Undisputed ideas feed on our indifference and fear of questioning. But not in this court. Ideas on Trial is designed to finally confront them. Join the Novel Philosophy Academy team to explore uncontested ideas in the culture taken for granted for so long, so we can expand our intellectual potential and claim ownership of our lives. Through the lens of philosophy, we examine those little ideas that feed most during our snoring-awakedness. Nope. Not the nap time. Snoring-awakedness is the sta ...
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#31- The 'Dark Side': Is It in Our Nature?
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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 convic…
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#30- Luxury: A Madness Beyond Good and Evil?
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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 differenc…
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#29- Are We Letting Technology Make Us Less Human?
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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 poi…
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#28 - How To Become An Effective Advocate of Rights
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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 (…
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#27-Unlocking The Key To Musical Expression - With Edmond Redd
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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 musi…
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#26-How Can Children's Books Help Us Become Better Adults? With Sara Ghannoum
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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…
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#25-The Art of Etiquette: What's Below the Surface? With Samira Hammadi
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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 …
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#24-Warning: Art Will Touch You If You Listen - With Luc Travers
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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 u…
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#23 - Can Design Make You More Human? With Jonathan Steingiesser
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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 ve…
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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 o…
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#21 - Season 2 Trailer: Sculpt Your Character
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Excited for Season 2 of Ideas On Trial? This season’s central theme is: How to build a character that helps you think, reason, and be confident about the future. For that purpose, we are taking topics from moral philosophy, art, music, creativity, A.I., physical fitness, and many more – that will help you uncover opportunities for building greater …
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20 - How to put an idea on trial? (and why it matters)
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This episode ends season 1 of "Ideas On Trial". Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto take a listener's suggestion on what is their process for putting undisputed ideas on trial. They accepted the challenge, and to do so, reduced the process down to the two most essential questions to ask. Plus they explore a related undisputed idea that is critical to c…
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How important is failure? If you had to hear it from the voices of many successful athletes, businessmen, and other high achievers out there, you would get the impression that failure, apart from being quite unavoidable, is a fundamental learning experience in life. We've probably all been through failure, but is it really that central to your stor…
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{In-Focus} Become a good listener...But How?
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Were you ever told to be a good listener? Such innocent idea is instilled in us from a young age, but we seldom hear anything substantial about the specific actions required to become a better listener. Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto couldn't stay still with this idea in front of them, so in this new episode of {In-Focus} mini-series, they set up …
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Remember the principle of 'show, don't tell'? As a didactic activity, most of us have fond memories of it, so much so that today we see the technique applied everywhere to areas as diverse as writing, sales, and storytelling. But is it possible that we've misconceived it this whole time? What if we've missed one crucial point that, without it, the …
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{In-Focus} Conversations for Self-Respect
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We continue with our In-Focus mini-series. This time, we have a broad-ranging discussion on a neglected aspect of conversations: their role in nurturing self-respect. How many times have you let a conversation ebb and flow without being sure what the other person means by certain concepts? Does the fact that we both use the same word imply that we …
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We are launching a new miniseries called In-Focus where we’ll be sharing with you some of the creative tools and practices we’re learning and developing in our work at Novel Philosophy Academy. In this episode, we ask ourselves whether the most trivial conversation can give us any value for our creative thinking. If so, what practices does it entai…
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14 - What does it take to truly oppose oppression?
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What are the forces that accelerate and retard cultural change? What causes a society's demise? And more importantly, in the face of oppression, what can you do to promote a better direction? These are some of the questions taken by Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto in this new episode of Ideas on Trial. Join us as we reflect on our lived experiences…
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What is the mark of a good leader? According to many influential thinkers in business, a leader’s impact should not be measured on self-interested traits such as individual talent, ambition, or productivity. Rather, his primary value lies in how much he places himself to the service of his team. What premises drive this idea of servant leadership? …
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12 - Bezos & Branson: The Moral Colonization Of Space Travel
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Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos' recent space flights mark a significant milestone that brings us closer to a new industry that was once a science-fiction dream. Yet, both prominent personalities and social media critics have reserved nothing but denunciation, hatred, and mockery towards Bezos and Branson. What explains this response? Do they deserv…
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11- Is Moderation Always The Right Policy?
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We often hear that everything in life should be taken in moderation. Indeed, so much of our planning and decisions seem to aim for a perfect balance, whether it's between work and life, in our exercise routine, or our sugar intake. But is moderation always the best policy? What can that mean? And if there is some good in it, what does it first depe…
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Speaking up demands having self-clarity about your needs and goals in a conversation. But once you make up your mind, by what method can you then proceed? Join Leopold Ajami and Ricardo Pinto in this new episode of Ideas on Trial as they discuss ways in which you can build your assertiveness by asking questions, so you can turn an "I don't agree" i…
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>> (In this episode, we announced the launch of our program: Supersonic Creativity: an online + mentorship program to help you boost your creative thinking using your conversations. Check it out here: https://learn.novelphilosophy.academy/courses/supersonic-creativity We are offering our friends and listeners 35% OFF. Simply use this code upon chec…
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8 - How to lead an impressive Job interview?
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First job interviews are often a terrifying event for the inexperienced--and for many, a source of stress that never goes away. Why is that? Contrary to popular wisdom, problems with job interviews don't just happen because of an awkward situation or something you say during the interview. The trouble occurs much earlier: in our expectations of wha…
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The era of borders is over: today, many of us can realistically plan to (and do) choose the country where to live our best future. But changing cultures is a whole different matter. We often hear that, for better or worse, your country of origin "marks you" for life. In customs, values, and even the very way you eat, you cannot disengage yourself f…
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6 - Dealing with grief: How to support those in pain?
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Why is it so hard to find the right words to connect with someone going through a great loss, such as a death, illness, or losing a job? In this episode, Leopold and Ricardo address the topic of grief and discuss some of the challenges that many people (including themselves) experience when trying to support someone in pain. They go on to assess th…
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You’ve heard the notion that creative people are crazy—that creativity is touched by madness. Have you asked yourself why? Then, who cares? Creative people tend to be flamboyant anyway and the worlds they recreate come close enough to being crazy. Let yourself go and add a little craziness to your work. Or so we think. But is this a fair descriptio…
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You’ve heard it said: Consistency is the key to success. Or at least, that's what hundreds of thought leaders claim, particularly Simon Sinek. He's persuasively argued for consistency as the fundamental factor separating success stories from their counterparts, going so far as to say that intensity, while valued by most, is overrated. (check out th…
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In tough times when things don't seem to go our way, many thought leaders, influencers, and business gurus advise us to reflect on those little things we can be grateful for. Every day, we come across inspirational social media posts that invite us to "always look on the bright side of life" and "count our blessings." But beyond the fuzzy, warm fee…
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Episode #001: "Stop being so judgmental!" "Who are you to judge?" We launch our first episode by challenging a tenet that has been taught to us since we were kids: the notion that one should not judge other people's lives. We explore the meaning of this idea to untangle some of the major confusions around this topic. We draw out the key (but often …
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Episode #002: Honesty is one of those virtues that everyone pays lip service to. From childhood, we are taught to tell the truth no matter what, as we are warned about the bad consequences of being caught lying. Despite this, we've all fantasized at least once about the possible benefits of getting away with a lie. What's the worst that could happe…
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Welcome the undisputed champions of the world. They won their battles a thousand years ago; then they shut down the championship. How come? Well, you see, these are particular kinds of fighters. They are not merely people; they are ideas — undisputed ideas that claimed victory over our minds without a fight. They are values taken for granted that t…
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