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PODCAST

The French Philosopher

Stephanie Lehuger

Join The French Philosopher and consider me your philosophy BFF! 🤗 If you’re wondering about the meaning of life, your impact on the world, or who you truly are, you’re in the right place. Picture us chatting over a latte, exploring life’s big questions with wisdom from ancient and modern philosophers. I’m a Brooklyn-based French philosopher, speaker, and author, and as an expert in AI ethics for the European Commission, I also dive into ethics and critical thinking around AI and tech.

All Episodes

0:37:57

59. Finding Meaning in Work

The French Philosopher ·

2025/05/01

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 your laptop and thinking, “Why am I really doing this?” you’re in good company. I recently sat down with

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0:03:44

58. Does AI make better decisions than humans?

The French Philosopher ·

2025/03/17

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 crunching numbers, without getting tired, distracted, or irrational. Some chatbots actually even give

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0:01:41

57. What Are Animals Saying About Us? Ask AI

The French Philosopher ·

2025/03/10

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 the world is so different from ours! How can we figure what it's like to be bats “seeing” with sound

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0:02:12

56. Schrödinger’s Cat Just Got An Upgrade!

The French Philosopher ·

2025/03/10

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, quantum computers don’t follow the same rules as our everyday classical computers. They thrive in the

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0:03:48

55. Where Does My Freedom End and Yours Begin?

The French Philosopher ·

2025/03/10

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 harm others” gets complicated fast. For Mill, freedom wasn’t just about doing your own thing—it was about

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0:03:34

54. Ethical AI’s Dirty Secret

The French Philosopher ·

2025/03/10

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? And is there a solution? The Trilemma in Action Imagine you try to create ethical hiring algorithms

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0:04:48

53. How Far Will You Speak Up?

The French Philosopher ·

2025/03/10

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 insurmountable. Václav Havel, a playwright turned dissident and later president, is one such figure. But

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0:04:21

52. Why Wait for Two Marshmallows If Trump Eats Both?

The French Philosopher ·

2025/03/10

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 realists in a world where promises vanish faster than campaign slogans after election day. Promises,

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0:04:17

51. DeepSeek: The AI Revolution That Challenges Your...

The French Philosopher ·

2025/01/28

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, Nvidia—the go-to supplier of those pricey processors, one of

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0:02:08

50. Blue Monday—the so-called “most depressing day of...

The French Philosopher ·

2025/01/22

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 🎧

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0:03:12

49. Is it possible to be a genius and a villain at...

The French Philosopher ·

2025/01/22

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 juicy details.🎧

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0:04:50

48. How Can Philosophy Fix Moms’ Mental Load?

The French Philosopher ·

2025/01/14

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 know who you’ll be in this system. Behind the veil, you have no idea if you’ll be Mom or Dad,

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0:08:38

47. Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail (and What to Do...

The French Philosopher ·

2025/01/06

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 different? Let’s flip the script and make 2025 the year you actually stick to your goals. Ready to learn how

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0:12:16

46. My Mind-blowing AI-Hosted Podcast 🤯

The French Philosopher ·

2024/10/08

🤯 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 AI tool that could create podcasts from documents, and I thought, why not try it with this talk?The idea

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11:24

45. How tech reshapes our connection to the world

The French Philosopher ·

2024/09/07

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. From the way we interact with nature to how we understand our role in society, tech is influencing our

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22:02

44. Become What You Are… 🧬 If You’re More Than DNA’s...

The French Philosopher ·

2024/08/30

🧬 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 can we chip away at the rough edges to reveal something greater? Join me as I dive into the tension between

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14:11

43. Can ChatGPT think? 🤔 What Philosophy Says about AI 🤖

The French Philosopher ·

2024/08/23

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 being? Tune in as we tackle the ultimate question: Is AI on the verge of truly thinking and feeling—or is it

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07:57

42. "Dare to know!" says Kant 📚

The French Philosopher ·

2024/08/12

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 to know!" really mean? 🧐1. Get Real with Your Thoughts: This isn’t just about seeking knowledge; it’s about having the

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09:15

41. Olympic Gold, Know thyself & Plato 🏅

The French Philosopher ·

2024/08/03

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 explore:• The significance of the ancient Greek motto “Know thyself” and its relevance today 🔍• How

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10:19

40. Trump, Schrödinger’s Cat and Hegel 😸

The French Philosopher ·

2024/08/03

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 choices you haven’t taken and the lives you could have lived. What can quantum physics and Schrödinger’s

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46 results