Wisdom at Work

Remember the Metaverse? Aaron's been there. He shares his experiences working at Meta and Google, and we explore the logistical and philosophical dimensions of building virtual worlds.

In this episode, Aaron walks us through the painful process of reinventing himself, a journey that leads him from NYC to the Midwest to LA, from the Ivory Tower to the Googleplex.

Aaron Kagan is a UX Researcher at Google, and what I would call an "Industrial Phenomenologist." Phenomenology is really just the rigorous study of experience, so who better to work on User Experience?

How can we retain our humanity in the age of A.I.? To answer that question, we first have to figure out what makes us human in the first place. Joe Vukov is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at Loyola University Chicago. His research explores questions at the intersection of ethics, neuroscience, and philosophy … Continue reading "Episode #38: Joe Vukov on Staying Human in the Age of A.I."

At some point in the last decade, you’ve probably thought to yourself: “I don’t have an ideology! But that jerk on Twitter obviously does!” Ideology is always someone else’s problem. Jason Blakely, a professor of political science at Pepperdine University, begs to differ. Our political predicament, as he argues in his new book, Lost in … Continue reading "Episode #37: Jason Blakely on Escaping the Labyrinth of Ideology"

You probably know John Mackey the business mogul, but you probably don’t know John Mackey the philosopher. In his new memoir, The Whole Story, Founder and Former CEO of Whole Foods Market John Mackey discusses his life’s journey, from existentialist to grocer to conscious capitalist. John shares the latest developments in his new venture, Love.Life, … Continue reading "Episode #36: John Mackey on Whole Foods and Conscious Capitalism"

"Atomic habits" are great, but "team habits" are better. Author, coach, consultant, philosopher, and former Army officer Charlie Gilkey explains why teams are so important and how to build them.

According to the recently released World Happiness Report, all four Nordic nations are in the top 10, with Finland and Denmark leading the way. What is the secret to their success? In 2020, David Brooks asked the same question: Progressives say it's because they have generous welfare states. Some libertarians point out that these countries … Continue reading "Episode #34: The Bildung Option: Lene Rachel Andersen on the Nordic Secret"

During my trip to the global climate talks in Glasgow in 2021, I had a most serendipitous encounter. I was there as a member of Boston College’s first delegation to the United Nations Conference of the Parties (“COP”), and on day three, I bumped into the science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, whose novel, The … Continue reading "Episode #33: Kim Stanley Robinson on COP26"

In our latest dialogue, Lou spells out his diagnosis of the pathological extremes in American culture, and offers the Middle Way of the "ABCs"--Aristotle, Buddha, and Confucius--to help us make sense of and work through our troubled times.

How does someone shift from a PhD in philosophy to a successful career in finance? Tune in to find out. Beyond his own career transition story, Jared and I discuss metaphysical nihilism, the challenges of the 21st century economy, and the enduring value of the liberal arts.

Jason Merchey embodies the Socratic ethos and the philosophical way of life: the humble search for wisdom. He has served in many roles—from clinical psychologist, to real estate investor, to therapy dog trainer—but his guiding passion is the love of wisdom. In his recent book, Wisdom: A Very Valuable Virtue that Cannot Be Taught, he explores this virtue that is so elusive yet so essential to a life well lived.

Skye C. Cleary PhD MBA is a philosopher and author of How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment (St Martin's Press / Ebury 2022), Existentialism and Romantic Love (Palgrave Macmillan 2015) and co-editor of How to Live a Good Life (Vintage 2020). Her work has been published with The Paris Review, Aeon, The Times Literary Supplement, TED-Ed, Los Angeles Review of Books,The … Continue reading "Episode #29: How to Be Authentic with Skye Cleary"

Skye C. Cleary PhD MBA is a philosopher and author of How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment (St Martin's Press / Ebury 2022), Existentialism and Romantic Love (Palgrave Macmillan 2015) and co-editor of How to Live a Good Life (Vintage 2020). Her work has been published with The Paris Review, Aeon, The Times Literary Supplement, TED-Ed, Los Angeles Review of Books, The … Continue reading "Episode #28: Being and Lovingness: Skye Cleary"

Massimo Pigliucci is professor of philosophy at City University of New York. He holds PhDs in both philosophy and biology. As an early adopter of blogging, he has effectively communicated philosophy to the broader public. A prominent philosopher of science, he has engaged popular scientists such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye, exposing the … Continue reading "Episode #27: On Science and Stoicism: Massimo Pigliucci (Part 2)"

Massimo Pigliucci is professor of philosophy at City University of New York. He holds PhDs in both philosophy and biology. As an early adopter of blogging, he has effectively communicated philosophy to the broader public. A prominent philosopher of science, he has engaged popular scientists such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye, exposing the … Continue reading "Episode #26: On Science and Stoicism: Massimo Pigliucci (Part 1)"

Lou Marinoff was doing practical philosophy before it was cool. In the 1990s, he helped pioneer and popularize philosophical counseling and authored the international bestseller Plato not Prozac.

Lou Marinoff was doing practical philosophy before it was cool. In the 1990s, he helped pioneer and popularize philosophical counseling and authored the international bestseller Plato not Prozac. His work has been featured in The Economist and the The New York Times, and beyond his work as a professor and counselor, he has consulted with … Continue reading "Episode #24: Plato Not Prozac: Lou Marinoff (Part 1)"

At the peak of academic success--a full professor at Notre Dame for 15 years, an accomplished scholar and acclaimed teacher--Tom Morris found another calling and took a huge risk: bringing philosophy into the business world.

From Notre Dame to the Today Show to General Motors, Tom Morris has been bringing philosophy to life for people for decades.

Grace is a philosophy teacher, trainer, facilitator, scholar and advocate. Over the last fifteen years – through her many projects in the places people live, learn, work and play – she has enjoyed philosophical conversations with thousands of thinkers of all ages, backgrounds and levels of experience. Through her workshops, training, talks and writing, she has shared her thinking … Continue reading "Episode #21: Grace Lockrobin on Community Philosophy in a Time of Crisis"

Why is Jordan Peterson so popular? Steve McIntosh has an answer.

Steve McIntosh is the founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, a think tank devoted to solving the problem of political polarization. His recent book, Developmental Politics, draws on integral philosophy to drill down into the causes of the culture wars, and proposes a bold new vision for how America can become a better version … Continue reading "Episode #19: “Post-Progressive” Political Philosophy with Steve McIntosh (Part 1)"

Ian Olasov is a doctoral candidate in philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a public philosopher at large. In his new book, Ask a Philosopher: Answer to Your Most Important and Most Unexpected Questions, Ian weighs in on the results of a social experiment he has run for … Continue reading "Episode #18: Ask a Philosopher with Ian Olasov"

Cameron Keys is a Financial Specialist at the Army Research Laboratory, but his intellectual journey started with philosophy. After studying the intersection of science, policy, and philosophy at ASU, Cameron was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship that eventually brought him to work at the Department of Defense. In this episode, we talk about his work … Continue reading "Episode #17: Cameron Keys–Philosophy at the Pentagon"

Marci Baranski destroys greenhouse gases for a living. After getting her PhD in biology and society, Marci became a Presidential Management Fellow and pursued a career as public servant, working for the US Department of Agriculture as a climate change specialist. Due in part to the Trump administration’s systematic rollback of climate policies, Marci transitioned … Continue reading "Episode #16: Marci Baranski"

Conventional wisdom regards the “STEM” disciplines as diametrically opposed to the humanities in general, and philosophy in particular. But Zachary Pirtle is living proof that this view is wrong headed. After studying philosophy and engineering as an undergraduate, Zach went on to receive an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University and … Continue reading "Episode #15: Zachary Pirtle"

What can philosophy tell us about immigration and identity? Amy Reed-Sandoval, assistant professor of philosophy at UNLV, is the founder of two Philosophy for Children (P4C) initiatives: one in Oaxaca, Mexico, and one at the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso. She is the author of the new book, Socially Undocumented: Identity and Immigration Justice. Amy … Continue reading "Episode #14: Amy Reed-Sandoval"

Tim Richardson is a Washington, DC based multi-client government affairs and mediaconsultant. After extensive political and business publishing and two congressional aidestints, Richardson has become the nation’s only private sector consultant that has workedon Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration. In addition, he has servedas Wildlife Forever’s Washington, DC representative since 1995. In … Continue reading "Episode #13: Tim Richardson (Part 2)"

Tim Richardson is a Washington, DC, based multi-client government affairs and mediaconsultant. After extensive political and business publishing and two congressional aidestints, Richardson has become the nation’s only private sector consultant that has workedon Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration. In addition, he has servedas Wildlife Forever’s Washington, DC representative since 1995. In … Continue reading "Episode #12: Tim Richardson (Part 1)"

With the possible exception of William Bennett, Andrew Light is the first philosopher to work in a presidential administration. Andrew has two interrelated careers. One is as an academic. He is University Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy, and Atmospheric Sciences, and Director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at George Mason University. In his … Continue reading "Episode #11: Andrew Light (Part 1)"

Over the last decade, Greg Sadler has emerged as the “YouTube philosopher.” Someone was inevitably going to fill that role, but the title is well deserved: Greg has produced around 1400 videos, has 84,000 subscribers and, at this writing, has received almost 8,000,000 views. After leaving a conventional academic career as a philosophy professor, Greg … Continue reading "Episode #10: Greg Sadler (Part 2)"

Over the last decade, Greg Sadler has emerged as the “YouTube philosopher.” Someone was inevitably going to fill that role, but the title is well deserved: Greg has produced around 1400 videos, has 84,000 subscribers and, at this writing, has received almost 8,000,000 views. After leaving a conventional academic career as a philosophy professor, Greg … Continue reading "Episode #9: Greg Sadler (Part 1)"

Episode 8: Dan Fincke (Part 2) In the second part of our conversation (Part 1 here), Dan walks us through his period of experimentation in starting an online teaching business, and how he learned to think like an entrepreneur and business person. We end by diving into his brilliant interpretation of the Star Wars saga, and how Nietzsche can help us make sense of The Last Jedi.

Dan Fincke is a “Rogue” par excellence. An expert in ethics and the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, he runs an online teaching business and offers philosophical counseling from his home in France. Of all the people I met in graduate school–including myself–Dan Fincke is the one who most deserves the title “real philosopher.” His personal … Continue reading "Episode #7: Dan Fincke (Part 1)"

One night, after completing a doctorate in philosophy at Oxford University and wondering what he was going to do with his life, Matthew Stewart was shooting pool with a group of graduating seniors. They were going on about the jobs they were about to begin in something called “management consulting.” For lack of a better … Continue reading "Episode #6: Matthew Stewart"

David Brendel wears many hats–philosophical counselor, executive coach, and psychiatrist. After catching the philosophy bug reading the Great Books at Yale, David pursued a medical career at Harvard Medical School. Refusing to choose between medicine and philosophy, he enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Chicago, where he did pioneering work in the … Continue reading "Episode #5: David Brendel"

A “philosophy company” might sound like an oxymoron, but Ryan Stelzer had the audacity to found one. After studying philosophy at the University of Chicago, Ryan landed a Presidential Management Fellowship, and went to Washington to work in the White House as a management consultant. Torn between returning to the academy to complete his PhD … Continue reading "Episode #4: Ryan Stelzer (Part 2)"

I’m thrilled to announce that Wisdom at Work is officially a member of Lyceum! Lyceum is a new app whose hand-curation cuts through the noise of a million podcasts to help people find great educational shows and have great conversations about them, right in the app. Download the app at lyceum.fm and then check out … Continue reading "Introducing Lyceum"

A “philosophy company” might sound like an oxymoron, but Ryan Stelzer had the audacity to found one. After studying philosophy at the University of Chicago, Ryan landed a Presidential Management Fellowship, and went to Washington to work in the White House as a management consultant. Torn between returning to the academy to complete his PhD … Continue reading "Episode #3: Ryan Stelzer (Part 1)"

After studying philosophy and training to become a Jesuit at Fordham in the early ’90s, Sal moved to San Francisco. Here, he served as a hospital chaplain for the dying, at the veritable ground zero of the AIDS plague. Years later, he left the Jesuits and academia, and went on to a successful career in … Continue reading "Episode #2: Sal Giambanco (Part 2)"

If I had to pick the most interesting person I’ve ever met, it would probably be my friend and mentor Sal Giambanco. When we first met over ten years ago at our common alma mater, Fordham University, he described what he did for a living as “philosophical counseling for CEOs.” Needless to say, he had … Continue reading "Episode #1: Sal Giambanco (Part 1)"

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