Lightning

"The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities." 

– Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

Change of format! This week, host Cyrus Palizban invites a single guest, Nico Sarian, to dive into the quote of the week and meander from there! Starting with the quote from Sophocles' “Oedipus Rex”, we take a deep dive into the nature of Greek tragedy, the significance of individual actions and fate, and the impact ...

“Real vengeance has not yet concretely demonstrated its power upon our lives and it never will, in a sense, because if it did, there would be no more lives to be affected by anything.” — René Girard, Dionysus versus the Crucified

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, Rainer Franz, and Harry Jacobs as we delve into a discussion on Rene Girard's theories, particularly focusing on mimetic desire and its role in human conflic...

“With the exception of the instinct of self-preservation, the propensity for emulation is probably the strongest and most alert and persistent of the economic motives proper.” 

— Thorstein Veblen, Theory of the Leisure Class

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Nicolas Sarian, Zohar Atkins, and Harry Jacobs as we explore Thorstein Veblen's assertion. We discuss various dimensions of emulation, from its philosophical implications to it...

“I certainly have, thanks to time, an interlocking and taking up of previous experiences in later experiences, but I never have an absolute possession of myself by myself, since the hollow of the future is always filled by a new present.” – Maurice Merleau-Ponty

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, Nicolas Sarian, Harry Jacobs, and new team member Rainer Franz as we delve into profound discussions on Maurice Merleau-Pont...

“Poetry is the work of a gifted person, or of a manic: of these types, the former have versatile imaginations, the latter get carried away.”

— By Aristotle From Poetics

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, Nicolas Sarian, Harry Jacobs, and Jake Kozloski as we delve into a multifaceted discussion on poetry, artistry, and philosophy, using Aristotle's quote as a starting point. We explore the contrast between Aristotle and...

“To fall in love is to create a religion that has a fallible god.” – Jorge Luis Borges

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, Nicolas Sarian, Harry Jacobs, and Jake Kozloski (founder and CEO of Keeper, an AI-driven dating app) as we engage in a rich discussion about the complexities of love, marriage, and the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence in matchmaking. The conversation orbits around Borges’ provocative quote o...

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” –Steve Jobs

This week on The Lightning Podcast, join Cyrus Palizban, Harry Jacobs, Zohar Atkins, Nicolas Sarian, and Francis Pedraza as we delve into the bold quote by Steve Jobs. We discuss innovation, entrepreneurship, and the challenge of creating something new that the market has yet to demand, done by listening deeply to potential needs, the nature...

“The value of a commodity, or the quantity of any other commodity for which it will exchange, depends on the relative quantity of labour which is necessary for its production, and not on the greater or less compensation which is paid for that labour.” 

- David Ricardo

This week on The Lightning Podcast, join Cyrus Palizban, Nico Sarian, Zohar Atkins, and Harry Jacobs as we delve into this quote on economics by David Ricardo. From...

“Many manage to sell what they could never give away.” – Stendhal

In this episode of the Lightning Podcast, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, and Nicolas Sarian as we discuss Stendhal’s quote. We explore various perspectives on the themes of value, gifting, and exchange. From theology to memes to Soviets to markets, this conversation is a multi-faceted look into the reasons we give and sell and, sometimes, do both.

00:00 Intro...

“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” - Adam Smith

This week join Cyrus Palizban, Nico Sarian, and Zohar Atkins as we delve into the fundamental principles of the economic systems we live in through the lens of Adam Smith's quote from 'Wealth of Nations'. We discuss the power of individual self-interest in driving societal or...

“All things are full of gods.” - Thales of Miletus

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Nicolas Sarian, Zohar Atkins, and Genevieve Kim as we engage in a philosophical discussion centered on the above quote by Thales. We discuss varying interpretations of the statement, touching upon topics of Greek mythology, psychology, polytheism, Christian theology, mysticism, power dynamics, and the concept of the divine in mundane objects. We expl...

“The rule proves nothing; the exception proves everything.” - Carl Schmitt.

This week on The Lightning Podcast, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins and Nicolas Sarian as we take a deep dive into the philosophy of Carl Schmitt, a controversial 20th-century German legal philosopher, known for his theories on politics, law, and their relationship with theology. Zohar and Nico debate Schmitt's concept of the 'sovereign', the idea of deci...

“Valor increases with the quality of the arms, defensive as well as offensive.” - Giovanni Botero.

 This week on The Lightning Podcast, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, and Genevieve Kim as we discuss the concept of valor. What is valor? We try to answer: literally, metaphorically, and historically - using multiple analogies from matters of dress and fashion to the wielding of weapons, from the rituals of actors to biblical insta...

“Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do what is right, we must know what is right.” This week, Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, and Nicolas Sarian use King Charlemagne’s quote as a starting point into a discussion about thought vs action. What is the relationship between the two? Drawing from diverse references - Jewish tradition, Buddhist thought, psychoanalysis, sociology, and investment strategies - the conversat...

“He who does not know how to use leisure has more of work than when there is work in work.” This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, Genevieve Kim, Nicolás Sarian, and Anne Dudek as we explore the philosophy of leisure and work, prompted by the quote from Ennius. What constitutes leisure? Is it bound by time or the actions we take? From ancient Greek and Roman concepts of leisure, to the inherent leisureliness or divinity imbi...

“A man who likes nobody is much more unhappy, than a man whom nobody likes.” This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Anne Dudek, and Zohar Atkins as we grapple with this statement from François de la Rochefoucauld’s “Maxims”. From political intrigue of European courts to the techniques actors employ to get into character, to the laws and rulesets we all set up for ourselves when navigating society: this episode is a deepdive into the conce...

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, and Nicolas Sarian as we discuss what it means to have seriousness towards play, prompted by a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche from "Beyond Good and Evil". Children immerse themselves into their play, often losing themselves in their imaginations. How do we lose this ability? How is regaining it a sign of maturity? Are we still playing a game, a game called life? As you’d imagine, the conv...

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Anne Dudek, Zohar Atkins, Stewart Alsop III, and Nicolas Sarian as we discuss the mystical power of the Moon, prompted by a quote from the ancient Indian author, Kalidasa. We explore the dichotomy between the moon and the sun as considered by different cultures and religions. The conversation leads us to discuss the concept of darkness and light, and the shadows that come from their interplay. From s...

This week, join Cyrus Palizban, Zohar Atkins, Stewart Alsop, Nicolas Sarian, and Anne Dudek as we discuss alchemy: its philosophical, psychological, and transformative concepts. Nicolas Sarian attempts to guide us through its stages: from dissolution to calcination to transformation, referencing the source of the episode’s chosen quote, Fulcanelli's ‘The Mystery of the Cathedrals’. We compare alchemical processes to Vedic principle...