Johnathan's Dialogues

Soryu is the founder of Monastic Academy, an organization that is dedicated to train meditators who also remain engaged with and impact the world. During my visits, I've been impressed by the rigor of their practice as well as their engagement in society: politics, economics, technology. Me and Soryu sit down to discuss one central question: How can one both develop a serious meditation practice while remaining engaged with the world.

I chat with good friend and prominent internet writer David Perell on online writing as a new media platform: what this medium is uniquely suited to do, whether the truth-seeking ends of online writing is in contradiction with the performative means, and the psychological dangers of publishing one’s work online.

I chat with Francis Pedraza, CEO of Invisible technologies, about what it means to live the heroic life in the 21st century and its many pitfalls.

In this episode, I chat with Thimo Heisenberg, Philosophy PHD @ Columbia, about a pressing contemporary issue: “which direction to take the market economy?” In his research, Thimo has taken a historical-philosophical approach to this problem by examining the arguments offered by prominent thinkers in 19th-century Germany when this system of production began to proliferate. We discuss the relevance of such a historical approach, dive into a defense offered by Hegel, before circling back to the contemporary debate.

17 year old Marion Deal sits across me with a half shaved head. She grew up in a renaissance fair, travelled to China to study Kungfu, has already published her first book, is starting her career as a neuroscience researcher, and is one of the most well-read people I know. Today, I chat with Marion about her fascinating upbringing, the importance of creating spaces for weirdos, and her relentless drive for artistic and academic achievement. I must warn you, Marion speaks in a dense, academic manner that is hard to decipher, but if you slug it through, I promise that you will be just as intrigued by how this brilliant 17-year-old sees reality as I am.

Marguerite has seen shit. The London/New York it-girl lifestyle, Columbia grad, prestigious Kristy’s, California hippies, marijuana plantations, an indian farm, Asian nunneries, and a deep engagement with Buddhism — she is one of the few who have went off the well-trodden road and fearlessly pursued her own values. And she managed to do so while cultivating a deep love for the world. I chat with Marguerite about her journey, and try to figure out how she pursues her own values without being alienated.

“Google is like casual sex…Yes.” I chat with Francis Pedraza, CEO of invisible technologies, on selecting a meaningful career out of college and why he warns most people against entrepreneurship. We talk about how Romanticism manifests as heroism in his work life and how the same philosophy can bring one trouble in the romantic domain.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Johnathan’s Dialogues. I chat with Francis Pedraza, CEO of Invisible technologies and prominent medium writer on culture and business about his education, worldview, and the cultural state of our society through the lens of romanticism.