Last updated: July 2025

I think philosophers have a duty to engage with society at large, which is exemplified by Socrates’ marketplace interactions. As such I’ve tried to engage as best I can with my surroundings. Below are some of my activities in Beirut and elsewhere:

APA Blog: How can we be good allies as bystanders during war? (2024) I wrote this in response to the eruption of violence in the Middle-East, and to the way bystanders responded to that conflict, and others. The aim of the piece is to help push forward the pacifist viewpoint I endorse, and which I’m convinced of because of my personal experiences living through multiple wars and other instances of political violence.

The 2020 Beirut Explosion: I lived through the Beirut explosion, experiencing the blast from roughly 3 kilometers (~2 miles) away. I was lucky to be unharmed, but it was still incredibly destructive, and many I know were not so lucky. There are many reasons to be both deeply sad and angry about what happened, locally, and with the international response. I documented the events in various ways, using VR video, animation, and a VR game. Below is a short video of my VR experience, made entirely in VR. You can play the full game, or watch my call to action animation on a Playstation 4/5. 

 

The 2019 Lebanese Uprising: The Lebanese uprising was long overdue. I wrote this as it started, and was interviewed on a podcast here. I also gave my first Arabic talk, ‘Life After the Civil War: Psychological & Existential Factors’, to protesters in downtown Beirut, part of an effort to raise the wider population’s awareness:

Partly because of my interest in VR, I also filmed various stereoscopic-180 and 360 videos documenting the protests. The playlist below contains some of these videos, starting with some of the wall art that appeared and disappeared during the uprising.

Religion in Lebanon: Lebanon is largely divided along religious sectarian lines. Though a democracy, political positions are constrained by religious denomination. This was meant as a transitory structure after the civil war but unfortunately remained in place for national and international reasons. This has had a terrible impact on the culture as a whole, but most of all the youths. The below panel was one of several efforts to help students at the Lebanese American University better disentangle religious from political ideas. The panel features myself, an atheist philosopher, a priest, and a sheikh. It was hosted by the philosophy and debate student clubs, and won the award for best club event of 2019. The event is largely in Arabic, but I offer a brief introduction in English, starting at minute 11.

Philosophy for Lebanese and Contemporary Society: Philosophy is not particularly well-understood in culture as a whole, and Lebanon is no exception. The country’s troubled history, an outdated educational system that conflates philosophy and the history of ideas, and the translation of the word ‘philosophy’ to Arabic early on all contribute to misunderstanding philosophy. I’ve given a number of talks on the value of philosophy in Lebanon, and hosted an informal discussion group called ‘Philosophy Cafe’ for students and recent graduates. Below is a TEDx talk, using a modern metaphor for philosophy’s place in culture.

 

Edinburgh stand-up philosophy: I somehow managed to remain serious sandwiched between two philosophical comedians at an event called Stand-Up Philosophy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Scotland remains one of my favorite countries, so I was happy to offer something back. Below is one of the talks: