Jonathan D. Moreno - Impromptu Man: J.L. Moreno and the Origins of Psychodrama, Encounter Culture, and the Social Network

More Praise for Impromptu Man

Jonathan D. Moreno has written an informative book about an amazing man who, over one hundred years ago, saw improv theater as a way to change the world. Today his ideas are more relevant than ever. JONATHAN FOX, founder of Playback Theatre and editor of The Essential Moreno

A splendid account of one the most creative social scientists of the twentieth century. Impromptu Man is filled with fascinating anecdotes, many of them about famous and infamous people, and brilliant insights as to how Morenos work transformed vast segments of society and eventually eluded his control. This book is frank, funny, fascinating, and long overdue. STANLEY KRIPPNER, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Saybrook University

J.L. Moreno, who fathered psychodrama, set a new world in motion. I doubt he ever dreamed his lifes work would change the lives of trial lawyers and the people they represent, providing us with a new way to communicate and give justice a chance. This book restores him to his rightful place in history. GERRY SPENCE, author of How to Argue and Win Every Time and founder of Trial Lawyers College

J.L. Moreno was a pioneer of twentieth-century theater and psychotherapy. A remarkable work, Impromptu Man should be required reading for therapists and dramatists alike. JEFFREY K. ZEIG, PhD, founder and director of The Milton H. Erickson Foundation

Praise for The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America

An impassioned defense of scientific study... an essential dose of logic. Salon

Articulate, timely and impassioned... [an] important book. Times Higher Education

An excellent guide.... In his highly readable and provocative book, Moreno makes clear that progress, including biotechnological progress, is still Americas most important product. Reason magazine

A timely take on the debate raging over biotechnology breakthroughs. Nature

This groundbreaking must-read book situates the biological revolution in its historical, philosophical, and cultural context and, with almost breathtaking elegance, shows how society may come to define itself by the body politic. NITA A. FARAHANY, Professor of Law & Philosophy, Duke University; Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

A clear-eyed map of the emerging biopoliticsgreens, transhumanists, bioconservatives, technoprogressivesand a thoughtful defense of inquiry, innovation, and the liberating power of science. WILLIAM SALETAN, author of Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War and Slate National Correspondent

A penetrating and uncommonly fair-minded analysis of how science is construed, nourished, and antagonized across the rainbow of American thought and belief. Highly recommended. TIMOTHY FERRIS, journalist, PBS filmmaker and author of The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature

Provides a fascinating, timely exploration of one our eras most momentous issues. JOHN HORGAN, author of Rational Mysticism and Director, Center for Science Writings, Stevens Institute of Technology

Praise for Mind Wars: Brain Research and the Military in the 21st Century

Fascinating and frightening. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

There has been virtually no debate on the ethical questions raised by the brave new brain technologies.... The time to speak up is before the genie is out of the bottle. Wall Street Journal

Bring[s] us chilling news of DARPAs latest projects.... An excellent and authoritative guide. The Guardian

Quietly provocative.... Moreno takes an evenhanded, thorough look at how deeply the intelligence and defense communities are involved in many of those advances and the mindfields that might lie ahead. Cleveland Plain Dealer

A fascinating and sometimes unsettling book.... Any academic involvement in military research presents an ethical dilemma, and Morenos exploration of this theme is one of the most interesting aspects of the book. Nature

Crisply written... praiseworthy. Publishers Weekly

Renowned bioethics authority Moreno travels to the nexus of brain science, engineering, and national security to explore the connections between neuroscience research and national defense agencies.... Given the topics provocative nature, this is recommended for all science and bioethics collections. Library Journal

Raises serious social and policy questions... deserves a wide readership. Choice

This will certainly be the source book on the ways in which neurobiology may rewrite the rules of warfare, spying, and intelligence collection in the twenty-first century. ARTHUR L. CAPLAN, Director of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York University Medical Center

Also by Jonathan D. Moreno

Mind Wars: Brain Science and the Military in the 21st Century

The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America

Is There an Ethicist in the House: On the Cutting Edge of Bioethics

Undue Risk: Secret State Experiments on Humans

Deciding Together: Bioethics and Moral Consensus

Coauthored Books

Ethics in Clinical Practice

Discourse in the Social Sciences:

Strategies for Translating Models of Mental Illness

Edited Works

Progress in Bioethics: Science, Policy, and Politics

Science Next: Innovation for the Next Generation

Ethical Guidelines for Innovative Surgery

In the Wake of Terror: Medicine and Morality in a Time of Crisis

Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research:

Readings and Commentary

Arguing Euthanasia: The Controversy over Mercy Killing,

Assisted Suicide, and the Right to Die

Paying the Doctor: Health Policy and Physician Reimbursement

The Qualitative-Quantitative Distinction in the Social Sciences

First published in the United States in 2014 by

Bellevue Literary Press, New York

For information, contact:

Bellevue Literary Press

NYU School of Medicine

550 First Avenue

OBV A612

New York, NY 10016

2014 by Jonathan D. Moreno

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher upon request.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a print, online, or broadcast review.

Bellevue Literary Press would like to thank all its generous donorsindividuals and foundationsfor their support.

Book design and composition by Mulberry Tree Press, Inc.

First Edition

1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

ebook ISBN: 978-1-934137-85-7

CONTENTS

To spontaneous and creative men and women everywhere.

INVITATION TO AN ENCOUNTER

A meeting of two: eye to eye, face to face.

And when you are near,

I will tear your eyes out

and place them instead of mine,

and you will tear my eyes out

and will place them instead of yours,

then I will look at you with your eyes