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
3
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!
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. The Park address is 1200 E. California Blvd., BUT it 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 or Sunday mornings on most weekends. Please note that it's summer and WARM. Bring whatever you need for a 5-mile walk, which likely would include water, comfy shoes, and sunscreen. After the walk, many of us head to a nearby coffeeshop to grab a drink, relax, and continue the conversation -- join us if you can! We look forward to walking and deep-diving with you!13 attendees
Podcast Club ONLINE: The Rise of the DSA and the Future of the Democratic Party
·OnlineOnlinePLEASE NOTE: There are 2 podcasts and an article for this week! To optimize discussion, we require that attendees listen to the podcasts and read the article before the meeting. (Podcast and article links appear when you click on "Read more" below.)
Recently, the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) have been experiencing a surge in visibility and popularity. According to a CNN poll released July 30, one-third of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters now identify as democratic socialists. Also in July, the DSA surpassed 120,000 national members, a massive gain from ~50,000 in late 2024. Bernie Sanders made democratic socialism palatable to millions of Americans; AOC gave it a more youthful boost; and Mamdani proved that a socialist could defeat a Democratic establishment candidate and then run a major city. But not everything is rosy for the DSA. Francesca Hong, a DSA state legislator, recently lost the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor to a more moderate challenger. More so, with the DSA's greater prominence, there's been increased scrutiny of their actual positions. Some of them are quite extreme, including abolishing the presidency, Senate, and prisons and opening the U.S. borders. Certainly, Republicans are labeling them as radical extremists and representative of all Democrats. And even many Democrats have criticized the DSA for, among other things, choosing not to endorse either Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections.
So what is the DSA about? Why have they become increasingly popular? Are their positions so extreme that they'll alienate the average American? How might they shape or impact the Democratic Party and the future of America?
THIS WEEK, WE ARE LISTENING TO TWO PODCASTS AND READING AN ARTICLE:
PODCAST #1: The New Yorker - The Political Scene, with host David Remnick and guest Megan Romer, one of two co-chairs of the national DSA
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-socialist-is-the-d-s-a-megan-romer-explains/id268213039?i=1000781318434
or
https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/the-new-yorker-radio-hour-megan-romer-interview (includes not-very-good transcript)
(33 min.)
PODCAST #2: NPR's It's Been A Minute, with host Brittany Luse and guests Akela Lacy, senior politics reporter at The Intercept and host of the Intercept Briefing podcast, and Michael Lange, New York political analyst, DSA member, and writer of The Narrative Wars on Substack.
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/20/nx-s1-5896258/the-dsa-vs-establishment-democrats
or
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dsa-vs-establishment-democrats/id1250180134?i=1000777125476
(24 min.)
AND THE ARTICLE TO READ: Here is a link to a Google Doc with a Time article by Nick Popli, published August 20. The doc is 5 pages long.
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.
4 attendees
Past events
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