Cybersentics Book Club August 2026: Ghastly Marionettes

HYBRID IN-PERSON / ONLINE
Join us for an intriguing discussion on human behavior and political systems! 🧠✨

This month, Cybersentics Book Club will explore an essay by Danielle Carr regarding the rise of cognitivism — the belief that the mind operates through internal processes like thought, memory, and language.

Carr argues that cognitivism superseded behaviorism in psychology, driven partly by “cognitive liberalism,” a Cold War-era philosophy emphasizing human freedom through spontaneous thought and language. 📖

The essay also connects Hannah Arendt's views on totalitarianism as a form of behaviorist control, linking Cold War critiques of behaviorism to earlier perspectives on industrial labor and the management of individuals as systems. 🔍

This Month’s Reading:
Carr, D. J. Z. (2020). ‘Ghastly marionettes’ and the political metaphysics of cognitive liberalism: Anti-behaviourism, language, and the origins of totalitarianism. History of the Human Sciences, 33(1), 147-174.

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Also Included with RSVP: You’ll receive the reading link in your confirmation email. 📩

About Danielle Carr:
Danielle Carr is an Assistant Professor at UCLA, specializing in neuroscience's history and its political implications. Her upcoming book focuses on the political history of neural engineering.

About the Cybersentics Book Club:
Hosted by Gray Area, this new reading group explores the intersection of art, technology, and the human sensorium.
The discussion will encompass themes of biofeedback and cyborg art, suitable for artists, researchers, engineers, and anyone curious about enhancing sensory experiences.

Our goal is to cultivate a welcoming community for knowledge-sharing and collaboration.

Accessibility:

• All ages are welcome.
• Recommended reading level: High school or above.
• Hybrid event: In-person meeting at Gray Area Incubator, which is not wheelchair accessible.
• Online Zoom link available upon RSVP.

For more information, view our FAQ page or contact us at [email protected] for any accommodation requests.