Oct 15, 2026: Origins of Good & Evil [Live - In Person]

Topic: Origins of Good and Evil

Meetup is in person on the deck (if warm enough) or in our Living Room in West Orange, NJ
(street address sent to NEWBIES 3-7 days ahead of the event)

We gather at 7:30 for 30 min of refreshments (and wine), and chit chat, and then spend 90 min in an informal, facilitated discussion based on the assigned podcasts listed below
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QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
(1) Are we hard-wired for good or evil behavior?
(2) Are there explanations (biological, psychological, sociological) for evil actions?
(3) Are individuals evil or are the surrounding circumstances/ community/family evil (Is it a bad apple or a bad barrel of apples)?
(4) Can good people become evil or can evil people become good?
(5) As the midterms approach -- are certain politicians intrinsically evil? Are the cabinet members/advisers evil?
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Please listen to the one 30-min podcast and 4 short TED talks below before the meetup

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[1] No Stupid Questions
What is Evil? (First 30 min - skip last few min)
What makes normal people do terrible things? Are there really bad apples — or just bad barrels? And how should you deal with a nefarious next-door neighbor?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-stupid-questions/id1510056899?i=1000671041093

[2] TED
The Psychology of Evil (23 min) -- {this one has some overlap with 1}
Philip Zimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. In this talk, he shares insights and graphic unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib trials. Then he talks about the flip side: how easy it is to be a hero, and how we can rise to the challenge.
https://www.ted.com/talks/philipzimbardothepsychologyofevil

[3] TED
Why Good People Do Bad Things (17 min).
Behavioral psychologist Kulani gives a researched based talk on understanding why Good People do bad things and outlines how we could identify the triggers as well as measures to prevent it
https://www.ted.com/talks/kulaniabendrothdiaswhygoodpeopledobadthingsandwhatwecandoaboutit

[4] TED
TIME TO Rethink Evil (16 min) -- {This one has some overlap with 2}
Is there such a thing as an evil person or are we really just a species with a huge potential for evil? Dr. Julia Shaw reckons it's the latter, but it's not all bad news. Dr Julia Shaw is author of the 2018 popular science book “Making Evil: The science behind humanity’s dark side”. She researches criminal psychology at University College London
https://www.ted.com/talks/juliashawtimetorethinkevil

[5] TED
The biology of good and evil (16 min).
What makes humans good or evil? In this talk Paul Zak analyses the chemical basis for moral behavior. Paul is the founding director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies and professor of economics, psychology and management at Claremont Graduate University, and author of 'The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity'.
https://youtu.be/QlBIyPaK284?is=YgFHXFWm3svgeJlW
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For newbies (and we love new people/ new voices):
the exact street address will be sent to you ~3 to 7 days before the event (lots of street parking)
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Only sign up if you plan to show up (or risk being tarred and feathered).

If you can't make it-- please change your RSVP from YES to NO as early as possible so that others can get in
$2 on-site for refreshments/cover the annual fees for the meetup site.