About us
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The BIG IDEAS book club is a monthly meetup for members wanting to discuss important or intriguing ideas and issues in society and our lives. Originally called the 'Phil-Psyc' book club, the discussions include not only big ideas in philosophy and psychology but also from economics, politics, sociology, and science.
Each month a big idea or key thinker will be selected for discussion. For example, a topic could be something like ’free will’, ‘identity’, ’meritocracy’, ‘the simulation hypothesis’, ’post-capitalism’, etc. Similarly, the key thinker could be someone like ‘Carl Jung’, ‘Michel Foucault’, ‘Daniel Kahneman’, etc.
For each topic, a key book and video material will be suggested. The attendees are not required to have read/watched these in order to attend and are welcome to engage in their own reading/viewing material. However, I do strongly encourage reading the set book as it helps in creating focal points for the discussion.
This monthly Meetup will be hosted by Paul T. Many thanks to Dr Steve Mayers who started this book club (and who also started Café Psychologique Sydney) but who unfortunately has moved on from Sydney. Hopefully, the meetup organizer pool will expand so as not to rely on one person.
During the post-Covid restart of this book club (late 2023), it may take some time to find a favourite meeting venue, and hopefully members will have some promising ideas on venues. Being relatively quiet, having food and drink, being approximately central to Sydney and close to public transport are at least four criteria that make sense to me. As a starting place, we can test the 2nd floor (one below the rooftop) of the Keg & Brew Hotel, 26 Foveaux St, Surry Hills. It’s close to Central Station and the light rail. But make sure to check the actual event location.
Come along and join in the conversation!
Keywords: Book club, philosophy, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, science, critical thinking, intellectual discussions, conversation.
Upcoming events
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Manipulation: What It Is, Why It's Bad, What to Do About It
Keg & Brew Hotel, 26 Foveaux St, Surry Hills, NS, AUHow often are your decisions really your own? Every day we are surrounded by advertising, social media, political campaigns, news headlines, influencers, sales techniques and well-meaning advice — all competing for our attention and trying to shape what we think, feel and do. But where is the line between persuasion and manipulation? Can manipulation ever be ethical, or is it always something to resist? And in an age of personalised algorithms and increasingly sophisticated AI, are we becoming easier to manipulate than ever before? Come and join us as we explore these fascinating and relevant questions of modern life.
Book: Manipulation: What It Is, Why It's Bad, What to Do About It (2025) by Cass R. Sunstein
Companion Reading: A Guide to Understanding Manipulation (prepared for this meetup)
Cass Sunstein is almost uniquely placed to write this book. He is the co-creator of nudge theory (with Richard Thaler), a former senior adviser in the Obama White House, and one of the most cited legal scholars in the world. He has spent decades studying how human psychology shapes decisions, and has seen from the inside how governments and corporations exploit that knowledge. The result is a book that is simultaneously rigorous and readable: part philosophy, part law, part behavioural science, and part catalogue of the tricks being played on us every day. Sunstein moves from abstract definitions — what exactly separates manipulation from persuasion, and why does it matter? — through case studies of dark patterns, deepfakes, deliberate bureaucratic friction, and the social pressure traps of platforms like TikTok, before arriving at what may be the book's most important question: as AI makes manipulation more precise and more powerful than at any previous point in history, do we need a new legal and moral right — a right not to be manipulated — in the same way that a previous era recognised, for the first time, a right to privacy?
This is one of those discussions where prior reading is not just encouraged but genuinely necessary — the conversation will move quickly into territory that only makes sense if you already understand Sunstein's conceptual framework. The companion reading guide is designed to make that framework accessible quickly, so even if time is short, a read-through of it will set you up well. But if you can get hold of the book itself, we think you'll find it genuinely easy to read or listen to — and it comes with a notable endorsement: Tim Wu, whose book we discussed just a couple of months ago, has named it as one of his top book recommendations.
So join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 5th October, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (i.e. up two flights of stairs). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail.
We look forward to seeing you there!
P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to others if there is a waitlist.
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These are just optional links to consider to supplement the reading of the book and document. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section.Videos
- Cass Sunstein in a seminar and podcast:
Online Seminar - Fifty Shades of Manipulation (43 mins)
Sunstein on Manipulation vs Influence - 5 Insights on the book (The Next Big Idea Club) by Sunstein. Note that the audio version is more detailed than the written summary below it:
These Are the Silent Manipulations Most People Don’t Notice
Written
- The Guardian Review:
Why we need a right not to be manipulated
38 attendees- Cass Sunstein in a seminar and podcast:
Past events
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