Beyond academia: interests, hobbies, and more
My work as a Philosophy Therapist centers on achieving self-awareness and inner peace through the use of both philosophy and psychology. I focus on three main areas of help: regaining agency in the face of depression and anxiety, improving communication and conversation, and adjusting to life as a minority, such as an immigrant, a gifted person, or an outcast. I draw on conceptual and practical frameworks developed throughout history, from ancient philosophy to modern philosophy of science to meditation and psychological part-work.
I’m a certified Google Ads manager specializing in creating and optimizing Search and Display ads for small- and medium-sized businesses and non-profits, including those running wide-ranging, global campaigns and those focusing on local, niche markets. I have several years of very hands-on experience with Google Ads and also with Facebook/Instagram ads, and can help you set up or optimize any of those. I will help you apply for an ad grant (if you’re a nonprofit), set up your account, and run efficient ads that bring a great return on your investment.
My wife Hannah and I run a local club here in Colorado Springs called The Good Talk Club. The idea behind this group is essentially the same as Real Talk and BridgePitt (see below): we separate the individual from the idea, celebrate disagreement, and try to experience contrary information as a thrill rather than a threat. Colorado Springs is the city of incredible bridge-builders such as William Jackson Palmer and Fannie Mae Duncan and we are proud to be based here!
I wrote and appeared in a video intended for the public audience in which I explain parts of my historical research on the origins of quantum mechanics and its philosophical implications.
I gave a remote talk about the history of quantum mechanics as it relates to the discovery of helium at the &HPS conference in 2021.
I wrote a comprehensive guide (in Persian) for Iranian philosophy students who are looking to apply to graduate school in North America.
I sort of have a travel / picture blog (which I upload quite irregularly!)
I have some strong Pyrrhonist tendencies and used to write a blog called A Pyrrhonist’s Blog.
The Pyrrhonist theme was quite restrictive, so I started a new blog called Free Floating Perspective. The idea is still similar: exploring reality through temporary adoption of various perspectives as though they are yours.
I also have some non-academic publications. This one (co-authored with an economist friend) is about facilitating the immigration of STEM students as a source of boost to the economy.
In the same venue, I published an article in which I tried to present a Millian perspective on climate change. I argue that we should always welcome anti-consensus research, as long as it follows respectable methodology; I also argue that regardless, risk-benefit analysis in the state of uncertainty about something as damaging as climate change suggests legislative intervention as the right course of action.
I am the founder of BridgePittsburgh, a campus organization dedicated to fostering civil disagreement and bridging the ever-widening ideological chasm in contemporary American society. BridgePitt is the Pittsburgh chapter of BridgeUSA, a national organization with similar goals. Our ground rules revolve around sharply distinguishing individuals from ideas: we provide a space that is safe for all individuals, and simultaneously open and critical for all ideas.
Real Talk with BridgePittsburgh was our podcast hosted on the University of Pittsburgh’s radio station WPTS. We were committed to understanding each other’s viewpoints through in-depth conversations of intricate socio-political issues in long-form interviews. We celebrate disagreement, and find thrill in all ideas, including and especially unusual ones. (Unfortunately, we only got to make two episodes and one was never uploaded by the university.)
I am somewhat secretly a sci-fi nerd! My favorite kind of sci-fi has philosophical and/or political themes built into a self-sufficient narrative that one could understand and enjoy without ever thinking about philosophy and/or politics, if one wanted to. I love babbling about that sort of sci-fi with a few other nerds I met online, so we started a podcast called May We Geek Again and, amazingly, there are people who want to listen to that!
