Interintellect Hostcast

In this episode of Hostcast, João sits down with Liv Li and Stephanie, co-hosts of a four-part salon series on Joseph Campbell hosted on Interintellect. Together they explore why Campbell remains both a philosopher and a provocateur in the postmodern world, unpacking the durability of the hero's journey across cultures, the lesser-known heroine's journey developed by Dr. Maureen Murdoch, a...

In this episode of Hostcast, we sit down with James Cussen, an Interintellect host whose work centers on practical, livable philosophy. James shares how his journey into philosophy began during a difficult period in his teenage years, when reading Albert Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus gave him a sense of being understood for the first time. From there, his curiosity took him through Nietzsche, J...

In this episode of the Hostcast, I sit down with political philosopher Adam Gjesdal to explore some of the biggest questions in political philosophy: from how we correct for our own biases, to why diversity of perspectives leads to better outcomes, to what John Stuart Mill's  On Liberty  can teach us about free speech and individual freedom today. We also get into Adam's own academic journ...

In this episode of Hostcast, we have Rania Nasis, physician, serial entrepreneur, and generalist operator who has built and advised companies across biotech, digital health, senior tech, and pediatric care. Rania shares the story of leaving medicine before ever practicing, getting hooked on startups through a business plan competition, and spending the last 12+ years navigating one of the hardest...

Today’s Interintellect host is  Neil Thanedar , author of Positive Politics. We spoke about his journey in entrepreneurship, from working with his father to build a testing lab to co-founding Laboor, and why he believes the future belongs to scientist-CEOs. Naturally, we also dug into the core ideas behind Positive Politics. Neil is currently leading a four-part series on Interintellect where he e...

In this episode of Hostcast, we sit down with Grant Mulligan, a writer, investor, and conservationist. Our conversation ranges across fatherhood, progress, abundance, and  The Odyssey . Grant is currently hosting a reading series on Interintellect dedicated to  The Odyssey , which we’re exploring together. You can find the series, along with Grant’s writing, here: https://www.grantmulligan.com/ ht...

In this episode with Brian Gallagher, we dive into the subtle art that separates a writer from an editor, his years shaping stories at Nautilus, the thinkers and writers he admires, and the role of taste in writing a journalistic piece. We also talked about his upcoming book on Mars, what are some of the non-obvious hurdles we might need to deal with and, of course, his previous salons at our comm...

In this episode of Hoscast, we talk with Olga Yakimenko, film-maker, writer and of course, Interintellect Host. Throughout the conversation we talk about how moving around so often shaped her view of the world, why she really enjoys human perception and what is the power of stories. We also talk about her most recent project: "The User Illusion", which you'll want to know all about....

Poet, critic, and Interintellect host Paul Franz joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on poetry, reading, and the enduring spirit of Romanticism. He’s editor of the journal  Literary Imagination  and  Serpent Club , and in our conversation we trace his path into literature—from his early love of books to his life as a poet published in  The New York Review of Books  and an essayist for  The At...

Philosopher and Interintellect host Bryan Kam joins us to preview his upcoming salon,  Buddha, Socrates, and Us: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Uncertainties . Drawing on Stephen Batchelor’s work, he explores how these two ancient thinkers embraced uncertainty, humility, and ethical living. Not only that but also how their insights can guide us through today’s personal and planetary crises. In this con...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with Susan Abbott, a strategist and researcher of democracy and communication. They talk about the relevance of inquiry into democracy today, the possibilities of deliberative democracy, the future of AI in government, and more.  Susan’s salon series starting July 2: https://interintellect.com/series/democracy-and-its-discontents Susan’s website: https://cr...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with startup founder and essayist Anton Troynikov. They talk about Anton’s startup Chroma, the role of grand visions in the San Francisco idea ecosystem, the dialectic of strength and victimhood in contemporary culture, and more.  Anton’s Interintellect Salon with Casey Handmer on June 7: https://interintellect.com/salons/terraforming-earth-and-beyond-with-...

In this episode, Ravi Joseph speaks with writer and veteran Sean Hughes. They talk about the resilience of the American system, the contemporary relevance of Fukuyama’s End of History thesis, Sean’s journey from the military to the tech world and professional writing, and more. If you like this episode, be sure to check out Sean’s salon co-hosted with Katherine Stewart on May 26.   Sean’s Interint...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with philosopher Christophe Porot about the philosophy of religion. They talk about suffering as a path to philosophy, authenticity as a way out of suffering, the possibility of religion after Immanuel Kant’s critique, and more.   Christophe’s first God and Humanity salon on May 9: https://interintellect.com/salons/episode-1-an-introduction-to-philosophy-of...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with entrepreneur and engineer Vatsal Kaushik about his upcoming salon on Will Durant’s history books. They talk about why to read about ancient history, the importance of agriculture as a turning point in civilization, his entrepreneurial work building an X curation app with AI, and more.  Vatsal’s Interintellect Salon on March 15: https://interintellect.c...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with author Ian Leslie. First, they talk about his new book John & Paul , the continued relevance of the Beatles, and the need for a new narrative to understand them. Later in the podcast, they discuss recent developments in politics such as the rightward “vibe shift” in the US and worldwide, and Trump’s unconventional communication strategies.  Ian’s I...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with scientist and author Samuel Arbesman about his new book, the Magic of Code. They discuss computing as a universal field, the overlaps between computing and biology, the role of wonder in scientific investigation, and more. Samuel’s Interintellect Salon on February 13: https://interintellect.com/salons/the-magic-of-code Samuel’s Website: https://arbesma...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with political philosopher Rebecca Lowe. They discuss the role of freedom in utopian societies, the merits of local control of governance, how space travel could benefit human flourishing, and Rebecca's journey through multiple fields to finding her calling as a philosopher. Rebecca's next salon on Freedom and Utopia: https://interintellect.com/salons/why-u...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with writer and philosophy professor Stephen Adubato. They discuss the vibes-based nature of contemporary political campaigns, the influence of Nietzsche in online cultural movements, the need for local organizing, and more. Stephen's Substack: https://cracksinpomo.substack.com/ Find Stephen on X: https://x.com/stephengadubato Find Ravi on X: https://x.com/...

In this episode, host Ravi Joseph speaks with journalist, author, and educator Madison Margolin. They discuss Madison's journey of exploring Judaism through psychedelic consciousness, healing generational trauma through psychedelics, and the cultural changes of recent years leading to psychedelic mainstreaming. Madison's salon series: https://interintellect.com/series/judaism-is-psychedelic-salon-...

In this episode, Jason Shen and Ravi Joseph about Jason's new book, Weirdly Brilliant, and his upcoming salon series. We discuss Jason's journey from tech entrepreneur to executive coach, what it means to be an outlier, fostering your own sense of ambition, and how to find your place in the modern world. Jason's salon series: https://interintellect.com/series/the-outlier-series-with-jason-shen/ Fi...

In this episode, philosopher Ryan Miller and host Ravi Joseph discuss philosophical themes in the movie Barbie. The conversation covers philosophers from Aristotle to Nietzsche to Haslanger, as well as Ryan's journey from being a curious child to becoming a professional philosopher. Ryan's salon series on Interintellect: https://interintellect.com/series/philosophy-of-barbie-exploring-west...

Productivity is a crucial aspect of our lives. But how can we combine productiveness and good life? And what is good life? Is it happiness? If so, what is happiness? We've explored this and more topics with Jacob Huber, founder or Revolutionary Character. Listen and dive in! Jacob Huber: https://twitter.com/rev_character Arkadiusz Synowczyk: https://twitter.com/Epagogist

In this episode, host Linus Lu talks to poet and writer Grace Bialecki about her upcoming in-person salon in New York City about holiday traditions, and about her work as a poet. *** Grace's NYC Holiday gathering:  https://interintellect.com/salon/new-york-irl-expansive-conversations-a-holiday-gathering/ "What it Takes to be a TikTok Poet":  https://themillions.com/2023/09/what-it-ta...

In this episode, host Linus Lu talks to Elaine Wang about her inspirations and processes for writing and about living life as a writer. Elaine's Substack:  https://elainewrites.substack.com/ Linus' Twitter:  ⁠https://twitter.com/Linus_Lu https://interintellect.com/community/