Public Philosophy

News Articles and Blog Posts

1. “What is Boredom and Why is it Bad?” Imperfect Cognitions. Dec 10, 2025
2. “Against the Pursuit of Happiness” Institute for Art and Ideas, July 17, 2025.
3. “Stop the ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ snap judgments and watch your world become more interesting” The Conversation. June 6, 2025
4. “Experience more by planning less” Your Best Possible Life (Psychology Today Blog), May 28, 2025.
5. “Break up the mundanity with an interesting mindset” Your Best Possible Life (Psychology Today Blog), April 1 2025.
6. “Use your mind to enhance your life” Your Best Possible Life (Psychology Today Blog), March 10, 2025.
7. “A New Way to Look at the Good Life” You Best Possible Life, Psychology Today Blog, Feb 14, 2025
8. “Ready to live your Best Possible life? Your Best Possible Life, Psychology Today Blog, Jan 27, 2025
9. “Transform the Daily Grind to Make Life More Interesting: A Philosopher Shares 3 Strategies to help you Attain the Good Life” The Conversation. Dec 26, 2024.
10. “How the Art of the Interesting Makes for a Good Life” Next Big Idea Magazine. Nov 6, 2024. (in print and audio)             
11. “Being Interesting is not an objective feature of the world” Aeon Magazine, Oct 2018. Republished on Erraticus.co;  Fast Company
12. “Abortion”, “Interacting with Others”, and “Government”, in What Should I Do? Philosophers on the Good, the Bad, and the Puzzling.ed. A. George (Oxford University Press: New York, 2011).

Podcast and Radio Interviews

• Wise Women Radio, Interview, February 9, 2026.
• “Why are we not living good lives?” Ghosts In the Machine, airdate Jan 31, 2026.
• “The Good Life Isn’t Boring” Selling Plato, airdate Oct 16, 2025.
• “The Psychologically Rich Life” New Books Network, airdate Oct 11, 2025.
• The Apogee [Argentina], recorded March 13, 2025
• “The Psychologically Rich Life” The Happy Atrium, airdate May 1, 2025.
•  “Interesting! What stimulates your mind?” Positivity Matters, airdate April 24, 2025.
• “The Missing Piece of a Fulfilling Life” Mindful Money, airdate March 14, 2025.
•  “The Secret Formula to Daily Happiness”, Living Healthy Longer with Dr. Jim Polakof, airdate Feb 19, 2025.
• Authentic Parenting, “Unlocking the Good Life: The Power of Psychological Richness”, airdate Feb 6, 2025.
• Mindvalley Book Club, “The Art of the Interesting”, airdate Feb 5 2025.
• Seize the Moment, “Beyond Happiness and Meaning: The Missing Key to the Good Life”, airdate Jan 26, 2025.
• The Vermont Edition, Vermont Public Radio, live, January 30, 2024.
• 10 Seconds to Air, “How to build a good life”, airdate Jan 17, 2025.
• Hot Flashes/Cool Topics Podcast,“How to make life more interesting” airdate Nov 24, 2024.
• Classical Wisdom,“What is the Art of the Interesting? How to find Happiness. . . beyond Aristotle.” airdate November 20, 2024.
• The Courageous Life Podcast, “The Missing Ingredient to the “Good Life”, airdate Nov 20, 2024.
• Next Big Idea Podcast, “The Interesting: How to Live a Good Life” airdate November 18, 2024.
• The Retirement Widsom Podcast, Lorraine Besser on Art of the Interesting, airdate Nov 11, 2024
• The Jim Rutt Show, Episode 271, airdate Nov 5, 2024
• Philosophy vs Improv, “PVL #84: Interesting?“, airdate Nov 3, 2024
• Curious Minds at Work “Living a Richer Life”, airdate November 3, 2024. 
• Life Examined, “Leading a good life doesn’t always mean an easy one, airdate Sept 22, 2024.
• Psychologists Off the Clock, Episode 372 , airdate Sept 11, 2024

Public Talks and Webinars

• “Find Your Spark in Midlife.” Real Insights, Empart YouTube Channel, Feb 1, 2026.
• “Bored on Autopilot? How Curiosity Makes Daily Life More Enjoyable.” [webinar] The Best Year of Your Life Summit, January 13, 2026.
• “Thinking about Sticks” [talk], Vermont Public Philosophy Week (Goshen, VT) April 5, 2025.
• “The Good Life Debate: A Life of Ikagai or A Life of Wonder and Adventure” Mizuho India Japan Study Centre (MIJSC), Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore, India), February 25, 2025.
• “Supporting K-12 students in cultivating the Art of the Interesting” Explo, webinar, January 15, 2025.
• “Strive for Better Lives” National Student Leadership Summit, Keynote Speaker, Nov 8, 2024.
• “The Art of the Interesting”, Scarsdale Adult Community School, Sept 26, 2024
• On the Art of the Interesting CIIS Public Programs, recorded Sept 19, 2024
• “The Missing Piece of the Good Life” Vermont Public Philosophy Week (Middlebury, VT) April 2024.
• “Psychological Richness and a Good Life” Green Mountain Academy Continuing Education Program (Manchester, VT) January 2022.
• “Experiencing Nature: Arousal, Interest, and Aesthetics”, A Night of Philosophy and Ideas, sponsored by the French Embassy.  (Houston, TX) January 2019; Vermont Public Philosophy Week (Middlebury, VT), April 2019.
• “Food Ethics” Panel. Vermont Public Philosophy Week (Cornwall, VT) April 2018. “Agency and Patiency: Understanding the Philosophy of Well-Being” Public Lecture. (Burlington, VT) Vermont Public Philosophy Week, April 2017