News reports emphasized the salacious aspects of “the Love Raft” — spreading rumors of orgies at sea — which were exaggerated, though not entirely alien to Genovés’s plan. He had selected his 10 companions based partly on their physical attractiveness, and his questionnaires were designed to get them thinking about sex, which he theorized was a source of conflict. It turned out to be more of a logistical challenge, given the small dimensions of the Acali and the total absence of privacy. But what he does is something far more interesting. By setting Genovés’s words in counterpoint with the recollections of seven of the participants who are still alive, he reinterprets the experiment, finding meanings that the scientist missed.

Source: International New York Times June 06, 2019 18:44 UTC