Doha Debates

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@AKhaliqTowhidi @signalawards Thank you for your support @AKhaliqTowhidi!

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Doha Debates is a 2026 @SignalAwards winner! 🎉

We’re proud to announce that the Doha Debates Podcast just took home a bronze Signal Award for Best Video Podcast.

Thank you so much to our viewers for voting! This would not be possible without your continued support.

#SignalAwards #DohaDebates

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Thank you for voting! https://t.co/d1buKiuzWA

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We're a 2026 @anthemawards finalist!

Two of our town halls are nominated and we'd love your vote.

“Is the nation-state still a meaningful foundation of identity?” and “Architecture and urbanism: How should we reinvent the city?” are both finalists in the Education, Art & Culture category.

Voting is open now through October 29 and takes less than a minute.

🗳️ Vote link in the comments 👇

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Enjoy the Doha Debates Podcast? Watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday. You can catch up on previous episodes here: https://t.co/szXT1hwVaw

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Watch the award-winning episode here: https://t.co/6Hb2eXpTD2

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This week's episode of the Doha Debates Podcast asks: Does the language you speak shape who you are?

Featuring Lera Boroditsky, Safwan Masri, @HPluckrose and @D_Shariatmadari

0:00 Intro
08:00 Language, power and political narratives
16:00 Can language shape history and identity?
21:00 Does language shape our attitudes?
27:00 How words change the way we see the world
34:00 Political language, inclusion and free speech
40:00 Can language change across cultures?
47:00 Sign languages, Arabic and the meaning of words
54:00 Language, culture and perception
1:02:00 colonialism and Arab identity
1:07:00 Palestinian identity and the politics of labels
1:12:00 What happens when a language disappears?
1:16:00 Global English and the future of local dialects
1:23:00 Language, identity and human connection
1:28:30 One word that changed how we see the world

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Watch the full debate: https://t.co/YJawidEel5

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“Some historical linguists estimate that we’re losing about one [language] a week.”

On the Doha Debates Podcast, University of California professor Lera Boroditsky discusses the cultural and social impact of language extinction.

Tune in to this week’s episode: “Does the language you speak shape who you are?"

Featuring:
-Lera Boroditsky: Professor of cognitive science, University of California
-Safwan Masri: Author, “They Told Us We Were Arab” (forthcoming)
-@HelenPluckrose: Author; political and cultural commentator
-@D_Shariatmadari: Journalist and author

Moderated by @Nadir_Nahdi

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Watch the full debate: https://t.co/YJawidEMaD

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“You know, Nakba signifies something that's very different than Israel's independence and celebration thereof.” — Safwan Masri

On this week’s Doha Debates Podcast, “Does the language you speak shape who you are?”, Safwan Masri notes how the founding of the State of Israel is described very differently by Palestinians than by Israelis.

Featuring:
-Lera Boroditsky: Professor of cognitive science, University of California
-Safwan Masri: Author, “They Told Us We Were Arab” (forthcoming)
-@HelenPluckrose: Author; political and cultural commentator
-@D_Shariatmadari: Journalist and author

Moderated by @Nadir_Nahdi

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"For Doha Debates, the question is not simply how powerful AI becomes, but whether society remains willing to scrutinise the values being built into it while there is still time to shape its direction."
https://t.co/JpTJk6We0O

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@YoXo_Station Thank you for watching!

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Doha Debates townhall discusses faith and AI
https://t.co/zuNbcJtO91

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Watch the full debate tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET/4 p.m. AST on our YouTube channel: https://t.co/YJawidEMaD

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“Most of us already accept that the way that we think, the attitudes that we think, they come out in words.” —Helen Pluckrose

On this week’s episode of the Doha Debates Podcast, experts discuss how the language you speak shapes who you are.

Featuring:
-Lera Boroditsky: Professor of cognitive science, University of California
-Safwan Masri: Author, “They Told Us We Were Arab” (forthcoming)
-@HPluckrose: Author; political and cultural commentator
-@D_Shariatmadari: Journalist and author

Moderated by presenter, filmmaker and producer @Nadir_Nahdi

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Watch the full debate: https://t.co/ZqA33cYyZW

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"What are humans uniquely capable of doing that machines are not? ... Suffering. Suffering is a human specialty." —Federico Campagna

In the latest episode of the Doha Debates Podcast, philosopher Federico Campagna argues that AI will never be able to train itself to be fully human.

Tune in to this week's episode, "Is modern work meaningful or just a means of survival?"

Featuring:
-Hoda Alkhzaimi: Professor of engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi
-@FedCampagna: Philosopher; lecturer, Royal College of Art
-@yanisvaroufakis: Professor of economics, University of Athens
-Robert C. Wolcott: Cofounder and chair, The World Innovation Network

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This week's episode of the Doha Debates Podcast asks: Is modern work meaningful or just a means of survival?

Featuring @yanisvaroufakis, @FedCampagna, Hoda Alkhzaimi and Robert C. Wolcott.

0:00 Intro
3:20 What is the purpose of work?
11:50 What are the institutional challenges affecting work?
14:28 What should count as work?
17:53 What does the future of work look like?
21:02 Challenges to redistributing wealth
28:38 Technofeudalism and AI
37:03 Can AI improve healthcare?
48:30 How do you create meaning in life?
55:03 Is there inherent value in work?
1:02:45 Is there a spiritual element to work?
1:14:27 Is Universal Basic Income (UBI) the answer?
1:28:15 The future of education
1:35:45 AI vs. human ability
1:43:11 What is the future of work?

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Big questions. Different perspectives. This is Majlis on the Move.

We hopped on the Education City tram in Doha to get some answers to our town hall debate question: Should AI be shaped by faith?

Featuring young debaters from @guqatar and @vcuqatar who took part in Thursday’s town hall in Education City.