What shaped generations of Stanford engineers? A reading list that hasn't changed much in 40 years.
Bernie reveals the backstories behind his famous (and famously intensive) reading list for 'The Designer in Society'—texts that ranged from sociology to sci-fi, all exploring the human experience in a changing world. We dive into why these particular books have remained so powerfully relevant, from The Adjusted American (found on a drafting table) to Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees (about the artist Robert Irwin).
Plus, we're joined by former student Özgür Eris, who shares how the class readings helped him navigate a period of existential questioning and ultimately shaped his approach to living a full life.
00:00 Introduction
01:03 How ‘The Designer in Society’ got started
07:27 The Adjusted American: Found on a drafting table, changed everything
11:18 Of Men and Machines: Adam Smith's contradiction
12:14 Tractoring Off: Steinbeck's dilemma of what you'd really do
14:06: The Portable Phonograph: What would you do if your house burned down?
15:05 Player Piano: Vonnegut's timeless critique (relevant to AI!)
16:38 Seeing is Forgetting: The book that changes how you see
20:10 Plain and Simple: The one with the Amish quilt on the cover
20:32 Labour and Monopoly Capital: Bernie’s “left wing” book
21:18 Wright Brothers: Extraordinary in their ordinariness
22:26: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime: We’re all different.
23:50 Introducing Özgür Eris
27:56 Özgür's experience with the "nothingness" in Robert Irwin's work
30:36 Özgür's project
32:22 The human potential movement explained
Follow us on Instagram: @yelloweyedcatspodcast to see the complete reading list, Robert Irwin's artwork, and Gail Putney's letter to Bernie.
Co-hosts: Bernie Roth & Krista Donaldson; Producer: Krista Donaldson