‘Action is at the heart of everything: to be free, we must act.’
Julia de Funès, a pragmatic philosopher, has chosen the real world over academic comfort: companies, power dynamics, conflicting demands and absurd processes.
She thinks against the grain. Where certainty prevails, she champions doubt. Where moral judgement reigns, nuance. Where emotion takes over, reason.
A philosophy that is useful, rigorous and transformative, restoring inner freedom and the ability to think for oneself.
In this episode, Julia reflects on:
- Her path as a philosopher ‘unlike any other’ and her guiding question: how can we free ourselves?
- Her childhood, the impact of her surname and her discovery of philosophy.
- The power of words and how philosophy changes the way we see reality.
- Her time at a headhunting firm and what it taught her about work, meaning and ‘happiness’ in the office.
- The ‘happiness industry’, workplace wellbeing and management myths.
- The debate surrounding professional coaches and their legitimacy.
- The question of identity, so central to our times, and this striking idea: ‘authenticity is the opposite of identity’.
- The controversy surrounding quotas and gender parity.
- Her life as a mother and philosopher, and her forthcoming book on passing knowledge on to the next generation.
- Her definition of boldness: staying true to her inner standards, thinking critically and having the courage to challenge what seems self-evident.
