Paris Institute for Critical Thinking

The Paris Institute for Critical Thinking (PICT) is a non-profit educational organization based in Paris, France. Devoted to teaching and research in the humanities and arts, the institute offers a university-quality program of lectures, workshops, conferences, and 18-hour courses, all in the English language. Our aim is to provide a space for all English speakers regardless of background to engage in intellectual reflection and critical conversation. Subscribe above to follow our numerous Podcasts.

A Cloud In Love

A Cloud in Love, a children's tale by Nazim Hikmet, translated from Turkish into English by Evrim Emir-Sayers, audio recording by David Selim Sayers (Paris, France), 2023. Read the story here: https://parisinstitute.org/a-cloud-in-love/ soundcloud: @parisinstitute instagram: www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ twitter: twitter.com/Paris_Critical linkedin: www.linkedin.com/school/paris-ins…itical-thinking/

01-07
30:20

PICT Voices #36: Zachary Foster, Gaza: The Spiral of Violence

Our thirty-sixth interview is with Zachary Foster Middle East Scholar (San Francisco, USA) by David Selim Sayers (Paris, France) Wednesday, October 11, 2023 PICT Voices is an interview series conducted by PICT faculty with notable members of the broader PICT community. Our goal is to present our community with a variety of voices across the spectrum of the humanities and critical, creative thinking. To achieve this, we will interview a broad spectrum of thinkers ranging from scholars to journalists. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ twitter: https://twitter.com/ParisCritical linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

10-12
37:37

The Last Ottoman #4: Iain T. Benson, Religious Pluralism & The Law

Our fourth guest is Iain T. Benson, legal scholar (Sydney, Australia) Monday, December 17, 2022 Nothing that was built over centuries can collapse overnight. And while the paper on which the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in 1923 degrades a little more with each passing day, the legacy of the empire it officially ended is very much alive today. Welcome to The Last Ottoman, with David Selim Sayers, a podcast series in which we take a critical look at the Ottoman Empire and its place in our world today. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ twitter: https://twitter.com/paris_critical linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

04-17
01:21:13

Bookaholics #16: Jacob Soll, Free Market: The History of an Idea

Our sixteenth interview is with Jacob Soll, philosophy scholar (LA, USA) by Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte (Basel, Switzerland) Thursday, February 9, 2023 Welcome to Bookaholics. If there is one vice that all PICT faculty have in common, it’s our addiction to the written word. And while we crave the written word in all its forms, we have a special hunger for the book, perhaps the most enticing way in which words were ever put together. In this podcast, we will introduce you to some of our favorite books—recent books, relevant books, our own books of course, but also classic books that we just can’t seem to stop talking and teaching about. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

03-03
47:41

Bookaholics #15: Stuart Dischell, The Lookout Man

Our fifteenth interview is with Stuart Dischell, poet (Greensboro, USA) by Stephanie Papa (Paris, France) Tuesday, January 10, 2023 Welcome to Bookaholics. If there is one vice that all PICT faculty have in common, it’s our addiction to the written word. And while we crave the written word in all its forms, we have a special hunger for the book, perhaps the most enticing way in which words were ever put together. In this podcast, we will introduce you to some of our favorite books—recent books, relevant books, our own books of course, but also classic books that we just can’t seem to stop talking and teaching about. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

02-22
39:39

Dates with Death #6: Jan Age Sigvartsen

Our sixth interview is with Jan Age Sigvartsen, theologian (Michiana, USA) Tuesday, November 15, 2022 Death has become a taboo in the West, almost completely banished from our lives. But meditating upon death, at least according to Cicero, is the quintessential task of philosophy, and it is this task that PICT core faculty member Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte takes up in Dates With Death. Dates With Death hopes to make the topic of death less distant: today, it seems we are solely terrified by it, with no decent way to talk about it anymore. Dates With Death hopes to put death in historical context: different cultures have dealt with it in different ways at different times, and there might be something to learn from that. Finally, Dates With Death hopes to show exactly what our (not) dealing with death reveals about our own culture and society, from the way we assign our genders to the way we plan our cities. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ twitter: https://twitter.com/paris_critical linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

02-07
39:54

PICT Voices #35: David Kilpatrick, The World Cup: The Politics of Football

Our thirty-fifth interview is with David Kilpatrick, philosophy scholar (NYC, USA) by Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte (Basel, Switzerland) Monday, November 21, 2022 PICT Voices is an interview series conducted by PICT faculty with notable members of the broader PICT community. Our goal is to present our community with a variety of voices across the spectrum of the humanities and critical, creative thinking. To achieve this, we will interview a broad spectrum of thinkers ranging from scholars to journalists. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

12-01
44:57

Bookaholics #14: Dipali Mathur, Available To Be Poisoned: Toxicity as a Form of Life

Our fourteenth interview is with Dipali Mathur, humanities scholar (Edinburgh, UK) by Iain Mackenzie (Canterbury, UK) Thursday, November 3, 2022 Welcome to Bookaholics. If there is one vice that all PICT faculty have in common, it’s our addiction to the written word. And while we crave the written word in all its forms, we have a special hunger for the book, perhaps the most enticing way in which words were ever put together. In this podcast, we will introduce you to some of our favorite books—recent books, relevant books, our own books of course, but also classic books that we just can’t seem to stop talking and teaching about. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

11-21
24:49

The Last Ottoman #3: Zachary Foster, Palestine: How (Not) to Write History

Our third guest is Zachary Foster, Middle East Scholar (San Francisco, USA) Wednesday, November 2, 2022 Nothing that was built over centuries can collapse overnight. And while the paper on which the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in 1923 degrades a little more with each passing day, the legacy of the empire it officially ended is very much alive today. Welcome to The Last Ottoman, with David Selim Sayers, a podcast series in which we take a critical look at the Ottoman Empire and its place in our world today. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

11-14
01:06:25

Bookaholics #13: Benedict Beckeld, Western Self-Contempt

Our thirteenth interview is with Benedict Beckeld, philosophy scholar (NYC, USA) by Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte (Basel, Switzerland) Saturday, September 10, 2022 Welcome to Bookaholics. If there is one vice that all PICT faculty have in common, it’s our addiction to the written word. And while we crave the written word in all its forms, we have a special hunger for the book, perhaps the most enticing way in which words were ever put together. In this podcast, we will introduce you to some of our favorite books—recent books, relevant books, our own books of course, but also classic books that we just can’t seem to stop talking and teaching about. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

11-07
31:49

Dates with Death #5: Simcha Raphael

Our fifth interview is with Simcha Raphael, Psychotherapist & Rabbi (Philadelphia, USA) Friday, August 26, 2022 Death has become a taboo in the West, almost completely banished from our lives. But meditating upon death, at least according to Cicero, is the quintessential task of philosophy, and it is this task that PICT core faculty member Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte takes up in Dates With Death. Dates With Death hopes to make the topic of death less distant: today, it seems we are solely terrified by it, with no decent way to talk about it anymore. Dates With Death hopes to put death in historical context: different cultures have dealt with it in different ways at different times, and there might be something to learn from that. Finally, Dates With Death hopes to show exactly what our (not) dealing with death reveals about our own culture and society, from the way we assign our genders to the way we plan our cities. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

09-29
43:03

Bookaholics #12: Nina Power, What Do Men Want?

Our twelfth interview is with Nina Power, philosophy scholar (London, UK) by Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte (Basel, Switzerland) Thursday, May 5, 2022 Welcome to Bookaholics. If there is one vice that all PICT faculty have in common, it’s our addiction to the written word. And while we crave the written word in all its forms, we have a special hunger for the book, perhaps the most enticing way in which words were ever put together. In this podcast, we will introduce you to some of our favorite books—recent books, relevant books, our own books of course, but also classic books that we just can’t seem to stop talking and teaching about. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

07-12
32:36

The Last Ottoman #2: Mortaza Behboudi, Afghanistan: Diversity & Disintegration

Our second guest is Mortaza Behboudi, journalist (Kabul, Afghanistan) Friday, June 3, 2022 Nothing that was built over centuries can collapse overnight. And while the paper on which the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in 1923 degrades a little more with each passing day, the legacy of the empire it officially ended is very much alive today. Welcome to The Last Ottoman, with David Selim Sayers, a podcast series in which we take a critical look at the Ottoman Empire and its place in our world today. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

06-28
36:24

The Last Ottoman #1: Atom Egoyan, 20 Years of Ararat

Our first guest is Atom Egoyan, filmmaker (Toronto, Canada) Friday, May 13, 2022 Nothing that was built over centuries can collapse overnight. And while the paper on which the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in 1923 degrades a little more with each passing day, the legacy of the empire it officially ended is very much alive today. Welcome to The Last Ottoman, with David Selim Sayers, a podcast series in which we take a critical look at the Ottoman Empire and its place in our world today. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

05-23
54:35

Dates with Death #4: Annik Wüthrich

Our fourth interview is with Annik Wüthrich, Egyptologist (Vienna, Austria) Wednesday, April 6, 2022 Death has become a taboo in the West, almost completely banished from our lives. But meditating upon death, at least according to Cicero, is the quintessential task of philosophy, and it is this task that PICT core faculty member Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte takes up in Dates With Death. Dates With Death hopes to make the topic of death less distant: today, it seems we are solely terrified by it, with no decent way to talk about it anymore. Dates With Death hopes to put death in historical context: different cultures have dealt with it in different ways at different times, and there might be something to learn from that. Finally, Dates With Death hopes to show exactly what our (not) dealing with death reveals about our own culture and society, from the way we assign our genders to the way we plan our cities. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

05-12
01:04:46

Dates with Death #3: Charles King

Our third interview is with Charles King, historian (Omaha, USA) Monday, April 4, 2021 Death has become a taboo in the West, almost completely banished from our lives. But meditating upon death, at least according to Cicero, is the quintessential task of philosophy, and it is this task that PICT core faculty member Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte takes up in Dates With Death. Dates With Death hopes to make the topic of death less distant: today, it seems we are solely terrified by it, with no decent way to talk about it anymore. Dates With Death hopes to put death in historical context: different cultures have dealt with it in different ways at different times, and there might be something to learn from that. Finally, Dates With Death hopes to show exactly what our (not) dealing with death reveals about our own culture and society, from the way we assign our genders to the way we plan our cities. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

04-27
55:21

Bookaholics #11: Felix Ó Murchadha, The Formation of the Modern Self

Our eleventh interview is with a Felix Ó Murchadha, philosophy scholar (Galway, Ireland) by Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte (Basel, Switzerland) Monday, April 4, 2022 Welcome to Bookaholics. If there is one vice that all PICT faculty have in common, it’s our addiction to the written word. And while we crave the written word in all its forms, we have a special hunger for the book, perhaps the most enticing way in which words were ever put together. In this podcast, we will introduce you to some of our favorite books—recent books, relevant books, our own books of course, but also classic books that we just can’t seem to stop talking and teaching about. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

04-08
41:29

Bookaholics #10: Carlo Salzani, Walter Benjamin and the Actuality of Critique

Our tenth interview is with a Carlo Salzani, philosophy scholar (Vienna, Austria) by Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte (Basel, Switzerland) Wednesday, March 2, 2022 Welcome to Bookaholics. If there is one vice that all PICT faculty have in common, it’s our addiction to the written word. And while we crave the written word in all its forms, we have a special hunger for the book, perhaps the most enticing way in which words were ever put together. In this podcast, we will introduce you to some of our favorite books—recent books, relevant books, our own books of course, but also classic books that we just can’t seem to stop talking and teaching about. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

03-17
31:16

Bookaholics #9: Adam Kadlac, The Ethics of Sports Fandom

Our ninth interview is with Adam Kadlac, philosophy scholar (Winston-Salem, USA) by Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte (Basel, Switzerland) Monday, February 21, 2022 Welcome to Bookaholics. If there is one vice that all PICT faculty have in common, it’s our addiction to the written word. And while we crave the written word in all its forms, we have a special hunger for the book, perhaps the most enticing way in which words were ever put together. In this podcast, we will introduce you to some of our favorite books—recent books, relevant books, our own books of course, but also classic books that we just can’t seem to stop talking and teaching about. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

03-07
37:52

PICT Voices #34: Sophia Rosenfeld, Truth & Common Sense

Our thirty-fourth interview is with Sophia Rosenfeld, historian (Philadelphia, USA) by Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte (Basel, Switzerland) Monday, February 14, 2022 PICT Voices is an interview series conducted by PICT faculty with notable members of the broader PICT community. Our goal is to present our community with a variety of voices across the spectrum of the humanities and critical, creative thinking. To achieve this, we will interview a broad spectrum of thinkers ranging from scholars to journalists. website: https://parisinstitute.org/ soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parisinstitute instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisinstitute/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisinstitute.org/ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/paris-institute-for-critical-thinking/

02-25
36:47

Recommend Channels