The Armen Show

“Entities should not be multiplied without necessity” is the message behind Occam’s Razor, and seeking the simplest explanation for a conundrum is a strong force in science. On episode 327, Professor Johnjoe McFadden of the University of Surrey takes us through history, science, and philosophy, as connected with Occam’s Razor, in his latest book Life Is Simple: How Occam’s Razor Set Science Free And Shapes The Universe. Professor McFadden obtained his PhD at Imperial College London and went on to work on human genetic diseases and then infectious diseases, at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK. For more than a decade, Professor McFadden has specialized in examining the genetics of microbes such as the agents of tuberculosis and meningitis. He has published more than 100 articles in scientific journals on subjects as wide-ranging as bacterial genetics, tuberculosis, idiopathic diseases and computer modelling of evolution and has edited a book on the genetics of mycobacteria. He has lectured extensively in the UK, Europe, the USA and Japan and his work has been featured in radio, television and national newspaper articles. His present post is Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Surrey. Links: Homepage | Wikipedia | Twitter | Faculty Page | Life is Simple on Amazon

The case Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., 569 U.S. 576, was a case challenging the validity of gene patents in the United States, and few have explored the details of this case more thoroughly than attorney, professor, and author Jorge L. Contreras. His latest book The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Determine Who Owns Your DNA covers the case from its initial cause, each of the court stages up to the Supreme Court, and all the key players along the way. Jorge L. Contreras is a Presidential Scholar and Professor of Law at the University of Utah with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Human Genetics. His research focuses on intellectual property, technical standards and science policy, and he is one of the co-founders of the Open COVID Pledge, a framework for contributing intellectual property to the COVID-19 response. Professor Contreras is the editor of six books and the author of more than 100 scholarly articles and chapters appearing in scientific, legal and policy journals including Science, Nature, Georgetown Law Journal, NYU Law Review, Iowa Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law and Technology and Antitrust Law Journal. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School (JD) and Rice University (BSEE, BA). You can check out The Genome Defense on Amazon.

Hello and welcome to episode 325 of the show, with guest Dr. Uma Naidoo, author of This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More. This book covers the relation between food and response in many categories of mental difficulty. Michelin-starred chef David Bouley described Dr. Uma Naidoo as the world’s first “triple threat” in the food and medicine space: a Harvard trained psychiatrist, Professional Chef graduating with her culinary schools’ most coveted award, and a trained Nutrition Specialist. Her nexus of interests have found their niche in Nutritional Psychiatry. Dr. Naidoo founded and directs the first hospital-based Nutritional Psychiatry Service in the United States. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) & Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at MGH Academy while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. You can check out Dr. Naidoo’s website, as well as This Is Your Brain On Food on Amazon.

Welcome to episode 324 of the show, with my guest Professor Stefanie K. Johnson of the University of Colorado-Boulder. Leadership and bringing uniqueness to teams are two topics of importance. On this episode, we discuss topics from her latest book Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams, a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson is an associate professor of Organizational Leadership and Information Analytics at the University of Colorado-Boulder. She holds the Andrea and Michael Leeds Research Fellowship, is the Director of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, and is a 2020 RIO Fellow. She is a fellow in the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychologists (SIOP) and the American Psychological Society (APS). She has published 60 journal articles and book chapters in outlets Journal of Applied Psychology and The Academy of Management Journal. She has presented her work at over 170 meetings around the world including at the White House for a 2016 summit on diversity in corporate America. Media outlets featuring Stefanie’s work include: The Economist, Newsweek, Time, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, HuffPost, Washington Post, Quartz, Discover, CNN, ABC, NBC, CNBC. She has appeared on Fox, ABC, NBC, ESPN, CNN, and CNN International. You can check out her website, faculty page, follow her on Twitter, or check out Inclusify on Amazon.

Welcome to a special episode of The Armen Show, where we continue with our second panel of guests (link to the past panel), on the topic of economic thought, history, and ethics. Joining in on this special episode is Dr. Susan Liautaud, author of The Power of Ethics, Professor Emily Erikson, author of Trade and Nation, and Professor Daniel Markovits, author of The Meritocracy Trap. You can check out my past episodes with Dr. Liautaud, Professor Erikson, and Professor Markovits.

What can we think about with regards to the upper end of the economic spectrum in the United States, other than the top 0.1%? The next 9.9 percent fit into a specific category of relevance in this country, competing in a different form than the other brackets, and their scenario comes with its own qualms. In episode 322 of The Armen Show, author and philosopher Matthew Stewart joins us in discussing concepts from his latest book The 9.9 Percent: The New Aristocracy That Is Entrenching Inequality and Warping Our Culture. Matthew Stewart is an American philosopher and author currently living in the Boston, Massachusetts area. He is the author of Nature’s God, The Management Myth, The Courtier and the Heretic, Monturiol’s Dream, and The Truth About Everything. He graduated from Princeton University in 1985 with a concentration in political philosophy and was awarded the Sachs Scholarship from Princeton for study at Oxford University, where he earned a D.Phil. in philosophy in 1988. He worked as a management consultant prior to writing full-time. Glad to have Matthew on the show. You can check out The 9.9 Percent on Amazon.

Hello and welcome to episode 321 of the show, and we are glad to bring one full of messages about joy, being, and philosophy. Understanding the life we live is key. This one is an episode in person, and brings together discussion about creation in music, comedy, and social interaction. There is something good about going from one tangent to another, such that the connections of thoughts along the way represent more. Joining me on this one is Emanuelle C. Wright, also known by his rap name of Yungcameltoe, and we discussed a variety of topics in person here. We covered items from making of music and comedy, to philosophy like that of the story of Sisyphus, and more related content. May you continue to enjoy the content, as we make our way through 2021.

Here we are at episode 320 of the show, where I discuss various concepts from messages I had written down in snippets. From taking advantage of the specificity of the moment, responding effectively to the shock of life entropy, and keeping messages simple for prolific network spread, this episode covers a variety of material. The moment is a key element of this episode, because each moment in our time is one that speaks to us in one way or another. Check this one out to hear more about making use of the current moment.

Does our influence go further than we think of? Are people taking cues and guidance from us, when we are not even aware of it? Professor Vanessa Bohns of Cornell University is a social psychologist who has explored this topic in her latest book You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters. Professor Bohns received her PhD in Social Psychology from Columbia University and her AB in Psychology from Brown University. Prior to joining Cornell, she taught at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo in Canada. Her research focuses broadly on social influence and the psychology of compliance and consent. In particular, she examines the extent to which people recognize the influence they have over others in various interpersonal interactions, including when asking for help, suggesting that someone engage in unethical behavior, and making romantic advances. Links: Book | Faculty Page | Twitter

Actress and filmmaker Kat Fairaway returns on episode 318 of The Armen Show, and we discuss havaya, mindfulness, updates, and 9 quotes from the stoic philosophers Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius. Kat is an actress living in Los Angeles, who recently starred in three feature films released on Amazon and Lifetime, including: Kidnapped by a Classmate opposite Adam Zastrow (The Kaminsky Method & American Horror Story) and Psycho Escort. Her theater experience includes the world debut of Who You See Here working alongside Tony Award winning writer Matt Hoverman, playing opposite Mather Zickel (I Love you, Man & Rachel Getting Married) and a regional run of Assassins (Squeaky Fromme). Kat’s passion is expanding and elevating human consciousness, which led to her facilitating with havaya, a group wellness company. You can find them at havaya.one and on IG @havaya.one Here are the 9 quotes that were discussed in the episode: Epictetus The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests. Seneca True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so, wants nothing.It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire. Marcus Aurelius Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others. Links: Kat on IMDb, IG, Amazon Prime Video, and our previous episode Jim Carrey Interview mentioned The School of Life by Alain de Botton Filming location credit: Boutiq Venice