Molly Mielke: WEIRD Psychology, What Was California, Ways of Seeing, Surprised by Joy, Doorknobs
Our curator this week is Molly Mielke (@mollyfmielke). Molly is the solo GP behind Moth Fund, an early-stage venture fund that invests in and grants to individuals building tools for human agency. She's drawn to what she calls "moths"—people playing games entirely of their own making. Her quarterly essays dissect what makes outliers tick.
Please enjoy these words that have mattered to Molly.
Molly's Picks
The Origins of WEIRD Psychology
An excellent explainer of the origins of the growing Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic class.
What was California?
The best explainer of the historical roots of California's culture that I've ever found.
Ways of Seeing
This book + BBC series greatly impacted my understanding of media and gender dynamics.
Surprised by Joy
C.S. Lewis on his (long) journey to religion by way of first attempting to understand joy.
Faces Places
This is one of the films that inspired me to want to make movies.
Good conversations have lots of doorknobs
The craft of conversation and people dynamics more broadly are both topics I find endlessly interesting.
It's Great to Suck at Something
I haven't been able to shut up about what I call "rejection exposure therapy" for the past year or so.