{In-Focus} Conversations are your mentor

Do your most hidden desires say something about the worth of your character?

In this episode of Ideas on Trial, Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto join together to examine the notion of the 'dark side' of human nature. Does such a thing exist or can we understand it from another framework? Why is it common that our desires get in the way of our convictions? And how can philosophy help us harmonize thought and feeling?

Check out our courses: https://learn.novelphilosophy.academy

What is the link between Luxury and Lucifer? And, does Luxury escapes reason, and if so, why do we need it?

Nicolas Chemla joins Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto to explore the role of luxury in the human experience. Join us as we explore questions of great interest, such as whether there are standards for evaluating what is luxurious, the difference between ostentation and true luxury, and how material comfort is linked (and perhaps essential) to our character.

Nicolas Chemla is a writer, novelist, and brand consultant with a background in anthropology and twenty years of experience working for global brands and agencies. His first book, Luxifer, was voted "best essay on luxury" by BFMTV in 2015, and his second novel, Murnau des Ténèbres, was finalist for the Renaudot Award in 2021.

Our modern technology and its comfort would make us the envy of past generations, but would they really want to adopt our way of living?

 In this episode, Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto talk with Jamil Asfour about technology and how it helps or hinders our most basic humanity. Are we better off because of our technological progress? Or at some point did we forget to reflect on our purpose and empathy?

 Jamil Asfour is an international business and investment professional with 20 years of experience in technology and innovation. Engineer by training, he's worked as an executive for companies such as IBM, Apple, HPE, and Ernst & Young. He is also the Managing Partner at Artelligence.ai

 You can watch Jamil TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/FO1dJagP4Do
Shifting Paradigms - A Witness Of Change | Jamil Asfour | TEDxAlAbdali

Check out our work with Novel Philosophy Academy: https://learn.novelphilosophy.academy

Claims of rights are very prominent in the current news: some adopt the language of rights to express pride, whereas others use it to voice their moral outrage against injustice.

But what do we mean by rights? Is everything a right simply by making it law? Are rights inherent in human life or part of human dignity?

Or maybe, there's a perspective (a philosophical one) that can help you navigate even the most contentious debates of rights at the deepest, most fundamental level.

In this episode, Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto take you through a framework and methodology for thinking about rights. Whether you want to become an active advocate of certain rights or an informed, responsible citizen, this episode is designed to give you the tools to become an effective communicator and thinker of the pressing issues of the day.

Music expresses that which is inexpressible, or so the saying goes... Yet, in this newest episode, we managed to express so many things about music and its value in human life in the company of none other than Edmond Redd, whom you may know as the author of our Podcast Music.

Edmond joins us in an exploration of what goes into creating a great musical composition. In what ways are an author's intention and thinking central to crafting the musical experience? And what role do emotions play and how can one use them to gain more appreciation for music?

Edmond Redd is a composer for film, TV, and other media and an educator. His music genre is primarily focused on creating cinematic orchestral music that easily fits in movie trailers and has a flavor of adventure to it. He's always looking to evoke certain emotions and to underline and support the visuals at hand. A firm believer in education, he also teaches audio production, and audio and music composition for video games.

Learn more about Edmond's work and listen to his compositions on his website: www.edmondredd.com

Learn more about Novel Philosophy Academy and check our educational content on Instagram.

Do you want to advance your creative thinking using your daily conversations? Enroll in Supersonic Creativity Program.

Do you want to master the art of Public Speaking? Save your seat at the Critical Speaking Bootcamp

When it's time for children to pick up their first book, what should we expect them to learn from it? 

Should children's books be confined to stories and themes that deal only with the familiar? Or can one take the risk of challenging children to think about more complex issues? And what does this all mean for their character development and success?

Our guest this week is Sara Ghannoum, the author of the children’s book series Tom Alien, who discovers life on Earth and all the issues that come with living here.

Sara spends her days managing the emotions of her two little aliens, Maha and Saif, which inspires her creations. Previously, she worked in the medical and nanotechnology fields and has been published in various scientific journals. She grew up between Australia and Lebanon and currently resides in Dubai.

Discover more about Sara's work and Tom Alien at: www.tomalien.com
You can also watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LddWefIuoxQ


Learn more about Novel Philosophy Academy and check our educational content on Instagram.

Do you want to advance your creative thinking using your daily conversations? Enroll in Supersonic Creativity Program.

Do you want to master the art of Public Speaking? Save your seat at the Critical Speaking Bootcamp
 
 

You can also watch it on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/KKNBKtV7Y10

Are etiquette and manners indispensable for one's moral learning? 
If you go by how they are taught and perceived in our culture, certainly not: knowing which fork to use or how to properly sit in certain special situations may be important, but hardly essential.

However, our guest this week is here to challenge this view. Join Samira Hammadi for an insight into etiquette and manners you've never heard of, where you'll not only discover what's in etiquette beyond the fork and the social convention but a new framework that grounds it within vital moral principles and self-knowledge.

Samira Hammadi is a writer, life coach, etiquette consultant, and LSA pilot. She is the founder of Modern Etiquette Consultancy, where they consult, train, and coach individuals and organizations on the art of etiquette.

Samira's passion is writing children's and teenagers' books about kindness and manners with life lessons, making the young readers reflect and question how to make mindful choices that will significantly impact their lives and the future.

You can learn more about Samira's work and her company, the Modern Etiquette Consultancy, at: www.themodernetiquetteacademy.com

Learn more about Novel Philosophy Academy and check our educational content on Instagram.

Do you want to advance your creative thinking using your daily conversations? Enroll in Supersonic Creativity Program.

Do you want to master the art of Public Speaking? Save your seat at the Critical Speaking Bootcamp

You can also watch it on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/7Fbg3-3oqFM

Have you ever felt that you lack the words or the method to fully appreciate the art you know you love? Have you found yourself wandering around a museum not knowing what to do, what to look at and how?

Our guest in this episode is author and art expert Luc Travers, who not only joins us to put art appreciation on trial but will take you through a live experience where he will show you a unique and simple method to personally enjoy and connect with art.

You can find the link to the artwork here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ADaQaKxpBKWTwSlgwdTD8EpZPy7Qy_ukpLK06IYMK5g/edit?usp=sharing
Contemplate the artwork in the link above and follow Luc's Instructions so you can enjoy the experience :)

Luc Travers got into art through his interest in philosophy and history, which led him to pursue a degree in art history. Still, he felt he was missing out on something, so he set out to design a method that would help people live the artistic experience as exciting as watching a movie or reading a novel. Since then, he's taught art appreciation to elementary and junior high students at the VanDamme Academy and has authored two books: Touching the Art (2010) and the forthcoming Stories in Paint.

Intrigued to learn more about art? Check Luc's website to view his work and announcements, and pre-order his upcoming book: www.touchingtheart.com

Only when you finish listening to the episode, then you can read more about the artwork discussed: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435621

If you want to learn more about what we do, and our training programs  at Novel Philosophy Academy, check our website: https://learn.novelphilosophy.academy

Design is everywhere: from the chair you are sitting on to the phone you are holding. But do we truly understand it?

Is design just a skill you need for solving a job’s problem, or is it primarily a way of learning and living? How can design help us understand and develop our moral character?

Join Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto, with the show’s very first guest, Jonathan Steingiesser, as they put the idea of a design on trial. 

Jonathan Steingiesser is head of design at Omnipresent, a fast-growing startup where he and his team are maturing the product design practice. He is also the founder of The Human-Centered Design UAE meetup and an experienced strategic advisor for many organizations all over the Middle East and Australia. 

One of the most important factors that can help you build a resilient character to face adversity and the uncertainty inherent in the future is the confidence that whatever facts you discover about yourself—flaws, errors, failures, basic struggles—you have the capacity to deal with that knowledge as it is without the need of pretending things are otherwise.

For someone who is investing in their life and wants to see significant change for the better, truth—more specifically, what is irrevocably true about yourself—is not an enemy to distance yourself from, but a reality to welcome and embrace.

There is a popular idea in the culture that seems to side with this view. “Accept yourself” professional psychologists recommend, as well as less sophisticated personalities in social media. But you often find an extra statement to that injunction: “You are already good enough.”

Is it true? Is it right to think that self-acceptance means accepting the whole of your character as a positive net, whatever flaws you discover? How is that different from complacency? And what should be our attitude towards those things in ourselves that we know we can improve? Join Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto in discussing how getting self-acceptance right or wrong can influence the way you lead your life.