better people.
Schur starts off with easy ethical questions like “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?” (No.) and works his way up to the most complex moral issues we all face. Such as: Can I still enjoy great art if it was created by terrible people? How much money should I give to charity? Why bother being good at all when there are no consequences for being bad? And much more. By the time the book is done, we’ll know exactly how to act in every conceivable situation, so as to produce a verifiably maximal amount of moral good. We will be perfect, and all our friends will be jealous. OK, not quite. Instead, we’ll gain fresh, funny, inspiring wisdom on the toughest issues we face every day.
About the author
Michael Herbert Schur (born October 29, 1975[1][2][3]) is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor. He started his career as a writer for Saturday Night Live (1998–2004) before gaining acclaim as a writer and producer of the sitcom The Office (2005–2013), where he also played Mose Schrute. He expanded his career co-creating Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) with Greg Daniels and the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021) with Dan Goor, and creating the sitcom The Good Place (2016–2020), the sitcom Rutherford Falls (2020–2022), and the comedy series A Man on the Inside (2024–present). He has served as a producer of the comedy drama series Master of None (2015–2021) and the comedy drama series Hacks (2021–2026).How this book club works.
Our book discussion will be spread over several consecutive weeks, with two-hour meetings every Tuesday evening. This gives us time to explore the readings with the depth and care they deserve. Please bring your own thought-provoking questions and insights from the reading to share with the group. We like lively discussions that challenge our own ideas and those of the author and allow us to learn from each other -- while enjoying camaraderie! All we ask is that everyone be treated as co-equals, both in respect and approximate speaking time. Feel free to post (in the Comments below) any additional resources you find -- including ones that challenge the author. We hope to see you at our Tuesday meetings!9 attendees
Past events
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