Dear Friend,
Welcome to the second season of The Contemplative Reading Project!
I want to thank everyone who has participated in this journey so far. I know some folks have jumped on for one read, others two, and some have been reading along almost every month. We’re active on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, and even X to a lesser extent, using #theCRPblog as our group tag.
Year One & the Future
Want some stats? Okay! In the past year, we’ve read eleven books covering a range of genres, from science to poetry, essays to memoir, religion to literature, and young adult to historical fiction. We’ve had over one thousand visitors to the blog and each of our TikTok posts receives upwards of 1,500-2,000 views! Just last week, we had the highest number of reactions on a post since the start of the project, and we’ve collected forty-six meditations inspired by our reading. (I’ll soon get those into a collection for “Year One” and clear the Meditations page itself for Year Two.) All in all, I think it’s been a stellar first year, and I’m filled with gratitude to each and every one of you who has been a part of it, either as a reader or a supporter.
I hope to keep the engagement going in this new year by participating in a couple of collaborative projects, including a two-month read of Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way in February and March (our first multiple-month project!) and possibly cross-hosting a read of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey for The Classics Club later in 2025. (Some of you might know that I was a founder of The Classics Club and hosted it for many years. I’m thrilled to be working with them again!) Additionally, I hope to finally launch The Contemplative Reading Project’s podcast in January.
Our October 2025 Reading Selection
To kick off this new year, we’ve decided to read something on one of the most topical concerns of our age: Artificial Intelligence. It’s everywhere these days, and if you’re a teacher, a writer, an artist, or some other kind of creative, you’re probably already engaged with questions of ethics and equity about the use of AI in our industries. There are also philosophical and moral, medical and scientific questions to explore. I’m excited to see where Mollick takes us in Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI.
Publisher’s description: Consumer AI has arrived. And with it, inescapable upheaval as we grapple with what it means for our jobs, lives and the future of humanity.
Cutting through the noise of AI evangelists and AI doom-mongers, Wharton professor Ethan Mollick has become one of the most prominent and provocative explainers of AI, focusing on the practical aspects of how these new tools for thought can transform our world. In Co-Intelligence, he urges us to engage with AI as co-worker, co-teacher and coach. Wide ranging, hugely thought-provoking and optimistic, Co-Intelligence reveals the promise and power of this new era.
About the author: Ethan Mollick is the Ralph J. Roberts Distinguished Faculty Scholar and Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies the effects of artificial intelligence on work, entrepreneurship, and education. His academic research has been published in leading journals, and his work on AI is widely applied, leading him to be named one of TIME Magazine’s Most Influential People in Artificial Intelligence. Ethan also writes to a wider audience about AI, including in his book, Co-Intelligence, a New York Times bestseller.
In addition to his research and teaching, Ethan is the Co-Director of the Generative AI Labs at Wharton, which build prototypes and conduct research to discover how AI can help humans thrive while mitigating risks. Prior to his time in academia, Ethan co-founded a startup company, and he advises numerous organizations.
Mollick received his PhD and MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. (Wharton UPENN)
Why Contemplative Reading?
Contemplative reading asks us not just what we’re learning about the book in our hands (or ears), but what we’re learning about ourselves through the experience of reading it. The aim is to create deeper awareness of ourselves and understanding of others. It is often described as “holistic,” but also as “heart-knowing.”
Heart-knowing. Doesn’t that sound nice?
The Plan
This book is divided into nine chapters plus an epilogue, covering 212 pages. I’m going to divide this into four equal parts, posting my responses each Monday. This does mean that our second week will include both the end to Part 1 and the beginning of Part II, but hopefully that will give rise to a discussion point rather than causing any confusion.
- Oct 07: 1. Creating Alien Minds & 2. Aligning the Alien
- Oct 14: 3. Four Rules for Co-Intelligence & 4. AI as a Person
- Oct 21: 5. AI as a Creative & 6. AI as a Coworker
- Oct 28: 7. AI as a Tutor; 8. AI as a Coach; & 9. AI as our Future
Reading & Responding
Each set of reading will guide my responses here on the blog and on social media. I will sometimes share the most provocative line or passage, and what it makes me think about. Other times, I’ll ask questions about the reading, things I’m wondering about or confused about. And still further, I might compare what I’m reading to what it reminds me of from other readings or experiences. I don’t want to give too much guidance about how to read, except to say, read attentively, read slowly, and listen to yourself. What thoughts and feelings arise as you’re reading? Write them down and give yourself some moments to reflect on why you’re thinking what you’re thinking, or why you’re feeling what you’re feeling.
I encourage you to join these conversations and leave your thoughts in the blog comments or on your socials. On social media, please use #theCRPblog.
Meditation
“I saw—with shut eyes, but acute mental vision—I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion.” -Mary Shelley
Love,
~Adam
Contemplative Reading Project 
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