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Every book Paul Bloom recommended on podcasts
Paul Bloom appears on podcasts exploring cognitive science, psychology, morality, and human nature, bringing an academic yet accessible perspective to the inner workings of the human mind. Throughout his discussions, Bloom frequently references a wide array of literature and films to illuminate psychological concepts. On Modern Wisdom, he mentioned Joshua Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein to explain classical memory techniques and the use of vivid associations, and he cited Christopher Nolan's film Memento to discuss the neurological reality of individuals who cannot form new memories. To explain phenomena like inattention, Bloom referenced Dan Simons and Chris Chabris's The Invisible Gorilla, demonstrating how focused attention can cause striking environmental details to go completely unnoticed. When exploring moral psychology and perverse desires, Bloom turned to classic texts, citing Saint Augustine's The Confessions to describe actions done simply because they are forbidden. Furthermore, he discussed narrative immersion and character empathy by referencing Stephen King's novel The Institute and Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, which he counts among his favorite books. Through these diverse literary and cinematic touchstones, Bloom grounds complex psychological theories in relatable human stories.
Books recommended by Paul Bloom
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It
It by Stephen King is a sprawling horror novel that chronicles a group of bullied children in Maine who confront an ancient, shape-shifting evil entity lurking in their town's sewers.
Discussed“so you know I'm I'm reading a Stephen King novel now the Institute and a lot of those this boy who's trapped up he's been kidnapped”
Where to get it
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Lolita
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is a landmark and deeply controversial 1955 novel told primarily from the interior worldview of Humbert Humbert, an academic who becomes obsessed with and entraps a young girl named Lolita.
Discussed“you know you're one of my favorite books is Lolita by Nava cough you know”
Where to get it
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Memento
Discussed“or or these cases like these famous case where people can't form new memories is in the excellent movie Memento Christopher Nolan's film this guy can't form new memories”
Where to get it
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Moonwalking with Einstein
Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer is an engaging journalistic exploration into the realms of human memory, mental capability, and historical mnemonic techniques.
Discussed“he's a writer he wrote a book called moonwalking with Einstein where he outlies the sort the historical the classical memory techniques where you basically got to make Vivid associations between things”
Where to get it
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The Confessions
The Confessions by Saint Augustine is a profound autobiographical and theological work detailing the author's spiritual journey, struggles with sin, and conversion to Christianity.
Discussed“the classic example which is Saint Augustine in the confessions one day he and his friends go into an orchard and they just start stealing the pears”
Where to get it
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The Institute
Discussed“so you know I'm I'm reading a Stephen King novel now the Institute and a lot of those this boy who's trapped up he's been kidnapped”
Where to get it
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The Invisible Gorilla
Discussed“in fact they came to a book called Invisible Gorilla summarized by by Dan Simons and Chris chabri”
Where to get it
Books Paul Bloom wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| How Does The Human Mind Work? - Paul Bloom - #608 | Modern Wisdom | 2023-03-30 | 4 |
| What Do BDSM & Meditation Have In Common? - Professor Paul Bloom - #120 | Modern Wisdom | 2019-11-14 | 3 |
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and I was my most recent book against against empathy and and I'm interested in closer if they're not addressed in the self”
“and I was my most recent book against against empathy and and I'm interested in closer if they're not addressed in the self”
“so some days I regret calling my book against empathy because the word empathy has a lot of meanings”
“and right so I hadn't booked against empathy and the subtitle is the case for rational compassion”