Seize the Moment Podcast

On episode 141, we welcome philosopher Skye Cleary to discuss existential authenticity and the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir, the importance of cultivating inter-subjectivity for healthy relationships, why nihilism is a lazy response to the world, how the argument of human nature is a bad-faith resistance to the obligation of fighting for structural changes, the erroneous belief that our impulsive sides encompass our authentic selves, marriage as a misogynistic construct and thinking about progressive alternatives/ways to improve it, and why Simone de Beauvoir continues to be relevant for social justice and activism. Skye C. Cleary, PhD is a philosopher and writer. She teaches at Columbia University, Barnard College, and the City University of New York, and is the author of Existentialism and Romantic Love and co-editor of How to Live a Good Life. Cleary's writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Aeon, The Times Literary Supplement, TED-Ed, and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among other outlets. She won the 2017 New Philosopher Writers' Award and was a 2021 MacDowell Fellow. Her newest book, available everywhere on August 16, 2022 is called How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment. Skye Cleary | ► Website | https://skyecleary.com/ ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/Skye_Cleary ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/skye_cleary ► How to Be Authentic Book Link | https://bit.ly/3QoUXqW Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 140, we welcome back Mutah "Napoleon" Beale and Sulaiman Jenkins to follow up with them about their experiences after releasing Mu's biography 'Life is Raw', Napoleon's time in the music industry and why he felt more comfortable around gangsters than musics executives, beginning the Mu2Q podcast and what he appreciates about podcasting, what he would tell his younger self just breaking into the music business, having 'Life is Raw' exhibited in the Universal Hip Hop Museum, Sulaiman's academic journey and his recent post, experiencing racism outside of the US, how hip-hop evolved over the years and the importance of socially conscious rap music, creating 'Life is Raw' to inspire and empower individuals living in difficult circumstances, and Sulaiman's love and passion for hip-hop. Mutah Beale, also known as Napoleon, is a former member of Tupac's rap group Outlawz. Mutah has since converted to Islam and is now a motivational speaker and he is the author of the book, Life is Raw: The Story of a Reformed Outlaw. Mutah also hosts the podcast MU2Q with his co-host Q Kwon where they talk about everyday topics from HipHop, 2PAC, Life in LA and Saudi Arabia, and Sports. Sulaiman Jenkins earned his MA in TESOL from NYU's Steinhardt School of Education. He has been in the field of ELT, most notably in Saudi Arabia, for more than 14 years. Sulaiman does research in sociolinguistics, contrastive rhetoric, language and culture. He has contributed to academia by way of publishing numerous articles in top peer reviewed journals and he helped ghost write Mutah Beale's new book, Life is Raw. Mutah "Napoleon" Beale | ► MU2Q Podcast | https://t.co/wx3OzyGR3s ► MU2Q Podcast Twitter | https://twitter.com/podcastmu2q ► MU2Q Podcast Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/pod.mu2q/ ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/MutahNapoleon ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mutahbeale/ ► Life is Raw Book Link | https://amzn.to/3bDH9ty Sulaiman Jenkins | ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/sulaimanjenkins ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/sulaimanjenkinsbk/ ► Life is Raw Book Link | https://amzn.to/3bDH9ty Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 139, we welcome David Swift to discuss the pervasive myth of identities, how politicians and pundits exploit identity politics for personal gain, personal identity conflicts and how class and political views can interfere with each other, understanding why rural voters supported Trump and why calling all of them deplorables isn't the answer, the political views of ordinary people and why it's difficult to neatly place them in a political category, the importance of working toward improving the material circumstances of marginalized groups as opposed to engaging in performative art like virtue signaling, and how social media fuels extremist perspectives. David Swift is a historian and writer based in London who specializes on the history and contemporary politics of the British Left, particularly in relation to race, class, gender and popular culture. He has researched and taught at several universities in the UK and abroad. His first book, A Left for Itself, was released by the radical publisher Zero Books in 2019. His newest book, available now, is called The Identity Myth: Why We Need to Embrace Our Differences to Beat Inequality. David Swift | ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/davidswift87 ► The Identity Myth Link | https://amzn.to/3blIJjx ► Google Scholar | https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CODJToQAAAAJ&hl Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 138, we welcome Prof. Gwen Dolske and Rudy Salo of the Good Is in the Details Podcast to discuss their podcast journey, Rudy's discomfort with ambiguity and his hesitation of engaging with philosophy, Gwen's love of existentialism and how it inspired her to pursue an advanced degree in philosophy, whether human nature exists and what science tells us about it, contrasting Gwen's introversion with Rudy's extroversion and their different manifestations, teaching philosophy and how podcasting offers students relatable material to learn it, and why removing gatekeepers on social media is both a blessing and a curse. Gwendolyn Dolske, Ph.D is an author, speaker, and Professor of Philosophy at California State Polytechnic University. Rudy Salo is an infrastructure and transportation finance lawyer, writer, actor, and public speaker. Gwen and Rudy are both hosts of the incredible "Good Is In The Details" podcast. Each episode is a conversation with experts from a variety of fields who can tell us more about what is the good life. Gwendolyn Dolske & Rudy Salo | ► Good Is In The Details Podcast | https://linktr.ee/goodisinthedetailspod ► Twitter (Good Is In The Details) | https://twitter.com/InTheDetailsPod ► Twitter (Gwen) | https://twitter.com/gdolske ► Twitter (Rudy) | https://twitter.com/SaloRudy ► Instagram (Good Is In The Details) |https://www.instagram.com/goodisinthedetailspod ► Instagram (Gwen) | https://www.instagram.com/profdolske ► Instagram (Rudy) | https://www.instagram.com/rudyss77 ► Website (Gwen) | https://profdolske.wordpress.com/ ► Forbes (Rudy) | https://www.forbes.com/sites/rudysalo/?sh=60573c205df8 Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 137, we welcome philosopher Tom Morris to discuss his new book 'The Everyday Patriot', creating ways to overcome political apathy, how democracy and meritocracy were perverted and how to reclaim them, why voting still matters, cultivating a love for family as well as one's country, separating American patriotism from American exceptionalism, how small progress creates major progress, the importance of participating in politics on state and local levels, and the role of public philosophy in fostering societal change. Tom Morris is one of the most active writers and speakers of our day. After an undergraduate degree at UNC-Chapel Hill and a PhD in two departments at Yale University, followed by fifteen years as a professor at the University of Notre Dame, Tom launched out into a new adventure as a public philosopher. He is the author of over thirty books, including True Success, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, The Art of Achievement, Philosophy for Dummies, If Harry Potter Ran General Electric, The Stoic Art of Living, The Oasis Within, and Plato's Lemonade Stand. Visit him any time at www.TomVMorris.com where you can discover more resources for your personal quest to understand the world and make it a little better. His newest book, out now, is called The Everyday Patriot: How to be a Great American Now. Tom Morris | ► Website | https://www.tomvmorris.com ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/TomVMorris ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/tom.morris.562329 ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tomvmorris ► LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-morris-0955474 ► The Everyday Patriot Book Link | https://amzn.to/3ASQojL Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 136, we welcome behavioral scientist Stuart Vyse to discuss the practical benefits of certain delusional beliefs; love-at-first-sight as a defense mechanism to foster romance; whether we can prevent the emotional crash that normally results from idealizing our partners; the mindset of defensive pessimism as a way to reduce the probably of future physical and emotional harm; the benefits of optimistic and idealistic thinking in setting goals and sustaining effort to achieve them; the benefits of perceiving others as having fixed personality traits despite the significant influence of environments on decision-making; the natural illusion of free-will and why people are often averse to considering determinism as a plausible alternative; the downside of hyper-rationality and why some level of delusional thinking is recommended; and the correlation of the belief in free-will with a need to punish others. Stuart Vyse is a behavioral scientist, teacher, and writer. He taught at Providence College, the University of Rhode Island, and Connecticut College. Vyse's book Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition won the 1999 William James Book Award of the American Psychological Association. He is a contributing editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, where he writes the "Behavior & Belief" column, and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. His newest book, out now, is called The Uses of Delusion: Why It's Not Always Rational to Be Rational. Psychologist Stuart Vyse's new book, The Uses of Delusion, is about aspects of human nature that are not altogether rational but, nonetheless, help us achieve our social and personal goals. In his book, and in this conversation, Vyse presents an accessible exploration of the psychological concepts behind useful delusions, fleshing out how delusional thinking may play a role in love and relationships, illness and loss, and personality and behavior. Throughout, Vyse strives to answer the question: why would some of our most illogical beliefs be as helpful as they are? Vyse also suggests that evolutionary pressures may have led to the ability to fool ourselves in order to survive. | Stuart Vyse | ► Website | https://stuartvyse.com/ ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/stuartvyse ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/stuartvyse ► The Uses of Delusion Book | https://amzn.to/3xZ9oda Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 135, we welcome philosopher Christian Miller to discuss the importance of honesty, why people prefer that virtue in relationships over others, the replication crisis in psychology and why it doesn't necessarily mean that researchers were dishonest, honesty as a seldom researched construct, being honest for the wrong reasons and what the right ones are, utilizing research-backed methods to encourage honesty, self-deception and how it precludes honest behavior, personal benefits from honesty, honesty as an evolved trait and how it may foster connection, and bridging the is and ought gap in philosophy by asking if research can provide us with evidence that being more honest helps create a better society. Christian Miller is the A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University, science contributor at Forbes, and Past Director of the Character Project, which researched moral character from the perspectives of psychology, philosophy, and theology. He is the author of "The Character Gap: How Good Are We?" and "Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue." | Christian Miller | ► Website | https://www.christianbmiller.com ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/CharacterGap ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/charactergap ► The Character Gap Book | https://amzn.to/3JxkISN ► Honesty Book | https://amzn.to/3xzuqin Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 134, we welcome Darryl Stickel to discuss the elements of building trust in various types of relationships, the levers of trust - integrity, benevolence, ability, how to foster all three and why we need to, confirmation bias and why positive perceptions of others become more positive over time and negative ones become increasingly more negative, our overly positive self-conceptions and how challenging them helps improve our relationships, generosity and vulnerability begetting more generosity and vulnerability and the importance of becoming less self-protective, and the value of empathy and learning to take others' behaviors less personally. Darryl Stickel has devoted his career to understanding trust, what it is, how it functions, and how to increase it. He holds a PhD in Business from Duke University. Before founding Trust Unlimited in 2001, he was a consultant at McKinsey and Company, the world-renowned global management consulting firm. He has helped leaders build trust in a wide range of business and personal environments, including financial services, telecoms, hi-tech, families, and the Canadian Military in Afghanistan. He is also a professor at the Luxembourg School of Business teaching in the MBA program and in their executive education program. His new book, out now, is called Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World. | Darryl Stickel | ►Website | https://www.trustunlimited.com/about/ ►Building Trust Book Link | https://bit.ly/3zCGQIX Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 133, we welcome Avram Alpert to discuss creating a good-enough world as opposed to one that solely benefits greatness, the myth of meritocracy and how it engenders biased outcomes, the talent that's frequently overlooked in Western culture, the Buddhist belief that life is inherently unsatisfactory despite how wealthy or successful you are, the future-oriented mindset of obsessive striving and how it forms a barrier to momentary pleasures, why the good-enough world isn't idealistic and would present problems (albeit more tractable ones), why communism failed and democratic socialism can succeed, and why everyone eventually suffers if most of us do. Avram Alpert is a writer and educator. He is a fellow at The New Institute, Hamburg and has taught at Princeton and Rutgers. He has also written for publications including Aeon, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Truthout, and the Brooklyn Rail. He is the author of Global Origins of the Modern Self, from Montaigne to Suzuki (2019), A Partial Enlightenment: What Modern Literature and Buddhism Can Teach Us About Living Well Without Perfection (2021), and his newest book is called The Good-Enough Life (2022). | Avram Alpert | ►Website | https://www.avramalpert.com ► Twitter| https://twitter.com/avramalpert ► The Good-Enough Life Link | https://bit.ly/3xcyipc Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 132, we welcome former hip-hop journalist Loupy D to discuss his career in the music industry, his relationship with Notorious B.I.G. and being impressed with his character when they initially met, meeting and photographing 2Pac during the 2Pacalypse Now album release party, NFTs and blockchain technology, the creation of hip-hop as a tool to unite and foster empathy through storytelling, the nuance of rap music as well as the misogyny in its varied manifestations, working for Kronick magazine and interviewing the Wu-Tang Clan, and what it was like to discover that Biggie was shot the day before Loupy was to interview him for the magazine. Loupy D (Lawrence E. Dotson) is a writer, photographer, and NFT Creator and Collector. He took photos of the late great Tupac Shakur and in the time he spent as a journalist, he interviewed Biggie Smalls, the Wutang Clan, Three 6 Mafia, Cash Money and others, and he was the managing editor at Kronick Magazine, one of the most well known and successful hip hop indie magazines for 10 years. Loupy D (Lawrence Dotson) | ► Website | https://loupyd.com/ ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/loupyd ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/loupyd ► Linktree | https://linktr.ee/loupyd Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666