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The French Philosopher

The French Philosopher

Stephanie Lehuger 61 Episodes Dec 31, 2025

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.

Episodes

61. How To Outsmart Your Resolutions With Strategy So That They Stick
61. How To Outsmart Your Resolutions With Strategy So That They Stick Dec 31, 2025 0:05:46 Here is the scene. You swear you will go running tomorrow. Tomorrow arrives. So does rain and a croissant. Suddenly, the morning jog turns into a coffee date with yourself, starring a pastry that insists it is “self-care” on a plate. Acrasia: When Knowing Is Not DoingThe Greeks had a word for this pattern: acrasia, doing the opposite of what you know is good for you. Plato thought that if you trul
60. When LinkedIn gratitude feels like emotional spam
60. When LinkedIn gratitude feels like emotional spam Nov 18, 2025 0:02:21 Wow, Thanksgiving hits LinkedIn hard in the US: “I’m grateful for my boss” ; “I’m grateful for my dog” ; “I’m grateful for my favorite stapler.” I’m from Paris, and gratitude isn’t something I grew up with. Parisians are so grumpy, we’d probably roll our eyes if you smiled at us. We save our gratitude for true miracles, like getting through a family dinner without someone bringing up immigration w
59. Finding Meaning in Work
59. Finding Meaning in Work May 1, 2025 0:37:57 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 yo
58. Does AI make better decisions than humans?
58. Does AI make better decisions than humans? Mar 17, 2025 0:03:44 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
57. What Are Animals Saying About Us? Ask AI
57. What Are Animals Saying About Us? Ask AI Mar 10, 2025 0:01:41 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 th
56. Schrödinger’s Cat Just Got An Upgrade!
56. Schrödinger’s Cat Just Got An Upgrade! Mar 10, 2025 0:02:12 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,
55. Where Does My Freedom End and Yours Begin?
55. Where Does My Freedom End and Yours Begin? Mar 10, 2025 0:03:48 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 h
54. Ethical AI’s Dirty Secret
54. Ethical AI’s Dirty Secret Mar 10, 2025 0:03:34 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? An
53. How Far Will You Speak Up?
53. How Far Will You Speak Up? Mar 10, 2025 0:04:48 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 i
52. Why Wait for Two Marshmallows If Trump Eats Both?
52. Why Wait for Two Marshmallows If Trump Eats Both? Mar 10, 2025 0:04:21 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 jus
51. DeepSeek: The AI Revolution That Challenges Your Ethics
51. DeepSeek: The AI Revolution That Challenges Your Ethics Jan 28, 2025 0:04:17 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, N
50. Blue Monday—the so-called “most depressing day of the year”
50. Blue Monday—the so-called “most depressing day of the year” Jan 22, 2025 0:02:08 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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