The French Philosopher

Here is the scene. You swear you will go running tomorrow. Tomorrow arrives. So does rain and a croissant. Suddenly, the morning jog turns into a coffee date with yourself, starring a pastry that insists it is “self-care” on a plate. Acrasia: When Knowing Is Not Doing The Greeks had a word for this pattern: acrasia, doing the opposite of what you know is good for you. Plato thought that if you tru...

Wow, Thanksgiving hits LinkedIn hard in the US: “I’m grateful for my boss” ; “I’m grateful for my dog” ; “I’m grateful for my favorite stapler.” I’m from Paris, and gratitude isn’t something I grew up with. Parisians are so grumpy, we’d probably roll our eyes if you smiled at us. We save our gratitude for true miracles, like getting through a family dinner without someone bringing up immigration w...

Are you part of the 45% of high-skilled professionals that would trade some salary for more meaning at work? We’re all searching for that “why” behind what we do. Is it impact, growth, or just not dreading Mondays? If you’re picking a job just for the bragging rights, philosophy is here to call you out and nudge you toward what actually lights you up. 💡 If you’ve ever found yourself staring at yo...

Imagine a machine deciding who gets life-saving surgery in a split-second, armed with endless data and razor-sharp logic. No hesitation, no bias, no emotional baggage. Sounds like a dream... or does it? What do you think: does AI make better decisions than humans? Well, it’s true that there are no existential crises or coffee breaks for our robot friends. They’re brilliant at optimize outcomes by...

Using AI to translate animal communication isn’t just a tech challenge. It’s a philosophical one. AI is making serious moves in decoding animal sounds (listen to this podcast episode from The Economist), but here’s the kicker: even if we crack their “language,” would it make sense to us? I'm really not sure we can ever truly understand what animals are saying when their entire experience of th...

Word on the street is Microsoft’s latest quantum breakthrough (see Nature’s article link below) might finally let us crack open the box and see what’s really going on. But here’s the kicker: quantum computing isn’t just about faster tech or breaking encryption. It’s a philosophical mic drop. What if reality isn’t just yes or no? What if it’s yes AND no… or maybe even something else entirely? See,...

Freedom sounds simple—do what you want, right? But John Stuart Mill had a different take (he’s a 19th-century philosopher who spent a lot of time thinking about this, so pretty legit). He believed that liberty comes with one big condition: you’re free to do whatever you like, as long as you don’t harm others. Sounds fair enough, doesn’t it? But when you really think about it, this idea of “don’t h...

Every “trustworthy” AI system quietly betrays at least one sacred principle. Ethical AI forces brutal trade-offs: Prioritizing any one aspect among fairness, accuracy, and transparency compromises the others. It's a messy game of Jenga: pull one block (like fairness), and accuracy wobbles; stabilize transparency, and performance tumbles. But why can’t you be fair, accurate, AND transparent? An...

How Far Will You Speak Up? Integrity is more than a virtue; it is the foundation of our identity. It represents the alignment of our actions, values, and commitments into a coherent whole, forming the essence of who we are. To abandon these commitments is to lose touch with the very core of our being. History is full of moments when individuals chose not to stay silent, even when the odds seemed i...

The Marshmallow Test: Trust Issues Start Young What if I told you some kids fail the Marshmallow Test not because they lack self-control, but because they’ve already figured out adults are about as trustworthy as a raccoon guarding an open bag of chips? Why wait for a second marshmallow when the adult in charge looks like they’re about to eat it themselves? These kids aren’t impulsive—they’re just...

Yesterday, DeepSeek just wiped $1tn off the US stock market——should we embrace its groundbreaking AI despite concerns over censorship, data security, and ethical implications? 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿? This Chinese AI model is flipping the script in a big way. Training DeepSeek to become “smart” costs 20 times less in processors compared to its American competitors. Naturally,...

It’s Blue Monday—the so-called “most depressing day of the year.” So I want to share a philosopher’s perspective on despair. Nietzsche knew a thing or two about enduring hardship. Nietzsche reminds us that even in despair, we always have the choice to interpret our lives as we see fit. Listen to the episode to get the juicy details 🎧

Elon Musk is channeling serious Machiavelli vibes—warning us about AI doom one minute, backing deregulation the next (as part of Trump's first day moves). Is he a bold visionary rewriting the rules to shape the future, or a tech power player playing both sides? Love him or hate him, Musk is proving that great leaders don’t follow the rules—they make their own. Listen to the episode for the jui...

Picture this: Dad drops the kids off at school in the morning. Mom picks them up in the evening. On paper, it looks balanced. But is it really fair? To answer this, let’s borrow a thought experiment from philosopher John Rawls: the “veil of ignorance”. Imagine you’re tasked with designing the rules for how work, family, and caregiving responsibilities are distributed. But there’s a twist—you don’t...

Did you that, by the second Friday of January, 80% of people have already thrown in the towel on their New Year’s resolutions. Yep, that’s Quitter’s Day. Sounds familiar? Don’t worry—you’re not alone. The ancient Greeks even had a word for this: acrasia—when you know what’s good for you but somehow end up binge-watching Netflix instead (we’ve all been there). But what if this year could be differe...

🤯 You won’t believe how I pulled this podcast episode off. I fed this new AI tool a simple text document of my last conference, and boom—it turned into a chill, mind-blowing convo between two advanced artificial intelligences. Seriously, this is wild.🔥 So, here’s the scoop: I gave a 1-hour talk to 100 people about “how to develop critical thinking in the AI era.” My friend Roman mentioned this A...

In this episode, we take a closer look at how tech impacts the way we see and relate to the world around us. Drawing on the unique insights of Václav Havel—philosopher, playwright, and former president—we’ll explore the evolving relationship between humanity, technology, and the essence of Being. Along the way, we’ll reflect on how advancements in AI are subtly changing the way we experience life....

🧬 Are You More Than DNA’s Puppet? Unravel the mystery of what truly shapes us—our DNA, destiny, or something more profound? This week, I challenge the idea of “becoming the best version of ourselves” and question whether we’re really in control or simply playing the roles handed to us. ✨ Become What You Are with Nietzsche. We’ll explore what that really means. Is our identity set in stone, or ca...

Can a machine really understand what it means to exist—or are we just falling for smart code? Imagine an AI writing a breakup song that tugs at your heartstrings—now, does that AI feel the heartbreak too? We’re diving into this mind-bending question, exploring everything from Aristotle’s ancient wisdom to Musk’s futuristic Neuralink. Could machines develop emotions, or even their own sense of bein...

Hey there, your philosophy BFF here! 👋 Ever thought about what Kant meant when he said, "Dare to know!" ? 🤔 Well, back in the day, knowledge was like a VIP club—only accessible to priests, princes, and scholars. But Kant was all about flipping that script. He wanted everyone to dive into the deep end of knowledge, and here’s why that’s still a big deal today. So, what does "Dare t...

Have you been following the Olympics? 🏅 The U.S. is leading the medal count, with France close behind. The opening ceremony was epic, especially when French President Macron declared the start of the “33rd Olympiad of the modern era.” It got me thinking: why “modern era”? The Olympics started in ancient Greece and were revived 130 years ago. What’s really changed since then? In this episode, we e...

Someone attempted to kill Donald Trump. What if they had succeeded? Can you imagine this alternate reality and all its consequences? We experience these kinds of thoughts sometimes in our lives. Like how I wouldn’t have met this friend or lover if I hadn’t gone to that party? Let’s imagine all the different worlds that would have unfolded if you had taken another course of action. Contemplate the...

🤔 Got those big questions bouncing around in your head, demanding attention? If you've already given self-development advice a shot and you're still hungry for more, that's where #philosophy steps in as my top choice. Let's address this loop of existential thoughts with some fresh perspectives I bet you haven't considered yet. And let’s be clear, we're not talking about a...

Le podcast passe du français 🇫🇷 à l'anglais 🇺🇸, suivant mes pérégrinations outre-Atlantique. Maintenant que je suis basée à Brooklyn, New York, j'ai démarré une newsletter écrite ainsi qu'un podcast vidéo. Je partagerai sur Apple Podcasts la version audio. Si vous voulez continuez à me suivre en anglais, abonnez-vous à votre option préférée : 1. 🎧 Vous préférez écouter en vous déplaça...

Dans cet épisode, on se demande comment on devient soi-même et on explore des réponses proposées par des penseurs et penseuses de l’Antiquité à nos jours. Au programme : • Être à la fois la pierre et le sculpteur avec Friedrich Nietzsche • La maxime “Connais-toi toi-même” du temple de Delphes • L’influence des réseaux sociaux sur la construction de notre identité personnelle • Comment nos actions...