The Spock Generation

Published: July 14, 2021, midnight

b"Dr Benjamin Spock\\u2019s \\u2018Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care\\u2019 was first published on 14th July, 1946. It was then translated into 40 languages, selling over 50 million copies - second only to the Bible in the USA.\\nSpock\\u2019s thesis is perhaps best summarised in its seminal opening sentence: \\u2018Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do\\u2019. This intuitive approach was a shock to the world of parental guidance: just 18 years prior, psychologist John B Watson had recommended that children should be treated as adults.\\xa0\\nIn this episode, Rebecca, Arion and Olly revisit the radically different 1916 tome \\u2018The Mother and Her Baby\\u2019; explain how Spock\\u2019s trusting instincts were a mainstay of his\\xa0career; and consider whether Gene Rodenberry\\u2019s preference for strong-sounding names REALLY explains how \\u2018Spock\\u2019 became a character on Star Trek...\\nFurther Reading:\\n\\u2022 TV interview with Dr Spock (1982): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9fSG01h_0w\\n\\u2022 \\u2018The Pied Piper Of Permissivism\\u2019 (The Guardian, 1962): https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/23/dr-benjamin-spock-baby-and-child-care-1962\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Dr Spock\\u2019s Timeless Lessons in Parenting\\u2019 (The Conversation, 2019):\\nhttps://theconversation.com/dr-spocks-timeless-lessons-in-parenting-122377\\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2021.\\n#40s #Science #Discoveries #Person #White #US\\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"